landscape photography
statement of intent
My first theme is going to be to compare and contrast in different settings and landscapes, My different places are going to be a rural area and a city area I am going to take some pictures in Anglesey and London there is also the possibility of taking a few pictures in Pakistan . For my initial research I am going to go to the locations and I am going to capture some natural beauty and contrast it to some city life pictures and city buildings. The main route I am going to explore the rule of thirds technique as it is my prized technique and I fancy using rule of thirds the most out of any other technique also the rule of thirds technique helps to make photos stand out over the rest I will also try to use contrasting composition points to make my photos go that one step further another way I could make my photos better is by using distinct viewpoints e.g. Birds eye view, worms eye view and by using the different viewpoints I can identify the ones I have used when analysing the photo. To take the pictures I am going to use a DLSR camera and take the pictures on manual. I am going to analyse some photographers that link in to the photos I want to take for example I will find a London photographer who takes skyline shots like I want to do and then do the same for the Anglesey photos I am going to take. Along with analysing the photographer I will analyse one of their photos in depth.
So far I understand how to analyse a picture using the 5 cs but I will also need some help for which I will pursue my teachers and classmates for knowledge and I will ask them how I can make my work better and how I can improve my pictures as I am always trying to push myself to reach new and high levels. At the end of the project I will create a final evaluation and evaluate all the positives and negatives during this project and what I will do next time to make sure I reach the highest level possible.
So far I understand how to analyse a picture using the 5 cs but I will also need some help for which I will pursue my teachers and classmates for knowledge and I will ask them how I can make my work better and how I can improve my pictures as I am always trying to push myself to reach new and high levels. At the end of the project I will create a final evaluation and evaluate all the positives and negatives during this project and what I will do next time to make sure I reach the highest level possible.
MINDMAP
JONATHAN GRIFFITH
Based in Chamonix, France, Jonathan has climbed the world over and established himself as one of the world’s leading mountain sports photographers. Jonathan Griffith takes his photos from different parts of a mountain and he has been all over the world taking photos from various different places.The subject of his images is mountains he really enjoys using the rule of thirds when taking a photo which is what makes his photos stand out from the rest. Some time he takes a shoot when it is snowing to make his photos have another element in them. He has chosen to take photos from mountains because it is a rare thing to come across when looking at photographers and so that he can stand out from the rest.
I really like his work because I really enjoy using the rule of thirds as it brings another level to the way someone looks at a photo and I love capturing stunning landscapes especially mountains as you can always get some beautiful pictures with mountains. His work really links well with mine as I am going to take some photos of my own in Pakistan (a place where he has also been). His photos use the rule of thirds which I have tried to use in my own pictures too. A strength in his pictures would be they all have an exciting aspect to them such as using rule of thirds to make a mountain stand out with a stunning view beside it or even taking a photo at a difficult position and angle to make a person seem strong whilst climbing each of his photos have some sort of element to them to make it special. An ebi for his photos should be to try adding some colour to do this he could try some filters or adjust colour in photoshop but all of his photos seem the give the cool vibe since all his photos are blue and white.
I am going to try to achieve this myself by also taking my own images in the mountains. I would hope to see my results like his and I would like to see some spectacular images.
I really like his work because I really enjoy using the rule of thirds as it brings another level to the way someone looks at a photo and I love capturing stunning landscapes especially mountains as you can always get some beautiful pictures with mountains. His work really links well with mine as I am going to take some photos of my own in Pakistan (a place where he has also been). His photos use the rule of thirds which I have tried to use in my own pictures too. A strength in his pictures would be they all have an exciting aspect to them such as using rule of thirds to make a mountain stand out with a stunning view beside it or even taking a photo at a difficult position and angle to make a person seem strong whilst climbing each of his photos have some sort of element to them to make it special. An ebi for his photos should be to try adding some colour to do this he could try some filters or adjust colour in photoshop but all of his photos seem the give the cool vibe since all his photos are blue and white.
I am going to try to achieve this myself by also taking my own images in the mountains. I would hope to see my results like his and I would like to see some spectacular images.
plan
I am going to start my landscape project by going Anglesey during winter by doing so I hope to take some good photos of weather and time changing.
david taylor
David Taylor is a British landscape and travel photographer, who was born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne and now lives in Hexham, Northumberland. He took his first photograph at the age of 14, when his parents gave him a Kodak Instamatic for Christmas, and he has been taking photographs ever since. He takes landscape photos in north east England. The photos that I am focusing on are the Northumberland coast pictures and they are mainly taken on the beach. David Taylor has chose this place because he finds he can get some amazing pictures near water and he says this place is inspirational also it is a challenging place to get some good shots but he wants a challenge. David takes pictures in other places but I have chose this as it links in with my Anglesey pictures as they were taken near a coast.
I really like his work because his photos are inspirational and very vibrant they have that feeling that makes you want to look at them for hours and make you wish that you could witness the view yourself also he uses lots of different angles to take pictures and his photos always seem to have the right colours to match the mood and scene which is an amazing thing. I feel as though his work links to mine well because his photos are taken by the coast which is like my Anglesey photos which are also taken by the coast and he seems to enjoy capturing the sky when the colours are good. 1 reason I really like his photos is because he always gets the perfect colours for his photo the colours always seem to match the mood and scene of the picture which I want to have in mine because if you don’t have the right colours the photo doesn’t seem right but that is not the case with David’s pictures.
I am going to try to achieve this level of perfection but it is going to take some real hard work because if the natural colours in a picture aren’t right it will be hard to change them in photoshop. I would like my outcome to be a picture form Anglesey where the colours are just right and match the mood of the picture.
I really like this photo from David Taylor as in this photo there is a deep depth of field and the rule of thirds has been used. In this photo as the rule of thirds has been used the lighthouse is on a power spot which makes it stand out. Overall the photo has a dark vibe however the light coming from the lighthouse makes the viewer see the lighthouse first as they are attracted to it. The dark vibe seems like it was done in Photoshop to make the lighthouse stand out, I really like the idea of everything being dark around the lighthouse but it has kind of been ruined by the house as it also has a light on inside it this could easily be changed in Photoshop. To take this photo it seems like the angle worms eye view was used since the ground is so close to the camera the angle used is a mix of worms eye view and the vanishing point technique. My favourite thing about this picture is how the path leads your eyes up to the lighthouse but as you see the lighthouse you don't realise the path is no longer visible as you are distracted by the lighthouse and how bright it is compared to the rest of the picture.
Anglesey trip
Day one
worst photo Day 1
I don't like this photo because my hand must have moved when I took the photo and it made the picture blurry putting everything out of focus. Also the photo is a bit dark meaning the exposure must not have been set right.
Best photo Day 1
I like this photo because it includes the sand the sea and the sky and there is some sunlight which makes this photo more likable. The entire picture is in focus so you can see everything clearly. Also In this picture I feel that the rule of thirds is really good. The photo has a deep depth of field, a large f stop and a small aperture this means that everything in the photo is visible and can be seen. In the photo the white balance is set to cloudy.
edit 1
edit 2
edit 3
Day two
worst photo day 2
I don't like this photo because the table takes up most of the photo maybe if I put the camera at the end of the table then it would have been a good photo.
Best photo day 2
I like this photo because it include a lot of thing e.g. sand,sea,houses etc it becomes a more detailed photo and because everything is in focus it helps to see more.
Edited photos
I am going to compare and contrast two different landscapes, the photos above are of Anglesey in the winter, I am going to compare the Anglesey photos with London in the summer.I am going to go London in the summer to focus on taking London skyline shots. I will also experiment with other shots but my main focus is skyline shots. The images I hope to capture are skyline photos from the top of Saint Paul's Cathedral also I would like to try and take some photos using the vanishing point effect. I hope to make progress in my project by exploring new varieties and viewpoints in my photos, this will enhance my level and ultimately help me achieve my target.
london landscape
Paul shears
Paul Shears is based in London and he doesn't do photography as a main job he does it as a hobby. A lot of his photos are to do with the city of London.Paul Shears likes to take his photos in London and they are all types of shots personally I really like his shots taken on the millennium bridge I find them to be really fascinating and amazing to look at especially with all the different colours. Some of his skyline shots have been taken during the time of construction which degrades the photo but still the photos look amazing. I think that Paul shears has chose this subject because he lives in London and he has some much to photograph right outside his doorstep and he can get all types of different shots.
I really like his work because of the creativity and the work he puts behind them he really chooses his photos carefully and he thinks about what types of shots will best suit the photo he is trying to take. A lot of the photos I am going to take are like the photos he has taken for example the shot of the shard from Saint Pauls cathedral I really want to take a photo like that as you can get some amazing skyline pictures from Saint Pauls cathedral. Also he has this one picture that he took on the millennium bridge which shows the bridge going in to a vanishing point that is my favourite photo which I am going to try and re create. Some of his work is taken around London in the places I am going to go to so I can try to take some photos like his but better also his photos are related to city life unlike Jonathan Griffith who takes photos in rural places. If I really had to point out a weakness in his pictures it would be that there isn’t a lot of things going on it will usually be very calm and feel like a still image also he really doesn’t use the rule of thirds which would make his photos that one bit better and help them to stand out more.
I am going to try and achieve his level of work and I would like to see my outcomes as photos that somewhat look like his if not that even better than his level of work.
I really like his work because of the creativity and the work he puts behind them he really chooses his photos carefully and he thinks about what types of shots will best suit the photo he is trying to take. A lot of the photos I am going to take are like the photos he has taken for example the shot of the shard from Saint Pauls cathedral I really want to take a photo like that as you can get some amazing skyline pictures from Saint Pauls cathedral. Also he has this one picture that he took on the millennium bridge which shows the bridge going in to a vanishing point that is my favourite photo which I am going to try and re create. Some of his work is taken around London in the places I am going to go to so I can try to take some photos like his but better also his photos are related to city life unlike Jonathan Griffith who takes photos in rural places. If I really had to point out a weakness in his pictures it would be that there isn’t a lot of things going on it will usually be very calm and feel like a still image also he really doesn’t use the rule of thirds which would make his photos that one bit better and help them to stand out more.
I am going to try and achieve his level of work and I would like to see my outcomes as photos that somewhat look like his if not that even better than his level of work.
From all the pictures I have seen, that Paul Shears has taken the photo above is my favourite. From what I see I can only identify 1 disadvantage in the entire picture and that is the fact that on either side there are blurry trees but if he wanted to he could crop the photo and it would still look as beautiful. Now that I have that aside I only have positive things to say, First let me start by admiring how clean this picture is from each building to each crane everything is visible to do this he had to have used a small aperture,deep depth of field and a large f stop increasing the depth of filed isn't something that can be done by the click of a button so it had to have been done by the camera. Next, the photo has been edited in Photoshop but it has been done in a way where the beauty has been kept and not been damaged this is by adding the black and white filter I really enjoy this because without using any other colours the photo goes from being dark on the edges to light in the middle. The dark and light patches in the picture make it more pleasant to look at. Back onto the idea of the photo being clean there are also no distractions which shows the photographer waited for the perfect opportunity and made the most out of it. The use of the vanishing point technique has been implemented perfectly as the viewers eyes' follow the path to reach the beautiful St. Paul's cathedral which can be seen perfectly. The exposure in the picture is perfect which allowed the the photographer to make the image look even better in black and white.Finally, to improve this picture I would crop the photo to get rid of some of the sky and the trees on either side.
LOndon skyline//Paul shears
edits
Ground shots//kris williams
Viewpoints/james white
james white
extra photos
I am researching the work of Paul Shears. I am interested by this photographer because a lot of my pictures are taken in the style of Paul Shears. I think their work links to mine because we have both taken skyline pictures from around the same place. What I like about their work is the focus point is always really clear. I am going to use their work to inspire mine by editing photos so the focus point is always clear and I am going to add my own touch by layering photos using Photoshop and by using the black and white filters.
I am starting to understand how to make the pictures darker without bringing out the grain.
Manchester
I wanted to further develop my portfolio so I decided to go into Manchester and take some pictures.
lights
viewpoints
buildings
over the shoulder
edits
I would like to edit in the style of Idris khan.
evaluation
The project theme was landscape photography and I have really enjoyed it so far as it has allowed be to explore new techniques and it has also helped me to enhance my Photoshop skills. Taking part in this topic has allowed me to find unique places in Manchester and I got the opportunity to explore the anglesey coast line. In this project, the most inspirational person I researched was Paul Shears he had the biggest impact on my research and helped understand what type of pictures to take whilst I was in London.In this topic the most interesting part was going to London and being able to take photos in a new environment as we went to places like the underground and the top of St. Paul's cathedral during the London period I understood how to use the rule of thirds in a more powerful way. Apart from the photography side this topic has also helped me to improve my writing skills and helped me to analyse an image in more depth. I feel like I was able to reach my target with my project but, If I was to ever do this topic again I would take into mind the background and surroundings of the images I take as they have a big impact on the photos. During this project, I found it hard to edit pictures using photoshop but, after a lot of practice I was able to understand how to use photoshop and from there on out I was able to use photoshop with confidence. From this topic, I was able to take photos in rural and urban areas which was very beneficial for taking photos at a later time I now know where I should go to take photos to suit the theme.Of course during this project I learnt how to take a good landscape picture and that is skill which is key in photography.If I was ever to retry this project I would return to anglesea and take better photos than my current one and use more advanced techniques in photoshop.
I really enjoyed this project and would love to re visit it at another time.
I really enjoyed this project and would love to re visit it at another time.