Final Project Evaluation

As I reach the end of this project, I can see how I have made extreme progress from the time that I started. When I began I had no idea what to really expect from this course as I hadn't ever done anything like it before. As a result of this I had minimal experience with photoshop and immediately struggled with getting to grips with everything that was required. Blogger was a strange new tool that I had to use frequently that took some time to fully understand. My biggest struggle was with the work load when I first began. I would spend the majority of each day trying to keep up while I was still trying to understand Blogger and photoshop. Due to the work load it allowed me to learn how to use the programmes that were required and as the project continued I began to feel comfortable with the work that was needed to be done. 

When photographing, my initial thoughts towards the picture was just to capture what I wanted. The work that has been put into formal elements has allowed me to approach my images in a more thoughtful way, considering composition and other elements. As the year progressed the quality of my images became more consistent and was able to be at a level that I was happy with. Due to the increasing consistency within my work, I was able to take more pictures with more variation amongst each image. Out of all of the topics that we looked at, my favourite were tone and Robert Mapplethorpe. This is largely because the topics are fairly open and I can experiment with the composition and state of the images in interesting ways.

As I progressed through the year I came across a few problems that I needed to solve. My first problems were with the quality and quantity of the images that I was taking. To fix this I began to focus on the subject that I was photographing for and give myself a rough idea of what I should include within my images. I also had problems with the composition of my images. This was fixed by the focus on Robert Mapplethorpe, as it allowed me to seriously consider the different ways that I could compose my pictures. As we finished the formal elements, the work load began to slow down slightly. This extra time allowed me to focus on the quality of my work and i was able to devote more time to individual subjects.

Final Top Twenty Pieces

Connecting Essay 5

This image shows an example of movement that I found on the internet. This image shows one person's face moving over a duration of time, showing the audience where his head has moved over the course of the picture being taken. Black and white has been used as a main feature in order to further highlight the range of movement to its fullest extent. The filter also causes the image to appear more striking to the audience, it also causes the face to appear almost ghost-like as it leaves behind a trail of movement behind it. The use of the range of movement allows the image to seem as if there are two people within the same frame.

This image is my own example of movement. This image shows a range of movement from someone looking down and up directly at the camera. The way that the image shows the full range of movement of the person causes the image to immediately attract the audiences attention. The bright colours in the image are used to show the full movement arc of the person's head.  The use of the slow shutter speed gives the effect that there are two people in the image and we can see where they both connect and run into the next pose.

Both images show examples of movement through the use of a slow shutter speed. The following effect features the full range of movement that has occurred within the  time that the picture was being taken. Colour is used in different ways in order to show these range of movements. My image uses enhanced colours that reflect the full range of movement in different poses, while the other uses a black and white filter that causes the image to appear ghostly to audiences. Both images use these in order to give the image an effect of motion that can engage audiences better than a still image could.

Connecting Essay 4

This is an example of selective colour that I found on the internet. We can see that selective colour has been used in a way that attracts the audiences eye towards the centre of the picture. The colourful tones of the beach act in contrast with the black and white background of the image. This causes the image to appear more striking and it causes the audience to focus on the main area of the image while ignoring all of the pointless detail within the background. The use of selective colour also causes the image to become more interesting as a result. Clashes in colour are used to transform an everyday backdrop into something that catches the audiences eye and sets it apart from other images.

This is my own example of selective colour. An everyday location of a toilet is transformed into something that engages the audience in a different way. The black and white filters act in contrast with the other colours in the image and as a result enhances the focus of the person within the image. We are also able to see an interesting use of reflection that allows the audience to see multiple aspects of the person. The image appears striking as a result and draws the audience's eyes towards the different themes.

Both pictures show examples of selective colour that link together in multiple ways. Both images show a contrast within colours that cause the images to appear more striking and interesting as a result. While my image focuses on enhancing the individual's appearance against a dull background, the other uses the black and white tones to direct the audiences attention to a specific point within a colourful background. Both images also find interesting ways of composing the image. The images are able to accomplish this by enhancing certain points within the photos while the rest is used to simply fill the frame.

Connecting Essay 3

This image shows my example of multiple imagery. I wanted to show multiple imagery in a number of ways so I thought about the different ways in which I could show it. I used the same person multiple times within the image but I tried to reflect the contrast in expressions. I did this by making the person change the emotions of his face. In order to add more variation to the image I also looked at having him look to different directions in order to show all aspects of the face. Directions and expressions of the face are used in an effort to reflect a pattern within the multiple imagery. The use of pattern with the vibrant colours allow for the image to appear energetic and entertaining to look at.

This is an example of multiple imagery that I found on the internet. This example shows an example of the same person being photographed in a number of ways. Different camera angles and distances have been used to change the ways in which we perceive the individual's face. The order of the images have been mixed and cause overall picture to be composed in a interesting way. The different angles allow for the audience to focus on certain areas that lead us to become aware of the emotion that the person is feeling. This emotion within the picture is also complimented by the use of a black and white filter that enhances the moody themes within the image.

Both of these examples of multiple imagery show similarities within them. Both pictures focus on multiple imagery of an individual person. This allows both pictures to use emotion in a way that engages the audience and causes the overall image to become more interesting. While my image explores the use of facial expression to promote a happier tone in the picture, while the other uses emotion in the images to show a more moody tone. Different aspects of the face are highlighted within both images through the use of different camera angles and poses. This allows the image to have more depth as it allows us to get a greater idea of all the aspects of the individual within the image.

Top Forty Pictures

Mapplethorpe Studio Straight Images