Final Thoughts and Next Courses

Narrative and Illustration

The Aim of "7: Narrative and Illustration" was to help me to approach photography from the point of view of the subject and to show how to tell a story both in a set of pictures and within a single picture. This includes learning the techniques of visual analogy, juxtaposition and certain special effects.

During Narrative and Illustration I have learnt how to tell a story with a single photograph. Single shots are useful when a scene needs no explanation for a viewer to see what is happening or what has just occurred. Another use is within photo journalism, the subject will often be the most important factor and therefore if the shot is poorly composed or even unfocused it may still adequately tell a viewer something important. Narrative picture essays are useful for telling a story. They’re particularly useful  as part of tutorials/guides and sets of instructions.

Narrative has further reinforced the importance of planning a shoot, which was touched upon in 5: Natural Light. Planning is important when capturing events so that viewpoints can be decided upon before the event occurs. It is then a case of getting to a your chosen viewpoint during the event instead of wasting time looking for one after it has begun. The same applies for shooting the sunrise. It is much easier to find a viewpoint in daylight the day before and then return the next morning when it is dark and simply await the sun’s arrival on the horizon.

Completion of My First Course

I have now (finally) completed my first course with the OCA (Photography 1: The Art of Photography) and have enjoyed it immensely. I feel it has helped me to vastly expand my knowledge of Photography and also my practical skills. Before beginning the course I had hardly used a DSLR and now I feel I’m a very competent user. I already had a vast interest in photography and have owned a number of compact digital cameras and a digital video camera and I felt I wanted to expand this hobby into something more. It’s taken me a little over a year to complete this course but I’m hoping to complete the next a lot faster. My work is due for Assessment in September so I’m eagerly awaiting my final result!

Next Course

Having completed the Art of Photography I have just enrolled on my next course Digital Arts 1: A Creative Approach in order to continue my journey towards a BA Hons in Photography. I’m very much looking forward to working on the projects of A Creative Approach as I feel I’m already a very confident pc user. Having seen a number of the projects, most involving the use of a scanner, I am not at all worried that I’ll have any problems as I’ve been using scanners for many years.

Thoughts and Feelings

The aim of 6: Artificial Light was to familiarise me with the properties of Artificial Light sources so that I can achieve successful exposures and colour balance. Another was to introduce me to the use of photographic lighting and the idea of controlling light to create particular effects.

Artificial Light is much weaker than daylight, therefore a tripod needed if a low ISO setting (eg ISO 100) is being used. For hand held shooting, a high ISO setting can be used (eg ISO 1600). The drawback to high ISO is that photographs will be very grainy.

Whilst completing Artificial Light I have been made more aware of the three types of available light; Tungsten, Fluorescent and Vapour Lamps. With a camera's white balance set to daylight, Tungsten light photographs reddish, Fluorescent - cool blue, Sodium Vapour Lamps - Orangey Yellow and Multi/Mercury Vapour Lamps - cool tones. I have learnt that to counteract the colour cast from these light sources I need to place filters over my lens, eg to shoot with daylight balanced film in a tungsten lit environment, a blue filter needs to be applied in order to capture natural tones. Alternatively, when using my DSLR, I can simply change the white balance setting to Tungsten.

I have also learnt how to appropriately utilise Photographing lighting and the accessories associated with it. To help me in the completion of a number of projects I purchased a budget studio flash, diffuser and created some basic reflectors and an absorber. Using a diffuser reduces contrast and smooths out shadows. Reflectors are useful in reducing contrast even more. When placed on the opposite of a subject to the light source, they bounce light back towards the subject. Absorbers increase contrast. When placed as close to a subject as possible, on the opposite side to the light source, they inhibit light from reflecting back towards the subject.

To take a standard portrait shot with minimal contrast, the flash unit should be diffused, aimed directly at the model and be at the same level as her and the camera. Alternatively, a second flash unit could be used. Each one should be placed either side of the camera and aimed directly at the model, reflectors can then be used opposite each flash unit and slightly behind the model to ensure there's no dark areas on her sides.

Another use of Artificial Light is to capture light trails at night. This is the use of long shutter speeds to capture any light moving across the frame as a stream. One of the most popular ways to use this technique is by shooting cars head and tail lights. This is quite a technical process as the shutter speed has to be long enough to capture the passage of light (or multiple lights) through the frame, yet the aperture and ISO need to be set so that the rest of the image remains correctly exposed (or not exposed at all).

Thoughts and Feelings

The aim of "5: Natural Light" was to show the variety of outdoor light, how to make the best use of it and how to choose appropriate lighting conditions for particular subjects.

The sun rises in the East, so if a chosen subject is facing East a photographer would have to shoot it at Sunrise in order to light it from the front. The opposite applies for subjects facing West, they would have to be shot at Sunset.

Sunrise and Sunset are great times to take photographs as the sky has a much higher range of colours. The intense red and orange hues of the sky at sunrise and sunset are mainly caused by scattering of sunlight by dust particles, soot particles, other solid aerosols and liquid aerosols in the Earth's atmosphere. Sunrise colours are typically less brilliant and less intense than sunset colours since there are generally fewer particles and aerosols in the morning air than in the evening air. Night time air is usually cooler and less windy, this allows dust and soot particles to settle out of the atmosphere. Sunrise colour intensities can however exceed sunset's intensities when there are night time fires, volcanic eruptions/emissions or dust storms to the east of the viewer. A number of eruptions in recent times, such as those of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 and Krakatoa in 1883, have been sufficiently large to produce remarkable sunsets and sunrises all over the world.

Whilst completing Natural Light I have learnt to plan my shots in order to light subjects from certain positions and obtain a more aesthetically pleasing colour in the sky. I have also learnt that cloudy and dull weather doesn't stop me from taking impressive shots. Very cloudy and layered sky can provide a lot of contrast and ultimately produce some very attractive results.

Thoughts and Feelings

The aim of “4: Colour” was to help me understand the basic properties of colour, to learn how to control, alter and modify it and to use it as an element of design.

During this set of projects I have learnt how to use colour to influence the way in which a person views my photographs. Certain colours will give a viewer a sense of specific feelings and emotions. Different colour combinations create very dramatic, interesting images and can draw attention directly to the main focal point; this is extremely useful when a photographer is trying to induce a particular response. Coloured filters can be used to alter a photographs hue, so can different types of film and the use of white balance settings. In black and white photography, colour filters will lighten similar colours or darken contrasting and complementary colours, this can be very useful when the photographer feels that certain objects need to appear lighter or darker in their shots. Colour is a very important element of design as it greatly influences how we view a photograph.

Thoughts and Feelings

The aim of “3: Elements of Design” was to help me understand and use the basic principles of graphic design in photography.

Whilst completing Elements of Design I have learnt about some of the different graphic elements of photographs, these are:

• Points
• Real and Implied Lines
• Real and Implied Curves
• Real and Implied Shapes
• Rhythm
• Pattern

Points are useful as they attract a viewers attention directly to a specific area of a photograph. With multiple points, the viewers eye travels between them, alternating between one and the other. Using real and implied Lines and Curves can help in directing a viewers attention in specific directions across a photograph. Real and implied Shapes add interest. Certain shapes such as equilateral triangles have proven to be aesthetically pleasing. Rhythm is the repetition of a motif or formal element at regular or irregular intervals. A viewers eye will follow a recurring rhythm or pattern of a beat or accent through a photograph.

Thoughts, Feelings and Planning my first Assignment

The aim of "2: The Frame" was to help me to use the viewfinder as an extension of my eye and ultimately help me to compose well designed and well balanced pictures.

I believe this set of projects has certainly helped me to understand what makes a photograph look "good" and I am now starting to plan my shots and take more time to ensure I capture a perfect image instead of a snapshot. Having said this, I look through the viewfinder much more and am beginning to see potential shots more often. Ultimately I'm taking less photographs but taking more that I feel are "better" than usual, more comfortable to look at, well balanced and interesting.

At the moment I'm slightly behind as it is the 17th of June and my first assignment is due on the 19th. I have informed my Tutor and he assures me it isn't a problem. I want to take my time to ensure I do the best I can and will get it to him soon.

I'm not too worried about this assignment, I don't feel I'll encounter any problems as so far I haven't experienced too many. The assignment is all about contrasts/opposites, this is one subject I feel I'm quite strong in and have come up with some interesting ideas. These include the use of long exposure at night and during the day to portray light and dark and using different components of musical instruments to depict loud and quiet.

Thoughts and Feelings

The Aim of "1: A Way of Seeing" was to help me to equip myself for the course and to get to know my camera, I feel that after completing the first set of projects, I am now becoming even more confident that I have a competent knowledge of my camera’s features and functions. I am very eager to progress through the rest of the projects and Assignments. I haven’t had any problems so far and hoping that this will continue as I move further on my journey with the OCA. Ultimately, I believe the Aim has been fulfilled; I have equipped myself with the accessories I need and know my camera better than I did before beginning the course.

I found Project 5 (Panning with Different Shutter Speeds) very interesting as I have never experimented with the technique before. I managed to capture a range of varied results and hope to use the technique in the future to create some expressive images.