Camera Settings and Composition

Composition
Rule of thirds: How the screen is split into nine squares to show where the points of interest are in an image. 
Definition:The rule of thirds makes use of a natural tendency of the human eye to be more strongly drawn towards certain parts of an image.



Rule of third images:





Composition
Triangular composition:Three points of interest that form a triangle.






Negative Space:An image that only has one isolated focal point/point of interest.





Camera Settings
ISO:
Definition: The International Organization for Standardization 
Low ISO = low light sensitivity and high image quality
High ISO = high light sensitivity and lower image quality

ISO of 100/200 best suited for photography in sunny or high light conditions

ISO of 400/800 best suited for cloudy/dusk conditions

ISO of 1600 is suited to low light conditions such as night photography or darkened rooms. 

ISO values increase as follows 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600.  

For each step change the light sensitivity doubles

Apature:

The aperture adjusts the size of the opening through which light passes to the image sensor. The higher the ISO the lower the light.

Changes the field of depth. 

High F number means lots of detail/ but lots of noise
(noise = grainy bits)

Narrow Field of depth: Low F value (Below 4/2.8)

Shutter Speed:

Measured in fractions of a second.

These are the main Shutter Speeds:

1/500  1/250  1/125  1/60  1/30  1/15  1/8  1/4  1/2 1”  15" 30"

Note: reducing the shutter speed from 1/60th of a second to 1/30th 

increases the amount of  light exposure by a factor of 2.

The Main Setting Examples:

ISO: 100/200/400/800/1600/3200

Low ISO = low light sensitivity and high image quality
High ISO = high light sensitivity and lower image quality

F:(Apature) The size of the hole that controls the amount of light hitting the sensor
(GRAINY IAMGE)F/16 F/11 F/8 F/5.6 F/4 F/2.8 F/2 F/1.4( CLEAR IMAGE)

(Big hole)                                           (little hole)

Shutter Speed:1/125 1/60 1/30 1/15 1/8 1/4 1/2 1" 2" 4" 8" 15" 30"

                         (Quick)                                        (Slow)

Shape

Shape:

Shape - the external form, contours, or outline of someone or something.

Negative space - The area around positive shapes, the background, is negative space.

Image Bank:

Analysing photographs:

Brandit has used negative space to create a mysterious atmosphere and deep emotion in this image. The woman who is the subject looks upset and almost sorrowful. Her lack of clothing symbolises her vulnerability and confidence, the fact she hasn't got any clothes suggests that it's simply her emotion that Brandit is trying to capture. 

Research

Debby Lewis Harrison:

Debby Lewis Harrison is a female photographer based in London, she mainly tales photographs of food and says she enjoys " creating something from nothing".  She doesn't state what camera she uses for her photography but she takes her photographs on her kitchen table and makes the food that features in her images from scratch.   

The subject of most of Harrison's photo is food. She makes all of the foods in her images herself and that is evident in the natural light coming in through an open window which symbolises the joy she has while making and photographing the food.

AO:1- Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding. 

Own Photographs:

Images that need improvement:

2494.  jpg

The lighting in this image is wrong, there is too shadows on the cake and it is very dull. The next time I shoot with this setup I will use the white card to deflect the light onto the cake or I will use a different light source to improve this image.

2540.jpg

In this image, I used a torch as a light source to eliminate the shadows on the plate coming from the cup. Unfortunately, in doing this I created another shadow, this time from the camera itself. 

To remedy this I could light it from the bottom with a light box, however in this circumstance it would be inappropriate because I wanted a view of the foam on top of the coffee. There was no I could have lit it to completely eliminate shadows.  

Best Images:

AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.

My idea for recording shape was to work with food. I took photographs of cups and cakes as they are circular and I found the colours interesting. 

The images turned out how I wanted them to in terms of lighting and camera angles. I like the last photo as it reminds me of Christmas with tinsel and mince pies, I also like the dramatic lighting. 

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

I will edit these to relate to Debby Lewis Harrison by adding soft hues and manipulating the colours to make them softer. Some of the photographs that didn't come out as I had expected were some of the rainbow coloured cake, the lighting was too bland and the camera angle isn't very interesting. To improve them I would reshoot them with better angles and better lighting. 

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.  

To relate to Harrison's work I baked several loaf cakes and found soft pastel colour cups and saucers because she mainly uses soft pale shades in her photography. I like the first photograph as the colours are very warm and there's an almost pink hue, due to the lighting, which makes it look inviting. The research with negative space was especially helpful as I used it for the last photo. 

Editing:

To edit the last image I have applied a photo filter and changed the density like so:

Next, I changed the contrast using curves:

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements.  

Final Edited Photographs:

Tone

Tone:

• Tone - light or darkness of an item/object, this may be a shade or how light/dark the colour appears. 
• Tones are created by the way light falls on a 3D object. The parts of the object on which the light is stingiest are highlights and the darker areas are shadows. There will be a range of tones in between the highlights and shadows. 
• Without tone Form does not exist, the tone is, therefore, an important aspect in the visualisation of 3D objects.
• Direct lighting - creates harsh tones and shadows
• Diffuse lighting - soft lighting, lightens any shadows ( makes wrinkles less noticeable, mainly used in fashion)

The harsh lighting in this portrait highlights the bone structure in his face, by accentuating his jawline it creates an intense atmosphere of power. Stereotypically men are supposed to be powerful and power is often associated with masculinity. 

Research 

Irving Penn: Still Life

Irving Penn (June 16, 1917 – October 7, 2009) was an American photographer known for his fashion photography, portraits, and still lifes. Penn's career included work at Vogue magazine and independent advertising work for clients including Issey Miyake and Clinique. His work has been exhibited internationally and continues to inform the art of photography. 

 
Irving Penn's photographs many skulls and omens of death. He may do this as he fears his own death or just the inevitable end of all things. In the first image, there is a bottle with what looks like liquid next to the skull, it may be that the story he is trying to tell is of someone that had taken their own life.

AO:1.  You must ensure that several of the visual ideas/inspirations within the image bank are pursued.

My Photographs:

Images that need improvement:

The first image that needs improvement is the image above, the starling's skull has been completely whited out by the light source (high powered torch)I was using. You can see in the next image in the series that I have remedied this and adjusted the lighting by reflecting the torch off of another piece of card to avoid this happening again.

The second image that needs adjustment is 0062.NEF. The reason this needs to be edited is that the lighting again is casting a too harsh light on to the shot leaving both skulls lit badly and the top of the large skull is out of frame, not allowing any depth to the image. Also, like before I was able to fix both of these problems as I immediately reviewed my photographs on the camera after I took them. I adjusted the lighting and moved the camera back so the whole of the larger skull was in the image.

My best images:

AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.

My main idea for taking photographs was to follow my inspiration my researched photographer Irving Penn. He takes photographs of skulls and things relating to death. My main subject that I was focused on was animal skulls, this is because they have an excellent tonality and can be moved and manipulated to, however, best suits the photograph.

My images came out better than I had expected them to, especially the photo of my cat's fur. While trying to photograph my cat I tried every method of bribery you can tempt a cat with but he refused to sit still, I was forced to change some of the camera settings and sacrifice the depth of field for an in-focus shot. After this ordeal, I didn't think I had any in-focus shots but I am glad to say I did. 

I'm also with my last photograph of the fabric as I was sceptical that the sheen would come out in the photo, but with a little manipulation of the lighting, I was able to capture it.

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

I used a Nikon D3100 for my images, with the settings on autofocus. The camera fluctuated on the settings as I had to change the depth of field to gain a faster shutter speed when taking photographs of my cat's fur. I used my standard set up as I have before: a tripod, remote release and a high powered torch for lighting. The reason a remote release was necessary was that I was using a macro lens and I was causing camera shake which also affected the focusing. I also opted for a high powered torch because as I said before it can be reflected off of another piece of card to avoid whiting out the image and also allows for softer lighting. 

Editing my Photographs:

To edit my photographs I used Photoshop, I used the black and white layer and adjusted the colours to better suit Irving Penn's style of photography. I also changed the contrast using curves so that the texture of inside and around the nose was better visible.

Adjusting Curves

Black and white layer

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.

By using a macro lens I already began trying to understand

Irving Penn and by adjusting the contrast of the image I started adding the depth and detail that he has in his published photographs. By using him as inspiration for my photography I will take forward his style and use of colour when studying photography and start developing and adjusting my style of photography to make it more informed of the use of tones/ depth and the way this portrays the image.

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements.  

For the formal elements texture and pattern I believe that I have made an intelligent and considered response as my photographs related to Irving Penn's use of tone and angles when studying morbid photography but also reflect my own style as well.

My images relate to his work as I have used a macro lens and took focused shots and edited them to resemble his style.I also tried to focus on death which is a heavy influence on Irving Penn, consequently, it is the subject of many of his photographs and mine during this shoot. 

Here are my final edited photographs: