Assignment 206 Statement of Intent Reportage

Intentions/purpose of the photography to be undertaken

In May I am going to Paris and I plan to shoot by second theme whilst I am there.  I am hoping to capture reportage around Paris and hopefully I would like to capture some of the famous landmarks in the images.  I am planning to photograph reportage around The Eiffel Tower, The Arc de Triomphe and Notre Damn and I find images taken on the underground really interesting.  I will also capture reportage around the affluent area of Champ Elysees which has many bars and cafes.

Reasons for selection of this Theme

I have a book at home called Paris Mon Amour by Taschen books, which is a book of black and white images taken by the great photgraphers from two centuries taken around Paris.  It is a fabulous book and Paris is a beautiful city to photograph.  I really like Reportage and have been inspired by Dennis Morris and his collection Growing up Black and The Jamaican Street Scene.  I also really like the staged style of reportage photographed by Annie Leibovitz in her collection American Music.

The photo imaging equipment and media that will be used and why

I will be using my Nikon D90 with 18-105mm lens.  I will fully charge my battery and make sure I have a spare memory card.  I will not be taking my tripod as I will be taking pictures of strangers and will have to be quick whilst taking the shots.  There is a law in Paris which states that people in images have a right to their own identity.  There are also laws that landmark images may not be used under copyright law but I do not know how that would stand up once the images have been removed from France.

Techniques that will be used and how they will help convey the visual message

I am hoping to capture some subjects with a narrow depth of field and blur out the background.  I am not sure if I will be converting these images to black and white but I intend to use any light to my full advantage.  I will try and shoot my images at interesting angles to make the images interesting and am hoping to capture landmarks of paris in the background.

How light quality can be used to help convey the visual message

I will  try and capture images in the morning or evening when the sun is better positioned in the sky and the shadows are more interesting.  This will be helpful if converting the images to black and white as shadows and sunlight can add tone, pattern and texture to a black and white image.

Safety Considerations

I will always be careful when photographing and consider the area I am in taking into consideration any danger.

Assignment 206 Statement of Intent - Nature

Intentions/purpose of the photography to be undertaken


I am planning my second theme to be Nature.  I have just bought a macro lens and I am looking forward to using it to shoot some insects and I have already been practising shooting flowers and plants.  I am not sure yet weather my whole assignment will be close up photography or a mixture of images all based around the theme nature.  I will update this statement of intent when my thoughts and ideas start to develop as I am only just getting to grips with using a macro lens and need some practise.

Reasons for selection of Theme

The reason I am choosing Nature is that spring and summer is nearly here and there will be so many opportunities to capture.  Also, I did nature as my theme in level one and i really enjoyed it.

Photo Imaging Equipment and media that will be used and why

I will be using my Nikon D90 Camera with 18-105mm lens which will allow me some zoom when trying to capture some aspects of Nature and my Nikon Nikkor Macro lens for close up nature photography.  I would like to invest in a telephoto lens which will allow me to capture shots from a distance which can be useful when shooting birds and other wildlife.  I will also be using a lens hood which is useful to stop the light striking the front of the element.  I will be using photoshop to crop any images and I am not sure how much of the techniques in photoshop can be used so I need to speak to Mr Steve.

Techniques that will be used and how they will convey the visual message

I am looking into getting a polarising filter which can be very useful when shooting nature.  A polarising filter can deepen the colour of the sky but a far more useful application is to reduce reflections from shiny foliage which leads to more saturated colour.  I will be using my tripod especially when using my macro lens to eliminate camera shake and I need to get a remote control so I do not have to touch the shutter release.
How Light quality can be used to help convey the visual message

As this is nature I will be using the sun as a light source in these images.  I need to research more about light and how this can be used to create good nature shots. 
Safety Considerations

I will be sure that all safety considerations are applied when out and about shooting nature images.