Post Production Theme 2 Reportage

Original Image

Screen grab which shows the levels used to convert the image to black and white.

The final image was then cropped to 210mm x 297mm which is A4 size.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which is abbreviated to HSWA, HASWA or HASAWA is the act passed by parliament.  This act was passed to ensure that the welfare of people is complied with within the workplace.  The act is constructed of the general duties of employers, employees and contractors to ensure that the workplace is a safe place.  The act is available for download on the internet.

Whilst I have been out with my camera I have taken every care to ensure that I have acted in a safe manner.  Whilst shooting near water I have been careful no accidents could occur like falling into water and in parks I have always respected the trees and plants making sure I been careful where I have stood.  When I have been in towns and particulary Paris I have always obtained a map and taken care near the roads and on underground trains.  I have written safety considerations in my posts explaining what safety considerations were took.

Research - Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon was born in 1923 in New York and attended Columbia University before starting work as a photographer for the Merchant Marines.  He later went on to be an advertising photographer and was soon discovered by the director for the magazine Harpers Bazaar.  In 1946 he set up his own photography studio and was producing photographs for Vogue and Life magazines.

Avedon soon began to photograph models emotion and not the emotionless statue like images that had been produced previously.  In 1966 Avedon left Harpers Bazaar to work for Vogue magazine and he worked for many of the worlds great fashion houses including Versace and Calvin Klein and worked with supermodels like Brooke Shields.  As well as fashion Avedon has photographed pop idols and pop stars and worked with the Beatles in 1968.

He tried different styles of photography and photographed patients of mental hospitals and the civil rights movement in 1963.  Richard Avedon was widely known as a photographer and like Bailey often photographed using a white background.

This photographs main focus is on the subject and a narrow depth of field has been used which has allowed the subject to be in focus whilst the background is blurred.  This image has a really nice tonal range and I like the way the subject has been caught mid air which would have required a fast shutter speed for the movement.  I like the pattern and texture which is created with the cobbles on the street and the contrast the dark umbrella and coat has against the background in the image.

This is a fantastic image of Twiggy.  I have a book entitled Twiggy a life in photographs and this is where I first came across this image before researching Richard Avedon. I really like the way this image has been captured using a fan to blow the hair in which a fast shutter would be used to capture the moment.

I first came across this image in a Richard Avedon book I got from the college library.  This image was taken in Paris and has a really nice tonal range with equal amounts of high and low key tones.  The composition aspect of Rule of Thirds is present with the people and the roulette table.  I like the pattern and texture which is created by the chips on the table and where the foreground is very focused and the background is blurred.  Lines are also present within this image and guide the eye all around the image.  This is taken at a high angle looking down on the room below.

This image has been taken at a really low angle almost on the floor which has captured these subjects at a really good perspective.  I like the contrast of the subjects against the high key background and the way the perspective has made the people look really big and the building in the background look really small.

A really great image of Marilyn Monroe.

This image of Bob Dylan has been taken with a narrow depth of field which has kept the subject in focus and blurred out the background.  The composition aspect of the Rule of Thirds and lines is present in this image with the path lines and the trees.  I like the pattern and the texture of the cobbles and this is highlighted with reflection because it has been raining.

Books Used

Richard Avedon - Photographs 1946 - 2004

Richard Avedon - Women in the Mirror

Research - Eve Arnold

Eve Arnold is a American photojournalist who was born in 1912.  She became interested in photography whilst working for a photo finishing plant in 1946.  She is very well known for photographing Marilyn Monroe but has also photographed Queen Elizabeth II, Malcolm x and Joan Crawford.  She joined Magnum Photos Agency in 1951 and became a full member in 1957.

Eve Arnold has travelled the world and much of her work has been in China, Russia, South Africa and Afghanistan.  In 1980 she held her first solo exhibition at Brooklyn museum in New York which showed her work done in China.  Also in 1980 she won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Magazine Photographers. I particularly like her work of Marilyn Monroe.

This is a really great image of Marilyn Monroe.  She is the main focus in the picture and I like the way the background is blurred out. Colour is the main focus of this image and I really like the vibrant colours of the top and of the playground equipment.  This image has been shot at a really nice angle which is square on to the subject.  The composition aspect of Pattern is present with the top and the playground equipment giving lines, forms, shapes and tones.

I don't think that this image was a posed photograph which makes it a really good natural shot.  I like the contrast of the black and white top and I really love the old car.  The composition aspect of the rule of thirds is present with the subject and the trees in the background.  Pattern and texture is present throughout the image with shadows and reflections caused by the sunlight,

I like this image which I think has slight sepia tones. The composition aspect of lines with the window in the background and the image has used the rule of thirds with the position of the subject.  The black and white top is really nice and the tonal range is really nice with prominent high key tones.

This is my favorite Eve Arnold image as I love the way the light has been captured. This has been shot using a special type of film which has to go through eight processes to be developed.  This give this lovely milky colouring to the image.  There is a lot going on with this image and it clearly has a foreground, middle and background.  The main focus is the couple and the car.

I like the textures and patterns which are prominent within this image caused by the long grass.  The subject has been shot at the rule of thirds and the main focus is on the subject which has a nice contrast against the pattern and texture of the background.

This image has that lovely milky film which i really like.  I like this image as the subject is heavy in the frame.  I like the colours on the top and the brim of the hat is present completely in the frame.  This image has been taken at a low angle looking up at the subject which captures the brim of the hat really well.  Colour pattern and texture are present in this image and the main focus is the subjects face.

This main focus of this image is the subject and I like how the background has been blurred out by using a narrow depth of field.  This is a really simple image but very effective in its simplicity.  This image is predominately high key with very little low key tones.  The background is three tones of shade, pattern and texture. 

Paris

Had a lovely weekend in Paris and it really is a really beautiful city.  I took with me my Nikon D90 with 18-105mm lens.  I fully charged my battery and took a spare memory card.  It was very bright and sunny but with the tall buildings and trees it made many areas shaded so the camera controls had to be constantly changed for the correct exposure.  I read before I went that the best settings for a bright sunny day for street photography is for the aperture to be set at F8 and the shutter to be 1/320.  These setting worked very well in most cases so I left the setting at this in the hope of capturing a moment.

Capturing images of random people on the streets can be quite a daunting experience but I definitely feel that towards the end of the weekend I was definitely improving.  I shot a few images on the metro and at night which I had to adjust the ISO settings and although I did not have my tripod for the slow shutter speed they turned out quite nice.  I was really hoping for some rain, to capture some reflections and patterns and textures that can be captured after the rain and to clear the streets a little because the street of Paris are really busy but the weekend was very bright and sunny.

Safety Considerations

Whilst in Paris I was always aware of the safety issues involved with being in a city that I had never been to before.  I firstly obtained a map to ensure that I would not get lost and to guide me round the city with ease.  This ensured that I stayed around major city sights as cities can be dangerous places if you should venture into unsafe areas.  I ensured that I was aware of the roads and the way the crossings operated as they do not make a noise like the crossings in this country so you have to check that the green walk sign is on.  There are high volumes of traffic in the City of Paris and I always ensured that I used the crossings or subways provided.  Whilst using the Metro system I always considered the safety considerations of being close to the tracks and how quickly the doors on the trains open and close.  Reasonable care was always taken whilst around the main monuments as there are high volumes of people around and whilst in the Artist Quarter we were made aware of the pickpockets that operate in the area.

Contrasting my work with researched photographers




Image by Eric Kim




1/160 F6.3 ISO 200



Image by Andre Kertesz



 

1/320 F8 ISO 1000

Image by Eric Kim

 

1/125 F5.6 ISO 200

Research - Nitsa

Nitsa is a Israel born photographer who now lives in Los Angeles.  I first came across Nitsa while researching Eric Kim as someone suggested he interview her on his blog.  I then came across her on facebook and flickr.  She became interested in photography in 2000 and claims she is not a professional photographer and still feels uncomfortable selling her prints.  Nitsa did not study photography and says she has learned everything through observation and lots of practise and countless errors.

Nitsa follows a no rules style of photography and prefers free form self expression.  She likes to photograph the big cities of America.  Although she claims she has never studied any kind of art or photography I really like her work and her style.

This image is called I'm a Robot which I think is due to the figures drawn along the wall although I am not sure.  Taken in Los Angeles this image has a good contrast with the high key and low key tones.  The image has been taken at a slightly tilted angle to show the upward street.  I think that the composition aspect of lines with the robot figures and the perspective demonstrates the rule of thirds.

I really like this image taken in New York which has so much detail which adds pattern and texture to a black and white image.  The image has a nice tonal range and contrast which is prominent because of the amount detail within the image.  I like the advertisement board in this image with the low key figures.  I also like the candid look on the women's face as she walks around the corner.

I really like this image taken from a high angle looking down on the street below.  This image has a really nice tonal range throughout and the pattern and textures.  There is a nice contrast present throughout the image with lots of different shapes tones and textures.

Close Call - This image is taken at a low angle and just catches the bike as it moves out of the frame.  This image shows the composition aspect of lines and the rule of thirds. Pattern is present in the ground and a really nice tonal range with equal amounts of high and low key tones.  Captured perfectly with the bike and the train coming into the frame.

I really like images shot in underground train stations. Shows the composition aspect of lines and the rule of thirds with a nice tonal range mostly being low key. I like the dimensions of the platform, train and the overhead light with the lone passenger standing on the platform.

I really like the colours which have been created in this image.  Public transport images are usually shot and converted to black and white or are quite dull in colour but this has the lovely yellow and purple which makes it really nice.  The subject in the train has been shot at the rule of thirds and also the people outside the window.  There is a nice contrast and the composition aspect of lines all around the image which guides the eye.

Again really nice colours used within the image.  The shop fronts within this image are really interesting and their is so much going on the eye is easily guided around the picture.  This image has been taken at a low angle and the perspective is really nice.  This has been post produced to create a grainy image but has kept the vibrant colours creating a really nice image.  The composition aspect of pattern and textures have been used within this image and lines are present all around.

This image taken of Brooklyn Bridge has been post produced and a shadow or reflection has been created of the bridge and the street light in the sky.  Shot in black and white this image has a really nice tonal range and contrasts with the sky really well.  The composition aspect of the rule of thirds is present with the arch and lines is present in the journey across the bridge which guides the eye into the image.

Kid and birds is a really nice image which has nice colours.  The composition aspect of the rule of thirds is present with the little boy. Pattern and texture is also present with the pavement and the road.  I like the colours of the boys clothing and the contrast with the pale background of the pavement and the road.

Paris in Black & White