Tone - This refers to the lightness or darkness of something. This could be a shade or how dark or light colour appears.
This is Ansel Adams zone system which classifies tone. Zone 0 is pure black and zone 10 is pure white. both of these zones will contain no detail at all within a photo. When using a light meter the camera will always expose for zone5 whether this will give you a good image or not.
Some photographers use multiple zones within their photos to add different effects and feelings to the image. For example this photographer has used zone 0 which is pure black and has no detail within it. This may have been used to used to make harsh shadows which in this case could represent fear. Also direct lighting has been used from a small light source because this can make someone look powerful or tough.
I have researched a photographer names Callum Mclerney-Riley who is based in Essex but works in London. As well as being a photographer he writes for Amateur Photographer Magazine. He likes to explore a range of different routes in photography and he gains inspiration from the world around him.
The photographer that I have analysed is Callum Mclnerney-Riley. This photographer takes photos of different buildings and modern settings. I really like the photos that this photographer takes because the different tones that are in the photos create different atmospheres depending on whether the tones are darker or lighter. The first image that I have looked at is a photo of a tall modern skyscraper. The image uses a lot of different tones. The modern building creates leading lines which draws your attention to the top of the building. I believe that the photographer has edited the photo to make the tone in the sky more obvious. In reference to Ansel Adam's zone system there is a lot of zone 5 within the sky. I feel like this has been done to give the building a mysterious feel. I believe that this image could represent mystery and a sense of being unknown. This is because of the tones that have been used in the photo. I also feel like the leading lines on the modern building could represent people working in the city and leading up to becoming very successful. The next photo that I want to analyse is the image of the building with four posts in front of it. In comparison to the first photo I have looked this photo has a lot more of the higher zones form Ansel Adam's zone system. I feel as though this creates a slightly calmer atmosphere. The lines that are on the building are faint and not very noticeable. I feel as though this could represent people living in the city having a nice calm and easy life. This is contrasting the first image that I have analysed and I feel as though the photographer uses such a wide range of tones so that his photos can have many different connotations.
My intentions for this shoot were to take images of modern building in a city atmosphere. To do this I went to Canary Wharf in London. I feel as though this shoot was very successful because I captured many different images that I took from a number of angles. I have annotated my contact sheet by ticking the images I feel initially look successful and I have crossed the images I feel were not as successful. I also made small labels on some of the photos as to why I crossed or ticked them.
The first image I have selected as one of my best is a photo of a roof. This image was taken in a shopping centre looking upwards towards the roof. I decided to take this image looking up because this is something that the photographer I looked at did when taking his series of photos. I also feel as though the fact that the building continues even though the roof stops represents a sense of ever lasting and infinity.
For the second image I manages to capture a bird flying in front of a building. I really like this image because of the motion that the bird portrays. The bird is a representation of the entire city itself, everyone moving quickly to where they want to be. When photographing this image I had the camera on manual mode and I had to turn the shutter speed from 1/125 to 1/200. This is because I wanted to let more light into the camera to make all of the different tones stand out. This image has brighter and darker colours that are very close together which I really liked because this also links to something that the photographer has done.
The third image that I have chosen is another example of me looking upwards towards the building. This image is very effective because the sky has elements of darker clouds in it. When taking the photo I feel as though the camera was on a shutter speed that was too high therefore the darker parts in the sky are not as visible. This is something I would like to edit in photoshop.
I really like the fourth image that I have used because the metallic posts create a different, almost shiny tone to the image. When shooting this photo I adjusted my camera setting to f/22 to achieve a wide death of field.
The images above are the photos that I have decided need some improvement. The first image that I have selected is quite interesting because it has an element of reflection however I do not like the composition of the photo. Because of the building itself the photo has become very confusing and there is no visible focal point. I do not like this. Also due to the natural lighting coming in from the right of the image this half of the photo is overly lighted. This makes the contrast of the image look uneven which I do not think works.
The second image that I feel needs improving does not have the composition that I am looking for. When photographing the building I feel as though the camera was slightly slanted therefore there is some background in the photo that I do not feel works. I also do not feel as though this image clearly relates to the photographer I have looked at because the building does not closely show different tones.
A03:
I have gathered the ideas for my photos from my artist research however i also used some inspiration from my image bank. Specifically looking at my artist research I gained a lot of information on the angles that photos can be taken from. I really liked the idea of the photographer taking images that are looking up at the building as if the building overrules everything on the ground. I wanted to incorporate this into my work so I tried to take photos of building looking up towards the top. Although the photographer I looked at mainly focuses on the formal element of tone I also liked the way that he uses line to draw your eyes into certain points of the photo. The line and the tone wok well together in the images that he created because when he uses harsh lines he uses darker tones. I liked the dark tones in the photos and wanted to try to create this in my photography. I believe that I could have used some softer tones within my photos however photographing in a city atmosphere made it slightly challenging to find softer tones. In some of my photographers photos he used a very big contrast of darker and lighter tones in close proximity of each other. I feel as though this gives the photo a sense of mixed emotions and makes people think slightly more into what the photo represents. I feel as though when I edit my photos I would like to use this to enhance the contrast of the different tones in the different images.
A02:
To take these photos I used a canon eos 400d and my iPhone 6s. When using my phone to take photos I found it difficult to get the correct exposure because the phone did not have these settings on it. This meant that sometimes the photos were under or over exposed. When using the camera I mainly used auto mode because I was shooting in day light and did not need specific camera setting however there were some situation where I wanted to allow more light into the image so I decided to change the camera to manual and use a slightly higher shutter speed like 1/200. I kept the aperture wide which allowed the photo to be sharp overall.
To enhance these photos I edited the photos in photoshop. Below I have used two of my images to show how I edited my photos. I used the brightness and contrast tool. In some cases I increased the brightness and contrast however in some cases I wanted to darken the contrast to make the light and dark parts of the images stand out so in this case I lowered the contrast. I also changed all of my photos to black and white because this gave the photo a range of different tones. I also specifically adapted the black and white to make certain colours in the photo darker and lighter. By using the curves tool I was able to change certain elements of the photo to darker or lighter and balance them out.
A04:
The photos that I have created have been based on my photographer. I have changed all of the photos to black and white because this is what my photographer does and because I feel as though this makes the different tones in the photo stand out. I believe I have gathered a lot of information on the different angles photos can be taken at, the composition of photos and how they can be edited to enhance the formal element of tone. This was specifically noticeable on the image of the building when he is aiming the camera up to the sky because I feel as though the photographer edited the photo to give it a more mysterious feel. Within my photos I also used line to accompany the tone in the photos. My photos also relate to my photographer because I have purposely travelled to a city setting as this is where my photographers photos are all taken.
My best images
I feel as though I have created a strong series of images based on the theme of architecture. My series looks at the different elements of a modern city and looks at the different viewpoints that people ca see this from. This is evident because I have taken photos from many different angles.
I would now like to expand upon my research. I have focused very heavily on modern architecture and the tones within it. I would now like to contrast this and have a look at older architecture. To do this I will look at another photographer and complete multiple shoots based on his work.
Second artist research - Martin Fernandez
I have decided that I would like to expand upon my research on tone. The photographer that I am looking at is Martin Fernandez. He takes photos of some older and more traditional buildings. The second image in this series was taken of a Downing College which is a part of Cambridge University. I like this image because it has meaning behind it and the building has a lot of history. Also the fact that the building is well known could suggest that the photographer wants to create an unknown feeling to something that people are familiar with. I say this because the photo has been taken at a slanted angle. This makes the building fairly hard to recognise. Also because Fernandez has chosen to look straight up towards the building there is a use of negative space. I believe this could represent the importance of the building because the negative space draws you into the building itself. There are no other elements getting in the way of the building. I believe all of his photos are edited to black and white because this makes you focus on the intricate detail. Old building tend to have finer and more precise details on them. This is why I like to look at the contrast between old and new architecture because there is such a vast difference between them. The final photo in this series is of the inside of a building. This photo is specifically interesting because the building is extremely detailed. I like the composition of the photo because it is partly symmetrical. The photographer has included the same amount of the windows on each side of the photography. The use of this symmetry makes the photo very aesthetically pleasing and therefore draws people in. I also like the use of natural light in the photo. The photographer has made use of the sun to project light through the windows. I believe this could imply that the building speaks for itself and the detail will remain no matter what weather or what else is going on in the world. Overall Martin Fernandez's photos are extremely interesting due to his use of different compositions and negative space.
Second independent shoot - contact sheet
My intentions for this shoot were to try and take photos that were slightly closer up to the architecture itself. This is because by looking at the comparison between modern and older buildings I have realised that older buildings have very specific, fine details that modern buildings do not have. I really wanted to portray this in my work and make this very visible. I feel as though this shoot was successful because I captured a lot of detail within older architecture.
My best images (second shoot)
In reference to my best images...
The first image I selected as my best is quite interesting because I have made use of the environment around the architecture and incorporated the trees in front of the image which I feel creates different tones within the image. I feel like this photo could have been slightly less zoomed in because I do not feel as though I have used negative space very well.
The second image that I have selected as one of my best is a photo which is angled looking upwards towards the building. I like the way that the building is so detailed and has a lot of intricate detail however I feel as though the sky could be slightly less exposed because it is very white. I would have liked to capture some of the detail within the sky as well as on the building.
The third image is one of my favourites because it has a lot of different elements to it and it is zoomed out, looking at an entire section of a building. I also like the composition. It could be argued that rule of thirds has been used within this. The building is positioned on the left hand side of the photo which allows other elements to be within the frame of the photo.
I feel as though the fourth image is slightly different to the rest because it focuses in one specific element of the building. The building has very monotone colours so when I change it to black and white I feel as though the photo will not look very interesting. I would like to use the dodge, burn and curves tool to increase the contrast in the image.
Images that require improvement
The images above are images that I feel needs improvement. Overall I feel as though I need to look more closely at the composition of my images. For example when taking abstract photography I need to allow the photo to have negative space. I feel as though the first image I have chosen is a good example of this. I believe that I have focused too closely on the intricate detail and not allowed the image to represent the whole building itself. I feel as though I have zoomed in too much and I need to show where a building begins and ends.
The second image needs improving due to the camera settings that I have used. This image is underexposed. Not enough light has been let into the camera therefore the photo is very dark and dingy. To take this photo I used a shutter speed of 1/4000 which is and extremely small shutter speed. I feel as though this is the main reason why the photo is so dark. If I were to retake this photo I would use a shutter speed of about 1/200 to allow enough light into the photo to get the correct exposure.
A03:
The main ideas for this shoot came from wanting to expand on this formal element and look at the contrast between new and old architecture. I then decided to look into another photographer who takes photos of older buildings. He uses a lot of different angles to create different and more interesting compositions. Although he looks at the intricate detail that has been created he does not do this by looking at the building very close up. He allows a wide frame in the photo and all of the detail is portrayed together. I believe that during my shoot I tried to do this however I did not have access to a tripod therefore some of the photos compositions were not as precise as I would have hoped for. To overcome this I would like to go out and complete another shoot and think more carefully about the composition of the photos that I am taking. I also gathered ideas for my images from my previous artist research. I tried to incorporate the angles that Callum Mclerney-Riley uses within his photos. For example I wanted to look up at buildings and just have the building and the sky within the frame of the image. I also feel as though by using the same angles but with different architecture it closely shows the link between the two in a subtle way.
A02:
To take these images I have used a canon eos 400d camera. When taking these images I had a lot of natural daylight which was very useful to make all of the detail visible within the photo. During some parts of the day I had to change the ISO from 100 to 400. This is because as is became more cloudy I needed the camera to be more sensitive to the light. This helped me to make the photos brighter. I also used the manual setting on the camera to allow me to alter the aperture and shutter speed during the shoot. My images are not focused on one specific object therefore I used a wide depth of field to make the entire image in focus. The aperture was set of f/16 to allow me to capture this.
Edited images for second shoot
Third independent shoot - contact shoot
I completed this photo shoot in relation to my second artist research, Martin Fernandez. Although I have already looked at older buildings, once reviewing and editing the images that I took I believe that there were certain areas that I could improve on. For example I feel as though I did not allow enough space within the frame of the photo. I wanted to use negative space to add effect to the image.
My best images (third shoot)
In reference to my best images...
The first image that I decided as one of my best was taken using a tripod, angled upwards towards the ceiling. The intricate patterns and the position in which I took the photo makes the image look slightly symmetrical which is something that inspired me when I completed my second artist research.
I like the second image because I believe that I used negative space well in comparison to my previous shoot. I would also like to use the clouds in the sky to make deep contrasts when editing the image. I also like the way that the edge of the building is visible in the photo because it gives the image space.
The third image is looking less at one specific piece of architecture but at a series of buildings. I like the way the road travels into a small archway and looks infinitive. The building and roads are all different colours therefore I would like to change it to black and shite and edit it using the different sliders on the black and white filter. This will allow me to edit the specific colours and adjust the contrast in a closer way.
The fourth image that I have decided as my best was inspired by an image that I took in my previous shoot (the image of the building with trees covering the front of it). I really liked the way that the trees created different shapes rather than just the manmade buildings. I also like the fact that the trees can create slightly different tones due to the colour of the leaves and bark. This also adds texture into the photo.
Images that require improvement
The images above are two images that I have decided require some improvement. In regards to the first image, it is very over exposed. This is because when I was using the manual setting I didn't adjust the setting correctly and I used a shutter speed of 1/200 which was to long considering the sun was shining directly into the camera lens. To improve this I used a shorter exposure time when shooting in the daylight.
The second photo is under exposed. I feel as though the overall photo is too dark and requires improvement. This photo was taken when it was slightly cloudy however I used an ISO of 100. I should have adjusted this to 400.
A02:
For my third shoot I travelled back into London however there was more natural light as the day was a lot sunnier. This meant that I did not need to alter the ISO at all during the shoot and it remained on 100 for each of the photos that I took. There were times throughout the day that I should have altered the ISO to 400 due to cloudy weather. When I did not do this I had slightly under exposed photos which meant they were dark and dull. During my past shoot I found that I did not use all of the space that was available to me and I tried to zoom in on certain areas. During this shoot I very much tried to keep the camera zoomed out to allow the entire building to be captured within there frame of the image. The shutter speed for the photos was mainly on 1/125 however when taking photos of buildings looking upwards I found that the sun was directly shining into the lens and the light was making the sky look extremely bright and the building very dark. To solve this issue I adjusted the shutter speed. I decreased the shutter speed to allow less of the natural sunlight into the camera and eventually after experimenting with some different settings I managed to use a shutter speed of 1/30 and capture a balanced photo.
A03:
The main ideas for my third shoot came from the idea that I created looking at the contrast between modern and older buildings. After completing a second shoot on older buildings I didn't feel as though the images were up to the standard that I wanted them to be. For example I feel as though some of the compositions were not right and I didn't use negative space as much as I could have done. When taking a few of the images that involved trees as well as buildings this idea came from my image bank because I looked at a few images that contained bark and trees and I really liked the different tone that this bought to the photo therefore I wanted to incorporate this in my shoot. Martin Fernandez has a specific image that he has taken looking upright and each side of the image is almost symmetrical. I specifically liked the effect that this created and for some of my images I tried to do this and I feel as though it worked very well and I liked the way I was able to have a range of compositions within this shoot.
To edit the photos that I took during this shoot I used a few different techniques. Firstly I used the burn and dodge tool to edit one of my images. This was very useful because I could enhance certain areas and make areas darker that I felt needed to be. This took allowed me to be very specific when editing the image.
Firstly I changed the image to black and white.
I then used the curves tool and dragged the original line upwards to overexpose the image.
I then repeated this but lowered the original line and underexposed the photo.
I then ensured the colour was set on black and clicked 'alt' and 'backspace'. This removed the mask of the photo. I then selected the brush tool and painted in white.
To edit some of my other images I also used the brightness/contrast, crop and black and white tool to edit my photos.
Contact sheet (4th independent shoot) - 9.11.17
My best images
In reference to my best images...
The first image that I have chosen is very effective because it looks at the building itself and then focuses on the detailed gate that was at the front of the building. I took the photo making the gate look slightly larger than the building. I believe this could have connotations that the building is protected and architecture cannot be destroyed.
The second image that I liked from my photo shoot is an image of two buildings in close proximity. To take this photo I used a high aperture of f/22 because I wanted to capture a wide depth of field. I feel as though this image is effective because it shows the edge of two buildings. I believe that this could show that as one piece of architecture ends another begins.
The third image that I liked is another example of how I have incorporated nature into a man made image. I really like this image because a lot of photos that I have taken look at important or very large buildings. This photo has a house within the frame which gives it a familiar feeling.
The final image was taken with an ISO of 200 because it was slightly more sunny when I took it. I feel as though this image is very interesting because it does not just look at the architecture but it also has other elements like the bikes. A lot of people ride bikes in Cambridge, which was where this photo was taken, therefore I like this image because it represents the setting in which the photo was taken. Due to the many different elements in this photo there are a lot of colours that have different tones. I would like to use the black and white tool to edit this in photo shop.
Images that require improvement
The images above are images that I feel require improvement. In the first image there was someone standing in the way of the shot therefore there is an irrelevant object in the frame that I do not need. Also I feel as though the composition is not what I would like it to be because there are a lot of things, like people that I did not want in the photo. Also I feel like it is slightly over exposed because I used a slightly longer shutter speed than I should have.
The second image is under exposed however I believe this is because there is a large shadow over the building due to natural causes.
A03:
The ideas for this shoot came from everything that I have completed so far during this project. Firstly in my image bank I included images of manmade objects. I decided to incorporate these ideas into my shoot, for example I used the river within my photo to create different tones, textures and patterns into the photos. Also by looking at my initial photographer, Callum Mclerney-Riley, I realised I wanted to look firstly at modern architecture and then show the contrast between modern and old. This is the third shoot I have completed looking at older architecture and during each shoot I believe I have slightly improved my images each time. For example in my first photo shoot I felt like I needed to make more use of negative space and as I took more photographs I feel as though I did this. I feel like this shoot was successful partly because each of my other shoot were in London and this was shot in Cambridge. This created a more calming atmosphere to the photos and I feel as though my second artist research, Martin Fernandez, has this kind of feel to his photos. This is one of the reasons why I travelled to Cambridge because I felt inspired by this.
A02:
When taking these photos I used a canon eos 400d. I had to adjust the camera settings based on many different circumstances. For example I made sure that I set the ISO to 400 because I was shooting on a slightly cloudy day. I used an aperture of f/16 and f/22. This is because I needed a wide depth of field because I wasn't focusing on specific objects. I was looking at the setting as a whole therefore I wanted everything to be in focus. I used a shutter speed of 1/125 because I wanted to freeze action. This meant that I could capture the environment that was in front of me whilst ensuring everything was in focus.
I have enhanced these images by editing them in photo shop. I used a range of tools. For example I changed the photos to black and white and then used the individual sliders to adjust different tones of black and white based on the colours that were in the photo. I also used the curves too to additionally edit the tones and contrast in the photos. I also adjusted the brightness and contrast sliders to enhance the colours further.
Final images
AO1: Develop ideas through
sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources,
demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
AO2:Explore and select
appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing
and refining ideas as work develops.
AO3: Record ideas,
observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work
and progress.
AO4: Present a personal
and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes
connections between visual and other elements.
