Hannah Cannell AS Photography Exam: Sky: April 2019

Final Evaluation

My research and preparatory shoots have massively influenced the final series of images I have created. For example when researching photographers of the Sky, like Masahisa Fukase, I found techniques that they used that have influenced how I have edited my photos. The influence of the artists I have researched can be seen throughout my final images, due to them being in Black and white and how I have used Burning and dodging- which Masahisa Fukase and Edward Steichen influenced me to use.
From this project I have learnt how simple images can become very effective after editing. Due to this, my work has developed massively, as I thought less about how the photo looked before and focused more on the editing. For example, in my first preparatory shoot I used a nice location for my photos, However, later in my project I just took pictures as I saw the sky looking nice, which meant I was able to capture nicer and better images, even without the setting.
I think I have been successful in responding to the exam paper as I have taken the photographers mentioned and created my own "observation of clouds and skylines". The Exam paper had a very vague description of what is expected of me so I could take my own approach on 'The Sky', I think I have done this very well and have explored many options in my research towards the exam.
Just like any exam, my research in my preparatory shoots have both strong and weak areas, that could be improved. An example of a weak area is my experiment in editing. In my Work Record 3 on my preparatory shoots I have experimented with my editing, using strips to different parts black and white etc. I didn't like this end project so I discarded that technique. However, I could have improved this by trying another technique either in editing or when taking the photos, for example panoramas.
After experimenting with my editing as mentioned above i found that my best technique to use was Burning and dodging. This was because it showed my work to my best ability and didn't overpower the message i wanted to give out. I think this was the best decision as my Final series of images came out to give the exact message I wanted and looked very effective.

The images in this post are my final best images. I think my final images link to my preparatory shoots quite well. For example, my first shoot for the exam was inspired by my first work record. The second shoot for my exam was inspired by the Work Record of shoot 4&5 as they focus straight on clouds. However my final images are all in Black and White, whereas my preparatory shoots for clouds where more colourful. I also think my final images how linked to my preparatory work through the influences of artists. I have used the same artists for my exam as i did for my work leading up to it, Masahisa Fukase and Edward Steichen. These images have been picked as they best suit my original ideas and Exam Proposal.

Work Record 2

Plans for shoot:

In this shoot i will be looking into taking pictures of just clouds, hopefully creating a moving effect. This will help me focus on Edward Steichen and Ansel Adams when editing.

Research Influence:

Ansel Adams:

Ansel Adams was an american landscape photographer, best known for his black and white images of the American West.

Ansel Adams, along with Fred Archer, made the technique called the Zone System. It is an approach to a standardised way of working that guarantees a correct exposure in every situation, even in the trickiest lighting conditions such as back lighting, extreme difference between light and shadow areas of a scene.

This technique helped me know how I was going to later edit my photos as I hoped to use the Zone system throughout my work.

Edward Steichen:

Edward Steichen was a key figure of twentieth-century photography.
In his youth he was perhaps the most talented and inventive photographer among those working to win public acceptance of photography as a fine art. He went on to gain fame as a commercial photographer in the 1920s and ’30s, when he created stylish and convincing portraits of artists and celebrities.
One thing i liked about Edward's photographs is how they focus on clouds alone and create a more unrealistic view. For example, his photo of above clouds in the sky. One image that inspired me is the one below, where the photo looks like the clouds are moving away from the audience.

Contact Sheet:

Best Images:

Images That Need Improving:

A01: Demonstrate how your work is influenced by an artist you have researched.

My work has been influenced by both of the photographers researched. Ansel Adams has influenced me as I tried two capture as many tones from the Zone system as I could. Below is a screenshot of how I burned and dodged a picture and then the analysis of it to the zone system. Edward Steichen has influenced me as my final edits look like they are old photos taken on film. I like this effect as it makes the sky look more dramatic and mysterious.

A02:Demonstrate your ability to experiment and Review and refine your work as it develops.

Below are my settings for my best images, I think my choice in settings worked well. However, if I was to redo this shoot I would like to try to expand more on the depth of field, using higher f stops like 22.

Setting of best images:

One:

Shutter speed= 1/400
Aperture=f/10

Zoom=38mm

Two:

Shutter speed= 1/320
Aperture=f/9

Zoom=70mm

Three:

Shutter speed= 1/400
Aperture=f/10

Zoom=70mm

Four:

Shutter speed= 1/640
Aperture=f/13

Zoom=112mm

Editing:

Just like my last shoot, to edit my photos I have first turned all of them into black and white. After this I selected the curve tool and look at how I could make the photos darker. In most cases, I then had to invert the curves to start burning and Dodging, due the curves making some parts of the image too dark or making them silhouette. After this I changed more things like the levels, contrasts and added a brighter curve to bring back some of the white patches. This can be seen in the last screenshot below, where there is an original black and white version of the image and the difference after burning and dodging.

This screenshot shows the original image in black and white, whilst the next image is a screenshot of after i added the curves. The significance in the difference is massive. I wanted to add these in to show how the small steps in editing can effect a photo. The first image is a boring pale sky, whereas the second image has power, is mysterious and dark.

Looking into editing photos from my Preparatory shoots:

After editing my images, I found that I didn't get the moving clouds effect I wanted to find after looking into Edward Steichens work. I had previously done this in a preparatory shoot, Shoot 5, when looking at a sunset. So I decided to edit some of these pictures into black and white and see if they create the idea I wanted. I found that editing these pictures did give the effect i wanted, however I feel that i lost the old film photo effect i like.

Original:

Edits:

A03: Reflect critically on your work and progress.

I think my second shoot went well and captured my idea of a dark atmosphere with a powerful sky. I think i have made a great progress from my preparatory shoots and have created photos to my best ability. Over the time of this shoot and the editing process, you can see how my photos have improved and look a lot better. This shoot has linked to the exam paper as they can be connotated to show a 'drifting atmosphere sky' like Brain Eno

About my best images:

I believe my best images have produced the best connotations of a dark sky with power. This is because they present dark clouds. I have enhanced this through my editing by burning and dodging some parts of the clouds to look darker than others, making them fuller and more overpowering.