Sunday 27 February 2011

Pt 1, Ex 1. Fitting the frame to the subject

I decided to use a sculpture in a public space on the other side of town.  I took 2 sets of photos, the first set being discarded as it was a horrible, rainy day with grey sky and poor light.  This morning I was greeted by clear skies and sunshine, and made use of the early morning light.  I don't really know anything about the sculpture as there are no plaques or notices and some initial reseach has drawn a blank.

The first image is the quick 'snapshot'
  
Fitting the frame to the subject 1.jpg, 36mm, 1/250, f/10 Click here for original
This is a pretty generic shot showing the subject, with some suggestion as to the context of it's placement in the environment.

The second shot fills the frame
Fitting the subject to the frame 2.jpg, 95mm, 1/320, f/10 Click here for original
In this image, we see the subject in much more detail, we have lost reference points around the subject to allow the viewer work out the size of the image in it's surroundings.  Obviously there is much more detail in the subject itself and this dominates the image now.

The third image is a close up shot showing only a part of the subject
Fitting the subject to the frame 3.jpg, 120mm, 1/250, f/10 Click here for original
This image has become somewhat abstract.  The casual viewer will have not be able to identify what the subject is, but this will promotes questions as the viewer builds out the rest of the image in their mind.  The relatively low sun and blue skies have resulted in a bold image with good contrasts.

The fourth image shows the subject in it's surroundings
Fitting the subject to the frame 4.jpg, 18mm, 1/250, f/10 Click here for original
This is a fairly bland unispiring image, but was taken with to enable it to be cropped.  We can see that this is an public open space for the local community now.  We can also see that the photograph was taken either close to sunset or soon after sunrise because of the long shadows and charateristic light given by a low sun.  This adds more information to the image for the viewer to build their thoughts on.

The following three images are crops from the fourth image.  Therefore they are all 18mm, 1/250, f/10
Fitting the subject to the frame 4 crop 1.jpg Click here for original
Fitting the subject to the frame 4 crop 2.jpg Click here for original
Fitting the frame to the subject 4 crop 3.jpg Click here for original
Crop 1 draws attention away from the subject itslef and the person walking their dog suddenly become more prominent as the eye is drawn towards them.  This gives validation to the subject being in a public space.
Crop 2 emphasis the importance given to the subject, showing the large empty space that it occupies.
Crop 3 is dominated by the sky.  This to me shows that we are only a small part of things on the earth and the sculpture takes on an almost ritual nature.  The shape of the subject, like a worked flint from prehistoric times, becomes significant as it points to the sky.

Of the three crops, I prefer the third

Saturday 19 February 2011

It's raining, again

Not really conducive to venturing out today, seems to be raining pretty every weekend so far this year!
Rain in waterbutt, 200mm, f/22, 1/20 and a lot of pushing levels to the extreme in Photoshop! Click for Original

Thursday 17 February 2011

Project: Photographing Movement

Shutter Speeds

This exercise proved a bit challenging to complete, mostly due to it seemingly raining every time I was going to go out and take the photos.  In the end, after several aborted attempts, I ending up setting up indoors and used  some Lego attached to a motor.  The benefit of this was a set up that was easily repeatable, but the downside was a somewhat uninspiring subject.  I may well re-visit this later.  Anyway, on to the images.

There are 17 images in the sequence, taken at the following speeds, 1/4000, 1/2500, 1/1600, 1/1000, 1/640, 1/500, 1/400, 1/320, 1/200, 1/125, 1/60, 1/40, 1/25, 1/10, 1/5, 1 sec & 2 secs.  The originals of these are all available in this set on my Flickr page.

The first 4 images range from 1/4000 to 1/1000.  The 1/4000 was so fast that the ISO needed to be bumped right up and as a consequence, image quality suffered (it became grainy).  Again, due to being indoors and working with the available light, the exposure is slightly different between all these shots, but settles down for the remaining images.  The first image shows no movement.  The next two show the start of movement becoming evident looking at the teeth of the cog.  The 1/1000 image really starts shows movement in the teeth and the holes of the cog itself.

The next 4 shots start to show some dramatic changes, picking up motion.  Down to 1/500, we can see movement as blurring, but from 1/400 and lower we begin to see distortion of shapes as well as motion blur


Between 1/200 & 1/40 the images dramatically change from being able to see definite, but distorted, shapes to much more abstract suggestion of shape.  The images turn from detail to movement, with no shapes (other than the arc of the cog) being identifiable
 
 From 1/25 and lower the photographs take on a new aspect as so much motion is captured, we now begin to see through the cog as the holes merge to become almost transparent.  This gives the viewer no idea of the detail of the object, but gives the image a dynamic feeling of speed.

 The last photo is very similar to the 1/5 & 1 second captures, but shows slightly more detail through the cog.

Varying shutter speed using a fixed camera position can give some startling effects, from precise capture of fast moving objects to the indication of movement to the merest suggestion of what the subject may be.
 
 
Panning with Different Shutter Speeds

Another damp dreary, overcast day, but I found a location nearby that one of my son's could ride past with railings in the background to give some good indication of the effects of differing shutter speeds.  There are 11 images in this exercise, taken at 1/1600, 1/1000, 1/320, 1/250, 1/160, 1/100, 1/80, 1/40, 1/25, 1/10 & 1/8.  The originals of these are available in this set on my Flickr page.
 
The first 4 images vary from 1/1600 to 1/250.  The 1/600 captures a sharp image and freezes the motion.  At 1/1000 we can begin to see some slight blurring of the spokes in the bicycle wheels and the railings in the background.  At this speed, there isn't really a suggestion of motion.  At 1/320 we begin to sense motion as the railings blur more and the spokes begin to show their movement, which increases as we slow the shutter speed to 1/250
 
 
1/160 increases the blur and the hint of motion, which becomes more dramatic at 1/100.  The railings blur much more and the spokes take on interesting shapes as they appear to bend and merge into each other.  Movement in the rider is evident, becoming more pronounced as the shutter speed slows.


At 1/25 and slower, motion dominates the image and the panning, particularly in the low light conditions, becomes more difficult./  The rider becomes more vague and the railings give powerful suggestion of fast movement.

Summary

Longer shutter speeds inevitably bring movement to still images as anything moving will blur and be interpreted as motion. Conversely very fast shutter speeds enable us to capture immense levels of detail that can not be seen by the naked eye, and can open up fascinating images.  Finding the right amount of motion depends on what you are trying to portray.  This photograph I took at Brands Hatch a number of years ago shows a good level of detail whilst retaining the feeling of movement as the balance between shutter speed and the panning of the camera came together.  Unfortunately the framing was not quite right - that will come with more practice!
Brands Hatch 9th April 2006 BTCC 349 1/30 f22 85mm
Out of the images taken for these exercises, I like the 1 & 2 second exposures of the Lego cog.  We know there is something there, we know it's moving fast, we know it's circular, but we have no idea what it is.  It makes the viewer curious, which I like.
Of the panning photos I prefer the 1/40 shot.  There is still quite a lot of sharp detail in the bike and the rider, but also enough blur to show us the movement and speed involved.



Wednesday 16 February 2011

Coughs, colds, rain, work & broken bones

The next exercises are proving somewhat challenging to complete due to the utterly rubbish weather we're having, picking up a manky cold, mental work hours and the fallout from breaking my ankle 3 months ago.

Photos are taken and uploaded to Flickr, Learning (B)log to be updated soon.  Hopefully!

Sunday 6 February 2011

Focus at Different Apertures

I spent quite a bit of time thinking about what the subject was going to be for this exercise and ran through many options.  Eventually I settled on an old Bailey bridge in town as the lattice patterns of the structure would assist with this exercise.  In the end, I did the exercise twice, from two view points and decided on Black & White as it was an overcast day and a grey bridge and grey sky did not make for a happy colour image.

The first image shows just the central section of the lattice work and the mesh behind it being in sharp focus.  This was taken at the lens' widest aperture, f1.8.  The foreground and background lack any detail and the amount of blurring in the foreground is almost distracting. The branch immediately infront of the lens is all but invisible.  The area in sharp focus is within the marked area of the photo of a photo below.
DSC_3499 B&W Click to see original
The second photograph is at f5.6 and we can now start to see more detail emerging as the wider scene comes into focus and we can start to interpret the mechanics of the bridge and how it fits together .  Branches are obvious now in front of the lens, although they are not shown in any detail yet.  Again, the area in focus is marked

DSC_3500 B&W Click here for original
The third photograph was taken at f22 and pretty much everything has now been brought into focus, the only things not being in sharp focus being the pipe at the bottom left and the very nearest branches.  Therefore, I have not marked the area in focus and included the original image here rather than a photo of it.
DSC_3501 B&W Click here for original
The difference between the widest aperture and the smallest is striking.


The second series show the bridge from a different viwepoint , which led to a more complicated area of the image being in focus, due to the shape that the bridge forms.  On reviewing the photographs, I was interested to see quite different effects on the reflection of the structure in the water beneath.  On the wider apertures, the reflection appeared almost painted onto the water, whereas they were much more subtle at the smallest aperture.  The photos were taken at the same apertures as the series above
DSC_3504 B&W Click here for original

DSC_3505 B&W Click here for original
DSC_3506 B&WClick here for original

So, what did I learn?  As expected, the depth of field (the part of the photograph in sharp focus) changes in relation to the aperture.  However, I'd never really examined any photographs that closely to examine the effect in detail, I'd just used it to blur the background.  I've realised that the area in focus can be quite complex depending on the subject and that this needs to be carefully considered.  For example a portratit with perfectly sharp eyes and ears would be destroyed by a blurred nose!

Purposely introducing a narrow Depth of Field helps to draw the viewer to a specific point and can also be used to detract from others.  It also introduces a degree of mystery to the image, leaving the viewer to interpret the detail of what is only suggested by the photographer.