Constructed Images - continued

My constructed image assignment for my BTEC class is due today. I’ve done the studio shoot and incorporated an image - a least part of an image from the shoot into another - and made up a composite. If you’ve read my previous post of a couple of days ago you’ll notice the composites were comprised of photographs captured on film. Here, the composite comprises all photographs which were captured digitally.

Here is the original background photograph - unprocessed

Here are a couple more - as originally takem - from which elements were extracted -

The location was Leake Street behind Waterloo Station in central London. Elements - the faces - were taken from them, using Photoshop CS4 and added to the background and placed appropriately in separate layers. I had to use the move tool extensivly here, and then change the opacity of each layer. This is most noticeable in the face on the right hand side - check out these image below for work in progress.

Further processing included blending and adjusting the colour balance.

The studio shoot yielded these tomatoes –

I’d originally shot some tins of soup (tomato again) with the idea of making up a Warhol type image, but as I need to hone up my product photography skills (apart from anything else) I wasn’t too happy with results. 

The hooded figure in the centre needed some “eyes”. Given the backround colour temperature, perhaps Tomato Eyes ? 

Some further processing on the eyes of the left hand side face and adjustment of the red colour of the background. I'm stopping there. I had to resist the temptation for further processing, but there is always a danger of overdoing it and using filters just because you can, not because the image demands it..   

Overdone already? Possibly?  Does it work as as image ? 

Hoppé and Kar

I’m getting great value from my membership of the National Portrait Gallery, here in London, so far this year. With this membership you get unlimited entry into exhibitions which you’d otherwise have to pay. So I’ve been a couple of times to the two photographic exhibitions currently on there - “Hoppé Portraits: Society, Studio and Street” and “Ida Kar: Bohemian Photographer, 1908-1974”. 

As the title might suggest, the Hoppé Portraits exhibition contains his Street Photography – mainly from the 1930’s – as well as Studio portraits from the 1910’s to 1930’s.  I preferred the Street Photography section, an early form of photojournalism. It’s the type of photography I like to attempt myself. Several photographs from a girl’s Borstal school were on display; beside one, the caption reads that the empty swimming pool would have been cropped out when published. Shame it wasn’t shown as published as well.

I also took the guided tour with the exhibition curator – my 2^nd visit to each – the 1^st was unaccompanied. These tours can be informative, in that you can get some insight in to which (and why) photos are shown. 

The NPG owns the archive of Ida Kar, which includes the negatives, 2 and ¼ square (should that be 6cm square?) or larger. Most of the prints on display are modern prints (some are vintage bromide), made in a darkroom, some with much burning in and dodging (see the photo of Terry Frost, dated 1961, sitting inside a studio, beside an open window.) The portraits looked as if they were made with available light, I couldn’t see much evidence of flash.

I read a review of the Kar Exhibition in both the Observer and Daily Telegraph. Looks like I was at the same exhibition as the reviewer from the Observer. Can’t think where the Daily Telegraph reviewer went to.

This exhibition is in the same Gallery as the recent Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2010. Hopefully its entrants and judges spend time in the gallery now – they may learn something about photography and portraits.

Hoppé Portraits: Society, Studio and Street runs from 17 February until 30 May 2011 and Ida Kar: Bohemian Photographer, 1908-1974 is on from 10 March - 19 June 2011. Both in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Constructed Images

The latest assignment for my BTEC class is due this coming week. This one combined a studio shoot and some location work. The idea was to was to shoot a studio still life and then combining it someway - either digitally, or even rephotographing - with a completely different background.

An idea proved to be a long time in coming. For inspiration took a look at some of the work by Barbara Kruger, Jerry Uelsmann, Duane Michals and Mari Mahr, all of whom produced composite type images – here are some examples …

I’d seen some images by Jerry Uelsmann previously, and had read that many of them have been produced in a traditional ‘wet’ darkroom.  I don’t have access to a darkroom any more and haven’t had for some time, so my efforts could look forward to some digital processing, ably assisted by Mr Adobe and Photoshop CS4.

Perhaps I should look for a job in that TV show “Blue Peter” …. here are some pictures I prepared earlier, from my pre digital camera days.  I took slides and black & white negatives then and scanned them.

Not so much a composite of 2 or more images, rather the inclusion of text into one image, written for me by a Chinese friend. If you can read the Chinese, I’d appreciate a translation.

 Here are some colour composite, comprised of images originally 35mm slides (Fuji) and scanned using a Canoscan dedicated film scanner. 

Comprised of 3 separate images – the pyramid is in Mexico, the sea in the foreground is the Atlantic coast of Ireland and the background mountains are in Morocco. Three Continents!

Again comprised of parts from 3 images, in multiple layers; the statue, glare and background building and sky are in Toronto, the scene within the statue is downtown New York, and the pattern within the “moon” is from the Centre Point building here in London, with the red colour added via Photoshop.

Will post the assignment in a day or so ....

Monument

Fortunately I don't often suffer from vertigo. Up to last weekend I can only recall having it twice, once in the Statue of Liberty in New York City and the other on the 3rd flood of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Guess I'll have to add my visit to the Monument in the city of London to this list. The Monument is a column, 62 metres high in total, built in the late 1660's, which commemorates the Great Fire of London in 1666. For the princely sum of £3, you get to climb the 311 spiral steps inside the column to the viewing gallery which is only 50 metres high.   

There is a lovely view around London to be had from the viewing gallery but it is partially obscured by a mesh cage - very easy to look through, but it can be difficult to blur it out photographically. I managed to take some photographs -  the financial district of Dockands is visible across the rooftops, Tower Bridge is adjacent and a new spectacular high rise near Elephant & Castle is hard to miss. I must find out its name some time.

At some point I may visit again - when the light is better -  and try to get some better images. My experience 50 metres up wasn't helped by the people around me pushing past  - the viewing gallery is a fairly confined space. Perhaps I should have expected a least some crowds, but it is February and hardly prime tourist season. For future reference maybe it will be quieter first thing on a Sunday morning, even if I visit later in the year to get better light.

The best bit came at the end. After climbing down all those steps and leaving the Monument, a member of staff handed me a cerficate attesting to the 311 step climb. "Well done, young man" she said.

Location

My BTEC photography class has long since resumed after the Christmas break and the latest assignment, set before the break, was due last week. The theme of this assignment was "Location"  and it came with a qualifying twist - the title was "Precious". The idea was explore location photography, but subject concept was something precious. A dictionary definition of "precious" could suggest something of great value of high price in monetary terms, but I was thinking of something non material and decided upon memories. And being on a photographic course, recording memories with a camera.

I'm fascinated with street photography, and like the work of Robert Doisneau, I've got book of his work in Paris. Here are some examples of his work -

I've recently become aware of the work of Vivian Maier, who photographed Chicago - you can view examples in a dedicated blog here. Fairly inspiring, so I thought "lets try some street photography".
 I don't have easy access to Chicago and couldn't get to Paris within the time constraints of the assignment, but as I live in London, there should not be any shortage of locations. Also, unlike the two above, I'd work in colour and digital capture. Folk tend to take many photos - of each other as well as the sights - in central London, so Trafalgar Square and the British Museum were to be the starting points. My take on the theme/concept was people recording precious memories of themselves and their friends out and about, whether on holidays or otherwise.

The British Museum may not the be obvious place for "street" photography, but it is the approach that counts in this case. Inside the lighting was mixed (daylight coming through the windows and of course artifical light, tungsten etc) and dull, so had to push the asa up to 1600 and not using a tripod - here are some possibles for final selection -

The light outside was almost as dull as inside that day of the shoot, so left the asa at 1600 (apart from two out of about 60 in total - see the final selection below - the light must have momentarily improved at the time of taking !)  Here are some more possibles from Trafalgar Square -

After discussion in class last week - I'd brought in my contacts and some prints - here is my final selection of 5 photos (the assignment required 5) - 

At one time - in pre digital days, I used HP5 (an excellent black & white film). It was nominally rated at 400 asa, but I uprated it to1600 and the results were GRAINY (that's NOISY in digital speak).There isn't the same level of grain in this lot. Improving technology ? Don't know. Can always add some noise via Photoshop. Probably not for colour work, think noise works better for black and white ?

Portrait Exhibition

I've been visiting quite a few Exhbitions - photographic and others - during the last couple of years and have enjoyed doing so. I may not have enjoyed all the exhibits, but that is to be expected and I've left these exhibitions pleased to have visited. Occasionally I leave an exhibition extremely disappointed.

One such exhibition was the Taylor Wessing photographic portrait at the National Portrait Gallery in London. I did like some of the images,  for example "Mr Streamer" by Ian Atkinson and "Huntress with Buck" by David Chancellor - I have the nerve to agree with the selectors here as this was awarded 1st prize. But many of  the photographs were poorly composed - for example with the sitter placed centre frame, with distracting elements (trees, stairwells......) around them.

Overall, a disappointing show. The best 60 of of those entered on display ? Thank goodness it only cost £2 entry to get in. One good thing - this visit may help me appreciate the good exhibitions when I get to see them.

Time of Day

I'm beginning to catch up with posting here my pictures taken for the exercises set in my BTEC photoclass. The brief for this one was "Time of Day", and was actually set, photographed and presented in class last October.

It was apparent during the discussion within the class when this assignment was set that one possible outcome - a photographic outcome at least - were photographs of the same place, building, whatever, taken at different different times of the day or night. For example, early morning, midday, afternoon and so. Different lighting, sun light from various directions.

I've had some experience of taking photographs to a theme in a special interest group of my local Photographic Society - it meets monthly and we're asked to bring in 2 photographs on a pre set theme which we all then comment upon. There can be a diverse interpretation of the theme set. So, thought maybe I'd try to do something a little different than the way the discussion was leading, and still perhaps meet the theme.

I haven't worn a wrist watch for several years. I actually have two - both with run down  batteries. There are enough clocks at home - my tuner,VCR, microwave, my PC - so I can see what the time is if I need to know. There's also one in my car and on my mobile phone. And additionally when I'm out and about there are plenty of clocks visible one to all in central London (Big Ben ....) Perhaps I use some of these clocks, at least photographically ?

Here is a (small) selection of my shoot... 

Look at the time in each photograph.

eleven o'clock, twelve o'clock, one o'clock

Passage of time, Time of Day even ?

Not sure if like the images, whatever about meeting the brief of the assignment. Sunny October day, the light was harsher then I'd  like for this time of year.  A few days previously, a different shoot, covering most the same ground, but more pleasing light - and photos - you can my post of it here !