Practice Night time photoshoot (Angles, Rule of thirds, Lighting)

Introduction

After researching Ian Aikens night time architect photography. I wanted to attempt these type of shots myself to connect with his work. This photoshoot was split into two halves. The first half was done without a tripod and the second part was done using a tripod. The reason for this is to show how big a difference there is when not using a tri-pod and in general great practice when using manual settings with the tripod. As you will be able to see further down the first few photographs are either a little blurry with the main focal point being out of focus and some just way too dark. After those photographs come the ones taken using the tripod. I will be concentrating on the use of angles and rule of thirds alongside using what natural light is available in combination with the lights outside the church.

Equipment


Camera: Canon 1000D

Lens: 18-55mm standard lens

Tripod


8Gb Memory card with spare 2Gb additional


Spare battery


Safety Considerations


With this photoshoot being taken at night there are a couple of safety considerations that are to take with interest. The obvious one is that it will be dark outside so I will need to be alert and be wary of my surroundings at all times. This will be taken highly into consideration as I will be on my own. One side of the church is near the river which will be ten times as dangerous at night as my vision will not be 100% so i will be taking extra care in that area.

Photoshoot

 

0"3, F-Stop 5.6, ISO 1600

As you can see this shot was taken without my tripod. It is pretty much impossible to get a photograph completely in focus using these settings without a tripod. What I was trying to concentrate on here was the rule of thirds to how Ian Aiken uses in his photographs. In a way it is pretty simple, get yourself in position and practice the shot with the right settings. Really, what I needed to do with this photograph was use a lower shutter speed because the top of the church is way too dark but without a tripod this was pretty much impossible. Although a little out of focus, a black background makes the church stand out a lot more alongside the light shining onto the church.

Add caption

Again, another photograph without using a tripod. This one isn't as bad as there is more light which shines onto the main subject in the photograph. Here what I have done is the same as Ian Aiken style of work with the use of light shining onto the church. As you can tell without using a tripod I was very limited to how exposed the camera was without it turning out blurry so parts of the church have turned out a little darker than normal. This is also a good thing as I have used as much light as I can which has created numerous colours and shades on the church and around the church.

1", F-Stop 7.1, ISO 1600

1"3, F-Stop 7.1, ISO 1600

These shots were taken using my tripod. As you can see there is a noticable difference in terms of sharpness, colour and lighting etc. For this I aimed to use the rule of thirds which worked quite well. I used as much natural light as possible but there was very little. It is easy to say that the light surrounding the church is dominant in this photograph creating different bright shades of yellow gradually going darker when moving up the church. With the background being completely dark it makes the main focal point (church) stand out alot more. A small use of shadows is used here aswell from the trees on the right of the photograph projecting a shadow onto the church. A very slow shutter speed is needed here otherwise the photographs would be way too dark so I feel the settings I used were perfect for the shot to get the right amount of colour and light into it.

3"2, F-Stop 5.0, ISO 1600



3"2, F-Stop 5.0, ISO 1600


These are my final two photographs I have chosen from the photoshoot and they are probably my best ones from the shoot. These were taken of the same church but at the front instead of the back. Here I have again used my tripod but I have slightly tilted it to an angle. This was purley for practice but the results were great. These photographs use a little more natural light alongside the light that was shining onto the church. This is great as it creates really warm smooth colours not only in the sky but on the church itself. I did this by taking these shots just before nightfall, this is the same kind of shot that Ian Aiken has attempted and has come up with the same kind of results.

Evaluation

Overall I feel that this photoshoot has been very succesful and has been a great learning curve for me. I have learned that to get much more better results when taking photographs at night use a tripod. I have also learned new skills when aiming for a specific theme when taking my photographs whilst trying to match another photographers style. If I was to attempt this photoshoot again which I most probably will I will be expermenting with different ISO's to see what different types of photograph can end up with. When I go out next time I will also be concentrating on a different type of style of photograph rather than the ones I have concentrated on this time. This will create different types of photograph and will be good practice.

Research - Theme 2 - Tony Howell

Tony Howell is a professional photographer who mainly concentrates on landscape photography. He also experiments in a wide range of different types of photography. I am going to be concentrating on his historic building photography (churches and cathedrals). Tony Howell likes to keep his photography simple but at the same time likes to push a strong visual message with his photography. Below are ten photographs I found fascinating and how they inspired me. All these photographs can be found at by clicking on this link: http://www.tonyhowell.co.uk/photographsofchurches.htm

This is the first photograph that I have chosen from Tony's collection. This photograph is brilliant in many different ways. It's bright, colourful and the main focal point is really pushed out to be made clear. Darker shades of blue feature at the top of the photograph from the sky and then they gradually get lighter as you move down the photograph, this is very improtant that he has got this right with the right amount of colour as this makes the cathedral look more bolder and stand out more creating a strong bold photograph. Rule of thirds are also used here with the bottom half of the cathedral the bottom third, the middle of the cathedral the second third and the tops of the cathedral and sky the top half. I can also see how symmetry is used within this photograph. This is used with having the cathedral centred in the shot alongside the genral design of the cathedral itself.

This photograph is of the same building, the Wells cathedral. This photograph is taken from the other side of the cathedral. This photograph is simple but powerful as what he has done is centred the cathedral to make it the main focal point but he has also included it's surroundings into the shot which could also pull attention to the viewers eye. Again, rule of thirds is also used here but this time the ground being the bottom third, the cathedral being the middle third and the sky being the top third. Natural light has been used for this shot with the sun rear facing to Tony, it creates some natural warm colours onto the cathedral with a mixture of sunlight and the cathedrals natural colour. Colour is deeply concentrated within this shot especially in the sky as there are many different shades of blue within the photograph all the way down the different greens from the grass.

This photograph is of the same building again but taken at a different time of day. As you can see this creates a completely different photograph. Replacing the brighter shades of blue with darker shades creating a warmer photograph and in my opinion makes the cathedral stand out more making it look a lot more bolder and dominant. Again, with a rear facing sunlight shining onto the cathedral creates different yellows. Patterns and symmetry are also used here from the design of the cathedral almost being mirrored and from the patterns on the cathedral itself.

Where as this photograph concentrates on the use of angles showing how tall the tower is. A limited depth of field is used here as the main focal point covers most of the photograph. A mixutre of natural light from the moon and lights shining onto the building are also used here.

Another photograph using the rule of thirds. This photograph also uses lines to guide the eye with the pathway leading to the cathedral being the foreground and then the cathedral still being the main focal point in the background. This photograph was taken in quite strong light therefore creating splendid, warm vibrant colours both from the sky and the cathedral itself. Again, symmetry is included in this shot from the design of the cathedral.

This photograph is alot different to the other ones I have chosen. It takes a different approach than the other photographs. There is a strong use of light that is man made. The main focal point is the church in the background but the monument and bush in the foreground have made into a silhouette making the background stand out more with a strong contrast. With all of this used in the photograph Tony has created a very gloomy photograph of the church with not much colour used in the shot. Quite a large F-Stop would have been used in this shot to get the foreground and the background in focus.

As you can see from most of these photographs are simple but convey a strong historic visual message. This photograph uses a mixture of what natural light is available alongside bright lights that shine onto the church. This creates a warm coloured photograph which was taken from a level vantage point. As you can see the central focus is the church but also the gravestones that are scattered about the graveyard are also in focus to attract the viewers eye showing the history of this historic area. Use of colour is concentrated here from the different blues in the sky to the greens in the grass.

Something a little bit different here. This is what I also plan to practice, using black and white in the photograph. This conveys a compeltely different visual message to what it would if taken in colour. I feel that it gives a more historic look and feel to the photograph. As you can see there is a dramatic change in contrast at the top of the photograph. This is great as it makes the spire of the church more bolder than the other parts of the church. This also shows that natural light was used for this photograph alongside a clear sky. With rear facing sunlight shining onto the church it makes that particualr area look whiter than normal.

These are the final two photographs that I have chosen from Tony's collection. I have chosen these because I will be attempting these types of shots and I already have some which are shown from my St Peters Church photoshoot post. These have both been taken up close at an angle. This shows the building towering over the photographer creating a strong overlook effect. The first photograph is a little different to the second photograph, it uses angles but also concentrates on the patterns on the building. A mixture of zoom and a low F-Stop were used here to get everything in focus making it the main focal point in both photographs.

Tony has also been included in many different books and has two of his own. This one in particualr is most relevant as it includes most of his architecture photography and why he has taken them.



Research - Theme 2 - Ian Aiken

For my next research I will be researching Ian Aiken. Ian Aiken concentrates on a wide range of different types of photography. This ranges from nature and coastal photography to archeology and astronomical photography. When I was doing my research on the internet looking at different photographers I came across Ian Aiken's archeology photography and I must say I was deeply inspired by his work. So below are many different photographs that I have chosen, analysed and why they have inspired me. All of the photographs can be found by clicking on this link: http://www.ianaiken.co.uk/gallery/historic-buildings/#all

Unforunetley I was not able to get these photographs at a larger size. This is one of my favourite photographs. As you can see it is taken at night so with a black background it makes the cathedral stand out even more. With this taken at night it creates a completely different photograph than if it was taken in the day time. Also natural light isn't really used in these photographs, lights are used at the front of the cathedral to light the main focal point up. What I like about this photograph is that he taken it positioned right in front of the cathedral so he can get the whole of it in the photogrpah, this almost creates a symmetrical pattern with the left side slightly brighter than the right. Colour is also highly concentrated in the photograph with a small amount of peach/red-ish colour on the left of the cathedral and the natural colour on the right. Rule of thirds is also used within this photograph with the trees and ground the bottom third, the cathedral being the middle third and the top of the cathedral and background being the top third.

This is also one of Ian's photographs that I found interesting. Most of Ian's historical building photography is done at night. I feel the reason for this is that taking photographs of these sorts of buildings at night create completely different photographs and sometimes they can appear to look better as they convey a different visual message and impact as to when they are taken in the daylight. Again the one of the main reasons to this is due to natural light not being the main factor in these shots. The only light you can really rely on are the lights surrounding the building. This isn't a bad thing though as this creates different colours and shades of light when shining onto the building itself. As you can see in the photograph above the church goes from bright on the right to slightly darker on the left. Again the church is the main focal point in the photograph as it is placed right in the centre of the shot. With the combination of a dark background and light shining onto the church it creates a faboulous photograph.

Below are some more photographs by Ian which inspire me and what they include:

This is a photograph of the same church just from a different side of the church. Light is concentrated a little more in this photograph. With the lights shining onto the church from the side there is also natural light used in the photograph from the moon. This creates a completely different style of photograph but still concentrates on the same aspect. For example colour is still highly concentrated in the shot to make the church the main focal point. Distance from the church also plays a part in this photograph. By this I mean Ian has stood slightly closer to the church making it look a lot bigger in the photograph. This shows that the church is the dominant object and main focal point in the photograph.

This photograph is similar to the second photograph I have chosen. The difference is that it is taken from a further distance than the other photograph. This does make a difference as you get more of the building and its surroundings into the photograph. Again, with the light shining onto the church creating different shades of yellow, the surrounding bold background which is black makes the main focal point stand out quite alot with it being in the centre of the photograph.

This photograph is taken from a different perspective. Patterns are included in this photograph with the graves surrounding the church. With this photograph taken just as nightfall sets in, the sky is still visible creating different blues so colour is still concentrated in the photograph. There is also a limited depth of field used in the photograph with the graves being quite sharp but the church being slightly out of focus.

Where as these two photographs have a full depth of field as the main focal point being the cathedral is all in focus. Different angles are also used in these photographs displaying a visual message of dominance as the cathederal towers over you in the photograph.

On this photograph, the rule of thirds is used with the ground and church being the bottom two thirds and the sky being the top third. Again, colour is concentrated in this shot with different blues mixed with small doses of red in the background of the sky. This mixes well with the colours on the church making it a much more smoother, warmer photograph.

This photograph is a little different to the others. It mainly concentrates on shapes and colours. With the triangle from the roof of part of the church and the rectangular tower from the other part of the church. Again, the same colours mixed with the light that is available is used to the best of its ability here with the bold black background making the church stand out with a full depth of field.

The final photograph which I have chosen from Ian's collection also concentrates on the same types of composition. Colour is used throughout this photograph from the blues in the sky down to the different shades of greens from the grass. Shapes are used in the photograph aswell from the church itself and the gravestone at the front of the shot. With the colours that are used in the shot, they create a warm photograph whilst still compelling the visual message of history.

All of these photographs inspire me to take these sort of photographs. This is due to the fact that there is great opportunity to experiment and take photographs at night which show a completely different visual message to what they would if taken in day light. It is also good practise for using settings on the camera that would'nt normally be used.

Photoshoot attempting the same kind of work coming soon.



Birmingham Trip

Hi all,

Just to let everyone know me and Graham are organising a day to Birmingham next wednesday (Wednesday 30th March). This will be a great opportunity for people doing different kinds of photography so if anyone is interested in coming ask me or Graham for more information tomorrow in class.

Thanks,

Chris

Practice Photoshoot - St Peters Church

After researching the work of Andy Marshall I was quite inspired to go out and attempt my very own type of church photography whilst using the ideas from Andy's work and implementing my own ideas for some fantastic shots. I was planning on going out on a bright and sunny day so I checked the weather and it said that Wednesday the 16th would be a bright and sunny day so I decided to choose that day to go out on the shoot. But as it happens luck didn't come my way and the weather was incorrect, the weather was mainly cloudy and foggy with not one single split in the clouds. Without being jolted I still went ahead with the shoot experimenting with my camera to see I if could still get some interesting photographs. I used my Canon 1000D alongside my Tri-pod. I also took a spare battery with me jsut incase I ran out of battery as I dont live near this location. I took around 50-60 shots of the church so below are my favourite ones with the settings included and why I have chosen them.



St Peters Church - Rear 1/200, F-Stop 4.5, ISO 400

 This is the first photograph I have chosen from my collection from the photoshoot. My aim here was to get the church in all of its natural beauty. I originally planned to do this sort of shot from the front of the church but there were advertisement posters plastered all over it so that was that idea ruined, luckily the rear looked just as good as the front. Now obviously the church is the main focal point in the shot but I wanted to make the tower of the church look like the dominant object in the photograph. To be honest I think this just came natural just from taking a standard shot in front of the church. There are also patterns included in this photograph from the windows of the church leading up to the church tower. This photograph would've looked so much better if the weather was better as I would've been able to concentrate more on the surrounding colours from the sky but instead I ended up with a big bloch of white. I used a 1/200 shutter speed alongside an F-Stop oof 4.5 due to how bright the natural surrounding light was. Most of the light was coming from the clouds because it was just pure white all around so I had to have a faster shutter speed to not let as much light into the shot. The only problem with this shot is that it gets a little bit too dark in the bottom left of the shot so if I was to take this photograph again I would use a slower shutter speed to let a little bit more light into the shot.

1/300, F-Stop 4.5, ISO 400

1/250, F-Stop 4.5, ISO 400

1/320, F-Stop 5.0, ISO 400

Beacuse of the weather the way that it was, taking straight shots infront of the church were pretty much all looking the same with the same background and they were ending up not proving to be worthy photographs. So because of this I decided to experiment with my camera and tri-pod taking photographs of the church at different angles and to be quite honest I was quite suprised at the results. All of these shots were taken around the same settings. This was again due to the surrounding background light and how much I was wanting in the photograph and to make the church the main focal point. I feel that taking these photographs at these angles conveys a completely different visual message to what they would if taken at a straight angle. By this I mean these angles display there historic patterns and features in all there glory and also showing that it stands over everything else making it look more dominant.




St Peters Church - South West, 1/125, F-Stop 7.1, ISO 400

This was perhaps one of my favourite shots from the photoshoot, I took this shot right at the end of the photoshoot. I used a 1/125 shutter speed because it was starting to get dark and a F-Stop of 7.1 because I wanted to get all the detail from the church and make it the main focal point of the shot although I was standing quite far away from it. I got the idea of this type of shot from some the inspriation of some of Andy Marshalls work. He has the rule of thirds concentrated into his work so I have tried the same thing here with the sky and the church tower being the top two thirds and the bottom half of the church and ground being the bottom third. With the trees either side on the photograph it creates a visual line to guide the eye composition leading up to the church. There is also a even balance of colour starting bright at the top of the photograph and gradually getting darker when moving down the shot.

Photoshoot Evaluation

Overall I feel that the photoshoot went very well as I was able to create a lot of different ideas for different types of shot. I was also able to take these photographs at the correct manual settings without any issues, this resulted in photographs at the right brightness and contrast and without them being blurry. If I was to go on this shoot again I would go when the weather is better as this would create completely different photographs altogether. I would also take more photographs using different ISO's because I only used one ISO. If I had used didfferent ISO settings I could've had different outcomes from the photographs and it also would've been good practice. I would also like to take some interior shots of the church as this would improve my skills the settings area of my camera as there would not be as much natural light inside the church. I would also be able to get all different types of composition in the photographs, so overall it would be good practice.

Research - Theme two - Andy Marshall

MY second piece of research will be based on my second theme which is built environment. For this theme I will be taking pictures of historic buildings. The reason I chose to undertake this type of photography is because of the inspiration from some of Andy Marshalls work. I will be choosing some of Andy's work and explaining the reasons why his work has inspired me. I will also be using some shots from my photoshoot that I went on the other day and comparing them with his work. All these photographs can be found from this link: http://andymarshall.co/?p=557

Andy Marshall is an Architectural photographer who has been taking photographs of the built environment for over 25 years. Over these years he has photographed many different styles of buildings ranging from buildings that have stood for hundreds of years to buildings of today. The main area of his work that really inspires me are the photographs of buildings that are very historic, mainly his photographs of churches and there interiors. The reason behind this is that his photographs aren't anything over the top but they compose a very historic visual message.

 This is the first piece of work of Andy's work that was an eye catcher. It is a photograph of the Cotswold church. Now when I look at this photograph the visual message I read is that the church is the centre of attention, it is the king of the surrounding area in the photograph. What he has also concentrated on in this shot is the colour. He manages to create a very colour concentrated photograph with the different blues in the sky and the greens in the grass. Also, with the sun behind him the natural light creates a beautiful haze effect surrounding the church. This also brightens the church up quite a lot aswell making it the main focal point. The rule of thirds composition has been used within this photograph, with the church and landscape being the bottom third and the sky being the top two thirds.

This photograph is also a piece of Andy's work which I am a big fan of. Again, it is a photograph of a church in Cotswold. This however takes a completely different look of this type of architectural photography. This time the photograph was taken in the evening time at sunset so this takes a lot more work to get the shot perfect with the minimum light that is available. This photograph has a lot of detail included in it from the sun shining onto the church to the church itself, but what I like the most about this shot is that he has managed to keep the church as the main focal point in the shop although there is so much included in it. This photograph takes a more gloom aproach with a nice concentration on colour from the clouds being grey and white slowly decending to different darker colours from the church and surrounding wall to pretty much black on the ground from the shadow of the church. The only problem with this shot is that there seems to be a mark on the lense from the reflection of the sun when it shone onto the camera. So this is a photograph is unique in its own way due to it taken at this time of day making it express a dark and gloomy visual message.

The above two photographs are my favourites, below, is a selection of some of Andy Marshalls work which also caught my eye. These photographs mainly concentrate on the interiors of the buildings.

These two photographs focus on frame within frames composition with both of them being taken whist standing before an archway and looking through it right the the window at the end of the hall. Both have similar colours and contrast showing the history of the church which is appropriate when trying to convey this visual message.

This photograph is also a frame within frames  concentrated photograph with an element of patterns on the ceiling of the church. With the room bright alongside the frame within frames composition this photograph is showing how beautiful and historic this church is.

This photograph shows some of the historic artifacts that are located at one of the Cotswold churches. He mainly focuses on symmetry and patterns in this shot as there are two sets of the same artifact next to each other. Also the pillars across the ceiling of the church also creates a patterns composition. These two artifacts are concentrated on the most in this photograph making them the golden section.

These two photographs were taken from the Chester cathedral. They both have a substantial amount of light and both include a lines to guide the eye composition. I would say that patterns are quite heavily concentrated in these photographs with the chairs leading down the cathedrals hall from the photo on the left and the concrete slabs and general design of the cathedral (pillars and ceiling) from the photo on the right. The photograph on the left also has a lot of depth use as the shot is being taken from the front of the cathedral right to the back.

This photograph was taken of the cathedrals ceiling. It is mainly centered and uses natural light. It concentrates mainly on patterns and symmetry from left to right with a separate pattern joining them in the centre. It might be quite hard to see but the design of the buildings structure also creates patterns from top to bottom.

The last photograph I have chosen from Andy Marshall's collection also uses patterns to create a beautiful piece of work. Again, this photograph was taken using all the natural light there was available at the time so this is why it appears to be quite dark. This isn't a bad thing though. With the light shining directly onto the window it creates a bold pattern from the frames between glass. Obviously the main focal point of the photograph are the stunning pieces of artwork on the glass windows which are patterns within themselves. A heavy use of colour is also concentrated in this photograph due to the fact that the glass has alot of different colours on it. These include many different colours ranging from different reds to different yellows and blues.

The above video is a little something I found on youtube. It displays Andy Marshall's work from the Victorian Gothic church. He mainly concentrates on the history of the interior of the church. I found it quite fascinating as there are many different types of photograph using colour, patterns, symmetry and different depths of field.

Statement of Intent- Theme 2

Theme

Architectural (Built Environment)

Intentions/purpose of photography to be undertaken

I aim to be able to take photographs of old buildings that date back hundreds of years. For this I will be mainly focusing on buldings that have been around for a very long time as most of them become degraded which means there is opportunity for some great photographs. I also intend to be able to do research on this subject and be able to read the photographers photographs to a point where I can attempt to create my own style of photograph which is similar to there work.

Reasons for selection of theme

I have chosen this theme because it is also another style of photography that not only inspires and interests me but also requires a skill to be able to take fantastic shots in this genre. I feel that this will be a challenge for me as I have not attempted this type of photography before, which is a good thing as I would also like to take this type of photography further in years to come. I also feel that the research that goes along with this theme is very interesting and will be really good to try and match certain photographers work. For example photographers like Tim Loveless, Ian Aiken and Andy Marshall who are all architectural photographers deeply inspire me to attempt this type of photography.

The photo imaging equipment and medium that will be used and why

Again, like I have stated on my previous statement of intent I will be using my Canon 1000D camera. I will be using this because it is the only camera I have and it will be very good practise to attempt a different style of photography from my first theme. Again I will also be taking my tripod with me just incase I require it for any particular shots. I will also be taking a spare battery and memory card with me aswell just incase I run out of battery or space on my memory card whilst out on a photoshoot.

Techniques that will be used and how they will help convey the visual message

For this I will be doing different types of shot when shooting these old buildings. For some shots I will be standing head on to the building to attempt different types of composition. By this I mean I will be concentrating on colour, scale and shape etc when taking my photographs to put forward a visual message about the particular building. This will be great for my theme as all the buildings I will be shooting will be very old so it should be interesting when creating a visual message. I will also be attempting photographs from different angles on some buildings. I will be doing this to experiment on what types of photograph I will end up with when using this type of technique. When this technique is used correctly it can completely transform a photographs visual message.

Safety considerations

Safety won't be a huge issue when completing this type of photography but I will still be taking the everyday main health and safety prospects into consideration. By this I mean that I will always be wary of my location and footing when out on my photoshoot and I will be very careful if I have to take shots that are in hard to get places. The main issue which I will be taking into consideration are security rules. By this I mean I will have to be careful of what I am taking pictures of because some buildings have strict rules that no photographs are aloud to be taken of them. So I will always be looking out for signs that display that there are no photographs to be taken of the bulding.

Equipment

Whilst going through this course I will need a wide range of equipment so that I am able to produce good pieces of work. In this blog I will be explaining what equipment I will be using and why I am going to be using it.

Camera: Canon 1000D

Equipment Spec:


* 10.1 MP CMOS Sensor
* 7- Point Wide- Area AF
* Self- Cleaning Image Sensor
* 2.5" LCD with Live View Mode
* DIGIC III Processor


Lens: Canon Zoom Lens 18-55mm

This is the lens that I will be using. It is a Canon zoom lens 18-55mm. This lens will be used to create some great shots for both of my themes.

Tripod

I don't really need to explain much as to what a tripod is but I will be using this for some of my shots to experiment with what types of different photographs I can produce with it.

Other Items


I will also be using other pieces of equipment such as a spare battery and spare memory card etc just incase I need them whilst out on a photoshoot.

Research - Nigel Forster

As I have included in my statement of intent I chose Nature/Landscapes as one of my photography themes. I mainly talked about doing wildlife photographs but if I had the opportunity I would like to include some stunning landscape shots so for my first research I am going to research a photographer who really does inspire me. His name is Nigel Forster. Nigel Forster takes Nature/Landscape shots from all over different parts of the world but the main photos I will be taking a look at are the ones from his Welsh photography section. The reason I am choosing this section of his photographer is because I feel they are some of his best shots.



Woodland, Llanbedr Powys

This is the first photo that I decided to choose. One word to describe this shot, beautiful. What Nigel is doing here is showing the greatness of Welsh woodlands in the spring/summer. This shot has got everything perfect included in it. It's got the right brightness alongside the correct colour for the shot and with the sun shining through the top of one of the trees it just finishes this photograph off perfectly. With this he has managed to get the shadows from the tree where the sun is shining over which improves the shot even more. This shot really does inspire me as it falls right into the area of my photography and it really does push me to go out and take shots like this. I would say this shot falls into the rule of thirds composition with the flowers in bloom mixing in with the grass, the trees in the middle and the tops of the trees with the sun at the top.



Patterns in Landscapes

This is one of my favourite shots that I came across whilst viewing Nigels work. I decided to choose this shot because it's something a bit different from the other picture I chose. The feeling I get from looking at this picture is that it is very eerie. This effect mainly comes from the big rocks in the middle of the beach and the strange patterns in the clouds and in the sand. What I also love about this picture is that he chose to have it in black and white, this also adds to the eerie effect. When it comes to changing photographs to black and white it has to be done to the correct settings otherwise the photograph will not look very good at all. Here Forster uses the black and white balance perfectly to create a stunning effect.

The Rhondda Valleys 1/200, F-Stop 14

This is one of my own shots which relates to Nigel Forsters work. I recently went down to Wales on holiday and took my camera with me because it was a perfect opportunity for some amazing photographs. We went on a trip up the hills, where I took this photograph of the Rhondda Valleys from a great height. I used a 1/200 shutter speed with 14 F-Stop to get the long distance into the shot.I feel that I have done quite well with this shot as I have managed to get the colour right with the right settings. I attempted this shot at many different settings but because it was quite light out it was hard to get the right brightness for a different effect. If I was to do this again I would explore more around the surrounding area to get some more beautiful shots.

Porthcawl, 1/320, F-Stop 16

This is one of my other favourite photographs that I took whilst in Wales. This was taken at Porthcawl in the south of Wales. What I have done here is changed the picture from colour to black and white. The reason I have done this is that I have tried to stay alongside the same lines as Nigel Forsters photograph I included earlier in this post. Alongside this I managed to get the brightness perfect. I decided to go with 1/320 shutter speed as the surrounding light was quite bright. If I was to take this photograph again I would come back when there were no people at the location. This would create a completely different photograph altogether.