Final Ten Photographs (Architecture)

Below are my final ten photographs which I have chosen for my architecture theme. Below these is an explanation to the reason why I have chosen these photographs.

Firstly, I have chosen one of my favourites from my collection. This photograph shows a cathedral in Birmingham. I have stood quite close to the cathedral so that it's historic detail is shown and that it covers the photograph from left to right. As you can see this is done with precision making it the main focal point. When a viewer looks at this photograph they are drawn to looking at the historic detail from the cathedral and nothing else, this is because there are no interruptions in the photograph to distractn the viewers eye.

For this photograph I mainly concentrated on positioning and lighting. What makes this photograph unique is that it is taken at nightime and the only light source which was available to me was the surrounding church lights. What I wanted to achieve here is the whole church from left to right showing what it looked like when there is no natural light shining onto it. As you can see from the lights shining onto the church it creates a few different types of yellow/gold colours and the shadwows from surrounding objects can be seen quite boldy on the church. Patterns were also used here from the detail of the church and the churches windows which spread across the churc from left to right. This photograph required me to use my tripod as I had to use a very slow shutter speed due to the surrounding light being very dark.

These two photographs were also taken at night time so there was hardly any natural light available. As you can see from these two photographs that there are some colours which have been blended together to create some truely magnificent colours which are not only on the church but also surrounding the church. As you can see what ever natural light that was available has mixed with the light surronding the church to create different blues/purples on the first photograph. The top photograph conecntrates more on the detail of the church thus displaying the patterns from the churches detail whilst being placed in the centre of the photograph.

On this photgoraph I have attempted  John Golden's work. By this I have taken a photograph of St Peters church in Burton Upon Trent, but what I have done here is taken it from a different angle. Angles and shapes were what really showed in John Golden's church photography so I have done the same here. As you can see by doing this it shows the dominance of the church because of it towering over on the photograph whilst it also shows the great historic detail of the church.

Here is another night time photograph I have chosen from my collection. What I have done here is chosen an area that didn't have alot of light surrounding it to create this sort of eeire looking photograph but still to display the church in all of its beauty. As you can see from the light which is next to the church it shines onto the church making that area quite bright but then gets darker as you move deeper into the church. This is great as the strongness of colour gets shallower as you move more to the left of the photograph.

These two photographs are also of the St Peters Church in Burton Upon Trent. One is of the church at a distance and one is of the churches tower zoomed in to capture its detail. With the top photograph I managed to create a lines that guide eye composition with the path way which is created from the trees either side leading upto the church which stands dominantly at the end of the photograph. Where as the top photograph I have concentrated more on patterns and detail of the church to show its great historic beauty. As you can see patterns emerge from alot of areas of the church in the bottom photograph. This is purely down to the design of the church. As you can also see on the bottom photograph I placed the main focal point in the centre of the photograph so that there is equal distance to the edge of the photograph on both sides. I did this so that it made the church the main focal point with minor interruptions to distract the viewers eye. With a white background this also makes the church with all of it's detail stand out quite alot when the viewer is drawn to the church.

Here is another photograph where I have positioned myself so that the chruch has covered pretty much all of the photograph from left to right. This is great as where ever the viewer looks on the photograph they will be constantly been drawn to the churches detail which is included throughout mos of the photograph.

For my last photograph I have chosen one that was to a similar style of John Golden's work. John Golden's church photography mainly concentrates on where he is positioned when he is taking the photograph alongside the angle of his shot. As you can see here I have stood right next to the church so that when I look up to take the photograph it is taken at a great angle. As you can see by doing this the whole of the churches tower is in the shot making it tower over you whilst showing it's historic design in detail at the same time. I also concenterated on patterns here from the churches design due to me being so close to the main focal point.

Conclusion

I have chosen to take these photographs because I am deeply interested in churches. This is mainly due to the fact that they have a lot of history involved in them and most of them have fantastic exterior designs which involve fantastic shapes and patterns. Whilst researching the photographers for this theme I caught many different styles of photographing churches which involve many different compositions. Some of them used rule of thirds, some of them involved angles and shapes and some of them are taken at night. So I was highly inspired by these styles of photograph so I have gone out and attempted these styles to see if I can use there work to perfect my photographs.

Final Ten Photographs (Nature)

Below are my final ten photographs for the nature theme, underneath that is an explanation for the reason why I chose those photographs.

For my first photograph I have chosen one of my favourites. Whilst out on a photoshoot at Cannock Chase I managed to come across three trees at the top of a small hill. I managed to achieve a photograph of them at a distance. The reason I took the photograph at a distance was to get an equal distance between each tree. As you can see this has turned out perfectly. Colour has also been concentrated here from the greens in the grass to the blues in the sky. Rule of thirds was also used here with the ground being the bottom third, the trees being the middle third and the sky being the top third.

For my second photograph I thought I would try something a little bit different . Before leaving Cannock chase I spotted some Pine trees. Now as we know Pine trees are very tall so I wanted to express this by taking a photograph right next to the bottom of the tree bark and pointing upward right to the very top of the tree. I had to use a very fast shutter speed here to get the perfect brightness for the photograph as it was very bright outside and I was practically looking at the sky.

These two photographs were attempted in comparison of Ansel Adams work just in colour instead of black and white. By this I mean I have attempted his way of taking photographs by using the way he is positioned when taking photographs and where he positions the main focal point in his photograph which is mainly in the centre of the photograph. As you can see I have attempted this here by placing the main focal point (tree) in the centre of the photograph for each picture. I would also say that the rule of thirds composition is used in the bottom photograph with the ground being the bottom third, the main focal point being the middle third and the sky being the top third.

Agin this photograph takes Ansel Adam's work into consideration but again in colour and not black and white. Some of Ansel Adams's photographs include the main focal point which he is standing right next to which will be in focus and then in the background there will be the same sort of object for example tree barks. This creates a pattern effect from left to right across the photograph. This is what I feel I have achieved here with the main focal point being the closest tree in focus and then the patterned effect from left to right from the trees in the background. A low shutter speed had to be used here due to the towering pine trees covering the area blocking out the natural light. A low F-Stop was also used to get the background to be slightly blurry compared to the tree at the front of the photograph which is in focus.

Again, here is another photograph where I have attempted Ansel Adam's style of work where the main focal point is positioned right in the centre of the photograph with no other objects interrupting the photograph. A mixture of greens from the tree, blues from the sky and whites from the cloud mix together to create a warm colourful photograph.

Here I have gone for a similar approcah to how the photograph is taken but I have concentrated more on the main focal points detail rather than the colour surrounding it. As you can see I stood quite close to the main focal point so it took up most of the space in the photograph. I have concentrated highly on colour in the photograph from the whites and greens mixed on the main focal point.

Again, here is another photograph taken with similar style to my other photographs. I stood at quite a distance from the tree but because of the way I postioned the tree in the photograph alongside no interruptions I was able to make it the main focal point of the photograph without the viewers eye wandering off looking at something else. Again, there was a strong light source which is great as it mixes together with the colours from the tree and the ground making it a warm coloured photograph.

Here is a photograph which is a little different from the rest of my photographs. Instead of having the whole tree involved as the main focal point in the shot I decided to take the photograph of the lower half of the tree. This focuses on the detail of the history of this old oak tree from the old branches spreading out in different directions. I concentrated alot on the colour in this photograph from the greens which surround the tree to black/brown areas from the main focal point making the branches stand out boldly.

For my last photograph I have chosen another of my favourites from my collection. What I have done here is included the positioned the main focal point (tree) directly in the centre of the photograph. Here I have stood quite close to the tree so that it covers the photograph from left to right. I would also say that patterns have been included here aswell from the high amount of branches spreading out from the centre of the tree. This photograph was taken out in strong sunlight which brightnes up the photograph especially the main focal point making it look more colourful.


Conclusion

When researching this theme I gathered that the best way to take picutres of trees was to have them centered in the photograph with no interruptions. Classic examples from Ansel Adams and John Shaw show how well this works. So I wanted to attempt to repeat this style of photography with my work and I feel that this has gone very well. I have managed to keep the colour very concentrated in each photograph with the end result of bright and colourful photographs with minor interruptions. I have chosen these final ten photographs because I feel these are the successful photographs from when I attempted the style of photography from my pieces of research.

Practice Nature Photoshoot

Aims

On this photoshoot I was aiming to concentrate on making the main subject of the shot being centered in the photograph. This style was used within the photographs of Eliot Porter so I will be looking at his style and doing the same sort of work. So below are a few of my own photographs that I feel are of the same style of Eliot Porters work.

Equipment

* Canon 1000D

* Standard 18-55mm Lens

* 70-300mm Zoom Lens

* Spare Battery and Memory Card

Safety Considerations

With these photographs being taken out deep into fields there will not be anyone around so there are alot of safety considerations to take on board. The main consideration is the fact that there isn't anybody around so I will be taking someone with me just incase something happens whilst out on the shoot. It is also going to be very hot so I will be very protective for myself and my partner with me on the shoot making sure the heat doesn;t get to us. I am also a hayfever sufferer so I will be making sure that I take that into consideration before going out by taking my medication so that I am less effected by the surrounding pollen.

The Photoshoot

1/200, F-Stop 10,  ISO 400

Here is a prime example of what I am trying to achieve from this type of work. I went out on the photoshoot to mainly concentrate on not only my positioning but the positioning of the main focal point. As you can see it is centered in the photograph and the tree covers most of the photograph from left to right. This was achieved from where I was positioned. Again, like normal colour was also a main factor for this shot with the different greens from the tree and the white/blue background to make the tree stand out.

1/500, F-Stop 6.3, ISO 400

Here I aimed to try one of the photographs from Eliot's collection. What I have done is use a higher F-Stop so that the background is also in focus and not just the main focal point. The reason I have done this is to concentrate on colour in the photograph. As you can see the colours from the tree blend in with the background colours creating a warm and bright photograph blend.

1/500, F-Stop 5.6, ISO 400

Here again I have made the main focal point in the centre of the photograph to express the greatness and dominance of the tree. This one didn't turn out too great as it is a little blurry and postioned more to the left than the centre, definetly a photograph that I would attempt again. A high shutter speed alongside a medium F-Stop were used here due to the amount of natural light surrounding the area at the time.

1/800, F-Stop 5.6, ISO 400

Like alot of this style of work from Eliot's work, his photographs would be plain and boring if they didn't include the main subject centered in the middle of the photograph. For example, this is again a photograph that I took trying to attempt the style of his work. As you can see there is a surrounding background of greenery which is great but the main focal point which stands out from the rest of the photograph is the blossoming tree in the middle. This adds a difference to the photograph and it can be expressed at it's best being positioned in the centre of the photograph. The colour of the tree is concentrated aswell which also makes it stand out from everything else in the shot. A high shutter speed was used here because the sunlight was at it's peak so it was very bright.

Evaluation

Overall I am very pleased with the way this photoshoot went. The weather was perfect and the subjects I was taking photographs of were perfectly positioned. It has also been great practice for taking photographs in such extreme light. If I was to attempt this photoshoot again I would take photographs of exactly the same subject but I would attempt them at different postions but still putting them in the centre of the photograph. This would lead to different results due to having different sides of the main focal point and different backgrounds.

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.

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.