Research - Theme 2 - John Golden

For my next piece of research into this area I am going to be researching photographer John Golden. John Golden is a photographer who has taken many different beautiful photographs from many different generes. I will be researching ten different church photographs from his collection and describing how they have inspired me to attempt this type of photography.

This is the first photograph I have chosen from John's collection. As you can see the whole of the church hasn't been included in this photograph. This isn't a bad thing though as you only need a part of the church in the photograph to show its dominance and for it to portray a historic message. This one thing I love about Johns work as it is similar to mine. He heavily concentrates on angle in his work. As you can see from this photograph only a slight angle has been used. Here he concentrates more on shapes mixed with angles from the two different shapes on the church. I would also say that colour has been concentrated in this photograph from the different, bright colours on the church to the warm blues in the sky.

These three photographs have all had angles composition heavily used in them. As you can see John has stood right up next to the church and taken the photograph which includes the whole body of the church right to the top. As you can see from him doing this he manages to show the dominance of the main focal point by showing how tall the church is as they almost tower over you. Quite a lot of strong natural light has been clearly used here as there are only a few clouds in the sky in the last two photographs and no clouds in the top photograph. This is great as it brightens the main focal point showing off there true colours and patterns.

This photograph concentrates more on distance rather angle like the other photographs. As you can see John has stood quite far away from the main focal but has still managed to place it right in the centre of the photograph. Again colour has also been used here alongside natural light to brighten up the photograph and show the different colours on the church.

This next photograph takes on pretty much the same style of his other photographs. This time distance doesnt plahy a great part as he is standing quite close to the maion focal point. This as you can see enables him to gain a greater angle of the church making the whole church be a part of the photograph from bottom to top. This shows a visual message of dominace by it towering over whilst shwoing the beauty of the churches design.

This photograph takes on quite a different style to the other photographs I have chosen. As you can see this photograph is in black and white ao colour has majorly been concerned here where as the other photographs have been mainly concentrated on angles, shapes and distance. Angles have still come into play here but with the different parts of the church being at different levels of light it creates different shades of black and white.

Back to the original style of John Golden's work. Here on both of these photographs angles are the main concern. As you can see the corners of the churches stick out quite close to the viewrs eye and then the church is placed from left to right across the photographs. This is a great idea as it shows off the churches style in a different way. I would also say that patterns have been used in both photographs as you can see the design of both churches very clearly.

For the finishing photograph I have chosen one of my favourite photographs of John Goldens work. It's one of my favouites as it includes alot of different elementswhilst keeping it nice and simple. As you can see like normal, he has stood right next to the entrance of the church and taken the photograph of the whole of the churches tower so like normal angles have come into use on this photograph. Beacause he has stood so close to the main focal point you can see pretty much every little detail of the church so patterns and design have also been used here which is great as it shows the historic side of the church. To finish with colour with natural light have been mixed to create a warm photograph with a clourful blue sky which surrounds the churches exterior.

Research - Theme 1 - Phillip Colla

For my final piece of theme one research I will be looking at Phillip Colla's photography. Phillip Colla is a photographer who ranges from tree photography to underwater photography. His work is simply quite stunning so below are ten photographs that I feel have inspired me to take on this type of photography. All of these images can found by clicking on this link http://www.oceanlight.com/lightbox.php

To start off I have found a slightly unusual photograph. This is a photograph of several Joshua trees in California. There is a strange feel to this photograph but also involves some very important composition types. The main one being patterns. I woud say that Phillip involved every single one of these Joshua trees in this shot on purpise so that he could mix the strange look of them and the pattern effect together to create a slightly different type of shot. The patterns mix from the the different trees spreading across the photograph from left to right. A slightly darker photograph due to a minimum amount of natural light has also been added to the photograph to make it look even more unusual.

With these three photographs we are back to the most vital point when taking photographs of trees which is to not have any interuptions in them. By this I mean not having any other objects in the photograph that could distract the viewers eye. Here Phillip has taken these three photographs perfectly. He has got the main focal point directly in the centere of the photograph and has also created a nice combination of colour and natural light on all three of the photographs. These blend in well with the main focal point making them stand out even more to the viewers eye.

These two photographs use a different concept and convey a comepletly different visual message. Again the main focal point is placed right in the centre of the photograph but the photograph has been taken up close to the tree with an upward facing angle. This means the photographer was looking up right to the top of the tree and as you can see the tree is almost hanging over the photographer. This shows a visual message of dominance on how tall the tree is as it covers the photograph from bottom to top. Although this is the main composition in these photographs there are other aspects that come into play aswell. Colour was also conecntrated here especially as he would've been looking directly into the blue sky. This also mixes well with the greens on the tree leaves.

Again, another photograph that uses the same compostion. Angle were also a major point here, by standing right up to the tree Phillip was able to look up and take the photograph showing truely how tall these trees are. What is different about this photograph is that he has managed to do this with two trees next to each other. As you can see by doing this he has managed to create a frame within frame effect making the trees almost looking like gates which lead to other trees in the background of the photograph.

This photograph of an ancient brisltecone pine has been taken perfectly. Like normal he could've taken this photograph by placing the main focal point in the centre of the photograph but instead he has stood so it is to the right of the photograph and has taken it by standing an angle rather than straight up. As you can see this spreads the brisltcone from right to left of the photograph. I feel that by doing this it shows off the ancient patterns from the branches of the tree with more effect rather than if it was centred in the photograph.

Here is a photograph of a bristlecone tree that has been taken perfectly. It has been placed in the centre of the photograph with minimum interruptions making it the main focal point of the photograph. Phillip has stood quite close to the tree which is great as the tree spreads all the way to the top of the photograph. The deep blue colour of the sky which gets deeper as you go higher into the photograph makes the branches of the trees stand out even more than they already do. A high amount of natural light was also used here so a fast shutter speed would've been used.

Something a little bit different to finish with. This is a photograph of numerous huge tree barks. This photograph was taken with all the natural light was available but with the tree barks being so big this would suggest that the rest of the tree would be big which means that the natural light would be covered making it a lot darker. This mixes well with the photograph though making it look a bit more stranger as it mixes well with the colours displayed in the photograph. I would also say that patterns play a big part in this photograph from the trees which go from left to right of the photograph.



Research - Theme One - Archie Miles

For my next research segment, I am going to research Nature photographer Archie Miles. Archie Miles is a photographer who mainly concentrates in the landscape and nature area of photography. After viewing some of his photography it has really inspired me to create some of these images of my own. He has a mixture of style. By this I mean he will take photographs of trees that are centered in the middle of the photograph and some will be of leaves or flower petals, alot like what I have done for my work. Below are ten photographs which I have found which inspired me to attempt his style of photography. All of these photographs can be found by clicking on this link http://www.archiemiles.co.uk/ and then clicking on the "trees" link.

This is the first photograph that I have chosen from Archie's collection. It is a photograph of an old oak tree at Windsor Great Park. As you can see it is a similar style to John Shaw's work. Here the tree is obviously the main focal point but to achieve this it had to be centered in the middle of the photograph. He is also stood quite close to the tree which makes it look very tall alongside the old branches spreading out across the whole of the photograph in different directions. I would almost say that rule of thirds is used here as well with the green grass being the bottom third, the tree being the middle third and the sky being the top third. Colour is also highly concentrated in this photograph especially in the sky as the blue gets a lot more darker towards the top of the photograph making the branches stand out even more.

This is the second photograph I have chosen from Archie's collection. This image has the same sort of style as the top photograph where it is centered but instead of having the whole of the oak included in the photograph he mainly focuses on the bark of the oak. Like I said this is still using the same sort of style but focuses more on detail from the main focal point. By this I mean you can see the patterns from the old oak because you are drawn to this rather than if it was taken further back using the whole of the tree for the photograph.

This is my attempt of this style of photograph. What I have done slightly differently here though is taken the photograph a little bit further back. This creates a larger span of pattern from the old branches from the main focal point, spanning out left to right of the top half of the photograph.

These next two photographs are a little bit different to the others. They both use the frames within frames composition but they are both a little stranger than normal photographs using this composition. The position of where the photographer was stood on the first one creates a different frames within frames composition as to if he was stood looking straight on between the trees. I would still say the main focal point would be the tree right in the centre of the photograph. The trees almost create a gateway to the main focal point standing dominantly in the centre of the photograph. The second photograph also includes the frames within frames composition. Again, it is a little different than normal, this time it is purely down to how strange the trees create the composition within itself due to them joining together. Colour is concentrated in this photograph as well mixed with natural sunlight. With a rear facing sun it creates a shadow effect from the tree barks.

This is the sort of tree photography I would like to attempt but unfortunetly it is not the right time of year to attempt it. These photographs both highly concentrate on colour mixed with natural light. With a mixture of strong natural light shining onto the very bright frost covered trees he has managed to create a great blend making them both bright, colourful and vibrant. The deep blue sky matches perfectly with the frost covered trees making them stand out very boldly. I would also say patterns have been used in both photographs from the branches of the trees spreading across the photographs.

Here is one of his photographs that uses the lines to guide to eye composition mixed with patterns from the trees both on the left and right. The trees on either side lead deep into the photograph which create the lines to guide the eye compostion. Natural light is also used here but a little bit darker than normal which suggests that this photograph was taken in the evening just as the sun is setting. I would say this creates a warm, natural coloured effect mixed with shadowing.

These two photographs both rely on the background to show all there natural beauty. Again, they are both centered in the photograph without any distractions or interruptions making them the main focal point in both photographs. The sky in the background attracts the trees making them look even more bolder than usual. This is great as they both stand out perfectly. Both concentrate on colour, more the top photograph than the second. The top photograph uses more natural light that is available making the greens on the stand out where as the second photograph uses less available light making the sky look a bit more whiter. This is perfect though as the tree branches are a dark colour so they stand out beautifully.

This is the final photograph I have chosen from Archie's collection. This uses the same style as some of his other photographs I have chosen but this one was taken just as the sun was setting. Obviously the tree is the main focal point in the photograph with it being centered without any other objects interrupting the photograph. Although the sun was nearly set, all the natural light that was available has been used perfectly to create a silhouette which blends perfectly with a yellow sky from the remaining sunlight.

Archie has also created many different books to show his photography. These books range from all of his types of photography. The one pictured above shows his work on trees in Britain and Northern Ireland.

Photoshoot - Theme One Cannock Chase

Aims

For this photoshoot I aimed to further improve my photography on nature. Here I aimed to take photographs of trees that were stand alone and centered in the shot. I aimed to gain similar works to the likes of Ansel Adams and John Shaw. I attempted this type of work when I went on another recent photoshoot but was unable to find a standalone trees with a good background so there was a lot of objects interupting the photographs making them look very crowded.

Equipment

* Canon 1000D

* Standard 18-55mm Lens

* 70-300mm Zoom Lens

* Tripod

* Spare Battery and Memory Card

Safety Considerations

Safety considerations played quite a big part on this photoshoot for many reasons. The first main reason was the setting. Cannock Chase is a huge area that has many different types of terrain. So I had to be wary of my bearings and took extra care when walking around the different areas. Again like my other photoshoot it was very hot and where there is a lot of pollen present so I took extra precautions when walking around to make sure my hayfever did not affect me to a dangerous level.

The Photoshoot

1/500, F-Stop 7.1, 400 ISO

This is the first photograph I have chosen from my collection. Personally, I am very happy with how this photograph turned out. I manage to include everything in the photograph that I intented to. I managed to centre th main focal point in the photograph and managed to take the photograph with a perfect, bright and colourful background. I took the photograph with the view of land in front of the tree to lead the viewers eye upto the main focal point which completely dominates the photograph. It was very bright especially in the background because it was just clear sky so a fast shutter speed was needed here.

1/500, F-Stop 7.1, ISO 400

This photograph takes a similar approach to the last one. The only difference is that there are three trees present instead of one main tree. This was intented as I have postioned them correctlty from left to right within the photograph instead of dotting them all over the place. This creates a lovely postional shot again with a beautiful background. Again colour also played a big part within this photograph from the different greens from the grass to the blues in the sky.

1/640, F-Stop 6.3, ISO 400

1/500,  F-Stop 7.1, ISO 400



Again, similar to the first photograph I aimed to get the tree centred in the middle of the photograph without any distractions interrupting the shot. Here I have focused highly on postion of the main focal point with the same amount of space between the tree and the edge of the frame on the left and right of both photographs This is pretty much equal making them look even more centered. Again, I have the ground leading upto the main focal point in both photographs creating a small lines that guide the eye compostion.

1/50, F-Stop 5.6, ISO 400

1/160, F-Stop 5.0, ISO 400

These two photographs are of the same theme but just a little bit different. Similar to Ansel Adams work I have attempted to have the main focal point right at the front of the photograph with the background becoming slightly blurred out as you go deeper into the photograph but still creating a pattern effect from the different tree barks. This didn't work too well on the first attempt but on the second attempt it seems to have worked quite well. This required quite a low shutter speed as these trees were very tall and blocked alot of the natural sunlight. I also had to use a low F-Stop so that the background would be out of focus.

Evaluation

Overall I am very pleased with how the photoshoot turned out. I was able to go out with a plan of what sort of photograph I was going to take and I was able to attempt these without any problems what so ever. I feel that I have managed to succesfully research a certain photographers work and was able to go out and attempt it myself. If I was to attempt this photoshoot again I would probably attempt the close up shots again. I would attempt this again as I feel I could experiment with my camera settings and positions a little more deeper to gain different results. I will be also looking at a few of my photographs that I have taken and making them black and white to match Ansel Adams work even more to see if the results are similar.

Research - Theme 1 - Ansel Adams

Having recently looked at my images from my nature photography I have noticed that there are alot of interuptions in my photographs. For example I have pictures of trees which are distracted by other tree in the shot. This is not what I intend to do I aim to get the whole object into the photograph without any other objects taking the main focal point away from the shot. To show what I mean I have researched photographer Ansel Adams. His work is mainly in black and white but the main thing is that the main focal point in his focal point is deeply concentrated with nothing else pulling it away.

This is the first photograph I have chosen. Straight away looking at this photograph the first thing I say to myself is that the main focal point is the huge tree in in the centre of the photograph. Now I am obviously stating the obvious but the way he is positioned for the shot means there are no interuptions pulling the focal point away. Also with the sun forward facing onto the tree makes the tree appear alot more bolder making it stand out alot more than it would if there was no sun shining onto it.

This is also another one of my favourite photographs from Adam's collection. Again the main focal point is placed directly in the middle of the photograph. There is a small amount of foliage surrounding the main focal point but not enough to distract the viewers eye from the cactus. This is mostly because of how the object covers alot of the photograph from top to bottom. A great value of colour is also expressed in this shot. With the sky having a wide range of colours the black and white in the photograph shows this off beautifully with the top being practically black gradually getting brighter as it moves down the photograph.

This photograph is slightly different to the other two photograph I have chosen but uses the same idea. The main focal point is placed right in the middle of the photograph almost splitting the image into two so a small amount of symmetry is also used here. What also catches the viewers eye here is how as you look deeper into the photograph it gradually gets darker.

Where as this photograph does have the main focal point centered in the photograph but I feel that he has taken this photograph purely due to the shape of the tree as it is quite peculiar. With there being more white than black in the photograph this suggests that the surrounding light was quite bright which is great for the photograph as it makes the main focal point stand out a lot more. Also with the main focal point being bright white it creates a strong opposing black colour from the shadow of the tree.



These two photographs are a different take to the other photographs I have taken. These concentrate more closer to the subject and there is more than one subject in the photograph. With both of these styles put together he creates a pattern effect from the branches on the trees in the top photograph and the tree barks left to right on the second photograph. The top photograph is a little different to the second because brightness is more emphasized due to the snow on the branches making it more white than black where as the bottom photograph has more black than white due to the background being in focus with a deep depth of field.

This photograph has the same sort of style as the first photographs I have chosen except there is more white than black in the picture due to the amount of snow that has covered the tree and surrounding areas. This in my opinion creates a completely different feel to the shot than if it was taken without it. Shadows are also used here with the sun facing either east or west shining onto the subject so natural light would've been quite strong here. Quite a high F-Stop would've also been used as the towering cliff in the background is in focus in the photograph.

This photograph is fantastic as there is surrounding shrubery and trees which range from small bushes to towering trees that tower over the photograph from bottom to top. This is great becuse what he has done here is he has stood in a postion so that the greenery is around the sides of the photograph. This creates lines to guide the eye effect in the middle of the photograph which leads around a corner. This then leads you to look down this path whilst viewing the trees and bushes on the way.

This photograph is similar to the two patterned photographs I chose earlier in this post. This one was taken at a different height and distance than the other two. As you can see the pattern arises in the middle of the photograph with bushes covering the bottom of the trees. This creates a pattern in the middle of the photograph from left to right as the background above the tops of the trees is almost an equal distance from the edge of the photograph as the bushes at the bottom.

Something a little different of Ansel's work. This photgoraph still uses the same style as the other photographs although the subject is alot closer than the others. The angle that the flower is placed creates and equal balance of black and white across the whole of the pettel. With the background being slightly darker than normal this makes the subject stand out even more. As you can see this is a similar style to his other work because no matter how close or how far away the subject is he always manages to make the main subject in his photogtaphs the main focal point for the viewer to notice.



Research - Theme1 - Eliot Porter

Eliot Porter is nature photographer who has travelled all over the world taking photographs of what the world nature has to offer. His photography ranges from bird photography to plants and trees from all over the world. The area that influences me the most are his photographs of trees, plants and fields. Now I won't be able to travel all over the world to attempt his photographs but I will be trying my hardest to create and copy his style of work because these are the types of nature photographs I aim to practice and shoot in the future. Below are ten photographs which I feel show nature at its full potential and why they inspire me.

This is the first photograph I have chosen from Eliots collection of work. A beautiful shot focusing on Turkeys ancient monuments and nature. This photograph heavily focuses on using color which is natural for these types of shots. The blossoming tree being the main focal point covers a majority of the photograph angelling from right to left across the shot. A pathway to the left also suggests the lines to guide the eye compositon within this photograph. Like I stated earlier colour is concentrated within this photograph from the different greens in the grass from the tree itself. This photograph was taken head on to the subject without any use of angles or tilting.

Again, this photograph is taken from the same stance, head on to the ssubject without angles or tilting. This photograph was taken in Greece. It is of a tree that stands out from the rest. This is suggested from the way this photograph is taken. It was most probably taken with a lower F-Stop so that the trees in the background are out of focus which then further makes the main focal point stand out more. Again, colour is a main factor in this shot, mainly different greens are expressed within the photograph. I would also say that symmetry is also included within this photograph from the branches from the top of the tree. Shadows are also used here from the main focal point.

This photograph includes trees but I wouldn't say that they are the main focal point in the photograph. There is a lines to guide the eye feel in this photograph from the poppy field leading upto the two trees in the background which also create a compostion of there own (frame within frame) with them almost acting as a gateway to the brighter part of the field being exposed more to sunlight. Patterns mixed with colour are also used here from the poppy's in the poppy field.

This photograph is taken in completely different weather and lighting conditions. Thnis creates a different type of photograph but colours still stand out in the shot. The flowers from the field take up most of this photograph so a low F-Stop would have been used to make them in focus. As the photograph goes on into the distance the fog starts to take over making the features in the distance hard to see or not visable at all. The mix of yellows and greens go well blending together creating a warm photograph although the weather is completely different.

Another photograph where the main focal point is centered in the middle of the shot. A great photograph that not only focuses on natural light but also conentrates on colour. With the sunlight shining directly onto the subject and the cliff in the background it suggests that there is a rear facing sun. As you can see a great deal of natural light is used within this shot creating a bright and vibrant photograph. Colour is also concentrated here using many different greens. The bottom of the tree uses very bright greens and then starts to get darker as you move up the tree. I would also say that the greens from the top of the tree blend in with the background, this creates a beautiful effect with almost matching colours.

These three photographs again have the main focal point centered in the middle of the photograph. They were taken quite close to the subject which creates a pattern effect from the branches spreading across the whole photograph. I would also say that lines are used here aswell also from the branches. Colour isn't really a factor here as the colours are very dull and do not really stand out.

Where as this photograph has to be colour concentrated.The flowers growing amongst the trees needed to stand out in this photograph to give it a little more to it rather than it being a standard photograph of the woodland area. As you can see the yellow/white petels are dotted about the photograph creating a brighter more colourful photograph. You could also say that frame within frame is used here with the two trees positione left and right of the photograph creating a gateway to the deeper part of the photograph.

Again here patterns are used from the trees positioned left to right which is what Eliot would've aimed for in this photograph. He would have been positioned quite close to the trees so the pattern would be more powerful in the photograph. Colour is also used here mixed with natural light shining onto the trees and leaves creating a bright and colourful photograph.