Unit 211 - Ways of Presenting Images - Photoshop

The previous post about different ways of presenting photographs was mainly about the different paper finishes and traditional methods. Photoshop can also play a very key part when presenting photographs. This is because there are many alterations and different things you can do to your photograph before actually presenting the image. In this post I will be showing some of my photographs and how I have edited them in photoshop to make them look how they are. I will be taking screen grabs of what I did on photoshop to achieve my final photographs.

This is my first photograph I will be editing. Now when I took this I had no idea that it would turn out like this. As you can see it is very dull and there are features in the photograph that are distracting to the viewers eye so really this photograph needs a lot of work to bring it back to life.

The first objective is to crop the image down to a reasonable size. Using this tool crops the image down to a certain size chosen by myself. This potentially gets rid of anything in the corners or side that aren't meant to be there and can completely transform your photograph. To achieve this I chose the size of the height, length and DPI (dots per inch) as shown in the top screen grab. When I have made my decision the photograph will be that size when it is cropped no matter what. As you can see after this has been done the image has been cropped down and looks a lot more even without any distractions.

Moving a little away from the main editing side of things on photoshop. Layers are very important when editing a photograph in photoshop. They provide a quick link back to what the original photograph was before the edit was put in place. This is great for when an edit doesn't go to plan or doesn't look right. I chose to duplicate the layer when cropping the photograph. This creates a layer which is exactly the same as the highlighted layer. After naming the layer appropriately you can apply the edit which you can then switch between quickly if you do not like it.

At the moment I feel that the photograph is very dull. This gives a very negative feel when looking at the photograph because the photograph is supposed to display a bright vibrant spring feel and this doesn't really show that. To do this I created a new adjustment layer (displayed in the first screen grab) and then chose "levels". Levels are used when you want to change the leveling of blacks, greys and whites in a photograph. This then brightens the photograph up quite a lot and can have quite a dramatic effect on the photograph. As you can see from the second screen grab I have increased the amount of white to brighten up the photograph and slightly increased the greys to equal this out.

As you can see after I have applyed the leveling edit it has completely transformed the photograph making it look bright, vibrant and full of colour.

This is my second photograph that I have chosen to edit for a number of reasons. When I look at this photograph I am distracted by the other objects creeping into the photograph. The main distraction is the other part of the tree on the right side of the photograph which is invading the photograph. I also think that the colour isn't great in the photograph. I think that the colour could be a lot more stronger making the photograph look a lot more colourful.

Again, I selected layers and then duplicate layer like I did on the first photograph to duplicate the highlighted layer. I then chose my settings for the crop which were 20 inches in width and 15 inches in height alongside 300 dots per inch. As you can see from after the crop has been applied the tree looks a lot more centered and not as much invading it.

Next is to sort out the colour. I might be being picky here but I feel that the colour on this photograph could be stronger and perhaps more bolder. There are many different methods for changing the colour on a photograph and all work in different ways. I personally like using the curves method which is displayed in the screen grab above. This method displays a diagonal showing colour strengths. From here you can adjust the line of colour balance to how you see fit for the photograph.

As you can see from the first of the two screen grabs not a lot of adjusting was needed but just that little bit of curve movement can have a dramatic effect on the colour and boldness of the photograph. As you can see there is a massive difference in how the photograph looks now compared to earlier.

Research - Theme One - John Shaw

John Shaw will be the next photographer who I am going to be researching. After this piece of research I will also be going out on a photoshoot to attempt his style of photography. This will also be great practice for me to attempt this style of photography which I feel is very important when taking nature photographs. His style is similar to Ansel Adams. The only real difference between the two is that John Shaws work is mainly in colour and Ansel Adams work is mainly in black and white. Below are ten of my favourite photographs from John Shaws collection which convey a strong colourful visual message in which I will be attempting myself.

This first photograph displays exactly what I mean. As you can see his style is similar to Ansel Adams photography. The main focal point is centred in the photograph showing it’s dominance. This means that the viewer will know what this photograph is displaying. Like normal colour is also concentrated in this photograph with two very different colours split in the photograph from the greens i the tree to purple field leading into the background.

The second photograph I have chosen is a little different to the first but uses the same style. Again the main focal point is developed due to the tree placed in the centre of the photograph but what makes this photograph different from Johns other work is that it is taken at dusk. This creates a silhouette of the main focal point making it stand out even more thus creating a completely different feel to the photograph to if it was taken during the day.

These two photographs both have a pattern feel to them but both use the pattern style in different ways. The top photograph has one tree bark centred in the photograph and then starts to span out wider with the other tree barks. This is great as this is what the viewer will notice when looking at the photograph. I would also say that lines to guide the eye were used here with the trees leading out further into the background of the photograph. The second photograph also uses patterns but they don’t span out into the background, instead they almost slope of diagonally from right to left. This effect appears with the tops of the trees being yellow and how the photograph was taken. It was taken at a certain level to get the trees at a correct height starting with the small trees on the right to them growing to the left and then to the right again. The top photograph is also very similar to the work of Ansel Adams. This photograph is very similar due to the patterns evolving from the trees where they expand out deeper into the photograph.

The next photograph I have chosen is a close up style photograph but again he manages to make the main focal point stand out by placing it right in the middle of the photograph. Again this is great as it shows the viewer what the photographs visual message is displaying without the viewer having to look around the photograph for it. Again like normal colour was also concentrated here with the yellow from the petals on the flower. A low F-stop would have been used here as nothing in the background is in focus making the close up of the flower stand out a lot more. This also helps convey a stronger visual message showing the dominance of the main focal point.

These two photographs have both been taken by myself. I have taken these to copy the style of some of John's work. As you can see both are close ups and both main focal points are centered in the photograph just the same as John Shaw. Both include a high concentration of colour (top photograph more darker natural colours, second photograph using more natural light alongside brighter colours) the colour from both flowers brighten up the photographs which is needed especially in the top photograph where natural light is quite low. I had to watch what I was doing here in terms of health and safety because I had to lean over other objects to get quite close to the flower. This was taken into consideration as I could have easily fallen over and not only done damage to myself but done damage to the environment.

This photograph highly concentrates on lines mixed with colour. He has stood square on to the subject which is involved in the whole of the photograph creating a lines effect from the different colours of the flowers in the field. Colour with natural light is mixed together here to create a warm colourful photograph.

This was my attempt at the photograph above. As you can see it wasn't taken in a field but I have tried to re create the same concept with the different colours mixed with lines. A medium amount of natural light was used here so the amount of colour involved boosted the photographs brightness.

This photograph is the style of photograph that I am going to be aiming to achieve on my next photoshoot. As you can see he uses the same style as Ansel Adams. The main focal point is the tree in the distance of the shot without any distractions or interruptions in the photograph. This makes the main focal point stand out alot more than if there were other trees in the shot. This immediately draws the viewers attention to what the photographer intended the viewer to look at. This shot would've been completely different if there were no tree involved. Again as normal colour is also concentrated here with many different bright colours mixing with the bright natural sunlight creating a bright and colourful photograph.

Patterns mixed with colour is concentrated in this photograph with the different Autumn colours blending in with the position and structure of the trees. Nothing else is included in this photograph so this suggests he may have zoomed a little to only include this in the photograph. He would've been postioned square on to the trees to also create this effect.

These two photographs both include more than one object that create a main focal point. Again this is all down to where they are positioned and how little interruptions there are in the photographs. As you can see in the bottom photograph the three palms are placed directly in the middle of the photograph with nothing but the background supporting there postion. This is great as it directly places the viewers eye to these three palms first and nothing else will be distracting them. It is the same situation for the top photograph, the two trees are placed in the photograph one to the left and one to the right. The one of the left would probably be more of the main focal point due to its size and dominance. As you can see from the position this photograph was taken from the trees almost look like they are touching each other creating a small frame within frames effect. Both photographs highly concentrate on colour. The top photograph having a darker sky making the main focal point look alot more bolder and the sky in the second photograph being a pinkish/blue colour creating a warm photograph.

Above is a video I have found on youtube about John Shaw where he talks about his natural history of photography and what has kept him shooting for so long.


All John Shaw's photograph were found from this website http://www.nikonusa.com/Learn-And-Explore/Photography-Tips/g1attuky/1/The-Essential-John-Shaw.html

Unit 211 - Ways of presenting images

There are numerous ways of displaying and presenting photographs. These can either be digital or practical. Below I have described many different ways in which you can present photographs and the benefits from them.



Traditional


Prints

Prints are the most popular way of presenting images. This is mainly due to the fact that there are that many different ways of presenting the image not only when printing the photograph but also when displaying the photograph to others after the print has surpassed. There are many different websites and places to order prints off which have a wide range of extras like framing and mounting etc to offer as well as prints. Popular websites include www.printspace.co.uk and www.photobox.co.uk These businesses don't just offer the standard print on paper. There are many different paper finishes that you can choose to which suits your photograph best. Below are a few popular finishes that can be used to print a photograph onto.

Gloss Finish


The gloss finish is a very popular type of paper finish that is chosen for many different types of photography. Gloss gives a shiny look onto the photograph which produces making the photograph look more vibrant and giving the traditional look that the photograph might need.





Satin Finish


The satin finish is used on photograph to create a highly rich look combining a semi gloss finish with it. They produce vibrant high quality images with low glare. Again, a very popular type of paper surface which is used for many different types of photography.







Matte Finish


The matte finish is also a very popular finish that many photographers use. It comes into rival with the gloss finish because they are completely different from each other but both create a professional print. The matte finish creates a low glare vibrant coloured photograph that really does show, especially when printing black and white photographs.



These are just a few different types of paper finish that can be used for photographs. It really depends on what feeling you trying to express in your photograph to what paper finish to use.

Displaying


Printing photographs isn't just the main area that needs to be concentrated on when presenting photographs. How you are going to display your photograph is also a very important aspect which needs to be highly considered when presenting your photographs. Again, there are many different ways of displaying your photographs. Below are few different ways of displaying them.

Frames


Frames are probably the most popular piece of finishing equipment that people use to display there photograph. This is mainly because there are many different types of frames that you can use which combine different shapes, sizes and colour which is best suited for the photograph you have taken. For example you can have a full frame where the photograph is placed directly in the centre of the frame and not filling it. You can also go for the style of having landscape or portrait frames it really depends on style of photograph you have taken and how you want to present it.





Photobooks

Another popular choice of presenting photographs. This is a great choice if you want to show a collection of photographs as apposed to just one or two. This can also be customized to great lengths from the style of the photobook to how the photographs are positioned and displayed inside the photobook.




Digital


Displaying


Digital ways of presenting images is a newer way of showing you photography. It is an ever growing ay of presenting photography and will eventually be the dominant way. Although this method is fairly new there are many different ways of presenting your photographs digitally. Below are a few different ways of doing this.

Blogs, Slideshows and Presentations (Computerised)


This is the main method that people use to digitally present there photographs. Again like a traditional method there are many different useful tools that can be used when presenting the photograph on either of these. This method is mainly used when showing a group of photographs either on a blog or presentation. This is also a great method of showing the world your work. For example using a blog brings in the benefit that anyone can view your profile with your photographs displayed on it.


Digital Portfolio (iPad)

The digital portfolio has to be one of my favourite methods of presenting photo images. This is mainly because of the huge amount of customisation you can add to it to give it that origanality which edges over everything else. One of the main ways of creating a digital portfolio is by iPad or iPhone. Now obviously this is going to look a lot better on an iPad due to it's screen size, but there are certain applications that you can download from the Internet to the iPad/iPhone which are specifically designed for displaying photo images. Not only do these applications show off your photographs in a stunning way you can also edit the way you want to display them. Like I said earlier on in this paragraph the amount of customisation really is a huge amount. For this reason this will be the method that I will be using to display my images. I want to present my images in an original way rather than just print them out and frame them and I can accomplish this by presenting them this way. This will also be good practice for me for when I display my photographs to real clients as I will be using the same application to do this.

Portfolio Applications

There are many different applications to use on an iPad and they can all be used for many different things when presenting photographic images. Below are a few main applications that can be used and what they do.

FlexiFolio


Flexifolio is a portofio application that can be downloaded straight from the apple app store. It is a basic portfolio application that can also be used to transfer photographs, music and videos from iPad to computer. This application would probably be used by a first time user of this sort of application. It is quite basic but it can produce quite powerful portfolios.


Padfolios

Padfolios is a more in depth portfolio application that can offer quite stunning portfolios if used correctly. You can do all of the usual tasks on this application like you can on Flexifolios. You can also create beautiful titled portfolios which can be completely customized to how you see fit. You can then change the size of the font to how you like and even add a background photograph as a preview for the portfolio. With all of these combined together Padfolios is a great application for more advanced users in this area.




Xtrafolio 

Xtrafolio is another portfolio application which can also be downloaded straight from the apple app store. This is the application that I have used to present my work. This application can pretty much do everything when it comes to a portfolio application. From the start you can design the layout of you portfolios on how they are presented to the viewer. This is great as you can see a preview aswell as the title of the portfolio you wish to look at. There are also many different settings you change on your portfolio to how which order the photographs are presented all the way to creating a personal profile including what equipment you use. Once you have got used to the in's and out's of how the application works you can truly create your portfolio to how you want it.

Above is a short video clip on how the Xtrafolio application works. It quickly describes each area of the application and what you can do with it.

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.



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.

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.