Blog – The art of photography
Some years ago I signed up to a photography course called “The Art of Photography” run by the Open College of Art (OCA). I never finished the course, but even though my “subscription” to getting tutor feedback has long expired, I intend to eventually complete the course.
This blog category is my learning-log for that course. The course is subdivided into 5 parts
- Part 1: The Frame
- Part 2: Elements of design
- Part 3: Colour
- Part 4: Light (not yet completed)
- Part 5: Narrative and ilustration (not yet started)
Assignment 3 Feedback
Feedback from my tutor for my TAOP Assignment 3.
Judging colour temperature 1
In this exercise I’m looking at how the colour temperature of sunlight changes between mid-day and sunset.
Exploring Color Photography
There is nothing wrong with Exploring Color Photography, and there is a lot of things right about it. It just feels like Robert Hirsch has taken a general photography manual and added the word color [sic] to every other heading, just like a house-owner looking to make a quick sale will get the decorator in to give all the walls a quick lick of magnolia. On the plus side, the book is lavishly illustrated with a large selection of beautiful (color) photographs.
TAOP Assignment 3: Colour
This assignment is all about colour. Harmonious, contrasting, complementary, accents, design, filtering, adding and subtracting, etc. I sometimes describe myself as a bit of a colour-holic, and here present 16 colourful pictures with commentaries on composition, balance and movement.
Colours into tones in black & white
In this exercise, I look at black and white conversions of a colour photograph, and how to change the tones in the picture.
Goethe’s colour relationships
From Goethe via Union Jack to autumn colours at the local crematorium. It’s about contrasts and harmonies; a lot about colours but no mentioning of Faust.
Newton’s Primary and secondary colours
I was asked to photograph scenes representing the three primary and the three secondary colours. What better place to look for colours than at the green grocer?
I Only Want You to Love Me
Thoughts about the Miles Aldridge exhibition I Only Want You To Love me at Somerset House in London. In a single word: Wow! i love it!
Back at it again
After a 7 months hiatus, I’m finally back at the study again. The first exercise is a gentle start with 20 pictures of dry paint 😉
Photography from The Mountains to The Sea
The main lesson I took away from the wonderful Ansel Adams exhibition was not about individual photographs, but about the old master’s mastery of the print. Truly amazing!
Man Ray Portraits
Thoughts from my visit to The National Portrait Gallery’s exhibition of 150 original Man Ray portraits.
Assignment 2 Feedback
Feedback from my tutor for my TAOP Assignment 2.
TAOP Assignment 2: Elements of Design
10 pictures of foodstuff arranged to match a pre-defined set of compositional design elements. It was a fun exercise that I learnt a lot from.
A question of colour
Thoughts and notes about the exhibition Cartier-Bresson: A Question of Colour.
Rhythms and patterns
In my learning log for TAOP exercise 2-9 I look at repetition, patterns and rhythms in pictures, and manages to get myself somewhat confused.
Real and implied triangles
In this exercise, I investigated “real” and “implied” triangles as a compositional device.
Flooded Ouse
A picture of the flooded river Ouse in North Yorkshire reminded me of one of the conclusions from the press photographer 2012 exhibition: Pictures of natural disasters have more impact if there is a human context.
Implied lines
Exercise 2.7 is about implied lines – lines that aren’t really visible lines in the picture, but which the brain recognises as such. The typical examples are eye-lines, lines “made up of” points, and movement-lines.
Curves
Finding curves in the City proved to be more of a challenge than finding diagonals, and in the end I had to raid the archives for a good example of natural curves. Here are four images using curves to emphasize movement and direction. TAOP exercixe 2.6
Diagonals
Lane markings on Westminster Bridge, fairy-light covered trees, a Christmas Market stall and a building with a windmill on top demonstrates strong diagonal lines in these notes for TAOP exercise 2.5
