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)
World Press Photo 2012
I went to view the World Press Photo exhibition at the Royal Festival Hall in London. So many amazing pictures. Some unpleasant. Some optimistic. Some touching. Some showing detachment. But all of them evoking emotion and showing a human angle to the news and the world around us.
Horizontal and vertical lines
A walk around town, searching for vertical and horizontal lines resulted in solely man-made structures.
Assignment 1 Feedback
Feedback from my tutor for my TAOP Assignment 1.
Bovine beauties
An exercise about pictures where the subject is a single point or two individual points. A group of local cows kindly modelled for me.
TAOP Assignment 1: Contrasts
This is my learning log for TAOP Assignment 1, Contrasts. The assignment asked me to make 8 pairs of photos, with each pair illustrating a contrast chosen from a pre-defined list of 20 different contrasts, such as “large/small”, “high/low”, “light/dark”, and so on. Additionally I was to make an extra photo, illustrating one of the contrasts in a single picture.
Could you help me, please?
I have finally re-started the photography course I signed up to last year, and I’m getting ready to complete my first assignment. It would be great if you could spend 5 minutes giving me a helping hand.
Riots during car-free Sunday in Essex
After the court injunction preventing publication of pictures from the riot-causing car-free Sunday in Essex has finally been lifted, I hurry to bring you pictures of the the busiest road in the country, void of traffic. And of the armed forces ensuring that only emergency vehicles were allowed on the roads.
Calm waters at the seaside
I went to Southend-on-Sea to take some long-exposure shots of the sea. It wasn’t all plain sailing, but 8 seagulls helped me to get a picture that communicates “continuous water” as intended (sounds weird? I know….)
And then I ate the props
Two very different pictures of a cucumber to illustrate the contrast between “straight” and “curved”. As well as off-camera flash and home made reflectors, the shoot also involved the creation of a cucumber salad. Yummie!
Positioning the horizon
Five similar pictures, with the horizon in different places. It’s not rocket science, but if it’s good enough for Steven Spielberg, it’s good enough for me.
Balance
An analysis of balance and imbalance in six pictures. The purpose of the exercise is to understand what makes a picture feel balanced, and to become able to use this understanding when composing pictures.
A moving parade
Extreme motion blur and long-shutter pans add a sense of mystery to pictures from the annual Rememberance Parade.
Focal length and perspective
Two experiments with focal length and viewpoint is used to establish a rule for what governs the perspective of a picture. It is always the viewpoint and never the focal length.
A sequence of Vytaute
A series of images from a model shoot. I tried many different compositions, and when I eventually found the one I liked, it used components and ideas from several of the failed attempts.
Object in different positions in the frame
This exercise experiments with placing an object in different positions in the frame. The analysis concludes that the “best” placement depends on subject.
Fitting the frame to the subject
Four different views of a headstone from a nearby churchyard and an assessment of which suits the subject best: One without much consideration, one where the subject fills the frame as much as possible, a close-up of a detail, and one where the subject is shown in the environment.
Back to school
I’ve signed up to a college course in photography, and have used that as an opportunity to write a self introduction and take stock of my photography experiences over the last few years. I have also identified, at a fairly high level, what I expect to get out of the course.
