Themed Portraits

          For this project, we were to come up with a theme that we would like to somehow incorporate in our series of photos. Originally, I wanted to do a group of photos where people were just laughing. It captures moments where happiness is present, and I loved the idea of that. But then, when I first started shooting I got a couple images where the subject was just singing and snapping. That's when I decided I just wanted my them to be 'Real Moments'. That could be laughing, smiling, or anything that captures a true moment that isn't usually captured. The photos below, in my opinion, show 'Real Moments'.

Relaxed and Just Doing Her Thing Before She Knew I Was Shooting...

When She Found Out Something Shocking That My Classmate Told Her...

One of My Classmates Had Complimented Her and This Was Her Response...

 She Heard Her Favourite Christmas Song Come on and She Started Jamming...

The Feeling of Being Photographed Made Her Feel Awkward...

          As you can see, lighting changed between the black background and completely white. For the black background, I had the black backdrop down and one light. This light was the bigger light and it was off the the side of the subject outside of the 'safe zone' (refer to diagram in post before). I had my assistant act as a boomer and hold the light almost above my model. This gave me a bit more of a harsher light and dramatic look, but I liked it with the black background and it seemed to go well with the girl I was taking shots of.

          For the photos with the completely white background, there was a little more set-up needed. To keep the background white and not grey, I changed the backdrop and then put two lights of the same height and power 4 feet from the wall. These lights were just along the edges of the backdrop and aimed just to the right and left of the centre giving even light all along. Then there was the big light being held by my assistant just above from the side once again. The power of that light was not as high as the portraits with the black background making it a little softer on the subject. There wasn't really a reason for why I changed the background, it was just a different day and other people needed the room meaning I couldn't turn off all of the lights for the intense dark background.

          I held the camera vertically because I wanted portraits so it follows the direction of the body. All of their expressions are in the moment. They were not posed or planned, I simply just sat there with the camera until the right time to snap came. Some expressions show what calm looks like, some show confusion, awkwardness or just happiness. I love real expressions and I'm happy I could capture just a few of them!

Thanks for reading this post!

       

Portrait Lighting Workshop w/ Steve Carty

*Please note that these photos were taken by me*

Open Shadow

          This photo was taken at the very beginning of our workshop outside in open shadow. It was a fairly cloudy day so most of the area was slightly shaded meaning still a lot of natural light around, but not as much as direct sunlight. I placed my subject on a plain blue door originally which was good because it wasn't distracting. However, I moved slightly to the right and took this shot. I personally like it because of the colours. The blue with the colour of the brick wall is great. The diagonal line separating the door and the wall actually leads you toward the face since it's in the same area. Because I was up close to the model, though, I got a shot where most of the frame is taken up by his face, leaving the background as not too much of a distraction. His expression gives a mood to the photo. He is serious, which are photos that I tend to take, and calm. His expression intrigues the viewer. This image is the first of three, each photographed vertically. Usually, when you take a portrait photo, you take it vertically because that's the direction the body goes. For this entire shoot, all photos stayed in the same direction.

Studio Lighting #1

          This photo was done inside the studio. The background, as you can see, is completely white. This is done by having two lights four feet from the wall, evenly distanced from the middle. It is important that the two lights are the same height as well. The light that is on the left has to be aimed just to the right of the centre of the backdrop, and the light on the right must be aimed just to the left of the centre. All of this gives you an even background as a crisp white which looks very professional. I was using another light for this shot that was directly behind me and above the both of us. This light was giving a more dramatic look which is good on male models. I also took the white side of a reflector and had it placed on the subject's lap. This lightened up the chin just a slight bit from the light reflecting off the white surface, making a noticeable difference. My model's expression is more one of worry. He gives off an innocent look, much different from the photo below. The positioning in the frame is vertical, once again, for the same reason as before.

Studio Lighting #2

          This photo was taken in the studio as well, and was the last photo that I snapped. As you can see, the lighting technique is different from the other two images. This time, I turned off the backlights so the backdrop would look more grey in the photo. Then, instead of having a light above the two of us, it was placed beside the subject. This gave off, again, a more dramatic look and also gave the rembrandt lighting where there is a triangle of light under the opposite eye. No reflector was used for this one. Expression has changed from one of worry, to confidence and mischief. It's like there is no shame when looking into the camera, which is intriguing. The colour of the background goes well with the colour of the sweater, tying the whole look in. Lastly, the image is vertical again because that's the direction of the body, and it works with the pose the model is in. 

This is a diagram of what the studio set up was like, including the lights that I used.

Thank you so much for sticking with me!

Portrait Assignment - Open Shadow / Window Light / Direct Sunlight

The photos below are photos that HAVE been taken by me, and I am going to share why I chose these photos to represent open shadow, window light, and direct sunlight.

Open Shadow

          This photo represents open shadow. I got my model to sit beside a wall and look to the side directly into the camera. I love the emotion in her face. She isn't smiling, but she doesn't necessarily look unhappy. I am proud of the composition since the brick wall clearly brings in the rule of thirds. I like the fact that her glasses are in focus. Usually photographers aim for the eyes to be in focus, but with this image, the glasses seem to direct your eyes to the model's. Lastly, I love how everything ties in. The brick wall goes great alongside the model's glasses, and the ground ties in with her eyes. The mix of everything, I believe, really makes this photo work. 

Window Light

          This photo represents window light. The model is tilting her head down with her eyes closed, which gives off this calming feel to it. She isn't in the centre of the photo, but instead she is just off of it, which I like. The background is so light because of how much light is coming in, but the bottom left shows just a bit of what is going on outside. Not enough to clearly define action, but enough to allow more colour in. I think the colours are nice in this photo, and there is some nice contrast between her hair, the shirt and, of course, the window.

Direct Sunlight

          The photo above represents direct sunlight. I love the colours in this photo, along with the contrast between the hair, the skin, the shirt and the background. The model is just off centre which is again, a feature I like to include, and there is even a leading line given by the fence toward her face. The glasses lead your eyes to hers, and her emotion is calm. She has happy eyes, and a semi-smile on. It seems as if the model really interacted with the camera.


Thanks for checking this post out!

Online Art Theft & Plagiarism

         Have you ever copied and pasted a photo of someone's artwork and uploaded it somewhere? Have you ever reposted something on Tumblr or Pinterest and not given the artist credit?

          Plagiarism and Online Art Theft is a problem in today's time. Internet is so useful and definitely has plus sides to it, I'm not being someone who says that isn't true. However, the internet can also have a downside for up and coming artists. When people post photos of their artwork online, whether that's Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr or anything else, it's is so easy for someone to take it and label it as theirs.  Yes, it gets exposure for the artist, but when there is no label, is it really exposure for them?

          Ideas are a huge part of what's important to today's artists and society. There seems to be a difference between now and back then. Back then, it was as if the technical process of creating the artwork was a bigger deal than just the idea of it. When someone stole the look AND copied exactly how they portrayed it within the brush strokes, etc. that's when it became a problem. Now, if an artist, new or old, comes up with an idea and somehow creates it but someone comes along and recreates something so similar it's barely changed to become new and unique, problems start rising. There are so many pages that could go on and on about huge companies such as Zara, or Urban Outfitters that consistently copy artist's work. So as said earlier, it doesn't matter whether it was off Etsy, or a pinterest post, when the idea of someone's has been taken nowadays and been mass produced without giving any credit, the world goes crazy.

          What's sad is huge companies, such as Zara or Urban Outfitters, have so much money that when a single artist wants to sue them for the stealing they are taking part in, they may as well give up. Big companies get great lawyers, meaning anyone who wants to fight back needs to have a good one as well. Good lawyers cost money, though, and when people aren't getting credited or paid for the artwork people or companies are stealing, they then don't have the money to pay for that lawyer meaning they get no where in the legal battle.

          Personally, I feel that if using someone's artwork is going toward something valuable like an education/marks, work and being paid, then credit should definitely be given. Or if you see that the piece of artwork is going around social media very quickly, find out who the artist is and continue to send on the name. It's fair that way, and if you were the artist, I'm sure you would want the public to do the same for you. If you choose to just put a picture that inspires you on your bedroom wall at home, then it's fine in my eyes.  That's personal and you aren't taking credit. It's just once it becomes public that the world needs to know who the true artist behind it was.


Thanks for reading!

Photography - Window Light / Natural Sunlight / Open Shadow

*Please note that I did not take these photos*

Window Light 

I love the look of this photo because it is closer to the subject. The light isn't just a regular light on her face but it shows a uniqueness from the blinds. I want to capture a photo similar to this because the woman isn't quite smiling, but she's not quite serious. You want to know what she is thinking, leaving that bit of mystery which is great.

Natural Sunlight

  I love this photo of this woman in natural sunlight and I would love to create one close to it. I love the look of freedom she gives off. She isn't quite smiling, she just seems relaxed. The wind is blowing  through her hair which really gives off a candid feel to it, and I think it's great. Plus, she is just off centre so the composition works well too.

Open Shadows

  This photo with the tree shadow is super nice. She is mostly covered by shadow but there is a touch of natural light showing through. The woman shows emotion without smiling, which I really want because I don't like to capture the typical, posed smile. It seems like she wants to hide and just take time to think - outside, in the fresh air and away from the world.

These photos inspire me to take ones like it!

DSLR Photograph Examples

FAST Shutter Speed

   This is an example of a photo taken with a faster shutter speed. I have figured this out because you can see the action as if it has frozen in time. In order to capture a quick action like a bubble being popped, the shutter must close extremely fast.

SLOW Shutter Speed

   This is an example of a slow shutter speed image. I can tell there is a slow shutter speed because it is as if the action is drawn out. The shutter is slower when it comes to shutting which means it takes in the movement and captures all of it. It seems to all be blurred. 

SHALLOW Depth of Field

   The photo above shows Depth of Field. Because of the positioning and where the focus is, you see the back and the front but everything in between seems to be taken away. Therefore, it seems that there isn't a lot of distance. 

 

WIDE Depth of Field

This is wide depth of field because you can see the foreground, background and everything in between, You can really feel the distance involved. 

That's it for my first post of Year 3!

Kinetic Typography Culminating

This is my kinetic typography assignment :)

Thanks for watching!