Assignment 1
This is my first assignment and I am trying to interpret and guess what I need to submit. The assignment involves choosing eight pairs of contrasts from a list of twentyone opposites and to produce one photograph that demonstrates contrast in one picture. We have to review how we have done against the assessment criteria and record these in the learning log. My tutor says that I am not to take the contrast opposites too literally. So my aim is to try and take the titles of the eight pairs I have selected in a meaningful way and interpret them in a way that means something to me and something to my tutor. In Anna Fox's presentation, I liked the way she used words to supplement the meaning in her photographs and so as well as the images below, I am also adding some social commentary for meaning and context which can be read or ignored accordingly. My reflections on this first assignment are at the end.
This is my first assignment and I am trying to interpret and guess what I need to submit. The assignment involves choosing eight pairs of contrasts from a list of twentyone opposites and to produce one photograph that demonstrates contrast in one picture. We have to review how we have done against the assessment criteria and record these in the learning log. My tutor says that I am not to take the contrast opposites too literally. So my aim is to try and take the titles of the eight pairs I have selected in a meaningful way and interpret them in a way that means something to me and something to my tutor. In Anna Fox's presentation, I liked the way she used words to supplement the meaning in her photographs and so as well as the images below, I am also adding some social commentary for meaning and context which can be read or ignored accordingly. My reflections on this first assignment are at the end.
First Pair - Still & Moving
STILL
I have often wondered about the different ways we sleep. My grand daughter is very restless and moves throughout the night. My grandson Harry is a still sleeper and I captured him in his normal repose. I had though of putting him diagonally in the frame but then thought that as we all sleep horizontally, horizontal must be the format. Godbless Harry!
STILL
I have often wondered about the different ways we sleep. My grand daughter is very restless and moves throughout the night. My grandson Harry is a still sleeper and I captured him in his normal repose. I had though of putting him diagonally in the frame but then thought that as we all sleep horizontally, horizontal must be the format. Godbless Harry!
MOVING
In the exercises I had started off by panning cars but realised that speed of the vechicle and distance from the camera were variables and so moved on to a much more controlled shoot with a cycle at set spped and set distance. However, I felt this panned shot of a red Peugeot 206 in Cardiff Bay captured movement in a more artistic and appealing way than shots of my friend on his bike. Hence 'Red Car'. It reminded me of the time I sped around in my Mini in the 60's.
In the exercises I had started off by panning cars but realised that speed of the vechicle and distance from the camera were variables and so moved on to a much more controlled shoot with a cycle at set spped and set distance. However, I felt this panned shot of a red Peugeot 206 in Cardiff Bay captured movement in a more artistic and appealing way than shots of my friend on his bike. Hence 'Red Car'. It reminded me of the time I sped around in my Mini in the 60's.
Second Pair - Hard & Soft
HARD
My immediate thought was to focus on hard and soft objects such as pebbles and pears. However, my tutor's words echoed in my head for new meaning. What is 'hard' and 'soft'. My attention turned to Dave, a local rugby player who looks a hard man. He was happy to pose.
HARD
My immediate thought was to focus on hard and soft objects such as pebbles and pears. However, my tutor's words echoed in my head for new meaning. What is 'hard' and 'soft'. My attention turned to Dave, a local rugby player who looks a hard man. He was happy to pose.
SOFT
One of the exercises completed involved photographing an object in the frame. I had used Noddy. After escaping from hard man Dave I needed a more soft and cuddly person in my life. Who better than Noddy. He is the soft character that many children would be pleased to cuddle up with.
One of the exercises completed involved photographing an object in the frame. I had used Noddy. After escaping from hard man Dave I needed a more soft and cuddly person in my life. Who better than Noddy. He is the soft character that many children would be pleased to cuddle up with.
Third Pair - Strong & Weak
STRONG
There is 'strength in numbers' and trade unionism changed labour relations in the UK. I was walking in the City on May Day and suddenly this demonstration march was coming towards me. Just joining the NUS had made me a union member again after a break of many years. Their chants and body language was very intimidating. David Milliband had just left the parade and they were walking towards me head on. I grabbed several shots before moving aside. The parade made the evening news.
STRONG
There is 'strength in numbers' and trade unionism changed labour relations in the UK. I was walking in the City on May Day and suddenly this demonstration march was coming towards me. Just joining the NUS had made me a union member again after a break of many years. Their chants and body language was very intimidating. David Milliband had just left the parade and they were walking towards me head on. I grabbed several shots before moving aside. The parade made the evening news.
WEAK
I wondered about the marginalised of society - the people who are on the street and on the breadline but not represented by a union. They need the basics just to live such as food. A hundred yards away from the march was a food distribution point for the poor and homeless. The parade members were interested in a better deal for their members of course who subscribe to the benefits their union can offer. These people have no one playing an advocacy role for them except the volunteers who come out to help with food banks and soup kitchens.
I wondered about the marginalised of society - the people who are on the street and on the breadline but not represented by a union. They need the basics just to live such as food. A hundred yards away from the march was a food distribution point for the poor and homeless. The parade members were interested in a better deal for their members of course who subscribe to the benefits their union can offer. These people have no one playing an advocacy role for them except the volunteers who come out to help with food banks and soup kitchens.
Fourth Pair - Few & Many
FEW
I was in the fish market and remembered how with the few - a few fishes and loaves - Jesus had fed the 5,000. The fish just had to represent the few.
FEW
I was in the fish market and remembered how with the few - a few fishes and loaves - Jesus had fed the 5,000. The fish just had to represent the few.
MANY
I was struggling to find 'the many' - 5,000 loaves - and all I could muster in the market was their day's stock on the bread stall which numbered hundreds not thousands. So, keeping a fish theme I photographed the Welsh cockles. I liked the colour and texture in this shot.
I was struggling to find 'the many' - 5,000 loaves - and all I could muster in the market was their day's stock on the bread stall which numbered hundreds not thousands. So, keeping a fish theme I photographed the Welsh cockles. I liked the colour and texture in this shot.
Fifth Pair - Straight & Curved
STRAIGHT
I was in Lacock, not far from where William Henry Fox Talbot, whom I have read about in Graham Clarke's book "The Oxford History of Art", did his pioneering work. It is a beautiful place and the straight structured lines of this window appealed to me representing order, symmetry and structure.
STRAIGHT
I was in Lacock, not far from where William Henry Fox Talbot, whom I have read about in Graham Clarke's book "The Oxford History of Art", did his pioneering work. It is a beautiful place and the straight structured lines of this window appealed to me representing order, symmetry and structure.
CURVED
From traditional architecture to modernism. This new car park in Cardiff Bay is an attempt to move away from the concrete mass associated with modern car parks to something more attractive. But it's only decorative cladding. Inside it's still just a concrete car park. But I was attracted by the curvature and lines of this external facade.
From traditional architecture to modernism. This new car park in Cardiff Bay is an attempt to move away from the concrete mass associated with modern car parks to something more attractive. But it's only decorative cladding. Inside it's still just a concrete car park. But I was attracted by the curvature and lines of this external facade.
Sixth Pair - Diagonal & Round
DIAGONAL
We are fed a dose of road signage as we motor around the UK, not least on the motorways with flashing signage on overhead gantries telling us what we can and can't do. I was attacted by the charm of this old signage which was how signage used to be. Its age has led it to deteriorate and slip into a horizontal message but it still tells us the direction to travel on this country junction and from here I could have found my way to my home town of Devizes.
DIAGONAL
We are fed a dose of road signage as we motor around the UK, not least on the motorways with flashing signage on overhead gantries telling us what we can and can't do. I was attacted by the charm of this old signage which was how signage used to be. Its age has led it to deteriorate and slip into a horizontal message but it still tells us the direction to travel on this country junction and from here I could have found my way to my home town of Devizes.
ROUND
This contrast subject of round conjures up many ideas, not least the wheel. I chose to photograph this Harley Davidson motorcycle with its whitewalled tyres. My reflection was in the chrome but I have cloned it out.
This contrast subject of round conjures up many ideas, not least the wheel. I chose to photograph this Harley Davidson motorcycle with its whitewalled tyres. My reflection was in the chrome but I have cloned it out.
Seventh Pair - Large & Small
LARGE
In our modern cities, large buildings dominate the landscape. This is the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay with its unique frontage. The characters in the photograph are dwarfed by the size and magnificence of this building.
LARGE
In our modern cities, large buildings dominate the landscape. This is the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay with its unique frontage. The characters in the photograph are dwarfed by the size and magnificence of this building.
SMALL
Opposite the Wales Millennium Centre is a high chrome structure with water running down it. This water cascade attracts both adults and children and this child captured my interest as being a little person in a big world as she gets soaked touching the cascading water.
Opposite the Wales Millennium Centre is a high chrome structure with water running down it. This water cascade attracts both adults and children and this child captured my interest as being a little person in a big world as she gets soaked touching the cascading water.
Eight Pair - Liquid & Solid
LIQUID
One of life's pleasures is single malt Whisky. I chose to light this purely by candlelight against a black background. The whisky glass has the famous Plimsole line on it. This line was devised by MP Samuel Plimsole in the 1800s at a time when ships were sinking because they were overloaded. Today the Plimsole line is used on ships worldwide. There are three distinct lines you can see on the glass. The lower line is the Whisky fill level if you have had a good day. The middle line is the fill level if you have had an average day, whilst the top line is only to be used as a fill level if you have had a really bad day! Cheers!
LIQUID
One of life's pleasures is single malt Whisky. I chose to light this purely by candlelight against a black background. The whisky glass has the famous Plimsole line on it. This line was devised by MP Samuel Plimsole in the 1800s at a time when ships were sinking because they were overloaded. Today the Plimsole line is used on ships worldwide. There are three distinct lines you can see on the glass. The lower line is the Whisky fill level if you have had a good day. The middle line is the fill level if you have had an average day, whilst the top line is only to be used as a fill level if you have had a really bad day! Cheers!
SOLID
The Harley Davidson twin cylinder engine is a mass of metal and is chosen as a second Harley photograph to represent solid mass. It produces more power and output than many cars and is one of the most solid pieces of engineering produced whilst at the same time being an attractive shape with its fins and the curved lines of the chrome.
The Harley Davidson twin cylinder engine is a mass of metal and is chosen as a second Harley photograph to represent solid mass. It produces more power and output than many cars and is one of the most solid pieces of engineering produced whilst at the same time being an attractive shape with its fins and the curved lines of the chrome.
My final Contrast photo comprises three trees in a field of rapeseed. They say groups of odd numbers work well and the three trees together, as opposed to some of the single trees, appealed to me. Although green is next to yellow on the colour wheel and it's blue and violet that are opposite, I feel that this photograph ideally demonstrates the contrasts found in nature. It's taken in a field in Monmouthshire. I spotted the rapeseed fields the day I went to UCA Farnham to hear Anna Fox and just had to get offroad to capture nature's colour.
Review and Reflections
We are asked to review the assignment against four main criteria points -
Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills
Quality of Outcome
Demonstration of Creativity
Context.
In terms of the first point, I have found that the exercises and this assignment have opened my eyes to wider photographic opportunities in terms of 'seeing' potential pictures and I feel that I am becoming more visually aware. Hence I have tried to capture a variey of different images that reflect my interpretation of the eight pairs of contrasts I have selected - but I may have failed on some of these. I am not happy with my interpretation of Solid for example but have tried to balance interpretation against interesting images I have taken on the course so far. The Strong, Weak, Hard and Still images where I have associated them with people takes me in a different direction as to where I might have gone previously with an assignment like this where I might have just focussed on objects. Without wanting to be a 'campaigner' my observation of the demonstration and the poor hungry people made me think more about people in society and how photography can reflect this. With Small, I feel on reflection that I should have showed the small girl in the context of the towering tower. However, this would have made her very small in the frame and I preferred a tighter shot focussing on her and her reflection. Generally in the assignment I am happy with the compositional skills I have demonstrated particularly how to place or crop people and things in the frame. I have tried to pay great attention to graphic design, not only in how the images might sit if they were for example going into a publication or exhibition (not that I am suggesting that any of the images might be of that standard!) but I have also tried to make the overall design of the website attractive and graphically well laid out. I am happy with my technical camera skills selecting the lens, aperture, shutter speed, manual settings and appropriate ISO according to the circumstances. In challenging lighting conditions I use a Sekonic exposure meter, particularly in incident light reading mode.
Regarding quality of outcome, I find this difficult to comment on as quality is in the eye of the beholder and I am not sure how my application of knowledge, conceptualisation and communication/presentation of work would be judged by different people. Generally, I feel happy with what I have done in the exercises and in the assignment, especially as I have got to this point in three weeks. I have done my best over many hours but, quantity of time does not necessarily mean quality! It was a day's work to capture the final image - rapeseed field and trees.
Demonstration of Creativity is the third area we are asked to review. I do not consider myself imaginative, creative and all the other adjectives that apply so to try and be original and inventive is going to be a challenge for me. However, thinking about Anna Fox's association of her work with words, I felt compelled to put some narrative, however relevant, to my eight pairs of photographs. There is a 'personal voice' within me and I find it's important to work with both words and pictures. I hope this will be acceptable. I think I might have been influenced at some stage by 1960s pop artist Ray Lichtenstein who used words on his artwork like "Whaam", and comic style speech bubbles coming out of peoples mouths, and then my entry into av production in the 1960s where script and images had to complement each other and blend. So maybe I can develop my photographic story telling capabilities?
Finally, regarding context - reflection and research, this will be the most difficult area of the course. However, I have started reading the recommended course material, I have been looking more closely at other peoples work and I have attended one exhibition and one presentation in my first three weeks. A Whaam Bang start! I shall be interested on my tutor's review of my photographic work in the exercises and assignment and particularly with regard to this fourth point, how I have handled my reflection regarding the exhibition and Anna Fox's presentation. Overall, I feel I could not have put in more effort but I am looking forward to benchmarking my work with my tutor and getting a steer as to whether I have the potential to complete a degree course in photography.
Review and Reflections
We are asked to review the assignment against four main criteria points -
Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills
Quality of Outcome
Demonstration of Creativity
Context.
In terms of the first point, I have found that the exercises and this assignment have opened my eyes to wider photographic opportunities in terms of 'seeing' potential pictures and I feel that I am becoming more visually aware. Hence I have tried to capture a variey of different images that reflect my interpretation of the eight pairs of contrasts I have selected - but I may have failed on some of these. I am not happy with my interpretation of Solid for example but have tried to balance interpretation against interesting images I have taken on the course so far. The Strong, Weak, Hard and Still images where I have associated them with people takes me in a different direction as to where I might have gone previously with an assignment like this where I might have just focussed on objects. Without wanting to be a 'campaigner' my observation of the demonstration and the poor hungry people made me think more about people in society and how photography can reflect this. With Small, I feel on reflection that I should have showed the small girl in the context of the towering tower. However, this would have made her very small in the frame and I preferred a tighter shot focussing on her and her reflection. Generally in the assignment I am happy with the compositional skills I have demonstrated particularly how to place or crop people and things in the frame. I have tried to pay great attention to graphic design, not only in how the images might sit if they were for example going into a publication or exhibition (not that I am suggesting that any of the images might be of that standard!) but I have also tried to make the overall design of the website attractive and graphically well laid out. I am happy with my technical camera skills selecting the lens, aperture, shutter speed, manual settings and appropriate ISO according to the circumstances. In challenging lighting conditions I use a Sekonic exposure meter, particularly in incident light reading mode.
Regarding quality of outcome, I find this difficult to comment on as quality is in the eye of the beholder and I am not sure how my application of knowledge, conceptualisation and communication/presentation of work would be judged by different people. Generally, I feel happy with what I have done in the exercises and in the assignment, especially as I have got to this point in three weeks. I have done my best over many hours but, quantity of time does not necessarily mean quality! It was a day's work to capture the final image - rapeseed field and trees.
Demonstration of Creativity is the third area we are asked to review. I do not consider myself imaginative, creative and all the other adjectives that apply so to try and be original and inventive is going to be a challenge for me. However, thinking about Anna Fox's association of her work with words, I felt compelled to put some narrative, however relevant, to my eight pairs of photographs. There is a 'personal voice' within me and I find it's important to work with both words and pictures. I hope this will be acceptable. I think I might have been influenced at some stage by 1960s pop artist Ray Lichtenstein who used words on his artwork like "Whaam", and comic style speech bubbles coming out of peoples mouths, and then my entry into av production in the 1960s where script and images had to complement each other and blend. So maybe I can develop my photographic story telling capabilities?
Finally, regarding context - reflection and research, this will be the most difficult area of the course. However, I have started reading the recommended course material, I have been looking more closely at other peoples work and I have attended one exhibition and one presentation in my first three weeks. A Whaam Bang start! I shall be interested on my tutor's review of my photographic work in the exercises and assignment and particularly with regard to this fourth point, how I have handled my reflection regarding the exhibition and Anna Fox's presentation. Overall, I feel I could not have put in more effort but I am looking forward to benchmarking my work with my tutor and getting a steer as to whether I have the potential to complete a degree course in photography.