For my chosen specialism i have picked FASHION.

I will be basing all my images around a company called “WILDFOX”. They are a fun & fresh clothing company for girls of any size or shape based in Los Angeles. Everything about their clothes and images is unconventional and wrong, but it works because of how modern and funky the company itself is. I plan to take 3-5 images like the ones below.

These photographs break all the rules of photography. This photograph is for a product, the jumper which the girl is wearing. The jumper isn’t very well shown in the picture even though the sole purpose of this photo is to sell the jumper. The lighting comes from above and the hair gives off a beautiful shine. The skin looks flawless and the red lips really contrast against the white skin.

This photograph similarly breaks the rules of photography. In these photographs the items being modelled are the jumper and the tshirt. There is a doorframe in the photograph and the models are slightly off center. The lighting has been given from the front, giving the picture a glow.

This is my favourite image for WILDFOX. I love the fact this has been taken with natural light and how the models are placed in the pool. The backdrop of l.a is incredible and the flamingos have been placed to match the tshirt, which is once again the object for sale. All of these photographs have been given a “lomography effect” which makes them look old and a bit vintage. Everything is wrong about this photograph, but so wrong that it works.

Today we had to use disc tutorials and photoshop to create a magazine cover. After finding this and some other aspects of the task difficult to co-operate with during the lesson i tried afterwards using some more basic effects and stamps.

I decided that this would be better than having done nothing at all, and tried my best to create something. Here is the original image before i edited it. 

After playing around with a few effects, i added some glow & exposure, i also found a tutorial on creating a “Lomo” effect for images. Here is my finished piece.

Digital Manipulation

With the technology available these days, there are many different ways to manipulate images. One of the best programs for this is “Adobe Photoshop” which allows you to digitally manipulate and change images quite easily and quickly.

Here are some examples of different Digital Manipulation.

An example of “Colour Correction”

This is when the colour is corrected and enhanced.

Airbrushing is a technique used to retouch people and objects.

Cloning stamps allow you to clone one or more parts of an image

It is even possible to create digital surgery, shown below

ISO

In traditional film photography, ISO was the indication of how sensitive a film was to light, it was measured in numbers and the lower the number the lower the sensitivity of the film and the finer the grain in the shots you are taking.

In digital photography, ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor. The same principles apply as in film photography, the lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain. 

Here are two examples of ISO, the image on the left was taken with 100 ISO and the image on the right with 3200 ISO. You can see the difference easily.

Focus Point & Focal Length

Focus Point.

A focus point is the first part of a photograph that attracts the viewers eye. There are many ways to enhance this focal point and make it more obvious. Some of these are:

• Position, it must be prominent (this is easily achieved by using the rule of thirds).
• Focus, learning to blur out other aspects to make your subject the main item.
• Blur, using shutter speeds to blur other parts of the image if your focal point is still and other parts are moving.
• Size, making the focal point larger can help make it prominent.
• Colour, using interesting colours can set your image apart from its background.
• Shape, simply contrasting textures and shapes can make an image stand out.

Focal Length.

When parallel rays of light strike a lens focused at infinity, they converge to a point called the focal point. The focal length of the lens is then defined as the distance from the middle of the lens to its focal point.

The focal length of a lens is usually displayed on the lens barrel. Pictured below is a Nikon lens with a focal length of 50-mm. 

Here are some examples of different focal lengths in pictures of a manor.

Technical Aspects Of Photography

Shutter Speed

Shutter speed is a very beautiful aspect of photography which allows you to capture different moments in time with your camera. It is basically the exposure time, the effective time a shutter is open. Here are some examples.

A very fast shutter speed has been used in this photograph, about 1/750 of a second.

Moderately fast shutter speed, about 1/180 of a second.

Slow shutter speed, 1/6 of a second.

Very slow shutter speed, 8 seconds.

My personal favourite is the very slow shutter speed used at night, as it allows you to catch moving lights that passed the lense while the photograph was being taken.

Tripods

In photography, a tripod is used to stabilize or elevate a camera, or to support flashes or other photographic equipment.

Advantages of using a tripod

• Using a tripod allows you to widen a dynamic range of a digital camera.
• A tripod is a lot cheaper than any image stabilization lens.
• A tripod can replace some diffraction filters if used correctly.
• It is easier to take long exposure shots as the camera is stabilized.

Disadvantages of using a tripod

• It is usually large and heavy.
• It takes time to position, adjust height and level the head.
• They have limited ability to get high or low enough.
• The operator will be limited to around a 130 degree angle span.

Using Flash In Photography

A flash is a device used in photography that produces a flash of artifical light to help illuminate a scene. When using flash there are many advantages and drawbacks.

Flash units are commonly built into a camera but many cameras allow separate flash units to be mounted via a standardized mount bracket.  In professional studio photography, flashes often take the form of large standalone units or studio strobes that are powered by battery packs or connected to mains.

The advantages of flash photography are very basic. 

• Artificial light can be produced if the area of work is too dark.
• Flash can add impact and expose the image correctly.
• Flash can highlight an image and pick up important details.
• With external flash, you can change the direction where the light is coming from.

The drawbacks of flash photography are also very simple.

• One of the typical problems of built in flash is that it is often low intensity.
• “Red eye” occurs because when a light is shined on the human retina, it reflects straight back where it came from. This occurs when flash is used, but can easily be removed using programs such as photoshop.
• Flash simply distracts a subject from their photographer, therefore reducing the number of pictures that can be taken without irritating the subject.
• Flash can create shadow outlines which ruin pictures and are hard to remove.

Different types of lighting used in Photography

Side Lighting - Side lighting is when the lighting is coming from the side. This usually provides a lot of contrast, can create long shadows and also add depth to an image. This type of lighting can add dramatic flares to architectural and portrait photography.

example : http://wiki.blender.org/uploads/thumb/3/3c/5.3._03.png/600px-5.3._03.png

Back Lighting - Back lighting is when light is coming from behind the subject matter is directed at you and your camera. This type of lighting can create silhouettes very easily and combined with certain conditions such as fog or dust you can get dramatic lighting effects.

example : http://www.onstagelighting.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/backlight.jpg

Rim Lighting - Rim lighting is when light comes in at an acute angle, it can create highlights along the edges of your subject matter. The contrast that it provides highlights shape and form. This type of lighting can add impact to wildlife, nature and sometimes fine art nude photography.

example : http://pdnedu.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/montreal.jpg

Ambient Lighting - Ambient light is a non direct soft lighting that is often bounced from one surface to another. This results in the brightness of your subject matter being lower than other types of lighting. Ambient light works well for a variety of photographic genres, particularly landscape photography.

example : http://a7.vox.com/6a00f48cdf6152000300e398e116270004-500pi

Soft Light - Soft light is diffuse providing some lighting that is even. This type of light reduces the contrast and also minimizes shadows. Soft light is useful for portraiture, macro and nature photography.

example : http://amanda.molesa.net/wp-content/gallery/JournalEntry2/2soft_light.jpg

Hard Light - Hard lighting is quite direct and means the brightness is often intense. Hard light creates strong shadows and high contrast. Highlights can be quite intense under hard lighting and special care should be taken with exposure. It can be applied to most photographic genres, but alot of photographers find it less appealing than other types of lighting.

example : http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1149/928340917_b5d39a1a40.jpg

Spotlight - Spot light, very simply, is when a focused amount of light highlights a particular section of your subject matter or scene. This lighting can create contrast and strong shadows, it can also add dramatic impact to all genres of photography.

example : http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/2580489333_4de1d7b2b3.jpg

Artificial Light - The most obvious type of lighting is artificial light. This can be generated from built in flash, external flash or studio lights. There are few genres of photography that artificial lighting cannot be used succesfully in. Artificial lighting provides a lot of creativity and flexibility.

example : http://static.photo.net/attachments/bboard/00S/00S3fC-104465784.jpg

Differences between Film and Digital Cameras

The major difference between the two is CCD versus film. A CCD is something that attracts light, just like the film did. Sharpening is also a major difference that comes with digital. Digital also uses pixels. Apart from that, there is not many real differences. It is like using different mediums, like oil paints and acryllics.

Below I have chosen 3 different types of lenses and explain what they do and contribute for photography.

Camera Lenses

This is a fish eye lens, In photography a Fish Eye lens is a huge angle lens that takes an extremely wide, hemispherical image. Originally developed for use in meteorology to study cloud formation, “whole sky lenses” soon became “Fisheye lenses” and became popular for their distorted and wide image.

In Photography, a telephoto lens is a specific construction of a long focal length photographic lens in which the physical length of the lens in shorter than the focal length. In these lenses the optical centre lies outside of its physical instruction. Such that the entire lens assembly is between the optical centre and focal plane.

Wide Angle Lens

A wide angle lens is a lens that projects a larger image circle than would really be typical for a standard lens of the same focal length, this enables either large shift & tilt movements with a view camersa, or lenses with wide fields of view.

The Fallen Princesses Project and The End Times Project are both very different photographs. The Fallen Princesses is more of a Fashion/Editorial piece, whereas the End Times is a portraiture piece. Both of the photographs show dismay, angst and the face that life isn’t always what you would like it to be. The Princess Project was taken in many different locations, whereas End Times were all taken in a studio with the same lighting and background for each shot. The camera angles are different also, as the FP Project is taken with a location in shot, and the ET project is just head and shoulder protraits.

The Fallen Princesses Project would be found in exhibitions, on websites and in magazines because it is a Fashion Piece and would be of interest of many people.

The End Times Project would be found in newspapers, magazines, websites and exhibitions because not only was it a fantastically moving project, but also because it caused so much controversy.

This is a feature from The Sunday Times about Jill Greenbergs Project.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ARTICLE

Jill greenberg was born in July 1967 and is an american photographer who grew up in a suberb of Detroit. She went to the Rhode Island School of Design and graduated in 1989 with honours and moved to New York to pursue her career in Photography.

Greenbergs project “End Times” was a series of controversial photographs taken in 2006 of toddlers who had been purposefully made to cry. They were offered Candy and then it was taken away from them, which made them cry and scream. Parents were present and gave full consent, but many people still claimed this was unethical and it took Jill 2 years for the photographs to be fully published.

The pieces were titled to reflect Greenberg’s frustration with both the Bush administration and Christian Fundamentalism in the United States.

End Times Photographic Series

All the photographs below have been taken in studio.They have been taken with lighting from the front, as you can see from the reflection in the childrens eyes and the shadow that is displayed behind the children themselves. The photographs are heavily photoshopped, the skin has been highlighted and airbrushed and the eyes have been made brighter and appear more glassy. These photographs are harsh and in-your-face, yet exquisite and beautiful. They are sharp and clearly focused, and show a range of bright, beautiful colours. The eyes are the clear, distinctive center of interest.The light beautifully highlights the curves and contours in the childrens faces from their anger and sadness, therefore creating a mastery of light and shape.

Dina goldstein is based in vancouver, B.C.

Dina works in projects, rather than portraiture. She always takes pictures with links and i chose this project as it is one of my favourites.

The project is called “The Fallen Princesses”. She places fairy tale characters, the Princesses into modern day scenarios and problems. The princess is placed into a scenario that articulates her conflict.

The project was inspired by Dina’s observation’s on three year old girls, who were becoming increasingly obsessed with disney princesses.

These photographs are amazingly well thought out to contrast against the princesses stories. The photographs include alot of high contrast colours in order to make the Princesses seem bolder and the lighting is bright and picks detail in order to make our eyes instantly focus on the Princess in question.

These photographs are messages, they portray emotions and expressions. The pictures are not cluttered, and therefore do not dilute the message. Dina has captured the spirit of the subject and made these pictures able to evoke emotion.

Cinderella

In these photographs we are shown Cinderella. Cinderella’s story is well known as a typical “Rags To Riches” story. In these photographs we are shown how cinderella is just an average person, hailing a taxi and drinking in a bar. Her fairy godmother isn’t there to turn her pumpkin into a carriage, and she isn’t going to the ball.

In this picture Cinderella is hailing her cab. There is no specific lighting used, and as this is an outside shot, the grey sky and murky background of the traffic and buildings contrast against the beauty of the cinderella and her bright blue dress.

In This photograph we see cinderella drinking in the bar. The background is once again dark and dim, whereas there has been strong lighting used on Cinderella, to contrast against the other people in the bar and the background. Cinderella has been spotlighted, either on photoshop or from a high up light, to draw the attention to cinderella, but not so much that you do not take in the rest of the shot.

Snow White

In these photos we are shown Snow White with her prince charming, but she is not living with the seven dwarves like the disney original, but with four young children instead. Creating a metaphor of “dwarves”, comparing the dwarves to the small children, Dina has created a very realistic and everyday situation. The room has been lighted from behind the camera, as to light the whole room. The contrast has also been changed to make the colours bolder and brighter.

These two shots are taken with lighting flooding the two subjects (Snow White and Prince Charming) and highlighting their faces, snow whites cheeks and eyes. In the picture of the couple together, neither look happy, which creates a juxtaposition of the typical “Happy Ending”. The picture of Snow White on her own is more fairytale-like. She has adopted a typical Princess position and has been made to look glowing by the use of lighting and contrasting of colours.