Development of Project 1 - Abstract Imagery
In this second project i aim to continue and develop my first project where i focused on creating different kinds of abstract imagery. I want to conitnue with this theme but using different methods of creating this imagery, incorporating different media such a s film into my project.
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Class task - Find a contemporary photograph documenting something:
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Set 1 - Photographing ink patterns in water:
Aim: In my previous project, i attempted to use this idea but to create photograms. After photographing the patterns made by smoke, i thought it would be an interesting idea to do a similar idea but of patterns created when pouring ink into water. I found the two photos above of macro photography of ink in water, but decided that for now i would focus on just capturing the patterns made by the ink, which i assumed would be quite similar to my smoke images in the first project.
Process: For this set i used a square container filled with water, and placed my camera onto the tripod so it photographed the images from above the container. I then poured different coloured inks into the container and photographed as the inks dispersed into the water using automatic settings so the images would be in focus, and i wouldn't waste time just to manually focus them myself.
Critique: I thought this images were really interesting, and i particularly liked it when i didn't pour very much ink into the container because it took much longer to disperse so i was able to take a wider variety of the different patterns created. I prefer the images using blue ink because i thought the pictures with the black ink are harder to see the patterns, and in some cases just look like a large blob of ink in the container. the Blue ink looks much more delicate and because it isn't a thick you can see the swirls and whisps even if there is a large amount of ink.
Further Development: I do like the effect the ink in water creates, however i do not like how you can see the pattern of the bottom of the container in the background, so for my next set i would like to continue this idea but using a different container to pour the ink into.
Critique: I thought this images were really interesting, and i particularly liked it when i didn't pour very much ink into the container because it took much longer to disperse so i was able to take a wider variety of the different patterns created. I prefer the images using blue ink because i thought the pictures with the black ink are harder to see the patterns, and in some cases just look like a large blob of ink in the container. the Blue ink looks much more delicate and because it isn't a thick you can see the swirls and whisps even if there is a large amount of ink.
Further Development: I do like the effect the ink in water creates, however i do not like how you can see the pattern of the bottom of the container in the background, so for my next set i would like to continue this idea but using a different container to pour the ink into.
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Aim: My aim for this set was to continue with photographing ink in water, but to develop it by experimenting with a different container.
Process: For this set i decided it would be interesting to use a circular jar to restrict the ink from dispersing too much, and to see what effect this had on the photo. I used a tripod again, placing it above the jar so i could capture the patterns.
Critique: I thought the circular jar was interesting because it reminded me of petri dishes which are used in science to look at bacteria under a microscope. I thought that it in photos which were closer up to the ink, it actually was harder to tell what was being shown, and i liked that idea of taking something out of context so that the viewer has to think about what is being portrayed in the image. However, in my next sets i should focus on lighting because these photos are too underexposed so it is quite difficult to make out some of the patterns, which renders my idea useless.
Further Development: I would like to try capturing different textures created by the ink and water using this circular jar to try and replicate my own version of the petri dishes, focusing on lighting and composition.
Critique: I thought the circular jar was interesting because it reminded me of petri dishes which are used in science to look at bacteria under a microscope. I thought that it in photos which were closer up to the ink, it actually was harder to tell what was being shown, and i liked that idea of taking something out of context so that the viewer has to think about what is being portrayed in the image. However, in my next sets i should focus on lighting because these photos are too underexposed so it is quite difficult to make out some of the patterns, which renders my idea useless.
Further Development: I would like to try capturing different textures created by the ink and water using this circular jar to try and replicate my own version of the petri dishes, focusing on lighting and composition.
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Aim: To experiment using ink, water and soap to create interesting textures that resemble the idea of petri dishes.
Process: To create these images i used the same circular jar, and filled it with soap and water to create the foam effect in the photos. I then poured different combinations of ink into the had so that the foam had blotches of colour on it. I put my camera on the tripod and took images form above using automatic settings while i poured the ink into the jar, similarly to my previous sets.
Critique: I particularly like the images where the bubbles are much bigger in the jar because i think it is interesting how the light catches each bubbles differently, and each of the bubbles is a different height or size, creating depth to the photo.
Further Development: This task has made me interested in our i could take close up shots of certain objects and things, taking them out of context and making the actual object unidentifiable. I would like to look at the different textures of things, both in doors and out doors, as well as possibly looking at the textures of people's skin. It might also be an interesting idea to photograph the patterns of ink in a large container but not from above, and to see how the ink disperses when photographing it from the side of the container instead.
Critique: I particularly like the images where the bubbles are much bigger in the jar because i think it is interesting how the light catches each bubbles differently, and each of the bubbles is a different height or size, creating depth to the photo.
Further Development: This task has made me interested in our i could take close up shots of certain objects and things, taking them out of context and making the actual object unidentifiable. I would like to look at the different textures of things, both in doors and out doors, as well as possibly looking at the textures of people's skin. It might also be an interesting idea to photograph the patterns of ink in a large container but not from above, and to see how the ink disperses when photographing it from the side of the container instead.
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Aim: To photograph ink dispersing in water but from a different perspective to my previous sets,
Process: I took these images in the photography studio, using studio lighting and also the automatic settings on my camera. I also used a tripod so that i could easily just take a photo quickly while the ink moved, without moving the camera as well. I thought it would be interesting to photograph multiple photographs depicting the patterns and movement of the ink as it spread through the tank.
Critique: After looking at these photos, i thought they would be a good for a stop frame animation. However there aren't nearly enough images to create a video, so i decided to keep them as individual pictures instead.
Further Development: It might be a nice idea to retry this idea but taking a lot more photos, and then collating them into a video on istopmotion. I could also try videoing the ink as i pour it into the container, and then play it in slow motion so you can clearly see the patterns of the ink as it moves.
Critique: After looking at these photos, i thought they would be a good for a stop frame animation. However there aren't nearly enough images to create a video, so i decided to keep them as individual pictures instead.
Further Development: It might be a nice idea to retry this idea but taking a lot more photos, and then collating them into a video on istopmotion. I could also try videoing the ink as i pour it into the container, and then play it in slow motion so you can clearly see the patterns of the ink as it moves.
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Research: Barry Lewis
Flow: sea from Barry Lewis & Emil Charlaff on Vimeo.
I am keen to try out photography using video and capture movement through focus and depth of field. In this video by Barry Lewis, I like the way the camera is fixed and the movement is a result of the shift in reflections as a result of the wind.
I took my own video as to experiment with Barry Lewis's idea. In the video below i tried to simply video the movement of a tree when blowing in the wind.
I took my own video as to experiment with Barry Lewis's idea. In the video below i tried to simply video the movement of a tree when blowing in the wind.
I quite like the simplicity of this idea, and as i have been looking at how ink moves without you manipulating it in any way, looking at how objects in the environment move seemed like a relevant idea to do. I would like to use this technique to video the movement of ink when yo pour it into a container because i think while the photos i have been capturing of the ink are interesting and show all the detailed patterns of the ink, it might be a nice idea to actually portray the way in which the ink moves on its own.
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Aim: To create a video similar to Barry Lewis' videos by filming the patterns produced when pouring ink into a jug of water.
Process: I produced this film by videoing the ink while i poured it into a container of water. I then edited this on iMovie so that the vide appeared in slow motion so it fully captured the patterns and movement produced by the ink.
Critique: I thought this was a much more affective way of portraying the movement created by the ink that the photographs i had previously taken. I like how instead of capturing just one moment of the process, the video shows how each pattern is created from different types of movement, and shows the process of what created the above photos rather than just the finished product.
Further Development: This technique of seeing how different objects move on their own without being manipulated has made me wonder what i can do to manipulate objects which don't move on their own. I could use stop motion animation to make inanimate objects appear to be moving, so i become part of the production rather than just an observer of what is taking place.
Critique: I thought this was a much more affective way of portraying the movement created by the ink that the photographs i had previously taken. I like how instead of capturing just one moment of the process, the video shows how each pattern is created from different types of movement, and shows the process of what created the above photos rather than just the finished product.
Further Development: This technique of seeing how different objects move on their own without being manipulated has made me wonder what i can do to manipulate objects which don't move on their own. I could use stop motion animation to make inanimate objects appear to be moving, so i become part of the production rather than just an observer of what is taking place.
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Aim: To create stop frame animation videos by manipulating different objects.
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Process: For these stop frame animation videos i wanted to capture how things move when you manipulate them instead of filming the movement of objects on their own, like my ink video. I first wanted to make one using ink again, but i made it move across the paper by blowing through a straw, controlling the direction in which the ink movement and therefore making the patterns created. The second animation above is of an origami bird, which was quite difficult to make. I researched how to make origami, and then took a photo of each fold i created in the paper - a sort of documentation of the production. I then created an animation looking at the texture of the tissue paper, and how this changed when it was unfolded and then scrunched back up into a small ball again.
Critique: Although difficult to make, i really like the videos and thought it was interesting how manipulating objects can really change how we see them. I do think the video of ink being poured into the jug was more delicate in how you saw the ink almost unfold into the water, which sort of gave me the idea for the tissue animation. Further Development: The textures in the tissue animation made me think it would be quite a good idea to develop this idea by photographing objects using macro photography so that you can see all the different details and textures of the object. It might be quite interesting to take some photos so that you cannot tell what is being photographed, like the markings on walls. |
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Macro Photography of textures:
Aim: To experiment using macro photography to capture different kinds of textures of objects around the house and outside.
Process: Using macro photography, i walked around the house and in my garden and photographed close ups of objects which i thought had interesting textures. I then edited the images on photoshop; cropping them and also adjusting the saturation because i thought they would be more interesting to look at if the images were more vibrant.
Critique: Although i do like some of these photos, i would have liked to have photographed them so that you can't tell what is in the image; creating an abstraction because the context of the photo has been distorted. I couldn't do this because if i put the lens too close to the object, the image wasn't sharp enough, so i had to take the photo from further back so the image was sharp and in focus. I do like the vibrant colours of the images though, and after looking at Bevshots (images of alcohol under the microscope) i thought that i would like my final piece to be colourful with a high saturation - unlike my outcome of smoke for my first project.
Further Development: I would like to try photographing the creases in skin using macro photography, because it might be interesting to see if photographing parts of the skin unclose will affect how people see it, and it they can tell which part of the body that piece of skin is.
Critique: Although i do like some of these photos, i would have liked to have photographed them so that you can't tell what is in the image; creating an abstraction because the context of the photo has been distorted. I couldn't do this because if i put the lens too close to the object, the image wasn't sharp enough, so i had to take the photo from further back so the image was sharp and in focus. I do like the vibrant colours of the images though, and after looking at Bevshots (images of alcohol under the microscope) i thought that i would like my final piece to be colourful with a high saturation - unlike my outcome of smoke for my first project.
Further Development: I would like to try photographing the creases in skin using macro photography, because it might be interesting to see if photographing parts of the skin unclose will affect how people see it, and it they can tell which part of the body that piece of skin is.
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Aim: To develop my idea using macro photography by photographing the textures created by skin.
Process: I took these photos using the same process as my previous set, only i decided to photograph textures created by skin instead of inanimate objects. When photographing parts of the body like hands and the face, i asked the model to either scrunch up their face or to clench their fists so that there would be a lot of creases in that region of the body. I found that hands were particularly interesting to photograph because you can create a lot of different textures by changing the position of it.
Critique: Again, similarly to my previous set, i couldn't get close up enough to photograph regions like the face without giving away what i was photographing. I do think some photos like of the hand are quite interesting though because i tried to make my hand look as distorted as possible so that it didn't look recognisable. Even though they are as close up, i still think the textures created by scrunching up the lips and the eyes were really interesting to look at once i had taken the photo, because you don't really realise or pay attention to what the body does when you do i certain thing (like scrunching up your lips), and i think isolating and focusing on those aspects gives makes them appear more important than they are in reality.
Further Development: Although i like the textures that the skin can produce, i think it would be more interesting to photograph materials that can be taken out of context, for example like the tissue i used for my stop frame animation.
Critique: Again, similarly to my previous set, i couldn't get close up enough to photograph regions like the face without giving away what i was photographing. I do think some photos like of the hand are quite interesting though because i tried to make my hand look as distorted as possible so that it didn't look recognisable. Even though they are as close up, i still think the textures created by scrunching up the lips and the eyes were really interesting to look at once i had taken the photo, because you don't really realise or pay attention to what the body does when you do i certain thing (like scrunching up your lips), and i think isolating and focusing on those aspects gives makes them appear more important than they are in reality.
Further Development: Although i like the textures that the skin can produce, i think it would be more interesting to photograph materials that can be taken out of context, for example like the tissue i used for my stop frame animation.
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Aim: To photographs different materials and textures using a lens that allows me to capture them close up that my previous sets.
Process: instead of using the macro setting on my camera, i used an actual macro lens which attaches to the camera so that i could take photos really close up and capture the textures of objects and decontextualise the photo. I used materials like tissue paper and sharpener shavings, as well as objects from outside such as tree bark. I took the photos in the photography studio using the studio lighting so that i wouldn't get dark shadows in the images.
Critique: I really like this set of photographs, especially the images of pencil shavings because you really cannot tell what it being portrayed in the photo. I found the macro lens much easier and more effective to work with because it allowed me to photograph much close up that the macro setting on the camera, allowing me to capture the effect i had originally wanted from macro photography. I also think the depth of field in the images is quite effective because it allows you to really focus on one aspect of the photo. I edited the photos on photoshop to make them more vibrant than the original images because i thought this would make them more eye catching like the bevshots of alcohol.
Further Development: I would like to use this set for my final outcome for this project, and will choose four or five of my favourite images to mount for my exhibition.
Critique: I really like this set of photographs, especially the images of pencil shavings because you really cannot tell what it being portrayed in the photo. I found the macro lens much easier and more effective to work with because it allowed me to photograph much close up that the macro setting on the camera, allowing me to capture the effect i had originally wanted from macro photography. I also think the depth of field in the images is quite effective because it allows you to really focus on one aspect of the photo. I edited the photos on photoshop to make them more vibrant than the original images because i thought this would make them more eye catching like the bevshots of alcohol.
Further Development: I would like to use this set for my final outcome for this project, and will choose four or five of my favourite images to mount for my exhibition.
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