Haddys hole Portraits

After the research and the practice with the camera it was finally time to get out on location and shoot some colour. The chosen location was Paddy’s Hole which was great news because the boats and the factories would provide a back drop that reflect the history and trade of the area. When we got there my partner and I searched the surrounding area for potential sites and people to photograph. Our first location was in a boat repair workshop where we persuaded a guy called Colin to be photographed. For these first photos my partner took the lead and produced a great long depth of field photo which included the boat he was working on which gave the picture a narrative and therefore a meaning which was our main focus during the entire shoot. After further conversation we were invited back to his hut which was situated just over the road. To our surprise he was living in luxury with his stove, oven, electric radiator, fridge and the biggest shock of all his flat screen TV with built in DVD player. Anyway, after I got over that we produced a great joint effort which had him sitting in the door way fixing an old fish rod reel that belonged to his granddad. We decided to shoot it with a medium depth of field so the objects in the hut would slightly burred as well as dark (because we took a light reading from his face), while he would be perfectly exposed and sharp from head to toe. So far the day was going great and the rain was managing to hold itself back which was probably more shocking than that TV and DVD combo so we kept going, trying to not to jinx our good luck. For the next photo I decide to take the lead, so I tried a short depth of field which perfectly suits the classic passport head and shoulders portrait. Again we had our subject in the door way but this time I took a light reading from the lighter part of his head (forehead) so there would be greater depth to the shadows in his face, as well as a black background.

Looking at the results of the shoot, it was a fantastic day and well worth getting up early for and that doesn't

get said often.

Colour practice photos

I took these colour photos to help practice with the colour enlargers and to get used to the colour darkroom. Although I haven’t got used to the darkroom, I definitely feel better with the new controls of the enlargers and I’m starting to see the colour castings on my photos which is allowing me to speed up my work flow. Doing these was definitely worth it as I have a greater understanding of the process. 

BnW Practice Photos

Practice pictures

I took these to get back up to speed with the 5x4 camera after the summer break. They were taken in the studio using natural light from the window. I decided to go for a close up of the face with a small DOF. I’m pretty happy with where I’m at with the camera so I’m ready to go out and start. 

Photo Research

For me the photo in the right is one of the best portraits I’ve seen so far while conducting my research. I realize that it would be hard to recreate on 5x4 film because it looks to have been digitally edited, but with a bit of burning I could achieve a similar look.  It appeals to me because all her key features are perfectly exposed and the rest is blacked out which only enhances them. Before seeing this photo I didn’t consider doing a really close up shot but after this it’s probably one of my better options.   

Photo Research

Don McCullin,

 I found these images while searching photojournalism in Google. I’ve posted these pictures because the photographer has done an amazing job of capturing the emotion of the soldiers which is best seen in the image at the top. We get the sense of fear from the soldier by the way that he’s gripping the gun, The way his head has shrunk into his shoulders, He’s very wide eyed and the way he’s hunched over half way to the foetal position. These traits are emphasized by the way he’s framed the photo by making the face the dominate feature of the top third of the photo and the hands the dominant feature of the bottom section.

Even though I probably won’t be taking photos of soldiers in this section, this bit of research has taught me to try and get some of the models’ emotion or personality into the photo, or an object that reflects that so there’s some meaning behind the pictures I take.         

Magazine Research 3

Some more research from magazines.

These ones are from Black and White Photographer and looks at the work of Pentti Sammallahti.

I was particularly interested in the top picture in the last page because as you scan across their faces, you can’t help but feel that they are empty lifeless vessels. I’m assuming the photographer has captured this on purpose to perhaps show the poor quality of life or the mundanity of day to day life, but either way its good stuff.       

Magazine Research 2

Magazine Research

I borrowed this magazine from a friend and as I was flicking through I saw these environmental portraits done by Matthias Kosilk. He photo’d employees of a railway company in Germany with the intention of making them feel proud of the job and to project them a heros. He took these on a digital Hasselblad but it didn’t say which one.

From looking at these pages I think I’m more drawn to the idea of photographing someone in their work place because they will feel more confident so I’m more likely to get permission and it would provide me with a more diverse range of pictures.

(I made them really big so they could be read. its not a error)

Video research

These videos go through some of the issues you could face when your photographing outdoors, bits on composition and locations to shoot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGl_8Th9B0k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNUoMfhp3qU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjEjCC-6aTQ

Ways to use a reflector in an outdoor shoot, which i think is going to be really important for this section

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX_y9Wd14Eg

The last video shows Dorothea Lange's work and how she chose to take her photos. Pretty interesting, apparently she was a pain to work with. Worth watching

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQPS3KI5-yM

Steve McCurry

Steve McCurry was one of the first photographers I thought of when I found out we were doing portraiture. His most recognisable photo is ‘Afghan girl’ which is a portrait of 12 year old, Sharbat Gula who was living as a refugee in Afghanistan at the time.

I chose to look at his work because I admired the way he composed his images which helps us glimpse into the day to day life of the models. He did this by shooting the model with one of their possessions and also allows them to show some of their character or personality. This is shown perfectly in the top image of the cattle herder.

This research has definitely inspired me to do some portraits in people’s place of work and to use the same shallow depth of field.       

 

Initial Photo research

I've collected these pictures as my first bits of research. I've tried to get a wide range of pictures within the theme of outdoor portraiture so I have a clear idea of what I could potentially be taking pictures of, and also to get an idea of composition alongside the effects of natural light.