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Experimental Photography

Hayley Roberts

Multiple Exposure

The soft, pastel tones in this image makes it a really calm and relaxing image to look at and that’s the vibe the image lets off. Having an image of the sea as well with the waves being soft and not violent links the mood of the image to the mood of the colours.

The dark black on the top of the model makes it really hard to see the overlaid image because the black is too overpowering and this ruins the image a little.

Both images used are quite pale and soft colours so this makes the images clash so turning the brightness and contrast up helped to verify which image was which but I should of maybe tried changing the ‘levels’ or ‘curves’ to make it more definitive.

There is a clear outline around the image of the model and the overlapped image fits perfectly inside and doesn’t overlap over onto the background because it’s clear white. The facial features on the model are still quite clear to see and don’t fade into the overlapped image. This is vital as the facial features are one of the main focal points of the image.

I feel that if the model took her cardigan off it would make it better for the overlapped image. This is because the cardigan is white which contrasts with the pale colours of the sea so I feel that if the model had her arms showing, the colour of the skin would make it a lot more easier to see the image of the sea.

4

Evaluate: ideas eg analysis, results; With this photo shoot, I decided to try something different than taking images with trees and using them to overlay the image of the model and so I decided to use images of the sea and sand from the beach. I decided to use colour instead of monochrome because I felt that all the different colours of the sea and the sky and also some of the sand, creates really interesting colours and I thought that changing them into monochrome would ruin it. I changed one image into monochrome and I didn’t like the outcome because the colours weren't really a main focus because their wasn’t any and I want people to focus on the different colours that are in the image. I also think that it takes the beauty away from the image because it limits you on the colours that can be seen and with it being in colour, you get the feeling of relaxation and there is a pale tone throughout the image. But with the image being in monochrome, it becomes really bland and you can’t see the tones and that is coming across with the colour. I think that it was a lot harder than I thought using the sea instead of trees. This is because the colours are really pale and they don’t stand out as much as I excepted so it’s really hard to see both images in an aspect because one image can be more overpowering than the other. So I do feel that the first two photo shoots worked better than this last photo shoot but I still really like the outcome of the images, it was just harder to achieve the outcome. I looked at Aneta Ivanova who takes images of models and then overlays images of the sea to create a relaxing and calm tone to her images and I found her work really inspiring. Aneta Ivanova turned her images into monochrome where as I kept mine in colour as I feel you get a different impact with the colour and different tones with it being in colour as monochrome can come across as aggressive. But she does take some of her images in colour but she uses a darker lighting when taking her portrait images so the model is harder to see but the background is kept white so that when you overlay the image it becomes more clearer and easier to see, where as I kept mine really bright so it becomes difficult to see the overlaid image.

Qualities:The image on a whole has worked quite well and one of the best out of the series I did. I kept the background clear so there wasn’t anything to distract the viewers eyes from the main focal point and I also kept it white so that it helped the image stand out more on the page as the negative space creates and impact on the main image. I feel a stronger element of the image aesthetically is the relaxing tone of the image and the pale colours and how it links with the pale colours from the model and how they link really well together without it looking out of place. Both images are really clear to see and the double exposure effect worked really well and didn’t fail. I think that a weaker element was the dark top on the model and how it blanks out some of the image of the sea and it doesn’t look right on the page. This is because the all the image uses pale tones and it’s all light and pastel colours and then the dark top is too overpowering on the page. So I would crop the bottom of the page off so it gets rid of the top and works better. I feel that I achieved the double exposure really well and the editing to get the effect has worked really well and isn’t too overpowering at all. Both images are sharp and in focus because the lighting was right and so was the shutter speed, and I feel that taking images of the water is harder than trees because of the constant movement so getting it sharp was really successful. I feel that the stronger element of the image is editing all the brightness and contrast and not making the image look edited too much and getting both images easy to see and the outline of the model still sharp and easy to see. I feel that a weaker element is that when taking the images in the studio of the model, I should of used different lighting settings so that the background was still white but the model was a lot darker so the overlaying of the image was easier to see.

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I feel that I could improve my work in a few ways as there are some things that I would change next time. I would either crop the image or make the top a lot lighter than it was so that the image of the sea is shown a lot stronger against her top. With her top being black, you can’t see the image of the sea that I used for the double exposure and I feel that if I had used a lighter top it would of shown a lot more clearly against her top so I would either crop the image so that you can’t see the top because it becomes really distractive as it’s very dark and the whole pale tone of the image becomes overpowered by the models top. Or I would change the models top to a paler colour so that it isn’t as dark and overpowering. I could also try using different light settings so the model is a lot darker and the background is kept white and so instead of showing all the details of the model, it will only show the overlaid image and the outline of the model and slight detail from the face and I think that this creates a different impact to the images I have created. I could also develop my work by adding moving objects onto my double exposure rather than just an image of a landscape. For example, I could use a dandelion covering the models face with parts of the seeds being blown off into the background or I could use birds and having them fly away from the models head into the background as I think that this would give the image a more detailed and interesting impact. It would also be really interesting to create as it would involve more intense work in Photoshop by using different techniques and tools to create the image so it would broaden my skills in Photoshop. The image displays a relaxing tone to it and uses limited colours as they are all mainly pale and toned down colours and I think that these colours helps link the tone to the colours. There is a strong contrast between movement (from the sea) and stillness (from the model posing) and there is also a contrast between nature and humans. There is the pattern from the ripples in the sea and the light from the sun reflecting onto the water creates a pattern as well. There is the clear outline of the model and then the image fades out into the white background because the model is wearing a white cardigan so it fades into the background but it is still obvious as to where the model is standing and the outline of her. I also think that the composition of the image works really well by having the model facing the side so we can only see so far of the model and not all of her and this makes the attention of the viewer more on the sea image rather than the model. I feel that the image fits in with the brief that was set because I have created an experimental image by using an experimental technique that involves a lot of Photoshop editing. The theme I chose to stick to was ‘Nature’ and I feel that I stuck to the theme as the beach (sea and sand) is all part of nature as it evolves naturally and so I feel that I still stuck to the theme but used a different part of nature to look at instead of using the obvious. The double exposure effect links in with the experimental topic because it involves Photoshop to help create the effect and links with Fine Art.

Multiple Exposure

I think that having the white background and all the space around the actual photo and the negative space works really well for the image as it stands out on the page and makes it the main focal point of the image. There are no parts of the overlapped image in the background and it’s completely white which makes no distractions from the actual image of the model and this is what I find really successful about the image. With the image being really soft as well, the background matches the theme of the actual image and the tones that it gives.

I feel that this image is more successful than the first image. Not having a lot of the dark top in the image helps the overlapped image of the sea stand out a lot more on the page and over the image.

I feel that the image that I used to overlay over the model image contrasts really well because the colours in the image are really soft and relaxing and the image that I used to overlay the other image is very viscous as the wave is crashing and so these contrast with each other and it works well.

The colours in this image work a lot better than the first image because the blue is a lot more deeper so it stands out on the page a lot more and it helps define the outline of the model as well.

I still feel that the model should of taken off her white cardigan so that the overlaid image stands out a lot more as it works better against the models skin instead of the white cardigan with the image being pale anyway.

Both images are really sharp and they work really well in colour as the red from the models lipstick helps define the models facial features and with the model looking down, the eyelashes help her eyes stand out a lot more on the page.

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Evaluate: ideas eg analysis, results; For this image, I wanted to create a strong contrast between the emotions that are presented within the image as I felt it would give the image a meaning as well. I wanted to create a clear double exposure effect that would show both images equally and come across as really powerful as well. I think that for this image I created a really strong and powerful contrast of anger from the crashing wave compared to the calmness and the relaxation of the image of the model. The colours that are used in that particular image are really soft and this is what makes the image of the model really calm compared to the strong blues and whites in the image of the wave that are really strong and powerful and this is another contrast which is created. I think that I have created a strong double exposure image that lets you see both images clearly and is easy for the viewer to understand what is in the image. I think that I could of tried looking at changing the image of the model into monochrome as well as keeping it in colour because the brown from the models hair is really strong and interferes with the image of the wave as the brown becomes overpowering, especially when the image is full of calm colours that aren’t too bright or overpowering. Matt Wisniewski is a photographer who I was looking at for this inspired piece of work I did. He uses portraits for his work and overlays an image of waves crashing and they look really aggressive but he uses really soft tones and he shows a lot of the model in his images rather than the overlaid image. He uses hardly any colour in his images as they are all very muted and there isn’t any bright colours it’s all very natural whereas in my image, you can see that the hair and the colour of the sea is quite a bold blue. I feel that I have achieved the outcome that I wanted from this image and I feel that it works really well on a whole. I think that this image is one of the stronger images from the whole series that I had created.

Qualities:I think that this image looks really calm but it also has that aggressiveness from the wave crashing and this is a clear contrast displayed in the image. It works really well having the white background as it makes the model stand out and having the sea at the top of the models head, helps the blue outline the models head so it doesn’t fade off into the background. Having a white background also helps because there are no distractions in the image that can cause the viewer to look elsewhere and keeps the main focal point of the image on the model. I also like that the model is wearing red lipstick as this helps her facial features stand out over the overlaid image of the wave and it defines her lips as well on the page. In this image, you can’t see the top and how dark it is and this helps compared to the first image because it isn’t overpowering or looks odd in the image and helps the image stand out a lot more without the viewer being drawn to the dark top. I feel that a stronger element of the image is how the image of the model and the image of the wave contrasts really well together and I also think that the way the model has been posing works really well for the image that has been overlaid because it doesn’t block the facial features of the model and it also doesn’t make the image of the wave blend in with the image and helps it stand out as well. I feel that the double exposure effect has worked really well because the image fits perfectly inside the model and there is no part of the image that has been placed on the background and it’s all kept really simple but detailed. Both images are really sharp as the shutter speed was kept at the right speed. I think that the stronger points are the way the double exposure effect has been done in Photoshop because it works really well because you can still see the models face as well as the waves crashing and they don’t look too busy. I think that a weaker element of the image is that I could of changed the image to monochrome so the models hair isn’t too overpowering but keep the wave image in colour.

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I feel that there is a few ways I could improve my work to make it a more stronger image. I think that I could of tried changing just the image of the model into monochrome so that the models hair doesn’t come across as distracting and so that it would make the wave image stand out more at the bottom of the image and not just at the top of the image. I could develop this image further by still making a double exposure effect, but make it look as if the wave is coming out of the models face to make it look 3D as well as a double exposure effect. I think it will make it more intriguing and show the anger from the wave by it erupting out of the models face and this is something that Matt Wisniewski does in his work. Also to take the work further, I could extend the image so it overlaps onto the background and not just over the model, this would become quite faded and then it won’t be as powerful or as bright as it is over the model which will then be ideal as it won’t take the focus off of the model. The contrast between the image of the model and the image of the wave and how there is a contrast between aggression and calmness really comes across in both of the images. Both of the images were taken with the right shutter speed as they are both sharp and in focus and this is particularly difficult with the image of the wave as it was in motion, so to capture it so it was sharp was really good. There is a clear outline of the model as it’s defined from the image of the wave and this also frames the image and creates a main focal point to the image. I think that having the model looking down and not looking at the camera, lets the image of the wave stand out a lot more and not blend in too much with the models facial features so they still can be seen. But I do think that having the model looking at the camera creates a connection between the viewer and the model and makes it more direct. But when the model is looking away, it doesn’t become as personal or as attention grabbing but in the image she still maintains the main focal point because of the pale background. The image of the wave itself almost looks like a painting as it’s very soft and the colours aren’t too bold or vibrant and this makes the colours more pastel and soft and this also connects with the tone that I set in the image. Also I having the models cardigan white it lets the image fade out into the background, even though it doesn’t show much of the overlaid image because it’s not that dark, it helps the model fade into the background so there is a main outline at the top of the image and then it fades out near the bottom of the image which helps link the image with the overall tone of the image. I feel that the image matches the brief set because even though I am using portraiture I still have the water from the beach which is part of nature and this is what was set in the brief. We had to create experimental photographs which matched the theme we had chosen and I have definitely stuck to the brief in my work. I think that my images are experimental because they link in with Fine Art and they display a technique which is used by a lot of experimental photographers to create experimental photography.

Multiple Exposure

For this image, instead of using a picture of the sea, I decided to use an image of the sand with water ripples over the top to create a rippled pattern/effect on the image. With the water being really clear it helps the ripples look more effective and clear and the reflection of the sun shines on the ripples so it makes the pattern clearer and shine more and makes it a lot more obvious to the audience as so what it is.

There is a lot of negative space in the image as the background is completely white and this makes the main focal point (which is the model) stand out on the page and it gives the image emphasis. It also lets the image fade out into the background because the model is wearing a white cardigan and so it fades out into the background. This means that there is no clear outline to the model apart from her hair.

There isn’t as much of the models top in the image as the other images. This lets the image that is overlaid over the top stand out more and becomes clear to the audience what is in the picture.

This image works really well in colour and the pale colours from the model contrast really well with the tanned colour from the sand and the facial features also don’t get lost within the colours and still stand out on the page.

There is a calm and relaxing tone throughout the image as the water ripples are associated with relaxation to people so linking this into my work gives a relaxing tone off.

I decided to go with a slightly different subject matter by using the beach instead of trees to overlay the images with but I felt that it didn’t work as well as the tree images did as the colours are too pale and not as bold as the other photographs.

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Evaluate: ideas eg analysis, results; I decided that in this image I was using the same ideas but focusing more on patterns and the effects of the water in the sun. The image was of some sand which had a little dip in it and was full of water so the sun shined onto the water and created a pattern on the water and the water ripples that were created on top of the water were stood out more from the sun that was shining onto the ripples. I don’t think that this was the best image out of all of the images I had created and that’s why I included it into my evaluation because I wanted to analyse something which didn’t work as well. I had to turn the lightness up on the image so the background was completely white so that the overlaid image wouldn’t print on top of the background, but this also made the skin of the model really pale and bright and this doesn’t help the image stand out on the page as she nearly blends in with the background. I also think that the facial features look unrealistic and like a painting more than genuine features and I feel that this is because of the pattern over the top of the image. The only time that you can see the pattern from the overlaid image is on the models hair and partly on her top because these are the darkest parts on the image so I feel that it’s too pale on a whole this image. The paleness works when there is a lot of the sea and waves in the image because this helps add colour to the model anyway but when it’s quite a tanned image, it doesn’t help as much as it’s already pale. So I feel that even though I was trying something different, it didn’t work to the expectations I had of the final image. I couldn’t find a photographer to compare with my work for this image and there was no work out there which was similar to mine so I couldn’t find anything at all to compare with this image.

Qualities:I feel that this image isn’t one of the most aesthetically pleasing images I have done as it’s quite pale and plain and looks quite simple. The skin on the model is too pale as I toned it down too much in Photoshop and this caused the models skin to become really pale so the image I used to overlay the other image with, isn’t showing up like it would do if the skin hadn’t been lightened. I like how you can clearly see the reflection of the sun and the water ripples in the models hair as this was the effect I was wanting to get across the whole of the models body and face but it only worked well against her hair. I think that a stronger point of the image aesthetically is the whole pattern over the top of the model as this is the effect I was wanting and how the model is looking directly at the camera as this makes the image more personal to the viewer as the model is giving eye contact and this makes it more direct compared to the middle image I did. I think that a weaker element of the image is definitely how pale the model is and how the pattern doesn’t overlap over the models face and is only visible on half the model. I think that the Photoshop side of this image didn’t work as well as the other two images but editing the image to make the double exposure effect was the part that let the image down. I tried to tone the background so it was completely white so it meant I had to turn up the lightness in the background only but this then turned the brightness up in the models face so she went completely white and pale and this then made it hard for the image that I was overlaying to become bold on the page and stand out. Both images are really sharp and this was due to the shutter speed that I used and this was especially really hard for the image of the sand because I had to make sure the camera was focusing on the right part of the image. I think that a stronger element was getting the images sharp and getting the exposure right on the image of the sand because of the sun reflecting on the water, I didn’t want it to drown out the pattern from the ripples. I think that a weaker element was the Photoshop technique on getting the background whiter as this effected the models skin colour and this works well with the first two images but is really hard for this one because of the paleness from the sand.

13

I think that for this image, there can be a lot of improvements to be made to make the image a lot more successful like the other two images. I think that I would definitely find another method of making the background really white for just this image because I need to make sure I don’t make the rest of the image pale like I have done with the models skin. Then the overlaid pattern of the sand and water will become a lot more stronger on the page and stand out all over the model and not just on her hair and parts of her skin. The consistency of the two images are a lot more uneven in this image because there is more of the image of the model compared to the image of the sand and water. I think that the features on the models face look more like a painting than a photograph and don’t look that realistic because of either the paleness of the skin or the overlaid image for the double exposure and I should of looked to see which factor was the one that was causing this effect on the features. But next time I would try to find out which of the factors were making the facial features look unrealistic so I could act on it and then try and change the factors so that they would make the facial features look how they were in the photograph and not edited. I also think that for this image, a darker cardigan would have been ideal instead of having a white one. This is because it would help the image of the sand stand out a lot more and would also give the model an outline as well. The tone in this image is very relaxed and peaceful and I think that the pattern of the water ripples adds to the relaxation of the image. I also think that the pastel and pale colours in the image help the image become more relaxed as well. I think that the white background helps the model stand out on the page but I think that because the models skin is so pale she starts to fade in with the background and the only main focal point in the image is the models hair and facial features (especially her lips with them being a deep red) There is a strong contrast between darkness (from the models top) and lightness (from the background and the models skin). To make the image a bigger statement, I could add the water ripples into the background instead of keeping it plain white as this would make it easier for the viewer to see what is in the image and it would help add more of the image over the top and balance out the ratio of images. I think that the models skin should have been kept darker instead of so pale and then it wouldn’t look so unrealistic as and image and make the facial features as well look more like a photograph rather than a painting as this is the effect I am getting from the image. The model is right in the middle of the page which evens out the image and makes it quite symmetrical but I think that the model should have had her hair down and then it would of balanced out the image more than keeping her hair to one side and then it would print more of the sand/water image as well on her hair. I think that I have stuck to the brief and the theme that was set for this task as I decided to do nature and I have used water and sand which is all part of nature. I also think that my work is experimental because it is an effect that is used by a lot of editing and a lot of experimental photographers use it.