Project 6 - framing the view differently

Having decided to use a different location for my '4 seasons' images it gave me the opportunity to re-examine the original images as I had used a range of different views in that initial project.

These first 4 images use a fountain as the focal point of the image. Two are the same shot and all that I have done is turn the camera from landscape to portrait. As can be seen they offer quite different images with the portrait version being more concentrated and leading the eye of the viewer to the building in the far distance. The third shot retains some sense of the positioning of the lake whilst the fourth is a more crowded image offering few clues as to the overall context

The next two are of the same footpath and again I have simply changed the orientation of the camera. In the landscape version the footpath forms a relatively small part of the image whilst additional information is provided by the path that comes in from the left drawing the viewer's eye towards the path that continues into the distance adding another point of interest. In the second image the path is the dominant feature again leading the eye into the image.

Although these two images are in a different orientation in the second one I have drawn back the lens to include more of the footpath in the foreground and to include more of the trees to show their height.

I have included this last pair as they were clearly taken at different times with the portrait one having the benefit of sunlight with accompanying shadows. Here the landscape has not been 'changed' by me moving my position but by the change in the light falling on the scene. On the day that this was taken there was a mix of bright blue sky and the occasional large cloud. Whilst sub-consciously aware of the difference the light made it is only when I viewed these two images that I realised the obvious fact that the biggest change that occurs in a landscape is the different light.  Obvious when stated but sometimes it is easy to forget.

I learnt a lot from this exercise particularly the almost infinite number of different images that can be captured form the one landscape both by taking advantage of the light and the changes it goes through but also by shifting my position and/or the orientation of the camera. Sometimes it takes someone to point out the blindingly obvious before we realise the opportunities that are afforded.

Project 7 - figures in a landscape

In the first image taken across the River Elbe the figures in the image give a sense of the scale of the building that is behind them. I cropped the image so that the building was the dominant feature and to remove other clues as to its actual size.

The second image is of two figures in a field. A sense of the size of the landscape contained within the image is provided by these two figures that look so small by comparison. In the third image I have removed the figures (I found placing my finger over them did not work because all I could see was my finger). Whether this changes the image is difficult to say because of the knowledge gained by not only taking the photograph but also being aware of the image with the figures present. 

The final image stretches the project insofar as the 'point' is provided by the tractor and the dust cloud behind it. It does however provide a strong sense of scale and helps the viewer judge the size of the fields.

Project 5 - interacting subjects

The following images are of the same waterfall viewed from different points. The first is a general shot showing its closeness to a road and the man-made path leading to it from a car park that is not visible. The second is the 'waterfall ' as is the third although from a different angle. The fourth is a side view with a glimpse of some visitors (right centre) whilst the final one is from the top of the waterfall that shows that is man-made and that a natural stream has been diverted and restrained to pour over the rocks. Apart from climbing to the top of the waterfall to take the final view I hardly changed my position at all.

Project 4 - Collage

I decided against creating a collage as there seems to be a suggestion that if you are using a digitsal camera then a panorama can be created using available software. If this is the case then the project is the same as Project 3

Project 3 - Panorama Part 2

This panorama was created from 5 photographs with the camera being hand held. It was of interest that Photoshop took considerably longer to create the panorama and the amount of distortion necessary was considerable. I assume that this was because I held the camera and did not use a tripod. I was also less accurate in the degree of movement between each image so that there was a significant difference in the proportion of the whole each individual contributed.

As one would expect there is a lot of benefit in using a tripod not only in maintaining the horizon line but also ensuring that the individual images provide an equal share to the whole.

Project 3 - Panorama

I declined to cover my camera with black tape as this seemed, in this day and age, an odd way to create a panorama shot. I mounted the camera on a tripod and took a series of photographs (8 in all) through an arc of approximately 270 degrees at round about 35 degree shifts thus ensuring plenty of overlap between the images. I then downloaded the images into Camera Raw and adjusted one of the images and then applied the same changes to all the others. I then transferred the images to Photoshop using Photomerge. I then cropped the image and filled any remaining blank spaces in the sky and foreground with Fill - Content Aware. The result was:

The original size of the image was approx 74 ins in width so I reduced it by using 'Save for Web and Devices' so that I could place it in this Blog. 

The ease of taking panoramic shots, including being able to hand hold the camera has improved dramatically and whilst I use Photoshop CS5 there is other software available that does an equally good job.

As the Course material states panorama shots are better the larger they are because the amount of information and the chance for the viewer to 'enter' the image is increased by the larger image. As is the case with the image above the information is squashed so that it is difficult to get a sense of scale and the distances between individual objects For example the white blob in the middle of the image on the cliff top to the left of the black vehicle is a very large caravan park. In a larger image the individual vans can be distinguished and I found myself looking for obvious signs of use.

Purely as an aside the black vehicle was moving down the roadway as I was taking the shots and I managed to capture it in three separate images. I was somewhat relieved that the software was powerful enough to include it only the once.

Fickle Autumn

A couple of weeks ago I visited a local Country Park to do a recce for taking autumn shots as part of the four seasons exercise. The foliage had some autumnal colours so I decided to take a series of images and made plans to return in the fond hope that there would be some magnificent colours. Yesterday I made the return trip and it was almost a barren landscape (I exaggerate for effect) with most of the foliage on the ground. So much for my plans. Lesson learnt is take the shots that are there and don't assume that 'better' ones will be just round the corner. In amongst those that I took are a number that I like and are suitable for keeping for the project but this was not really part of the planning.

Photography 2 Landscape Project 2: horizontal vs vertical

The first pair of images is of a man- made waterfall (the water is channelled to ensure its path is over the rocks). In the first image the waterfall is but part of the overall scene and whilst providing a focal point for the image it lacks drama. However I like the image because context is provided and some clues are given to the scale of the image. There is a pleasant range of colours in the greens and browns of the surrounding woodland and overall there is a sense of balance.

The second image is of the same spot but this time the camera was held vertically and the waterfall positioned to ensure its dominance in the image. I ensured that there was sufficient surrounding information to provide context. I believe that this works as a vertical image and probably this format would have been my first choice for the image.

The second pair of images are of the same ruined house. In the first of the images the effect of using the horizontal allows for the inclusion of surrounding detail once again providing context. In this scene the point of the image is uncertain because it is an image of derelict buildings within a forestry setting.

In the vertical sample the emphasis is now on the building and the viewer is invited to explore the internal parts of the building whilst the surroundings are evident but less dominant.

The final pair of images is of the River Elbe viewed from the vantage point of Kronesberg Fortress

The dominance of the river in the image and the way that it draws the eye of the viewer along its length seem to make the vertical/horizontal framing almost irrelevant. The horizontal view provides more information about the surrounding countryside but does not, in my view,  add anything of significance.

As expected from the Course material the horizontality of a landscape view tends to be the 'natural' view point. However the successful vertical shots that I managed were where there was an element in the picture that drew the eye upwards (or downwards) thus making the vertical perspective seem natural. Simple countryside landscape shots did not work vertically and seemed to impose an unnatural boundary around the overall image.

Photography 2 Landscape Project 1: the horizon line

Did this project in the Art of Photography but decided to have another go as I feel that it is one if the keys to the successful landscape image.

As I happened to be on holiday in  Germany for a week in some stunning countryside I made several attempts at carrying out the project. I found that what was or was not 'successful' depended to a great extent on the subject matter and the amount of detail in the sky and/or landscape. I was fortunate that every day was a sunny day with a reasonable sky so using as little of a grey featureless sky as possible did not arise. I have chosen just three images

I personally prefer the 3rd image as the centre of interest for me is the detail in the sky. The second drags in too much of the foreground and it is difficult for the eye to travel into the picture as the brightest area is at the bottom of the image. The sense of scale is also lost as the small grassed area occupies as much of the frame as the dark wooded areas on the hills. The first image is acceptable but the horizon line chops the picture in half and there is insufficient detail in the edge lines of the horizon to make it interesting.

This latter point, the interest created by the horizon line, appeared to be one of the keys to a successful image. It requires very little change in the line, say a church spire,  just enough to spark the curiosity of the viewer. 

As stated earlier there was a sequence a warm sunny days with a blue sky and just enough cloud formation to make it (the sky) interesting. A common problem in the UK is the featureless cloudy dull sky where we have to strive to reduce the deadening effect of the monotonous grey. To take the third image as an example one only has to imagine the sky as being a consistent grey to know that the overall impact would be much less. In that case I would have chosen to place the horizon line as close to the top as reasonable and lessened the effect of the bright green at the base of the image by slightly de-saturating and also darkening. Alternatively and probably a better result would be to crop the image to a 'letter box' taking out approximately the bottom third

Photography 2 - Landscape

Just started the Course so have only skipped through the material but it seems a good Course. Emphasis on film seems a bit odd but the fundamentals remain the same whatever the camera being used.

It so happened that just after the Course material arrived I was due to go on a planned holiday to Germany. Lots of opportunities for practice and getting images for the various projects.