Photo Shoot Plan
Within my photo shoot, I planned to capture images of flowers (and plants) and manipulate the focus within the camera settings, to obtain a crisp focus on specific points in the frame. Meanwhile, the remainder of the composition is completely out of focus. In order to enhance this, I used a variety of high and low levels, as well as angles to capture a number of perspectives of the texture on the flowers. Finally, I hope to edit the images in photo shop to really highlight the vibrant colours presented on the petals of the flowers. By combining each of these elements, I will be able to produce effective compositions within my photo shoot.
Paula McQueen-Mason influenced me in completing this photo shoot due to the fact that she uses the focus in her camera to gain a range of focusses on a variety of subject matters within the frame. Overall, her use of a sharp focus on a range of features, allows her to capture crisp shots of the texture on the flowers. Furthermore, she uses numerous angles to obtain different dimensions of this texture – which I think creates a really effective composition. As a result, this will inspire me to replicate her idea by using the focus on the camera to obtain a clear focus of the textures on the flowers/plants; in addition to using a range of angles and levels to highlight the dimensions. On the other hand, I will add my own personal flair by enhancing the colours of the flowers through photo shop to add a great deal of vibrancy to the photograph.
This photo shoot took place in France at roughly midday, due to the fact that the natural light (sun) will directly face the flowers, to really highlight the colours of the petals. Generally, I used side angles when photographing the flowers/plants – this was to capture the dimensions that the texture created. However, occasionally, I used front facing angles to gain a crisp focus of the patterns and also textures on the flowers/plants. Furthermore, the natural light came from directly above the subject matter – at a high level. I believe this type of light was effective, since it is clear and bright, really highlighting the crisp texture and also the bright colours of the subject matter.
As a whole, I feel my use of composition is very effective, since I used a variety of angles and levels, to capture the dimensions of the texture (on the flowers particularly). Personally, I believe this really adds to the crisp focus of the texture (subject matter). In addition, I feel I used the rule of thirds well. Overall, this is because the subject matter (texture of the flowers) was not positioned directly in the centre of the composition; this is effective, as it also allows the eye’s focus to be diverted to other effective elements of the photograph. Nonetheless, occasionally, the focus of my photographs was slightly off the subject matter. I believe this is due to the fact that I could not manipulate the manual settings to focus on a particular section of the frame – I may need to practice this to further improve my composition. To conclude, I intend to develop these images further by altering the brightness, contrast and also exposure on photo shop. Hopefully, this will enhance the colour of the flowers/plants by making the overall composition more vibrant; it may also enhance the texture by making it a lot crisper. Additionally, I may completely manipulate the colours of the flowers on photo shop, to create a very abstract mixed media. This will further develop my images, as it adds new dimensions and ideas to the photographs.
Paula McQueen-Mason influenced me in completing this photo shoot due to the fact that she uses the focus in her camera to gain a range of focusses on a variety of subject matters within the frame. Overall, her use of a sharp focus on a range of features, allows her to capture crisp shots of the texture on the flowers. Furthermore, she uses numerous angles to obtain different dimensions of this texture – which I think creates a really effective composition. As a result, this will inspire me to replicate her idea by using the focus on the camera to obtain a clear focus of the textures on the flowers/plants; in addition to using a range of angles and levels to highlight the dimensions. On the other hand, I will add my own personal flair by enhancing the colours of the flowers through photo shop to add a great deal of vibrancy to the photograph.
This photo shoot took place in France at roughly midday, due to the fact that the natural light (sun) will directly face the flowers, to really highlight the colours of the petals. Generally, I used side angles when photographing the flowers/plants – this was to capture the dimensions that the texture created. However, occasionally, I used front facing angles to gain a crisp focus of the patterns and also textures on the flowers/plants. Furthermore, the natural light came from directly above the subject matter – at a high level. I believe this type of light was effective, since it is clear and bright, really highlighting the crisp texture and also the bright colours of the subject matter.
As a whole, I feel my use of composition is very effective, since I used a variety of angles and levels, to capture the dimensions of the texture (on the flowers particularly). Personally, I believe this really adds to the crisp focus of the texture (subject matter). In addition, I feel I used the rule of thirds well. Overall, this is because the subject matter (texture of the flowers) was not positioned directly in the centre of the composition; this is effective, as it also allows the eye’s focus to be diverted to other effective elements of the photograph. Nonetheless, occasionally, the focus of my photographs was slightly off the subject matter. I believe this is due to the fact that I could not manipulate the manual settings to focus on a particular section of the frame – I may need to practice this to further improve my composition. To conclude, I intend to develop these images further by altering the brightness, contrast and also exposure on photo shop. Hopefully, this will enhance the colour of the flowers/plants by making the overall composition more vibrant; it may also enhance the texture by making it a lot crisper. Additionally, I may completely manipulate the colours of the flowers on photo shop, to create a very abstract mixed media. This will further develop my images, as it adds new dimensions and ideas to the photographs.
Photo shoot
Before and after edits
annotation of Edits
Within these edits I was attempting to enhance the texture and also the colours of the flowers/plants within photo shop. I took my photo shoot with a Canon Bridge camera on manual settings. This photo shoot took place at roughly midday (during summer), in the south of France. To firstly enhance the bumpy texture, I used a fast shutter speed to capture a crisp focus on this texture (on the subject matter). To further develop this, I increased the exposure to really add a clear contrast between light and shade – this creates shadows to add a three dimensional appearance to the flowers/plants. Furthermore, I altered the colours, as well as increased the hue and saturation on photo shop to really enhance the intensity of the colour. Overall, I believe that this really draws the viewer’s eye to the image.
The work of Paula McQueen-Mason influenced me in completing this piece due to her use of colour, tone and also composition. Firstly, I think her use of texture is effective, since it is very clear within the frame. Personally, I believe she completed this by using a fast shutter speed to ensure it was a crisp as possible, as well as altering the brightness and contrast within photo shop to enhance the dimensions of the flowers. Thus, I replicated this whilst completing my own work, by ensuring my composition was in crisp focus and increasing the brightness and contrast whilst I edited the images. Secondly, I really admire McQueen-Mason’s use of colour, as she captured some really rich tones (pinks, purples and yellows) on the flowers. However, I wanted to further develop this within my own work, to add some flair and originality to my edits. As a result, I increased the hue and saturation whilst editing my images, to cause the intensity of the colour (of the flowers/plants) to appear really rich. In addition, increasing the brightness and contrast also enhanced the lighter/darker values of the colour’s tones; this worked alongside highlighting the texture, as it added the three dimensional appearance to the flowers. Finally, Paula McQueen-Mason’s use of composition is very effective. This is due to the fact that she uses a range of angles, as well as levels within the frame. Therefore, I attempted to replicate this, as it adds a range of perspectives to the framing of the subject matter.
I feel that the composition is effective due to the fact that I used a range of angles and levels within my photography. For instance, I used high angles, low angles and side angles to capture different perspectives of the flowers/plants. Consequently, this adds a sense of three dimensional textures to the subject matter. Furthermore, I attempted to use the rule of thirds within my composition. Each flower/plant was not placed in the centre of the arrangement – either at the sides, on the top or the bottom of the frame. Therefore, the focus of the image is not completely directed on the flower/plant (subject matter) in the foreground. It allows the viewer’s eyes to drift throughout the mid-ground and also background of the image. Finally, I decided to crop some of the images within photo shop. For example, I cropped the sides of the first image to ensure the subject matter appeared larger in the frame. Overall, this directed the focus more at the subject matter of the colour - really highlighting the saturation of the petals.
The contrast of colour within the edits really adds a vibrant colour scheme to the edits. Each colour has been really saturated within photo shop, meaning the bright colours add a happy theme to every edit – this is the purpose of my images. Within photo shop, I increased the saturation and exposure of the images. In addition, I manipulated various colours in each image; for example, in the edit of the sunflower, I increased the vibrancy of yellow to really emphasise the saturation of this colour. I also manipulated the magenta colour in edit 4, to add a subtle (but rich) magenta colour in the background, to contrast against the grassy greens and the fiery orange colours. Overall, this creates a jolly mood to my photo shoot, since vibrant colours really improve the viewer’s mood.
In order to refine and develop these edits I could attempt to alter the edits to monochrome on photo shop. Then I could single out one colour that I will not edit to monochrome, so that this colour is really saturated against the remainder of the image (being monochrome). As a whole, this will really highlight one colour on the plants/flowers (subject matter) within the foreground of the edit. I should research how I will do this in photo shop, so I can add this and further develop my next set of edits in this way.
The work of Paula McQueen-Mason influenced me in completing this piece due to her use of colour, tone and also composition. Firstly, I think her use of texture is effective, since it is very clear within the frame. Personally, I believe she completed this by using a fast shutter speed to ensure it was a crisp as possible, as well as altering the brightness and contrast within photo shop to enhance the dimensions of the flowers. Thus, I replicated this whilst completing my own work, by ensuring my composition was in crisp focus and increasing the brightness and contrast whilst I edited the images. Secondly, I really admire McQueen-Mason’s use of colour, as she captured some really rich tones (pinks, purples and yellows) on the flowers. However, I wanted to further develop this within my own work, to add some flair and originality to my edits. As a result, I increased the hue and saturation whilst editing my images, to cause the intensity of the colour (of the flowers/plants) to appear really rich. In addition, increasing the brightness and contrast also enhanced the lighter/darker values of the colour’s tones; this worked alongside highlighting the texture, as it added the three dimensional appearance to the flowers. Finally, Paula McQueen-Mason’s use of composition is very effective. This is due to the fact that she uses a range of angles, as well as levels within the frame. Therefore, I attempted to replicate this, as it adds a range of perspectives to the framing of the subject matter.
I feel that the composition is effective due to the fact that I used a range of angles and levels within my photography. For instance, I used high angles, low angles and side angles to capture different perspectives of the flowers/plants. Consequently, this adds a sense of three dimensional textures to the subject matter. Furthermore, I attempted to use the rule of thirds within my composition. Each flower/plant was not placed in the centre of the arrangement – either at the sides, on the top or the bottom of the frame. Therefore, the focus of the image is not completely directed on the flower/plant (subject matter) in the foreground. It allows the viewer’s eyes to drift throughout the mid-ground and also background of the image. Finally, I decided to crop some of the images within photo shop. For example, I cropped the sides of the first image to ensure the subject matter appeared larger in the frame. Overall, this directed the focus more at the subject matter of the colour - really highlighting the saturation of the petals.
The contrast of colour within the edits really adds a vibrant colour scheme to the edits. Each colour has been really saturated within photo shop, meaning the bright colours add a happy theme to every edit – this is the purpose of my images. Within photo shop, I increased the saturation and exposure of the images. In addition, I manipulated various colours in each image; for example, in the edit of the sunflower, I increased the vibrancy of yellow to really emphasise the saturation of this colour. I also manipulated the magenta colour in edit 4, to add a subtle (but rich) magenta colour in the background, to contrast against the grassy greens and the fiery orange colours. Overall, this creates a jolly mood to my photo shoot, since vibrant colours really improve the viewer’s mood.
In order to refine and develop these edits I could attempt to alter the edits to monochrome on photo shop. Then I could single out one colour that I will not edit to monochrome, so that this colour is really saturated against the remainder of the image (being monochrome). As a whole, this will really highlight one colour on the plants/flowers (subject matter) within the foreground of the edit. I should research how I will do this in photo shop, so I can add this and further develop my next set of edits in this way.