Unit 9 evaluation

Unit 9: Photography Techniques Task 11-Evaluation
Part One (Step by Step)
For this unit we initially studied a variety of different photography techniques, this helped
us to build knowledge on the different styles used by different photographers. This research
would then help us to create our very own photography exhibitions.
Research:
Afterfindingout aboutthe differenttopicsof
photographywe lookedon3 mainwebsitesindetail to
findphotosthatprovokedanemotion, these were:
http://www.magnumphotos.com/
http://life.time.com/
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photo
graphy/
These were a very vital source in helping to inspire
us with our own exhibitions as they offered key information with a variety of topics for
photography from different photographers. From an early stage it helped us to grasp an
idea for what area of photography to focus our own exhibitions on.
To decide which topic to focus on for my final exhibition we initially researched the different
types of photography, this allowed me to understand the different styles of photography
and the photos taken by photographers who specialise in certain fields. In the early stages
of the unit this was a great source of inspiration as it allowed me to gain an understanding
of photography through different styles and topic rather than a general type of media. This

lead to us being able to go out and create a portfolio of photographs that we had taken
ourselves: covering portrait, macro, abstract and architectural topics.
From the portfolio I had
created I gained an idea of
the type of photography I
wanted to focus my final
exhibition on, this was a
mixture of abstract and
macro photography. I chose
these topics to focus my
final photography project on
because I found them the
most interesting, as it allows
the photographer to put a
personal twist on their work.
From the interest in macro
photography that I had developed through research I found an artist called David Gilliver
who uses tiny figures to create scenarios which really emphasise how small in animate
objects in our world are. I really liked this concept and I feel as if elements of his work have
influenced how I tried to capture my exhibition alongside other photographers such as Ivan
Nava.
Equipment:
Throughout the photography techniques unit we had to use and
gain a good understanding of a variety of equipment. Our first
assignment that would help us to achieve this was a ‘practice’
shoot to create a portfolio, this enabled me to become more
confident using the cameras (Cannon 600D) which I have no
previous experience using. I experimented with a variety of
settings during the portfolio stage to know which setting would
be most suitable for different topics of photography. From this I found that using manual
focus with the close-up setting would be the most effective to create the best images for
macro photography, I then used this for my final shoot because I felt that it would help me
to ensure crisp and good quality photos for my exhibition.
Previous to this unit I hadn’t done much photography so I initially used the autofocus
setting. This was useful to start with as it was a quick and easy way of producing good
quality photos but after a while it struggle to focus closer shots, to resolve this problem I
adapted to using manual focus. Using manual focus was more time consuming and slightly
more challenging to use but my exhibition allowed me to use these settings as I was taking
photos of still objects which required no staging and timing to get the best shot. I also

planned on using a tripod to stabilise my photographs but I ended up taking my photos free
hand as it allowed me to get better angles for the shots that I wanted to achieve.
Editing:
To edit my final photos I used Photoshop CS5.1 as it is a program that is available to use at
school and I am familiar with a vast variety of the tools and setting with in the software.
Before I edited my photos I had to short list my photos in order to find the 6 that I most
preferred and would look the best after the editing stage (these were there 6 shown at the
top of the evaluation).
Cameraphoto:
For thisphotoI had firstduplicate the layersothatI couldcreate the contrastingcoloursfromthe
greyscale layerandthe original lenssection.
I changedthe first layerintoblackand white andusedthe burntool to emphasise the shadesand
linesonthe hand.Thiswas a newtool to me and I decidedtoexperimentwithittosee how itwould
turn out, I was reallypleasedwiththe turnoutof it uponfinishingthe editingstage forthisphoto.
Afterbeingsatisfiedwiththe outcome of the blackandwhite layerImovedontothe lenssectionof
the photograph.I usedthe quickselectiontool tohighlightthe areathat I wantedtouse (the lens)
and usedcoloursplashto leave toselectedsegmentof the image incolourtocreate the contrastin
the image.

I experimentedwiththe positioningof the colouredlensandfound thatitmade a shakeneffectto
the photowhichmakesthe audience looktwice while viewingthe photograph.Once Iwashappy
withthe positioningIchangedthe opacityto 49% on the top layer(colouredlens).
For thisphotoalone I hadlearneda lotaboutusinga range of differenttoolssuchasthe burntool to
emphasise shadowsandlines,butoverall thisunithadhelpme todevelopmyPhotoshopskills.
Abstractpeacock photo:
The editingstage forthe productionof thisimage wasvery
differenttothe ‘cameraphoto’but followsasimilar
processto the restof the photosin myfinal exhibition.
FirstI alteredthe vibrance andsaturationof the image by
movingthe arrowsleftor rightto reallyemphasise the coloursinthe image,especiallyenhancing
the shadesof blue andthe aesthetics of the peacockfeather.Iachievedthisbyclickingon‘Image’
then‘Adjustments’andthere are a varietyof settingswhichwill allowyouto manually alterthe
appearance of the image but I specificallyfocusedonthe vibrance andsaturationforthisimage.
I wenton tochangingthe levelsforthe saturationand shadowsandalsocroppedthe image tomake
the viewerable tosee the backgroundenoughtosee the patternbutnot toomuch to distractthem
fromthe subject(the peacockfeather/face).Ithinkthatthese methodswere reallyeffectiveby
makingeverythinginthe photographstandoutbut itdoesn’tovercomplicate things.
Throughthe editingstage Ihadlearnedalot aboutthe software I usedandthe tools available onit.
HoweverIdidn’tuse that wide a range of toolsformy photosbutI feel thatthe onesthatI had used
inmy final exhibitionI hadbecome more confident withusing.

Part Two (Evaluation)
Strengths of my photos:
I think that the strengths of my photographs are the way that I have managed to focus the main
subjectsinthe photo.This allowsthe audience tobe able tosee clearlywhatthe photographs are of
but the wayI have editedsome of themaltershow theywill feel about the photos in comparison to
the original images.
For example inthe image of the camerathe way thatI had layeredthe image allowedme to create a
movement on the lens that would make the audience ‘look a little closer’ to understand what is
going on with the image. Another photo that I think achieves this effect is the face behind the
peacock photo as although the main subject is in focus there are many other elements to the
photograph like the blue background.
I also feel that the quality of the resolution of the photos is another strength of my photography
exhibition;Ilike the way that I have managed to capture the photographs in a crisp, clear way. This
allowed the editing stage of the photographs to be so much simpler and made the easier to work
with. I think that because of the quality of the photos were at a good standard that the final
outcome of the majority of the photos were so much better, specifically the peacock feathers as
they have a variety of vibrant colours and a nice texture to really enhance on the editing stage.
Weaknesses of my photos:
There are many weaknesses of my exhibition and I think that the main one is that not all of the
photos are related and follow the same theme as each other. The two photos that I don’t think
follow the theme are the water photo and the pencil shaving photo, this is because the other four
photos relate to the title of ‘look a little closer’ as they all make the audience do exactly that
whereas these two have subjects that are too plain.
OriginallyIwantedtointerpretlittle figuresof people intomyexhibition (inspired by David Gilliver)
but I had to compromise with the idea as the figures did not arrive in time for the shoot. I feel like
this is the reason that my exhibition follows no specific theme other than macro photography but
the way I have laid out the photographs helped to link them all together through the camera and
what has been taken by it.
Anotherweaknessof myexhibitionisthatthe photosonlyloosely fit the photography style, macro,
thisisbecause with the absence of a macro lens I found it very hard to take photos that were close
enough to the subject but maintained enough of the detail in them. So from this, next time I do a
macro photography shoot I would borrow or purchase a macro lens to fully gain the advantages of
the equipment which will help me to improve the photographs in my exhibition.
Has it turned out how I have planned?
I thinkthat myexhibitiondidnotturnouthow I hadoriginallyplannedinmyheadas I had to change
the way I approachedthe photographs,thisisbecause Ididn’thave the accesstoa macro lenswhich
wouldhave allowedme totake more detailedphotographs.AlsoIhadoriginallywantedto interpret
figuresintomyexhibitionbuttheydidn’tarrive intime forthe time frame of the shoot. Even though

the exhibition didn’t turn out the way I had planned it I am still relatively happy with the final
outcome. Some of the photos in the exhibition I am really pleased with, my favourite being the
peacock feather over someone’s face as it is really abstract and the colours in the photo are really
vibrant.
If I did the exhibition again I think I would take advantage of the use of a macro lens as it would
make the exhibition more suited to the photography type of which I had chosen to base the
exhibition on (macro photography). Also I would make sure that I had all the equipment that I
required for the shoot, not only the lens but the figures that would have made my shoot more
unique.
How have I improved as a photographer?
Throughcompletingthisphotography unitIthinkthatI have improvedall roundasa photographer.I
feel more confidentusingthe equipmentsuchthe tripod and different setting on the camera, even
simple things like using manual focus to gain a clearer picture than auto focus would allow which I
had previously relied on. Also using different settings to suit the photograph being taken like the
portraitsettingwasusedforthe abstract peacockfeatherphotoasit helpedtofocusthe subjectand
blur the background but still allow the audience to see the whole photograph. Not only have I
improvedin the fieldof takingphotosbutIhave become more creative with photography by seeing
differentphotoopportunities and creating my own, this eventually lead to improving my ability to
use software toedit them, such as Photoshop. Editing the photos for the exhibition allowed me to
experimentwith tools that I previously had no experience using, tools such as the burn tool which
helped me to create more shadows on the hands of the person in the camera photo.

Unit 9 evaluation

More Related Content

What's hot (19)

Viewers also liked (18)

Similar to Unit 9 evaluation (20)

More from mattholley (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

Unit 9 evaluation