Unit 23: Photographic Media - Use of Colour Negative film

A few months ago we were given a colour film camera (EOS 300) to shoot any subject matter of our choice.  In theory this was a straight forward task but in reality it proved to be more difficult than I imagined. For a start, I had never used a film camera before, other than that one time I did some black and white film photography in my Level 2 photography course.  I actually got to process the negatives in the dark room but  that was a one off and wouldn't know what to do if I had to do it again.  I've always used digital point and shoot compacts, so this was unfamiliar territory for me, and one I wasn't very comfortable with.  At the same time it was quite an exciting prospect to go out and photograph things and not know how the images may turn out, until after the negatives had been processed.

Using the film camera made me seriously analyse my subject matter and whether it was worth photographing  - because after all, each shot was so precious and I did not want to waste it on a bad shot.  It helped me to realise how we can take photography for granted these days and how not a lot of thought process can go into what we are photographing.

In the age of disposable digital photography it's easy to take hundreds of shots and then discard them at the touch of a button, before starting all over again.  I've done that many a times when I've been out photographing weddings/events etc.  Digital image making is not necessarily a bad thing, it's certainly very practical, convenient and cost effective. But with analogue photography, you as a photographer have a great deal of involvement in creating that image, putting a lot of time and effort in to it.  It's very much a labour of love, whereas with digital there's very little involvement in the process of image making, it doesn't feel as personal when you get that instant result.   

I worked with Sara and we decided to use half of the roll each.  She photographed people on the street, whereas I photographed various objects/items in and around the shops.  Even though we had 18 shots each I struggled to use up the film.  This was primarily because I was so worried about wasting a shot.  I was so careful to take each photograph, I decided to put a lot of thought process into each individual shot.

Below are are some of the images from that day.  John processed the films as there's no dark room facility in college.  They've been scanned using a special bracket to hold them in place.  The scanning mode had to be set to negative so the the images would appear as positive once they were scanned.  The dpi was set to 2400 so the images would be scanned at a reasonable size, otherwise they would appear too small.  This did mean each scan took around 10 minutes or longer! patience is definitely a quality one would need to possess for working with film.  And precisely because of that lengthy involvement, film photography becomes just that bit more special.          

I'm not ecstatic about these images as the quality certainly could have been better, but it was lovely to experience something a little bit different. Many of the images are under exposed and slightly out of focus. Unless you're an experienced film user, it's difficult to get a feel for exactly what you're doing and whether you're doing it right.  However, it wasn't a complete disaster and there are a few images I quite like.

I opened the scanned negatives in PS and adjusted the clarity and contrast to sharpen them.  I also used the unsharp mask to sharpen them further and highlight some more of the details.  Some of the images above could also benefit from reduction in hue and saturation as they've got a bit of a purple tint to them.                

This image is straight out of camera without any processing. It was a dull day so the sky looks quite grey and there's a lot of focusing issues.

I've managed to sharpen this image a little and got some detail back.  I quite like it as it looks a a bit unusual to have a bike on a roof top.

This is another one of my favourite image as I love the contrast between the colours. The composition works nicely and fits in well with the rule of third.

I took image inside a shop.  I like the quirkiness of it, with lots of bits and pieces in the frame.

Recently I have become quite interested in alternative processes and film is definitely something I would consider using in the future.  I'm especially impressed with the image quality you can get when using a medium format camera.  However, until the day I can afford a medium format, I will be sticking to digital!.  

Unit 23: Photographic Media Historical process - Cyanotypes

Cyanotypes is an old historical photographic process which gives a cyan blue print, and was discovered by Sir John Herschel in 1842.  It was initially used by engineers to make blueprints but following that, it was Anna Atkins who popularised this simple and cost effective process in the photographic world.  She made a number of books documenting plant life.  She produced cyanotypes by placing algae directly on to the paper and exposing them to light to create a silhouetted effect.

To produce a cyanotype you need equal amount of two chemicals - ammonium iron citrate and potassium ferricyanide.  These photosensitive solutions need to be applied to paper or cloth and then dried in a dark room/cabinet. An image can be produced by exposing the chemical coated paper to ultraviolet light like the sun and by placing a contact negative or a digital image printed on acetate on top of the paper.  The longer the image is exposed to the light the darker the image will turn out. It's recommended to to expose between 10-20 minutes to get a good level of detail in the image.  Once the correct exposure time is achieved then the paper needs to be rinsed off under running water to wash off all the chemicals.      

Images below show how cyanotypes can vary a great deal in colour and intensity.  Image on the right is one of Anna Atkins famous plant cyanotypes.


     




So we decided to produce our own cyanotypes in college.  The first image is the result of too much exposure in the sun.  The colour has intensified, resulting in loss of detail.

I feel much happier with the second image as I spent less than ten minutes out in the sun.   There's plenty of definition and it pretty much resembles the original image. I feel even the inverted image on acetate looks quite good.  This is a lovely old process with some room for experimentation.  It's all trial and error like a lot of things but I would love to try this again and, maybe do something similar to Anna Atkins.    

Unit 23: Photographic Media - Health & Safety

In all work places health & safety is an important aspect and needs to be addressed just as much when working in the creative industry.  Assessing risks when working as a photographer, whether on location or in the studio is vital to safe working conditions.  The Health & Safety at Work Act (1974) is in place to ensure employers, employees and anyone self employed take responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of everyone at work.  

Due to the varied nature of the work environment, photography as a profession is not mentioned specifically by the H&S at Work Act (1974), however, there are many guidelines people working in the industry can adhere to ensure safe working practises.

The following guidelines apply to all work places as well as photographic practises:

Health & Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulation 1992 

Most if not all photographers work with PC's/laptops when processing their images and sometimes can spend many hours sitting in front of the computer.  

To comply with H&S regulations  and to minimise pains, strains and injuries associated with using a computer station, users should:

• Have regular breaks - around every 15 minutes to prevent headaches and eye strains

• Use ergonomically designed furniture which can minimise poor posture, reduce fatigue and possible back, neck and shoulder and wrist injuries 

• Adjust text size on screen to suit requirement 

• Adjust screens brightness and contrast and use different background colours to reduce flicker 

• Reduce glare or reflection by moving the pc or by sitting in a different position.

• Correct usage of the key board and mouse to avoid pains, strains and RSI.  Also use footrests if necessary

• Work in a room with good ventilation and most of the walls are painted grey to avoid colour casts on the screens.   

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)

This regulations places a duty on whoever controls or operates work machinery. In the case of photographers that would include the following:

• All equipment used such as lights, cameras, flash guns, tripods, light modifiers, power packs, screens etc should be suitable for the intended purpose. 

• All equipment should have regular service and maintenance to ensure they're still safe to use.  

• Everyone using/handling the equipment should receive adequate training and made aware of all the health and safety risks.  

• Should have suitable h&s measures in place for emergencies, including markings and warning signs. 

•  Ensure all equipments are PAT tested every year, including PC's, monitors, printers etc 

• Ensure safety when working with studio lights, due to electrical hazards, tripping over wires, touching hot light etc

• Assess the work environment and check for the correct temperature for using certain equipments and ensure the condition is suitable for working in

COSH 

Control of Substance Hazardous to Health Regulations is in place to ensure anyone who comes into contact with any potentially dangerous substances such as gas, fumes, liquids and any other substances used in the dark room, assesses the risks involved and puts in the relevant safety measures in place.  The risks of using these substances without training and guidance could endanger those using it.  Special safety measures such as wearing gloves and safety goggles should be in place when handling dark room material to prevent harm.  If you're handling such substance then you also have a duty of safe disposal of such substances, in a way which it doesn't damage the environment.        

More information on this website, including signs and symbols to look out for. It's always best to carry out a hazard check list so you can put the relevant safety measures in place.

www.coshh-essentials.org.uk/assets/live/indg136.pdf

Risk Assessments

Anyone carrying out a photographic assignment/event/workshop needs to carry out risks assessments, just like you would do in any normal work environment.  

Whether you're working on location, in the studio, with one model or with a group of people there are always a number of risks involved that you must assess as a photographer. If you're photographing people , in whatever situation, you should get them to sign a contract/model release form so there are no legal issues when it comes to using those images for your specific purpose.  It will help to safeguard you as a photographer.


Studio risks

If you're working in the studio then there are a number of things you must assess in order to ensure a safe working environment:

• Lose wire/cable - they may be trailing across the room and pose a risk of trips and fall - always tape them down 

• Make sure lights are not over-balanced as they may fall over and injure/burn the model/s - also serious risks of fire 

• Always use the correct stand for the lights you use 

• When adjusting barn doors protective clothing should be worn as they can get very hot    

• Ensure lighting is cool before moving them

• If you have young children in the studio then make sure there's no danger of them running into anything    

Location risks

Going on location can bring its own set of risks.  All photographers involved in outdoor shoot must carry out risk assessments in relation to the following and decide on the level of risk and implement measures to minimise or eliminate the risk.  Once assessment has been carried out a review should take place after a specific amount of time to check whether anything has changed.    

• All photographers should ensure they have public liability insurance in case of accidents/injuries etc, this document needs to be archived for 40 years 
• Make sure the car being used is insured for business use 
• As mentioned earlier, contracts should be in place signed by the customer
• Get the necessary permission for access and using particular area 
• Risk assess the are where photography will be taking place 
• Check for signage in place or fire precautions 
• Ensure all involved in the shoot is aware of any concerns regarding h&s
• Check all equipment is safe and fit for purpose prior to bring out on location 
• Make sure anyone using the equipments are trained to use them safely

Studio Photography: Low-Key

Low-Key

Low-key lighting is when only one main light source and usually a black background is used to light the subject.  It works very well on male subjects and helps to give them a dark, masculine and sombre look. Although, I have seen low-key lighting work just as well on female subjects.  Low-key lighting is fairly opposite to high-key lighting.  There are more shadows and darker tones, helping to create a contrast in the image.  Low-key lighting can create drama and highlight the skin tone and contours of the face, which adds to the personality of the subject.           

This is a classic Hollywood image of Johnny Depp, and one I thought that demonstrated low-key quite well.  You can tell one light source was used to light one side of his face but it also appears that another low light may have been used to create a contrast between his hairline and the background.  It's not a very serious look but still works really well to highlight his strong masculine features.      

To create our low-key image the studio was set up with a black background and one poly board to block off light from one side and another two placed at an angle to allow in only a narrow band of light.  The lighting was very much controlled because of the poly boards and reduced any spillage.    

The first image is of one of my female classmates.  This image demonstrates how this type of lighting can work with a female subject and convey a similar sort of message to the male one.  The lack of smile on the subjects face shows the serious side her to her character.  It's quite an atmospheric image and works really well because of the outline of the hat follows through to the outline of her face.  The reason I didn't choose this image is because of the lack of eye contact and so it doesn't hold my attention long enough before I want to move on.         

I chose this image for my final submission because  for me it represents low-key extremely well.  It also helps to have a subject who's good at making faces and so happened to make the right face in this situation.  I really like the way the light has caught his eyes and falls down nicely from his face to his hands and down his arms.  There's a lovely line which helps to guide your eyes through the image.  The strong eye contact holds the viewers attention and the look in his eyes makes you question what they're trying to tell you.  Utilising selective lighting and using dark shadows as primary elements, this low-key light set up has helped me to create an image that looks very mysterious and atmospheric.      

Finally I decided to include this image I took prior to doing my single portrait shoot. This was done as a test shoot so I could experiment with the lighting before I had my model in the studio.  For this I used a single light which has helped me to create a low-key image.  It has all the qualities of a low-key image - a sense of drama, atmosphere and a sombre feel to it.  I'm very pleased with this image as I felt a lot more confident playing around with the lights to get what I really wanted.  It shows how practise can really make you perfect - although not quite perfect in my case!     

Studio Photography: Portrait & Still Life

Portrait

One of the tasks I was least looking forward to doing was the one piece of studio portrait we had to produce by independently assembling the set and lighting.  Not because I was worried about setting up the studio or lighting but mainly because working with models was my least favourite activity. And my experience whilst trying to organise this has only reinforced my views about working with models.   

I initially asked Sara from my class, whether she knew anyone who may be interested in doing some modelling for me.  She gave me details of someone she knew who I contacted and arranged to come in the studio on a specific date.  When I got into college the following week, I noticed my name had been crossed out from the studio diary and instead replaced with something along the lines of 'FdA priority' I presume it meant the degree students were using the studio. So I quickly cancelled my model and told her I would contact her soon to give her a different date.  Later that day, Andrea my very generous classmate offered to let me use the studio for one of the mornings she had it booked, as she was busy doing something else that morning. I contacted the model but she wasn't available that day!! I desperately tried to get another model and luckily for me, Rukudzo, kindly helped me to recruit one via the wonders of Facebook.  It was all set and ready to go until the night before the shoot when I decided to text my model to check everything was ok, when I'm told that her dad can no longer give her a lift! Not wanting to lose my model, I offer to pick her up in the morning. Little did I know what was to come next!!.  On the morning of the shoot I get a text from her saying there's a problem with their boiler and she has to stay home and wait for work men! it's not really her fault and there wasn't a lot she could do about it, but it didn't help my situation! 

I didn't want to waste my morning and the studio was already booked so I decided to pick my nephew and made my way in to college.  I took quite a few photographs of my nephew, but like most children, his attention span wasn't great and I found it difficult to keep him still without him getting bored.  When he did stay still he would freeze up a little and his expression did not look very natural. Perhaps if I had taken something in like a toy or something to entertain him then maybe I would have got him in a more relaxed state.  However, it was all last minute and I didn't have much time to plan this shoot.  

Initially the lighting set up included the black ground with the two black poly boards on either side.  I didn't want any additional light spilling onto the subject from the sides or to create any unwanted shadows.  I used a beauty dish, which is great for portraiture and to light up my nephews features and a softbox to soften the light a little.     

The resulting image was ok, and this is the best one of the bunch as he's got a lovely expression on his face, good eye contact with the camera and a fairly relaxed pose. I think the image looks much better in black and white than colour but the problem here is that because he's got black hair it seems to have merged with the background.  There's also a some shadows under his chin and I should have used the reflector to eliminate this. 

I decided to change the light set up around to get a bit more light from behind his head so you could see the hairline. For this I used a snoot, which gives a sharp directional light.  I also used a rectangular softbox to give a narrow band of light as I wanted to do a full length portrait.    

This is the best image from that set up. I decided the full length portrait didn't look as good so I cropped this image to bring the attention to his face.  I'm still not very happy with the image because a strong light has fallen to one side of his face and looks a little over exposed and there's still some shadow on the top of his nose.  I could have used a smaller aperture to let in less light but then I may have under exposed the rest of the image.   I also think he has a glazed look on his face, which doesn't reflect his personality very well or do justice to how he really is - lively, chatty, inquisitive and cheeky! he was quite bored by then and just wanted to go home! who can blame him? standing in front of the glare of the studio light for half a day!   

Not entirely satisfied with my result I decided to book the studio for the following day and possibly use one of my fellow class mates to model for me.  It was then I came across Roman, who made a bit of an impression on me. Piercing eyes, very strong jawline and well structured cheekbones, I immediately thought he had the perfect face for a strong portraiture.    

I changed the studio lighting around a few times to see what sort of result I could achieve and practised on two willing victims (Andy and Sara!). I finally settled on a slightly low key set up with black background, black poly boards on either side, two soft boxes in front for a slightly high-key affect and a light with honeycomb from behind to illuminate one side of his face/hairline.    

I quite like this image of Roman and it does look better in black in white than did in colour but just like my nephews photograph, it was difficult to separate his hairline from the background.  Otherwise, I do feel it's a fairly strong portrait as the lighting works really well on his face.  I used a new Black & White Adjustment Layer on Photoshop and then used Hard Light on the blending option to bring out his features.   

For my final submission I selected the following image.  I feel it's a really powerful image and one that draws you in to look deeper into his eyes. It's by far the strongest portrait I have produced in the studio to date.  I love the look in his eye, they look quite menacing and slightly intimidating - exactly the look I was aiming for.  The light worked quite nicely as it highlighted one part of his face whilst the other side was slightly darker, adding to the moodiness his character.  The cap on his head and the headphones around his neck gives the impression of a young trendy person, but with a slightly serious side to him. The image works really well because everything he's wearing contrasts very nicely with the dark black background, without blending in to it.  To sharpen his features even further and to give him that slightly edgy look I turned the image to black and white and then used the Hard Light blending option. I feel this has given him a slightly rugged look, which compliments his features very well.                



Still Life

I've always enjoyed photographing flowers.  I think it's the colours, shapes, textures and variety that attracts me to them.  I think someone once said if you can master photographing flowers then you can photograph anything! could have been John Kiely?! Flowers have been traditionally photographed to represent their  soft, delicate and fragile quality.  However, having been shown images from the tulip series by well known British photographer, John Blakemore, I wanted to try my hands at something different.  Blakemore spent many years photographing still life, which included a series of images of tulips, where he would photograph them in natural light and particularly when they were past their best, typically a few weeks after their peak, capturing their gradual decline and natural elegance.

http://www.lenscratch.com/2012/12/john-blakemore-at-klompching-gallery.html

For my still life I decided do some experimenting at home with a bunch of flowers I had.  I'd had them for a while so they were gradually wilting and withering away.  I took the following images at night so I didn't have to worry about any light spillage from outside.  I turned the main room light off and made sure there was no light coming in from any windows or doors.  I then used the assistive light on my mobile to direct it towards the vase of white roses I had placed on the dining table.  I wanted to highlight the decay of the roses and create a dark and moody atmosphere at the same time.  I quite like the two images below but I personally think they are a little too busy which can look a bit distracting.  I think the usage of a single light has worked quite well to create some nice shadows but overall the images are not strong enough to go in my final submission.     

I decided to isolate one of the roses and focus on creating one strong single image.  For this image I used just a table lamp which was pointing towards the rose. It was quite a strong light but I like how it has filtered through the whole rose, almost illuminating it from the inside.  As it was night time photography and the lamp had a tungsten light, it had created a golden warm glow to the white rose.  The textures on the petals show up very nicely, highlighting the beauty in its decay.         

   

I feel the conversion to black and white and slight sharpening worked better with the rose and helped to bring out its characteristics and provide a nice contrast  with the background.  The viewers attention is now focused on the rose, with very little distraction.  In conclusion I feel it's a fairly ok image but its not strong enough to be included in my final submission - to me it looks too ordinary and somehow lacks imagination!.  However, due to time constraints I will make do with this for now, but I would like another attempt to produce something even better than this for my still life submission. For now, this'll have to do! 

Studio Photography: High-Key

High-Key 

High-key lighting is something that was used in the early days of cinema.  The aim of it was to reduce contrast, as early films and television could not cope with extreme contrasts of blacks and whites.      High-key photography involves the elimination of all shadows to produce a bright, crisp, well lit images, with very little tonal variation   These days high-key is very popular in fashion and portrait photography as they can evoke a feeling of freshness, optimism and energy.

This is an example of high-key lighting I grabbed from Google images.  The portrait has very little shadows and her features are highlighted very well.  This type of lighting compliments subjects that have a  fairer complexion and lighter coloured hair and possibly wearing pastel shades.    

The lighting set up for high-key is a white background with two 3k heads with deep reflectors pointing towards the background.  To light the subject you need two 1.5k softboxes pointing towards the subject.  Best to start off with the lights and subject at 45 degrees and then the position of the front light boxes can be adjusted as necessary.  To get a good spread of light and to bounce the light on the subject, it's a good idea to add white poly boards on either side.  The background lights should always be two stops brighter from the font lights in order to achieve an evenly lit portrait and to get a pure white background.        

High key lighting set up - white background with two deep reflectors pointing at the background and two large softboxes pointing towards the subject

I chose this image for my final submission for high key photography.  It was shot using a medium format camera and all the lighting was set up by John, our tutor.  The lighting diagram above demonstrates the set up for this shoot.  A reflector was used under the subjects face to bounce the light back and to reduce any shadows from appearing under her chin.  Using softboxes helped to create a softer pattern of light, highlighting her facial features.  

I've seen the rise in popularity of these types of images over the years, and can understand why it may appeal to some people, but I personally am not very keen on this type of photography.  To me it feels too clinical and gives no depth to the character of the individual. It works best in a commercial setting as the sole purpose would be to highlight specific features of a product in order to make it appealing to the consumer but definitely poor for showing mood or atmosphere.              

Studio Photography: Lighting texture

When photographing still life objects, it's really important to have the correct lighting set up in order to capture the finer details and the textures and tones of the object.  

For this task I took a few items from home, which I thought would be ideal for texture.  Wasn't sure what to bring so just grabbed whatever was nearby.  I took an orange gerbera (to add a bit of softness) and some chickpeas, as I thought    the fine delicate petals of the flower would work nicely with the rough textures of the chickpeas. Although the colours complimented each other really well, I felt there was something missing.  This is when I decided to use one of my class mates shell alongside the other items.  Later on the day I collected a few leaves and tree barks to add a bit of variety to the images.

Photographing still life can be quite tricky and you may need to add various light sources to light up specific part of the subject.  You also need to have greater control of the lighting in order to create a certain mood or ambience as an inanimate object cannot react to different lighting conditions.   

For this studio session we used the Mamiya RZ67, which is a beautiful medium format camera.   
Leaf Valeo 17(LF5339)/Mamiya RZ 67      

http://www.lightingdiagrams.com/Creator

For the images below a flash light was placed high up from the back of the still life table, which had honeycomb and barn doors, almost directly opposite the camera.  This allowed the light to skim across the surface of the objects highlighting the textures.  The barn doors helped to control the direction of the light and and the honeycomb helped to diffuse it.  I used a gold card to eliminate the shadows that was falling on the chickpeas and to the side of the shell.  The good thing about using a gold card instead of a reflector is that you get nice patches of light instead of a solid reflection, enhancing the textures even further.       

This first image clearly shows the shadows and dark patches.  

  

The gold reflector has been positioned correctly which has helped to eliminate the shadows and  bring out the texture well. 

One the first image you can see a harsh shadow has fallen over the subjects with the light being positioned directly behind, and the second image shows the textures well as I placed the gold card in front.    

This is my final submission as I love the composition and contrast of colours and textures in this image.  The flower, leaves and tree bark work beautifully together and complement each other perfectly.  I think using the medium format camera has helped me to achieve a much superior quality of image, bringing out every single detail of the objects.  Which is why I did very minimal post production work on these images.