Reflection on the summer task

I found the summer task in 2010 to be quite a challenge but a challenge I was looking forward to getting stuck into. I didn’t want to rush into the project, as I thought it would be a good idea for me to read, understand and incorporate knowledge the books we were advised to read, had taught me. I found that these books in some ways made aspects of my photography more complicated as they added ideas that I had not thought of before, furthermore they therefore provided new material and helped me to see a new variety of photography and also use this in my work. Once I had read the books I decided to do my own independent research around these photographers, especially Charlotte Cotton, as although I appreciated the other photographers style’, I could almost relate to Charlotte.

When beginning to take my photographs, I tried to take on a role. I was almost trying to feel the emotions I would feel if I was to actually lose a loved one. I walked around my house for signs of life, normal everyday things, such as my Mothers shoes at the bottom of the stairs which are always there when she’s home. I tried to take away those signs as if that person had left and everything that would be a ritual in my day to day life was somehow shaken up and changed. I feel that I worked quite hard on this project and was pleased with the overall outcome, I am aware people may not see the same things I see when looking at my pictures, which is almost what I intended. These pictures are almost snapshots of my emotions if a loved one left my life.

Letter to self

Well Oliver, thats it. Your first University year completed, done, finished. I hope you have enjoyed it and enjoyed expanding out in different areas of photography that you haven’t done before.
I hope you are starting to discover which area of photography you have a particular interest in. I want you to carry on with improving whatever area you feel weakest at as every strength is a good thing.
Perhaps try branching into more film work? Test yourself, try taking some skateboarding photographs using film and see how they turn out. I hope you have learnt and expanded all your skills as well as improving your knowledge of photography and the history of it this is important as it is important to know they different styles that have been done and how far back they were done.
Over this 2011 summer i would like you to carry on with the sketch book idea. If you need to buy a new one, try and fill it as much you can over the summer filling it with you own mini projects or try taking a picture a day for the whole summer, the picture should try and sum the day up. In the second year i want to carry on learning more and more about the different aspects of photography and the history more knowledge the better remember?
Keep trying hard and well done for this year, work on your weaknesses and continue to enjoy photography.
Your sincerely,
Yourself

I found this letter awfully hard to do that is why it is lacking in length, but i think that all the points covered are very valid and are the way forward for myself.

Leo Sharp

Leo Sharp is a 33 year old Englishman who grew up in Milton Keynes. He now spends a lot of his time moving from place to place around England and in many cases different countries in europe. He is a skateboard photographer who has taken pictures for professional magazines such as Sidewalk and Transworld. I found this picture on his website under the portrait portfolio, i hadn’t previously looked at his portraiture side of work as i have mainly been interested in the extreme sport side but how i wish i looked earlier, he has a number of very interesting portrait shots of either different photographers or band members. This particular image interests me a lot as it is a number of different skateboarders cut up and made into one skateboarder, he hasn’t used great skill in photoshop to make this image look like a real person but i think that is the idea, i think Leo Sharp wants us to notice that is is made up of a number of different people, This avoids the conventional look on portrait photography and stands out from the rest.

Aaron Smith

Aaron Smith is one of my favourite photographers of all time, his main focus is on skateboarding photography but it isnt this i am mainly interested in. He has recently started a new project that is the Skateboarder’s portrait. The portrait shots are not all set up in studio conditions as the idea is to show the skateboarder in his natural surroundings, also the images are shot while out on a location skateboarding shoot, the images appeal to me because they look natural and rugged. A lot of the images are often of the skateboarders injury’s this make good pictures because it adds a lot more detail to the image.
When his shoots in the skateboarders house he takes advantage of very good natural light, in my opinion using natural light in his shots looks better as portrait shots as it looks more natural.

Pictures of portrait’s using natural light.

• http://www.asmith-photography.com/#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=15&p=1&a=0&at=0
• http://www.asmith-photography.com/#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=7&p=1&a=0&at=0
• http://www.asmith-photography.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=6&p=6
• http://www.asmith-photography.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=8&p=6

 

First time using the Mamiya 7II and the Mamiya RB67.

When we started to look at all the different components of these two film cameras i found them very daunting. As i had never used a film camera before i expected it to be quite a struggle to be able to get the hang of it, surprisingly i found it easier than i first thought. The first camera i used was the Mamiya 7II, this camera had a small amount of electricity in it which was good as it made it slightly easier, i took several pictures with this camera of a pub on a corner of a street, the picture wasn’t necessarily the most interesting of shotes but i intended to be able to get the grasp of the camera on a simple still object rather than going to some loacation far away and trying really elaborate pictures when i had no idea how they would turn out as i was still learning how to use it. The pictures came out well enough for me to be more experimental with my next set of images i take with this camera.

 

The second camera i used was the  Mamiya RB67, i found this camera fairly difficult to use, when i was learning about this camera it was relatively hard to keep up with what part of the camera was what, so i watched the video and took notes and then in my own time i watched that video and others that i could find on the internet to help me understand how to use the camera better. I found the camera pretty heavy to hold and the sight was confusing as it went in opposite directions to myself, also it was different that i couldn’t get as close as i can with my digital. The pictures for this camera had to be of something that is special to me, i chose to take pictures of a childhood stuffed toy that i have had since birth. Once i started taking pictures with this camera i became more confident than i was with the Mamiya 7II, this was because i had watched and taken more notes than the last camera and i had also used a film camera a couple of days before so it wasn’t a completely new thing to me.

New Topographics

August Sander- “I hate nothing more than sugary photographs with tricks, poses and effects. So allow me to be honest? and tell the truth about our age and its people”
I took this image to try and gain the interest of the viewer and for them to ask them self what it is about this image that interests them. I think that this image makes the viewer wonder what is going on in this persons life. The simple photoshop touch up lets the image stay true and doesn’t distract the viewer from the image.
I think that everything works well in this image apart from the position of the subject, i think i could of centered them more so that the viewers eyes cant wonder.

Minor white-“Let the subject generate its own photographs. Become a camera”
This photograph fits well with this quote as the photo is un-canned, the image has great interest but has been kept simple. I don’t think there is to much to think about with this image which is good as i wanted to keep it simple but effective, i think the timing of this photo is vital as it is just as he has handed over the bag of fruit. I think that if it was at any other time it wouldn’t be as interesting.
I think that the angle would of bee better if i was more to the side of them so that i could capture the women’s faces as well.