Project- Reflection

Due in 10th November for Group Tutorial

A few weeks ago were given the theme for our first 2 weekly picture project, it was reflection.

We weren't given any other information apart from- it had to be uploaded on Flikr in the group pool by midnight on the 9th November ready for the tutorial with our group the following day.

When i got this theme i had a lot of ideas and wanted to do something a bit deeper than the obvious responses to the theme. One of the ideas i had was quite sinister and fitted with the time of year- Haloween! I planned to do this next weeked as i needed a particular location and model for it so it would take a bit of planning.

I the mean time i went to Fleetwood and Blackpool for the day, i kept an eye out for reflections and considered this part of my research.

On the way to Fleetwood i passed a glass blowers and noticed some glass sculptures outside, they looked amazing so with the project in mind i took some photos:

F32, 1/40 Sec, ISO 200, Handheld, Un-edited.

F25, 1/60 Sec, ISO 400, handheld, un-edited.

Here are examples of the above images after editing in Photoshop- mainly to show what a difference editing can make...

I went to fleetwood next, it was starting to rain but i had time for a quick walk on the beach and took this:

F14, 1/60 Sec, ISO 200, Handheld, edited using vignettes in LR.

I think this image shows another type of reflection, the editing was just experimental really, i was trying out the vignettes in LR and ended up with this although if i was to use this shot for anything i would probably make it more subtle than this.

I went to Blackpool and walked around until it went dark and the illuminations came on, i did take some shots of the illuminations but i wont put them on this post, here are a couple that i thought i might use for the reflections project:

F5.6, 1/4 Sec, ISO 1000, Handheld and resting on railings as used slow
shutter, cropped slightly in Lightroom.

F5.6, 1/2 Sec, ISO 1000, Handheld and resting on railings as used slow shutter, un-edited.

On the way home i stopped at the glass blowers to take a few test shots of the glass sculptures in the dark, we had noticed during the day that there were lights in and around them so wanted to see them lit up at night. I had to climb over a fence and trudge through a muddy field to get to the sculptures! here is one of them:

F5.6, 1/8 Sec, ISO 400, Handheld, un-edited.

It didn't look how imagined it would when it was lit up.

I saw another reflection when i was on my way home and stopped at the side of the road to take them, it was so windy i nearly blew away, this made it difficult to hold the camera still, i was standing on a bridge over the water and had to rest the camera on the railings and push down on the camera to keep it still, even a tripod wouldnt have helped in this situation!

F5.6, 1/5 Sec, ISO 500, resting on the railings, Un-edited.

This was one of the first shots i took, as it is on quite a fast shutter speed it hasn't really captured the essence of what was in front of me.

F5.6, 4 Sec, ISO 125, resting on the railings, un-edited.

This image after using a slower shutter speed is much better, i wanted to use a slower shutter speed to blur the water a little and create a more dreamy effect, i do think it appears a little creepy almost like a haunted house.

Perhaps inspired by halloween i wanted to do something quite sinister, i originally had the idea of a man looking at his hands in shock with fake blood on them, this wouldnt have been a literal reflection but somethinng a bit deeper which is what i was aiming for.

I got my model and decided to use a garden shed/summer house as my location as it was scruffy and downbeat, similar to the locations we sometimes see in horror movies.

I wanted to try out a few things as usually when doing a photo shoot, the images that you imagine in your head are quite different to the ones you actually create.

F5.6, 1/15 Sec, ISO 400, Handheld, un-edited.

I like the effect of this photo, although technically it is a bad photograph, underexposed and seemingly out of focus it is almost cartoon like.

F5.6, 1/13 Sec, ISO 640, handheld, un-edited.

F5, 1/13 Sec, ISO 640, handheld, un-edited.

Looking at this shot it reminds me a little of Gregory Crewdsons work, the mixed lighting and the tension. I used a torch to illuminate the knife and i had a spotlight in front of the subject as i wanted a direct source of light that was unflattering.

Photograph By Gregory Crewdson

Photograph By Gregory Crewdson

The name of this photo is actually quite apt- it is called Reflection.

F4.5, 1/13 Sec, ISO 640, handheld, un-edited.

F4.5, 1/3 Sec, ISO 640, handheld, un-edited.

F4.5, 1/3 Sec, ISO 640, handheld, un-edited.

F5.6, 0.6 Sec, ISO 640, handheld, un-edited.

F4, 1/25 Sec, ISO 640, handheld, un-edited.

F4.5, 1/25 Sec, ISO 640, handheld, un-edited.

I wanted to do a bit of research into Photographers that have a similar style- horror photography, i realise that i perhaps did this the wrong way around as usually it would be something you do first as it becomes something that you can draw inspiration from. I had quite a clear idea of what i wanted to do so it didnt occur to me at that point to look at the work of other people. I have since found these photos from a photographer who specialises in Horror photography

Photograph By Joshua Hoffine

Photograph By Joshua Hoffine

This is the final image, it was edited in lightroom to give it a more sinister feel i applied a preset and increased the blacks to darken the shadows.

I remember reading Geoff Dyer's the Ongoing Moment and he said something like; the power of a photograph isnt in what we can see, but in what we cant see. By increasing the shadows it adds mystery as there are parts that are left to the imagination and when i was thinking about this it reminded me of what Geoff Dyer said.

Click the link to see the comments i received from others in my group

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathrynjefferson/4086908902/