shape

Shape:

A shape is an area enclosed by a line. It could be just an outline or it could be shaded in. Shapes can be either geometric, like a circle, square or triangle, or irregular. When drawing shapes, you must consider the size and position as well as the shape of the area around it. The shapes created in the spaces between shapes are referred to as negative space.

In this Photograph, Brandt has used light to create a defined negative space. The bright light shining on the woman highlights her and makes her stand out. This photo has been edited into black and white, which deters the eye from being focused on colour and attracts it to the bright woman. The use of the negative space creates a contrast between the woman and the background, which could be connotated with her feeling objectified. The model is the main focus and the only subject in the photograph, and this could reflect the objectification she feels as a vulnerable female. This image could represent the feminist views of Brandt.

(AO:1.  You must ensure that several of the visual ideas/inspirations within the image bank are pursued. )

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.

AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements.  

Shape image bank:

  
         


Artist Research: Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy is a British sculptor. photographer and environmentalist who produces his art in naturalistic settings. His work is hugely recognised and he has won many awards due to his art. Due to him working with naturalistic elements, he cannot edit the materials he uses, making his sculptures authentic. Below are examples of some of Goldsworthy's best works:

     
     
 

The denotations of Goldsworthty's works are all naturalistic. These include stones, sticks, leaves and water. There is also a pattern or shape in all of his sculptures. Therefore the connotations of some of his works could include quite spiritual meanings, such as the belief that nature is beautiful and the idea that life is set out by a more powerful force than humans. As well as this concept, we see a lot of stones and rocks used, as well as the illusion of a tree glowing from within, suggesting that nature is powerful and giving ideas of strength within it. 

Below are pictures of the sculptures i made that represent Andy Goldswrothy's work:

Some of my photographs didn't come out as best as they could. An example of a photo to be improved would be 7524. This is because as i was standing above the sculpture to get the birds eye view angle, my hair fell in front of the lens, distracting the main attention from the twigs to my hair in the frame. Another picture that could be improved would be 7520. I think that the aperture was too high and so the picture came out quite dark.

Pictures to improve:

To improve these images, I should adjust the camera settings, such as the aperture, to let in more light to the frame. I should also try to improve my camera set up. Maybe by using a tripod, the camera would be steadily at the angle preferred and incidents such as my hair getting into the shot wouldn't occur.

Best Pictures:

 

I believe that these images were successful as they clearly show inspiration from Andy Goldsworthy and they portray similar connotations. Naturalistic materials have been arranged in different aesthetically pleasing ways that display the beauty and strength that nature holds. The camera used was a Canon EOS 50D with the settings at f\\8  and 1/500". 

Editing Processes and Final Photos:

 

Overall Analysis:

In conclusion, I think that a lot of my photographs were successful in reflecting styles of Andy Goldsworthy and exploring Shape through photography. To take these pictures I first had to create the sculptures. Using raw materials like stones and leaves made it hard to achieve an eye pleasing model as some stones were chipped and leaves were ripped. Having materials that cannot physically be changed made it more challenging to arrange them to look aesthetically pleasing. Taking the actual photographs, i explored using a few different angles. This can imply more power on the naturalistic elements. If i was to revisit this topic, I may consider editing my photos further into black and white. This would benefit the photos as the colours in them can distract the main focus of shape to being on colour. A shape I created was a circle. This is because circles have many connotations. One is strength. I wanted to signify the strength and significance that nature holds. I also chose a circle because it can represent the circle of life, either within nature such as trees (Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter), or of human life. In the editing processes, I erased any bits of dirt around the subjects as again, working with raw materials cannot be edited in person and there will therefore be unwanted marks around the focus of the photograph. I also adjusted the brightness, contrast, saturation and sharpness of the photograph using a variety of tools on photoshop. This was to give the photographs a clean and bright finish. 

camera settings

How my Camera Works:

Aperture - f//2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22

                      Lots of light -> not a lot of light

Shutter speed (“) - 1s, 0.5s, 0.25s, 0.125s, 0.05125s

                                  1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15,

1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000.

ISO - international standards organisation.

100, 200 ☀️, 400, 800 ☁️, 1600 🌙

texture and pattern

Texture and Pattern

Texture; the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or a substance. 

Pattern; a repeated decorative design, which can be natural and unnatural.

Texture Theory; The challenge of seeing and capturing texture is mostly based on one element - light. Texture can be accentuated by the side light of early sunny mornings or early evenings, or by overhead light when the sun is vertical and high in the sky. Light creates different shadows and highlights different points of detail.

 (AO:1.  You must ensure that several of the visual ideas/inspirations within the image bank are pursued. )

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.

AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes 

connections between visual and other elements.  

Texture Photo Bank:

 

Pattern Photo Bank:

Artist Research: Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist. His black-and-white images of the American West, especially Yosemite National Park, have been widely reproduced on calendars, posters, books, and the internet. Adams developed the Zone System as a way to determine proper exposure and adjust the contrast of the final print. The resulting clarity and depth characterised his photographs. He primarily used large-format cameras because the large film used with these cameras (primarily 5×4 and 8×10) contributed to the clarity of his prints.

 

In this image, we can conclude many denotations and connotations. The denotations include frosted leaves, tree branches (which could be Pine) and the fact that the picture is in black and white. Because the picture is monochrome, it focuses the eye mostly on the textures and patterns on the leaves. The connotations that I get from this image are Autumn/Winter, festivity, nature and cold weather. Therefore we can relate this image to the end of a life and regeneration etc. 

This photograph shows rocks, mountains, clouds and light rays. Ansel Adams takes all of his photos in black and white, which allows the viewer to focus fully on the textures and patterns presented. The connotations we can gather from this could be strength. Mountains and rocks are both very weighty aspects of nature and having them both featured in this photograph could represent challenges that Adams is facing in life or how he may feel weighed down. Other links to this connotation could be the clouds glooming above or the low camera angle.  

Photo Bank For Pictures I Could Take:

 
 

I intend to capture some photos that feature some of the naturalistic features that Adams' work presents. I will explore the different textures and patterns that i can find and further edit the pictures to draw focus to them.

Contact Sheet:

Many of the pictures that I took didn't turn out very high quality. This could be because the aperture was too low or the lighting I set up was not positioned correctly. For the lighting, I used an industrial torch light at different distances and angles to highlight the different textures and patterns in the second contact sheet. Some of the more naturalistic pictures in contact sheet 1 didn't turn out very well due to me having too long of a shutter speed setting on or the aperture too low. for example, these are pictures IMG 7447, IMG 6901 and IMG 7239.

Pictures to Improve:

Best Pictures:

I took these photos using a Canon EOS with varied apertures ranging between f//5.6 and f//11.0. The shutter speeds originally were way too long at 2" but I then adjusted it to between 1/30" and 1/60". My intentions for these images was to create some high quality photographs that reflect Ansel Adams work and the themes of texture and pattern. 

The photographs above feature texture and pattern. The orange and the tree trunk Show textures whereas the water and flowers show patterns. To capture the different textures and patterns i used lighting, different angles and different camera settings.  

Final images and Editing Process:

 

  

Overall Analysis:

In conclusion I believe that my photos represent Ansel Adams work as well as featuring texture and pattern. To take these images I gathered some objects and others were in their natural environment. All of my edits have a naturalistic theme as that is what Adams photographed. When taking my pictures, I explored many different angles. Different angles can imply different things such as power or vulnerability. Ansel Adams explores this and an example from his work is the shot of some rocks and a mountain. The camera is very low down, looking up at the rocks and mountain, giving impressions of power. If I were to re-visit this topic i would explore using things such as a macro lens to get much more detail on the textures of some items. I may also vary the editing technique and enhance the shadows and highlights to create a contrast that draws attention to the intricate details of the textures. The camera settings would stay relatively the same but I would make sure that the aperture and ISO is correct for all the different environments. For example the settings i used inside were the same settings i used outside, and therefore the photographs taken in the bright outside were too light and didn't pick up all the details. A connotation for these naturalistic photographs would be the beauty found in nature. Focusing on the details of the textures allows people to witness the true beauty hidden in these objects, which the human eye may not always be able to spot. The editing techniques for these images was fairly simple however transformed plain photographs into designs and patterns by altering adjustments. Overall, I believe that these final photographs have turned out very successful and truly represent Ansel Adam's work of Texture and Pattern.