Development
Beach Sunset
I went to the beach in Cornwall to take some pictures of the sunset and to take some landscape photos. I used my DSLR camera with a zoom lens. At first I tried to take the pictures while holding the camera. The pictures looked ok on the back of the camera but when I got home I realised they were too blurry. The last pictures I took on the beach were done using a tripod. I had to use a long exposure but using the tripod meant the photos came out much better.
What Went Well
The first thing I thought that went well was the location. I haven't photographed on a beach before and it was very nice to be there. The waves and the rock shapes looked really nice and I especially like the colour of the sea. The first few photos show the movement of the waves crashing and the power of the sea. The pictures I took using the tripod came out sharp and the long exposure was the same method I used with the Tokihiro Sato light painting photos.
Even Better If
When I got to the beach it was already getting dark. The pictures I took without the tripod are blurry because I couldn't hold the camera still for long enough. If I had got there an hour earlier it would have still been light enough to hold the camera and get sharp photos. It wasn't possible to get there earlier so I should have used the tripod for all of the pictures.
Top Three
Below are my three best images edited in Photoshop.
The first thing I thought that went well was the location. I haven't photographed on a beach before and it was very nice to be there. The waves and the rock shapes looked really nice and I especially like the colour of the sea. The first few photos show the movement of the waves crashing and the power of the sea. The pictures I took using the tripod came out sharp and the long exposure was the same method I used with the Tokihiro Sato light painting photos.
Even Better If
When I got to the beach it was already getting dark. The pictures I took without the tripod are blurry because I couldn't hold the camera still for long enough. If I had got there an hour earlier it would have still been light enough to hold the camera and get sharp photos. It wasn't possible to get there earlier so I should have used the tripod for all of the pictures.
Top Three
Below are my three best images edited in Photoshop.
Home Details
I did a photoshoot at home where I captured details of different rooms. I tried to make the things I photographed look a bit different from what they actually are by photographing them close up. I also tried different angles to try and make them more interesting. I used strong shapes and lines to make the final photos simple. The slide show of the photos I took is below.
What Went Well
I thought pictures are a nice selection of shapes and colours. There are a few compositions where it is quite difficult to make out what it is that I photographed which is what I had hoped for. I especially like the zig zag diagonal lines where I was playing with camera angles. Some of the pictures were taken while I was lying on the floor and I think this helped me use my imagination more when finding compositions.
Even Better If
I used a phone to take the pictures. If I had a camera with a lens to allow me to take the photos really close up it would have been better. I had difficulty focusing the phone lens very close up. I also think most of the photos are very easy to see what it is. I hoped that they would have been more abstract. I think if I had turned the pictures to black a white they may have been more interesting.
Top Three
Below are my three best images from the project edited in Photoshop.
I thought pictures are a nice selection of shapes and colours. There are a few compositions where it is quite difficult to make out what it is that I photographed which is what I had hoped for. I especially like the zig zag diagonal lines where I was playing with camera angles. Some of the pictures were taken while I was lying on the floor and I think this helped me use my imagination more when finding compositions.
Even Better If
I used a phone to take the pictures. If I had a camera with a lens to allow me to take the photos really close up it would have been better. I had difficulty focusing the phone lens very close up. I also think most of the photos are very easy to see what it is. I hoped that they would have been more abstract. I think if I had turned the pictures to black a white they may have been more interesting.
Top Three
Below are my three best images from the project edited in Photoshop.
Close Up and Far Away
I went for a walk in close to where I live to photograph both close up and far away pictures of the same scene. The pictures are all taken less than a hundred metres from home. I used a 18-125mm lens on my DSLR camera. This meant I could take two pictures of each scene without changing position. I have six pairs of images which are shown below.
What Went Well
I thought the pairs of pictures work well together. The close up shots are interesting because they are detail and abstract.
The wide angle photographs work well because they show the area of the close up photos and their surroundings. Using the 18-125mm lens meant that I could take the two photos in each pair without moving position.
Even Better If
Too many of my pictures include a plant or tree as the close shot. It would have been better if I had more variation in the pictures, especially the close up photos.
I thought the pairs of pictures work well together. The close up shots are interesting because they are detail and abstract.
The wide angle photographs work well because they show the area of the close up photos and their surroundings. Using the 18-125mm lens meant that I could take the two photos in each pair without moving position.
Even Better If
Too many of my pictures include a plant or tree as the close shot. It would have been better if I had more variation in the pictures, especially the close up photos.
Land Rover Details
I made a set of images of an old Land Rover that is parked near my home. I tried to make them in the same style as the home details photos. I used my DSLR and phone to take the pictures. I photographed the car from every side and took some picture through the window. I spent a long time trying to get nice abstract pictures.
What Went Well
| managed to get a lot of photos by just looking around the car. I was surprised I managed take this many in such a small area. I think there is a nice variety of pictures of the inside, outside and underneath the car. The car is very old, dirty and rusty which made it more interesting to photograph. If it was a new clean car it wouldn't have been as good.
Even Better If
The photos are all taken at the same distance from the car. I think it would have been better if I had taken some of the pictures further away and used a variety of vocal lengths.
Top Three
Below are my three best images.
| managed to get a lot of photos by just looking around the car. I was surprised I managed take this many in such a small area. I think there is a nice variety of pictures of the inside, outside and underneath the car. The car is very old, dirty and rusty which made it more interesting to photograph. If it was a new clean car it wouldn't have been as good.
Even Better If
The photos are all taken at the same distance from the car. I think it would have been better if I had taken some of the pictures further away and used a variety of vocal lengths.
Top Three
Below are my three best images.
Derelict Basement
I made a set of images of a run down basement under a shop. I also took some pictures of the back yard which was overgrown. Most of the pictures are close up detail shots. I also took some wider picture from the basement to show the area.
What Went Well
I took a lot of pictures in a very small space. Even though I thought there wasn't going to be much to take pictures of, I found there was plenty to do once I looked harder. I used a torch to light some of the photos. I held the torch out to one side to make strong shadows.
Even Better if
I took a lot of photos in a short amount of time and most of them were rushed. I could have improved them by taking my time and getting the shots perfect. The location was very dark so I has to use a wide aperture. I should have used a tripod to steady the shots so I would have had less blurry images. I think that the wide pictures are not wide enough. This is because the room was very small so I couldn't stand far back. If I had a wider lens I could have fitted more in.
Top Five
Below are my five best images.
I took a lot of pictures in a very small space. Even though I thought there wasn't going to be much to take pictures of, I found there was plenty to do once I looked harder. I used a torch to light some of the photos. I held the torch out to one side to make strong shadows.
Even Better if
I took a lot of photos in a short amount of time and most of them were rushed. I could have improved them by taking my time and getting the shots perfect. The location was very dark so I has to use a wide aperture. I should have used a tripod to steady the shots so I would have had less blurry images. I think that the wide pictures are not wide enough. This is because the room was very small so I couldn't stand far back. If I had a wider lens I could have fitted more in.
Top Five
Below are my five best images.
Development Project Summary
What Went Well
I thought that all of the projects were interesting. I like how all of the projects look very different to each other. The beach photos were made with a wide angle lens and it's obvious what the pictures are of. The pictures of the basement and the Land Rover were made close to the subject. It's difficult to tell what is being photographed if you just look at one photo. I learned during these projects that a set of abstract photos can be used together to build up a bigger picture and feeling of the subject.
Even Better If
I think that I got better at finding interesting details and compositions with each project. I think that if I slowed down a bit more I could have found better shapes to include in the pictures. Also each set of picture were taken in similar flat light. If I had revisited the locations at different times of day I may have had better light. Some of the close up pictures have areas out of focus which looks good in some photos and bad in some of the others. I could experiment with different apertures next time to see if it improves the pictures.
What Went Well
I thought that all of the projects were interesting. I like how all of the projects look very different to each other. The beach photos were made with a wide angle lens and it's obvious what the pictures are of. The pictures of the basement and the Land Rover were made close to the subject. It's difficult to tell what is being photographed if you just look at one photo. I learned during these projects that a set of abstract photos can be used together to build up a bigger picture and feeling of the subject.
Even Better If
I think that I got better at finding interesting details and compositions with each project. I think that if I slowed down a bit more I could have found better shapes to include in the pictures. Also each set of picture were taken in similar flat light. If I had revisited the locations at different times of day I may have had better light. Some of the close up pictures have areas out of focus which looks good in some photos and bad in some of the others. I could experiment with different apertures next time to see if it improves the pictures.
Final Development Project
Introduction
For my final Environment project I wanted to use the same technique I used for the Land Rover photos. This is because I enjoyed exploring the rusty broken car and tasking a series of pictures that when seen together they tell a bigger story. I also like how when the pictures of the Land Rover are placed in a grid with the car in the middle it makes sense.
For my final Environment project I wanted to use the same technique I used for the Land Rover photos. This is because I enjoyed exploring the rusty broken car and tasking a series of pictures that when seen together they tell a bigger story. I also like how when the pictures of the Land Rover are placed in a grid with the car in the middle it makes sense.
My Response
I first needed to find something run down that would be big enough to allow me to take enough interesting photos. I explored the grounds of my school and Blanche Neville school and found an old shed. It looks like it is about to fall down and has lots of rusty or broken parts. I took a series of close up photos of the shed and one wide one showing the whole building. Below is a slide show of the pictures.
The grid has nine photos with the wide photo in the middle. I selected eight of the most interesting photos and arranged them in the grid around the wide angle photo in the middle. The final image is shown below.
What Went Well
The building I chose gave me lots of options to find close up photos. I like that I was able to do this project at school and that it shows that a boring old building can be made to look interesting if you look hard enough.
Even Better If
I would have liked to shoot the building on a sunny day because I think that there would have been a lot of interesting shadows to experiment with.
The building I chose gave me lots of options to find close up photos. I like that I was able to do this project at school and that it shows that a boring old building can be made to look interesting if you look hard enough.
Even Better If
I would have liked to shoot the building on a sunny day because I think that there would have been a lot of interesting shadows to experiment with.