Connecting Essay 5

My Photograph

This is a photograph of mine that I took when I was at Brighton for my exam shoot. My intention with this picture was to convey interesting depth. Depth photography has been a big interest of mine throughout this project because it allows a photograph to portray a lot of things in one picture. Having these beach huts placed agains clear blue sky is effective in making sure they stand out in the picture. The colours of the doors are pastel shades which are soft and easy on the eye, rather than overwhelming like they could be if the doors were all of neon colours.The right side of this picture begins with a beach hut, and the left side of the picture finishes with a beach hut. This illustrates a row of never ending beach huts which could be seen as a type of illusion, because the colour of the beach hut on the right is big and can clearly be seen, whereas the colour of the beach hut on the left is not visible but you know it's there because the pattern of the beach huts are consistent as they fade into the distance.

Online Photograph

This is the online photograph that I found which consists of beach huts in front of what the viewer would assume to be a beach, because beach huts are associated with the sea and most often used in the summer. The colours are bold and vibrant, with bright yellows and reds and quite dark blues and greens. These colours all link to summer because they are bright instead of dull. The pattern of the colours in this photograph are not in chronological order, however all consist of the same 4 different colours. This formal element is effective in making what could be a boring looking beach hut look attractive. The depth in this photograph travels from left to right and right to left which I think is more effective photography than depth that travels from bottom to top and top to bottom.

The Connection

A connection is evident in the online photograph and my photograph. Both pictures consist of beach huts which is the main connection shared between both photographs. The huts in my photograph begin as large in the right side of the frame, which is the same for the internet photograph. All of the doors in both photographs contain colour which makes them stand out more than beach huts with doors painted dull browns or mouldy yellow for example. The frames of both photographs are filled with beach hut, although the internet image has another large building behind them whereas mine have just blue sky in the background. The formal element depth is the main key behind the success of these two pictures, without the depth theme they would both just be plain pictures of perhaps 2D beach huts. This supports depth as being an effective formal element, allowing the connection between the internet image and my image to be evident. 

Connecting Essay 4

My Photograph

This is my photograph that I took when I went to Brighton for my exam. This photograph was a favourite of mine from this shoot, because everything in it worked well as one photograph. I made my mum hold the ice cream on a slant so it was evenly composed in the frame, rather than have the ice cream standing up right in the picture because by doing this I feel that there would be more wasted space. Placing this ice cream in front of the sea was successful and effective. The weather is evident in this picture because the sky is clear blue, people eat ice creams when it is hot and they also go to the beach, so by positioning the ice cream in front of the sea it pairs well with the subject of the image. I also added a blur to the background in order for the ice cream to stand out more against the sea and the buildings. Without the blur, the photograph wouldn't look as complete. 

Online Photograph

This online photograph of a pile of different coloured ice cream stacked onto a cone is something that effortlessly caught my eye. It is evident in this piece that the person holding this item of confectionary is having a summers day out. The bright blue sky is clear, the trees and bushes have all of their leaves on them, the colours in the photograph are bright and positive tones and the actual ice cream itself represents the summer season. This photo could have perhaps been more successful if the person holding the cone, positioned it in the middle, although placing it more to the side of the frame allows the viewer to see the surroundings clearer. The high saturation in this photo emphasises the ice creams colours which makes it look more appetising. The exposure levels in this piece have also been raised to make everything brighter and more soft, rather than dark and gloomy with shadows and negative tones. 

The Connection

The internet photograph and my photograph share many similarities.  Firstly, they both include the tasty treat ice cream. The internet photograph contains a pile of 6 different flavours whilst the ice cream in my picture is one swirl of vanilla. The colours may be different along with the amount, however both are piled into an ice cream cone and both are of the same style (dairy ice cream). In the internet photograph, the ice cream is being held up in front of a road with high saturated trees in the distance, whereas in mine, the ice cream is being held up in front of the sea. The backgrounds are both associated with summer because both of the skies in the pictures are clear, and the colours are bright and eye catching. Summer is evident in both photographs, conveyed through both pictures having the brightness level increased. Neither of the backgrounds are clear in the photographs because then this would consist of just one block colour. It is more interesting with scenery in the background, and has proved to be effective in both the internet image and mine. 

Connecting Essay 3

Internet photograph

This is an online photograph that I found which is what I used as inspiration for my photograph in the first place. The reason this photograph caught my eye would mainly be because of the black and red theme, and the creative explosion style that makes the woman look as though she's fizzing away. Placing her in front of a white background was an effective choice of the photographers because it allows the bold foreground colours to stand out. White is an effective contrast to the black and red, which conveys this formal element as being used sufficiently in this piece. I also liked that the model is placed directly in the middle of the frame because this allows her to be the main focal point in this image. Her having her hand on her hip is also successful body language in pairing with the explosion effect on the other side because it avoids the right side of the frame from being filled with just the backdrop, if she had her hand hanging down there would be wasted space within the frame which would make this photograph less successful.

My photograph

This is my photograph that I felt was a successful outcome. Adding the explosion effect was my second attempt  in trying out this technique and I feel that it worked effectively with my face. By exploding just one side of me, this makes it look as though I am slowly and gradually fading away, rather than having all of me exploding in one go. Me not looking into the lens of the camera takes their focus away from my face, and more onto the explosion occurring to the side of me. This photo perhaps could have been improved if I was to place myself in front of a whiter background, because the ivory shade behind me perhaps isn't as effective as a white backdrop. I left only a slight empty space in the framing on the left which is acceptable because it isn't wasted, it just frames the left side of me. Overall, this photograph came out as a successful piece altogether.

The Connection

I have decided to look at these two photographs as connecting because they are very similar in many ways, where they both evidently contain the formal elements colour and pattern. Firstly, the colours composed in both of these photographs contain mainly red and black. I made sure I wore a red and light black shirt,  because after looking at the internet photograph I knew that these colours contrasted effectively with a light background and my light face. The connection shared between my photograph and the internet photograph is also evident through the composition. In the internet photograph, the model's upper half is all on show, whereas in my photograph, it is mainly my face and neck area that is filling the frame. The explosion introduced in my photograph has smaller particles than the explosion effect in the internet photograph, however both start from one side and expand to the end of that side of the frame. This conveys both pieces as fading away rather than exploding all in one go. Ultimately, these two photographs connect through the technique and the formal elements colour and pattern.

Connecting Essay 2

Internet Photograph

This is the photograph of the London Eye that I found online. It has been taking from an odd angle however this angle evidently conveys the formal element depth. The effect on this photograph make the sky an ocean teal shade and also defines the jagged shape of the clouds. Having just the structure of the London Eye in front of the summery sky allows it's shape to stand out. The pods and the structure have had the effect of curves on them to nearly make their shape/outline a silhouette. The frame of the overall image has also been filled with the bottom of the London Eye to the top of the London Eye which makes this piece successful. 

My Photograph

This is the photograph that I took in London on my eighth shoot. The original version of this was having half of the whole London eye in the frame, but I was instructed to crop it in the style of above. This meant that half the frame was filled with the London Eye whilst the other half was filled with lots of clouds. Having the London Eye against the fresh blue sky was an appropriate backdrop for this subject because the frame of it is an ivory shade which wouldn't stand out as well against a white sky. I was pleased with the outcome of my photograph because I liked that it included a contrast.

The Connection

The connection between my photograph and the online photograph is that they both consist of one of London's main attractions, the London Eye. Both skies on the days that these were taken included lots of white fluffy clouds that make the overall images more appealing to a viewer rather than having just a plain blue sky. They add detail and effect which is why I decided to go to London when I knew that there would be a lot of clouds. The differences between both of these images would be the composition. The framing of the internet image is square whilst the framing of my image is landscape. In addition to this, the actual structure of the London Eye in the internet image fills the whole of the frame whereas in my version it only fills half of the frame. My picture has been taken straight on whilst the internet's approach to the London Eye has been captured through embracing the formal element depth. Overall, both of these images are similar in what their subject is and how they both only include this London attraction and nothing else amongst its surroundings.  

Connecting Essay 1

Internet Photograph

This photograph is something I found on the internet which I used to inspire my picture below.  In this picture, the young man is holding a pile of books in his hand, perhaps conveying how he has either a lot of work to do or just a large passion for reading. This photo could have been more effective with him standing in a library to exaggerate the theme of books/work and it would've complimented the overall outcome. However, the scene that he has been placed in is still very effective. People who spend lots of time outdoors in open fields like the one he is placed in are usually quite adventurous individuals. If the books represent how he is into reading he could be judged as a passionate and interesting character. The falling books have been edited into this piece to make it look like they are never ending; he always has work to do. This could be related to an A-Level student who cannot escape their pile of work. I like this piece because the idea behind it was a successful one. 

My Photograph

This is a photograph that I pieced together in my first proper surreal shoot. I was extremely pleased with how this looked in the end after I'd collected individual pictures to make this one picture. I believe that my editing in this photograph was unnoticeable and discrete, to avoid the outline of Danielle and the books come across as fake. I didn't want the viewer to be able to tell that these objects had been cut and placed against a white background, and I think that it does look more natural than edited. When I focus more on the white background, it looks as though the subject blends in to the rest of the page as the frame of the photograph isn't defined. This would be something that I'd have to improve in this image if I ever was to. I think it was effective to have falling books centred in the middle of the frame, and having one book open makes it look more realistic that they are all fallen, rather than having all three falling books shut; this wouldn't be believable. I feel that overall this attempt at surreal photography was a success.

The Connection

The connection between the internet photograph and my photograph is clearly evident when looking at both images. These two images have the identical idea/theme as it was the internet image that inspired this shoot of mine. I loved the way the books were falling into an already made pile because this surreal technique was something that I'd be able to do. It wasn't as technical as some of the surreal pieces online which is another reason as to why I like it. These two photographs therefore connect because they both include a model; someone who is holding a pile of books beneath their face. Both models are also positioned in the centre of the frame so that they are the centre of attention instead of anything else. My photograph having a white background perhaps allows the focus to centre more on my model than it does the internet model, as he has an interesting background behind him which the viewers eyes can wander off to. Another connection shared between these two images is the falling books. Some are closed and open in the internet image, and some are closed and open in my image to allow the idea to look more realistic as it looks as though they're actually falling instead of just being edited in. A difference in these two pieces would be the amount of books that are falling. Lots more are included in the internet image and one is also covering his face, whereas there are only three books falling in my image and none cover her face. Nevertheless, there is a strong connection between these two photographs and I believe both were successful in achieving what was set out.