This was a week I was really looking forward to because I've never done photography before; I've taken pictures, of course, but not studied the art of image making. I didn't feel like I really "got" photography so I was also a bit nervous because I just had a feeling I wouldn't be very skilled at it!
We were introduced to photography by Andy who showed us how to set up a 35 mm S.L.R camera. He taught us how it worked with the mirror and the shutter and told us about the different exposures, aperture and how to focus. We also put film into the cameras following a demonstration by Andy which I really liked because it felt like we ere really getting an idea of how to set up a camera. I liked that it was hands on learning.
After learning about the camera we were allowed to roam free around the college with our camera partner to take photos of anything that was interesting to us. The only rule was to take at least 2 portraits of our partner using a different aperture for each photo. It was really nice being able to go out and take photos although I wasn't really sure exactly what it was that I wanted to take a photo of or what made a good photo so I was a bit nervous but also excited.
After lunch it was Photograms! This was so much fun. I just tried as many different objects in different compositions as I could. I liked using transparent objects such as the glass bowls and plastic bottles because you it didn't get white a completely white silhouette; there was more detailing with these objects which I thought was really interesting and at times really beautiful. I thought this was a really simple, but lovely process and I really enjoyed the whole day.
On the second day we went out into Chesterfield Market to take photos with a digital camera. I found this more difficult and awkward because I was photographing people I didn't know and the set up was random because people moved in way you didn't want or moved so quickly your moment was gone. I felt a bit lost because I was even less sure what I was looking for. And I didn't like using the digital camera as much; it felt too instant and easy and modern. I really liked the process of the 35 mm S.L.R camera; it felt more deep (if that makes sense). I also find that I'm a lot more comfortable taking photos of fewer people or landscapes or nature. So maybe this was a good exercise to take me out of my comfort zone.
When we got back from town we had a session in a computer room to edit our photos in Photoshop.
On the third day we drew with light - this was awesome. So much fun! And I thought the pictures themselves were really interesting and lively; I really like the effect.
After drawing with light, Andy showed us some of the work of Thorsten Brinkmann (http://thorstenbrinkmann.com/) and told us to use this as inspiration for our own work. It was important that all of the body was covered up and that we thought about the poses our model were in and what kind of feel we wanted to give off. We were also supposed to think about props.
Above is my work - I dressed Alice and I wanted to go for a mysterious, perhaps a bit seductive in a bizarre way (hence the jug - was thinking about the stereotypes of milkmaids - and the colours - red = passion and lust, black = mystery and purple = intrigue). This was fun because it was different and odd.
After learning about the camera we were allowed to roam free around the college with our camera partner to take photos of anything that was interesting to us. The only rule was to take at least 2 portraits of our partner using a different aperture for each photo. It was really nice being able to go out and take photos although I wasn't really sure exactly what it was that I wanted to take a photo of or what made a good photo so I was a bit nervous but also excited.
After lunch it was Photograms! This was so much fun. I just tried as many different objects in different compositions as I could. I liked using transparent objects such as the glass bowls and plastic bottles because you it didn't get white a completely white silhouette; there was more detailing with these objects which I thought was really interesting and at times really beautiful. I thought this was a really simple, but lovely process and I really enjoyed the whole day.
On the second day we went out into Chesterfield Market to take photos with a digital camera. I found this more difficult and awkward because I was photographing people I didn't know and the set up was random because people moved in way you didn't want or moved so quickly your moment was gone. I felt a bit lost because I was even less sure what I was looking for. And I didn't like using the digital camera as much; it felt too instant and easy and modern. I really liked the process of the 35 mm S.L.R camera; it felt more deep (if that makes sense). I also find that I'm a lot more comfortable taking photos of fewer people or landscapes or nature. So maybe this was a good exercise to take me out of my comfort zone.
When we got back from town we had a session in a computer room to edit our photos in Photoshop.
On the third day we drew with light - this was awesome. So much fun! And I thought the pictures themselves were really interesting and lively; I really like the effect.
I have really enjoyed this week. I've loved learning more about photography and it's been a really good week. I feel like we explored a lot of different approaches to photography and I think this was really good because we got the chance to find out what we can do with photography. I don't think I'll specialise in this area but it's been great to have a go at and it's something I'd like to do more of in my free time maybe.
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