Photography Assignment

Photography Assignment

I have been asked by a local artist who is interested in diversifying their practice into the field of photography by helping them understand and inform them about the different types of photography. They would then like me to demonstrate one application.

There are many types of photography which can be used in very different circumstances from Advertising and Promotional to Documentary and Architectural.

Advertising / Promotional Photography

Advertising photography is any photography in which the end result is intended to facilitate a business venture, meaning advertising photography is done to create money for the client, in this case as you can see below, both McDonald's and Heineken have hired a advertising photographer to get there sales up.

First of all you need to establish expectations and requirements with your client otherwise you have no idea what they're looking for and you might get the wrong end of the stick. Next is to understand the intended use of the images, this is for pricing and execution. The price you may quote may depend on where the images are going, for example you may ask for a bigger amount of money if your image is going to be used on a nation wide advertisement compared to a local shops poster. This is known in the industry as license/usage rights. Quote reasonable and realistically, otherwise you aren't going to have many job offers on the table if your quotes are sky high for a very small business. Finally is the sign offs, make sure you insist that the man or woman in charge has to be there to say that they're happy with the images you have given them in that certain shoot, this means you can then set up your next part of the shoot.

Fashion

Fashion photography is a genre of photography which is devoted to displaying clothing and other fashion. Fashion photography is most often conducted for advertisements or fashion magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair or Elle. To make the best decisions completing a fashion photo shoot you may need to follow. First of all you need to make sure you're organised and prepared for what you want to shoot, if not your model(s) performance will have a significant difference compared to if you were prepared. Fashion photography is all about clothes and beauty therefore you need to make sure you have all the props and correct clothing which may look good on your model. You can choose if you want to get your model to pose or not, if you want them too it maybe a good idea to look into poses from professional fashion magazines such as Vogue. A studio is an ideal place to to perform a fashion photo shoot as photographers can easily control lighting and any other aspect of the shoot. If you're filming from home meaning you can't afford a studio and you also may not be able to buy or rent all the pricey equipment there is a way you can cheat at home. Clear a room in your house that brings in a lot of light, then peg a white sheet across the window. On a bright day you'll have yourself a homemade soft box. Penultimately photography can be done alone however if you do well on your own eventually you maybe able to hire a new person as an assistant. Finally your location is one of the most important things to consider to get the correct shot which is needed. For example if the clothing and beauty style are edgy you may go for an urban setting compared to a spring/summer and natural fashions find a rural environment such as a forest, field etc.

Some examples of fashion photography are shown below.

Photojournalism

Photojournalism may seem like a commodity these days. Most people have a smart phone and every smart phone has a camera, these cameras are good enough to take a picture that can be published on the front page of the New York Times and much more easily on social media and a website. At its core, photojournalism is serious journalism. There are many things in which you can do to make the photos you get better, first is planning, there is no point in trying to shoot when you don't know what you're doing as you won't have the correct equipment to do so. Pay attention to what's happening and think who is the most likely to provide you with the most interesting visual opportunities. Next is timing, a lot of photojournalism comes down to waiting. You need to be paying attention constantly looking for visual details that will explain what's relevant to the viewer. Sometimes when you're on a case the thing what you need to film might actually happen more than once meaning as long as you are ready to film you can make compare the two together and pick the best one. Even if you miss the amazing shot, something is most likely to happen straight after it meaning it's wouldn't be over if you weren't ready for the first shot. Next is exposure, yes its about artistic expression but the most important thing is that people can actually see what's happening in the film / image. Viewers expect reality from photojournalism, shooting in RAW mode makes it easier. When you arrive at your destination set your camera up with the correct lighting exposure so when the shot comes you don't need to mess with it, meaning this is giving you more time. This can also be linked towards the shots being in focus or not, make sure that every shot is in focus as your viewers are depending on it. Finally are your rights, if you're in public it's important to know the rights of the people you're photographing. You need to be very careful taking pictures of ordinary citizens. It's good to come prepared expecting something to occur so be ready. Finally make sure you don't take photojournalism casually, what you report can change the lives of people who are represented in your photographs and the people who see them, approach the field with the respect is deserves.

An example of photojournalism is shown below.

Portraiture

There are many tips and tricks which can be used when doing portraiture photography, the first one is Expression, a lot of people always forget that portraits without a real expression doesn't connect with the viewer. Everybody wants to see something which seems genuine and not something ' cheesy '. This can be argued to be more important than the location of the shoot, the expensive equipment and the lighting. Make sure your model / actor is comfortable before shooting as this is what the viewer will be looking for. Next is composition, the purpose of composing images is to attract the viewer's eye straight to the most important part of the image, most common would be the subject's face and more specifically the eyes. This is also very important as this brings in depth and rule of thirds to the image. It has been proven that the eye is most attracted to four different points of an image, sticking with these four points will help frame the subject the best it can. Most images are 2D ( Two dimensional ), to make these 3D and to make the subject look as though its coming out of the frame there has to be depth in the image. Next is the lighting in the image, the best images come out with artificial light as well as natural light, this is why window light is very popular when doing portraiture photography. Also when you're shooting outside have the subject facing the light source. The second rule about lighting is the time of the day, the golden hour is a real thing to consider, it;'s free and could be argued it is the best quality light any photographer will use if used appropriately. Next is the lens you use, make sure you choose the correct focal length as its very important. The longer the focal lengths, the more flattering the it is for the subject and the shallower the depth of field will be. Finally is complimenting colours, below is a picture showing different colours.

Below are a few examples of portraiture photography.

As you can see in the images above lots of the topics I have wrote about are included in the images for example the lighting and the different colours.

High Street Studio Work

Street photography requires a lot of practice and the more you do it the easier it eventually will be. The approach is much easier than other types of photography. Perception is one of the most important factors you should consider when completing high street photography. Perception requires a creative eye for detail and is an attentive effort, this creates a decisive moment, taking you to the next level. Strong street photos come from powerful ideas and emotions captured in a simplistic manner. It comes down to perception to force yourself out with your camera to capture decisive moments that unfold in front of you.

There are many things in which you can do to help yourself get better at High Street photography, one of these is choosing the correct lens, if you want to look inconspicuous you're going to need to get up close to the shot you want to take, use a wide angle lens . Many street photographers choose a compact camera that's less confronting than a large DSLR, the advantages being smaller, discreet and lightweight meaning you can take it almost anywhere, getting onto the next tip being take your camera anywhere, street photography is spontaneous and can happen at anytime of the day. Practice makes perfect, you don't want to miss a good opportunity by not having your camera with you. The ' decisive moment ' is a term used in high street photography meaning you only get a second to capture the photo, so be prepared. The next trick is to get close to your subjects, using a wide angle lens enables you to get very close to your subject. The advantage of using a wide angle lens gives the viewer a sense of being there in the moment. You'll also blend in with the crowd as part of the environment, rather than standing out across the street as people may think you're taking a picture of them. Many people don't like street photography as they think a lot of people won't like their picture getting taken, but if you wait for them to be in the shot and be discreet about it, they won't even realise.

Below are a few example of High Street Studio Work.

This is my favourite of the two, this is because of the depth of field in the photo as well as the leading lines effect making you straight away look down the road.

This is also a clever image, it shows the shadows and it is the first thing which you look at in the image.

Architectural

There are many ways in which you can prepare yourself to complete an architectural photo shoot, one of these is light - you need to be sensitive to the direction of the light as this can increase contrast, shadows, textures and reflections. High levels can be bad for cameras as it can trick them into exposing the scene incorrectly, photographers can overcome this by applying exposure compensation. Next it is good to have a wide angle lens as it is ideal for this genre of photography as it lets photographers to frame the entire building within its environment. Architectural photography isn't all about photos of exterior buildings. It can be extremely difficult to correctly white balance an interior, especially ones that are reliant on various forms of artificial lighting meaning compensate accordingly. When the sun goes down a new form of architectural photographer can come out. Night shoots can be very dramatic and atmospheric too, but when doing them make sure that there are still some aspects of light around as this adds more tone to the background and helps to illuminate big details. If you're a tourist in a foreign country do some research before shooting as it will help you where to shoot or where to go for a certain photo you might want to shoot.

A few examples of architectural photography are shown below.

Illustration

An appropriate illustration photograph will immediately tell the reader what it's all about, for example on an advertisement - telling them what's for sale. To make these easier for the reader to view and read there are a few things which can help the producers, first of all lighting is one of the most important things to consider when doing illustration photography, as it can be used to highlight or reveal form, creating an impression of three dimensions when it's actually only two dimensions. The trick is to always use side lighting, not front lighting. If you're struggling for lighting you can use artificial lighting bouncing it off a white surface or use a soft box instead. If you're trying to illustrate something e.g. a flower artificial lighting maybe a necessity so don't worry about using it. Be careful about the background, make sure it's a good one, you don't want to have a good photo then the background ruin it.

 A few examples of illustrative photography are shown below.

Fine Art

Before work can become fine art the artist has to have the vision of what they think their work will look like. Fine art is about an idea, message or an emotion. The artist usually has something that they want put out to the world. The idea or message could be something random for example the word ' abandon ' or it could turn into a hypothesis from a statement like ' exploring the way the moon affects the tides '. When you compare your work together there needs to be similarities, this is so your work is consistent and therefore it demonstrates your vision and your goal towards it. Finally you will need to have an artist statement, showing and telling the reader what is your work about, why you created it and how. 

A few examples of fine art photography are shown below.

Documentary

Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle events or environments both significant and relevant to history and historical events as well as everyday life.

To be a documentary photographer you need to be very patient as you cannot control or barely control timing, lighting or the subject matter itself. You have to be quick to recognise and respond to a wide range of situations as you do not want to miss any important moments which you could capture. To be a documentary photographer you first of all need to choose a specific area that you wan't to capture and then put a lot of time researching thoroughly into it. This can be argued to be the most difficult phase of the process as you need to pick who is going to be the centre of attention. For example it could be your grandparents, maybe perhaps about WW1 or WW2. Regardless if you know the subject or not make sure you do research about it as it will help you in the long run. Next is getting prepared, make sure you know what type of equipment you will need to shoot and rent / borrow from somebody you know. Also obtain permission as you need it, for example if you're shooting about a business you can't just walk in the office and start shooting. Penultimately embrace your role as a storyteller, you have the responsibility of telling your subjects story remember you are documenting. Finally it's all about presentation, this is where you get to show your work off, choose the most powerful images you have collected but make sure they add something to your subject matter.

Below are 2 examples of documentary photography.

Task 2

For my second task I was asked to show one demonstration of any application of photography of my choosing, for this task I have chosen high street studio ( Street Photography ). As I have said earlier within the blog, it is good to edit photos when completing a street photography shoot. I shot this photo on a Canon DSLR so I could have the best possible outcome. The photo below is before I took time to edit it however I think it is a really nice photo to begin with anyway. I believe that the leading lines effect in this photo makes it and it looks a good image for street photography.

Below is the edited version, I think it looks a lot better as it creates more depth to the photo and makes it stand out more, especially the reflection on the ground from the lampost above.

Conclusion

In this blog I think that I have given a lot of evidence and facts about the many aspects of photography out there and I have chosen a specific topic to go into and I have got a decent image out of it.