Photography Assignment 2

Photography Assignment 2

I have been commissioned to produce a series of images about ' Unseen Teesside '. I need to submit evidence of your process and an example set of images in order to secure the funding. The investors require evidence of planning and development through the production and a critical evaluation for future progression.

Ideas

• Looking for high end cars around Teesside.
• Looking for graffiti around Teesside e.g. on train tracks.
• Pictures of bridges around Teesside.

Examples

I have now decided that I am going to take photos of the bridges in Teesside. Some of these bridges are going to be in Middlesbrough, Yarm and Stockton-On-Tees. 

There are a couple of images of bridge photography below:

  

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vgm8383/2176897085/

I really like this photo as it is technically two images combined into one, ' vgm8383 ' ( the person who took this photo and edited it ) has made it into a very clever image. I really like the background of the dark grey sky as well as the use of the leading lines effect on the bridge.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dsansen85/8559656647/in/photolist-e3otH2-qBbJVT-DQWskt-8QUk95-p8cx7X-bW2Bzj-9g5AsM-mSWkJK-gRBiMc-9wX27p-bCnxij-pD4Na4-pqsiFE-bxAXx6-fP12q1-bKzvsv-cE5PmG-dL8zS7-27Ud5E-pCZyjA-fcQqWF-bUTP7C-4CfMrX-6FzXxA-eKf2Ht-c1zphQ-o2a3MV-T3hveG-da6u3w-aV7R3t-fHz9qw-bwKS9s-ShwwJ9-fFNU1S-obag8v-G4Q87M-pJTmZp-cFGcss-gqVy1t-qYvSNc-e7uZPH-da6QQj-c2QePL-nokyKV-ftgGB4-8ZK8Bt-hkZKvh-8qQ3Ko-b7TmPn-fPrumT

I believe that this photo looks like a very good example of bridge photography and Daniel Sendino has made a very good image and edited it very cleverly, this is because he has used only two colours in the image, blue and grey, the blue is very significant as it reflects off the water, the blue is there to stand out towards the viewer. The grey is also effective as it is the background colour based off the blue.

There are many ways in which you can edit photos in Adobe Photoshop when it comes to the levels of the colours on the image. The image below is of the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, below are screenshots of how to edit the levels and how it effects the image below.

The image above is of how to get to the levels and how to then change the colours in the image. This is a good piece of knowledge to know as it can become important and effective when editing images.

The image above is the ' Levels ' tool where you can then change the colour in the image.




For example if the first level is around 30 it changes the image to this, compared to it where it is on 0. You can also change the other 2 levels, the level to the right is about how light it is and the one to the left is how dark it is.

Before I can go on my photo shoot there are a few things which I have to complete first, one of these is a risk assessment, this is just to make sure that everyone is going to be safe when completing the project and if there are risks then trying to minimise these as much as you can, the screenshots below are of a completed risk assessment which I have finished.

The locations which I am going to visit on my photo shoot are going to be Middlesbrough, Stockton and Eaglescliffe. It is important to know where you're going before you are going to complete your photo shoot as it then means you could be wasting time trying to find places to go when you could be getting a really good photo if you were organised. As I used my own equipment there was no reason for me to book anything out of the college and therefore I saved time doing it this way, there was also no reason for me to have any models or props in the photos as they were all based on bridges in some way, as well as there was no reason for me to have a studio at any time as every shot I took was outside.

As a part of me practicing photography I went onto a shoot with my class peers and I took some photos near Middlesbrough College and the small dock next to the Riverside Stadium. Below are a few photos in which I took when I went onto the shoot and a short paragraph on why they are my favourites.

The image above is my favourite photo I took on the shoot, this is because I think that the sky and the background of the Transporter Bridge makes it look like a good photo and how it was planned, I also think that the clock tower to the right of the image makes the viewer see both main points of the photo in good time, also the colour blue on the Transporter Bridge makes compares it to the dark grey of the sky. I have decided that this photo will be used in my assignment. The images are below are the photos which I will be using in my assignment, however I have not yet edited them.

The images which are now shown below are the edited versions of the images above, in my opinion I think that these images look better and more effective when they're getting shown to an audience, I have edited these images in Instagram, and they were all shot on an iPhone 7 apart from the last image which was shot on an iPhone 5S.

As you can see from the first image above I have edited it which makes the lightly coloured blue standout, I believe this is necessary as it makes the image directed to something, in this case it's all about leading lines, as well as rule of thirds. The leading lines rule implies that it will draw the viewers attention from the start and the eyes will follow the line to the point ahead, I think this edited image works well with the surroundings, to complete this I used different editing tools ranging from changing the brightness, contrast, structure and warmth of the image as well as the saturation.

The next image is shown below, this is quite similar to the image above however I have still edited it but only a little bit, I think this image works well as I have edited the shadows to the sides of the image, I also believe that the sky in the background works very well with the image as it goes from quite dark to light, this could signify light at the end of a tunnel.

The next image which is shown below has also been edited but even more limited than the one above. I didn't edit this image a lot as I think it already looks great, I just put a casual filter over it to make it look a little lighter and neater, it makes the blues stand out very cleverly, as well as the sun shining and reflecting on the architecture shown in the image.

After that, the image below has been edited a lot, and because of this I actually think that the image is worse than it actually was shown earlier in the blog, however this can be a positive outcome as it means I won't make the same mistake twice, I have used every tool I possibly could on Instagram and it has shown, it doesn't look nice at all, I think the only thing which looks better is probably the clouds above the clock tower and the transporter bridge.

Finally, the image below is also a picture of the transporter bridge but at a completely different angle and because of this it gives it a different effect all together, in my opinion it looks a lot better than the other one above. Like a couple of images above I have only edited this image a little bit, and this was only the contrast and the colours to make it look more blue to make the image stand out more, apart from this the image is completely the same as the original as shown earlier in the blog.

There are many different audiences when it comes to photos, for example many people might like bridge photography and it might not matter how old they are, what gender they are, what they do as a living etc. However some types of photography might be aimed at a certain audience, for example motor racing might not always be but usually is targeted at men and young men who have an interest in the sport, just like sport like football, much like how Sky use many photos when they're using them in advertisements and how you can watch it and see how clear the image is. I believe that I  had a good preparation technique which was to make sure I knew what I was going to take photos of at first before I went out and took them, if this wasn't the case I would've been wasting time when I could of been using it efficiently such as completing documents such as risk assessments and research about the type of photography which I focused on.


Conclusion - I believe that I have produced a series of images about ' Unseen Teesside ' by the topic which is bridges, I have submitted evidence and examples of different types of research I have produced and how important it is to secure the funding, the investors also require evidence of planning and development through production and a critical evaluation which is this. In the assignment brief it states that I can self evaluate my piece of work including all types of notes which I used to help me get to my photo shoot. My first piece of self evaluating is that the preparation in which I completed for my photo shoot e.g. the ideas which I got in the first place could've been improved in the way I explained them, I didn't really give a good explanation about the topics which were on a shortlist for me to decide which one I was going to pick. The next thing in which I could've improved upon my assignment is the equipment I used to take the photos, for example for one image I took it with an iPhone 5S whereas all my other photos were shot on an iPhone 7, I believe that you can see the difference in the quality viewing on a computer as well as the phones themselves, I also could've used a DSLR camera which would have been supplied by the college, if I could do this assignment again I probably would choose to use them as they're even better than the iPhone 7's camera quality. I think what I did well in this assignment was the photos themselves, I think now they have all been edited I think that they look really good as well as they all focus on the topic which I picked - bridge photography. I also think that the documents which I have provided in the blog above are up to a professional standard however it would of been even better if I could of used an example of a equipment booking sheet as it would show that I would know what to book and when it needed booking. I have gained some vital knowledge for the finished product, for example I now know how much preparation a photo shoot can take and how much effort you need to give to your project to get yourself a very good photo and more importantly a good grade.

Film and Video Editing Techniques Assignment 2

Film and video editing techniques assignment 2

I have been asked to prepare a blog post for new students who are considering editing their first film, in this blog post it should include information on the development, theories and conventions of editing.

The history of editing

Before how easy it is now to create an edit of a film it was very hard to edit years and years ago, this was due to computers which were yet to be invented never mind programmes such as Adobe PremierPro. There were many things which people did years ago and Eadward Muybridge was one of them, he set up 14 still cameras which triggered as the horse went over them, this showed the horse's legs all coming up off the ground at the same time, he did this because he wanted to find out if all the horses legs came off the floor at one time, during his investigation he found out that they actually did. An image of this is shown below.

The Lumiere brothers were the first filmmakers in history, the film reel was 17 metres long which could only hold 50 seconds of film, they also created the cinematographe which was the early camera and first large scale projector. They also shot films outside local factories when it was time for workers to go home, they filmed them all walking out of the factory, whilst doing this they also handed out leaflets to the workers  they made money out of this because the workers had never seen anything like it, never mind themselves on the big screen.

When it was time to edit the film they had to physically unroll the film and cut it manually, which resulted in a messy process as well as lots of footage also got lost. Then the flatbed editor was made by Willham Steenbeck. An image of this is shown below.

Then the CMX 600 was first brought into the business, which was the first digital editing system. Referred to as RAVE ( Random access video editor ) without this we wouldn't have Premiere Pro or Apple Final Cut. An image of the CMX 600 is shown below.

Purposes of editing

Editing determines meaning in a film in the same that a sonnet helps determine meaning in poetry, in most Hollywood films editing helps determine at least four dimensions of film narrative: in what order you receive information about the plot, how much information you are supposed to receive about the narrative, how you are supposed to feel about events and characters at any given time, and how you are supposed to experience the pace of the narrative. In addition to this editing can serve an intellectual function with different meanings about the activities you're seeing, as well as emotional appeals. Editing determines the pace and the mood of a film in three ways: one pf these is that the editor determines the duration of the shot, yes the director also does this when shooting but when it is time to edit the film then the editor gets to do this part also, generally the longer the shot, the slower the pace, this is why short scenes are very effective. Another way it determines the pace and the mood is that the editor can decide what goes in or out of a sequence, and finally the kind of edit between shots also determines the speed. Timing is the time and duration it takes to cut from one shot to another, timing also has to do with the stream of camera shots that create meaning.

Conventions of editing

There are many conventions of editing which can include continuity, jump cuts, the 180 degree rule, uses of the dissolve, shot-reverse-shot and cutting to a sound track. Camera shots and movements are typical conventions to help to give the film its thriller ' feel ', as different camera angles create different senses of emotions and body language. To do this, shots such as close ups are used quite frequently as a way to portray the emotions of characters much easier. Camera movements sometimes help make the film feel more intense, and can make it seem much more realistic to the viewer. An example of this would be the movement of the camera of a bad character point of view to make it look as though they're following them etc. Finally a different convention of editing is editing in itself, different conventional editing techniques can help the film develop a much more intense atmosphere for the viewers. An example of these editing techniques could be quick cuts, used to make the scene much more fast paced. Another example would be fade to black, this fade to black commonly used at the end of intense scenes to dull them down. When the scene fades to black, it adds an element of mystery as the viewer isn't aware of what is going to happen next. One of the most basic continuity rules in media and film is the 180° rule. If you're shooting a short film or interview, it's important to set the scene and establish your characters in space and time in order for the viewer to follow the action. When you shoot a scene with actors imagine a line extending out between them, you can move your camera anywhere along that line, as long as you don't cross over the line to the other side. Below is an image of the 180° rule. Dissolve in film making is a process of film editing and video editing, a dissolve is a gradual transition from one image to another. The terms fade-out and fade-in are used to describe a transition to and from a blank image. This is in contrast to a cut where there is no such transition. Cutting to a soundtrack is a technique where each cut is influenced by the style of music heard in the background, this means if the scene is a bad one, perhaps at a funeral, a slow song will be played. If there is a car chase the music is going to be fast and upbeat. Finally the shot reverse shot is extremely important and exceptionally used in most films, this is because the shot reverse shot is an editing style that shows a conversation between two or more people. Most shot reverse shots are over the shoulder shots or cuts between eye line matches.

Conclusion

In this blog post I believe I have explained the history of editing, the purposes of editing and the conventions of editing, I think I have completed these with very good explanations as well as with examples, I think new students who are considering editing their first film will get a better understanding of it if they view this blog post.

Cyber Bullying Assignment

Cyber Bullying Assignment

In this assignment I am working for a website development studio and have been asked to put together some resources for a new client, I will be preparing some content for a new website they are completing advising on the risk that users face when online and how to protect themselves. They are building a five page website to develop the content needed.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions:

How are teens cyber bullied? - 

• By pretending to be somebody online e.g. a friend
• Spread lies and rumours about the victim
• Trick people into giving them personal information
• Send or forward offensive text messages.

 How do victims react? -

• Blocking communication with the bully
• Deleting messages without reading them
• Talking to a friend about the bully

How can I prevent cyber bullying? - 

• Refuse to pass along cyber bullying messages
• Tell friends to stop cyber bullying
• Block communication with cyber bullies
• Report cyber bulling to a responsible adult e.g. teacher, parent, sibling

What else can I do to stay safe when using the internet? -

• Never post your personal information online
• Never share your internet passwords with ANYONE
• Never meet somebody you don't know 100% face to face from an online source
• Talk to your parents and tell them what you do online

Parents and schools

So what is the role parents have in cyber bullying and preventing it?

• Have inappropriate sites blocked when online
• Always being open to the child so they can talk to you 
• Talk about what the child does online
• Makes sure that the child seems okay day to day

So what is the role teachers and schools have in cyber bullying and preventing it?

• Every school should have a zero tolerance to bullying, if this is face to face bullying or cyber bullying.
• Makes sure that inappropriate sites are blocked on the school network
• Make sure the pupils know that they can talk to you.

Watching out for others

Who do we report it to?

If people are being cyber bullied and don't know where to go or who to talk to there is always an option, there are many people who would listen to you anytime of the day, these people will include parents or guardians, teachers, child line and many others. Also get your parents or guardians to tell your mobile phone provider to block the bully from texting you or calling you again.

Childline - 0800 1111

Safe online habits

To stay safe online it is best to stick with websites you know of, and if you're using the web to complete something e.g. a homework task then stick to websites such as BBC Bitesize. Also make sure that you have online safety things on such as advert blocks on and have blocks on websites which shouldn't be able to get access to. Another way to stay safe is make sure that you don't upload or post any private information online e.g. your phone number, full name and address, these can be used against you when people are trying to bully you.

Conclusion

I believe that I have completed the task to a good standard and if young students read this then they might learn somethings which could be important if they're getting bullied then they are going to know where to go, also if people are bullying others they may not realise what they're doing to that person and this blog post explains what it is doing.

Digital Graphics - Curriculum 360

Digital Graphics

What are raster graphics? - Raster graphics are digital images created or captures as a set of examples of a given space. A raster is a grid of x and y coordinates on a display space. A raster image file identifies which of these coordinates to illuminate in colour values such as RGB ( Red, Green and Blue ). The raster file is sometimes referred to as a bitmap because it contains information that is directly mapped to the display grid. A raster file is usually larger than a vector graphics image file. A raster file is usually difficult to modify without loss of information, although there are software tools that can convert a raster file into a vector file, examples of a raster image file type are GIF, JPEG ( most common ), BMP and TIFF.

What are vector graphics? - Vector graphics is the creation of digital images through a sequence of commands or mathematical statements that place lines and shapes in a given two-dimensional or three-dimensional space. In physics, a vector is a representation of both a quantity and a direction at the same time. In vector graphics, the file that results from a graphic artist's work is created and saved as a sequence of vector statements. For example, instead of containing a bit in the file for each bit of a line drawing, a vector graphic file describes a series of points to be connected, one result is a much smaller file.

What are the key characteristics of both raster graphics and vector graphics? - A raster image is made of up pixels, each a different color, arranged to display an image.

A vector image is made up of paths, each with a mathematical formula (vector) that tells the path how it is shaped and what color it is bordered with or filled by. The major difference is that raster image pixels do not retain their appearance as size increases - when you blow a photograph up, it becomes blurry for this reason. Vector images do retain appearance regardless of size, since the mathematical formulas dictate how the image is rendered.

What are the most common applications of vector graphics and raster graphics? Explain why. - Right now in the present day vector graphic files such as engineering drawings are typically printed as bitmaps, after vector-to-raster conversion. The term 'vector graphics' is mainly used today in the context of two-dimensional computer graphics. It is one of several modes an artist can use to create an image on a raster display. An example of vector graphics is shown below.

Raster graphics are mostly used in photographs as it is easier to open files such as Adobe Photoshop. Most computer images are stored in raster graphics formats or compressed variations, including GIF, JPEG and PNG, which are popular on the World Wide Web.