Shoot 10
Artist Influence - Melissa Zexter
AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
Melissa Zexter takes photographs and then directly embroiders them by hand. Within her work she has decided to explore issues such as identity, memory and technology. I have specifically been intrigued by her use of embroidery and the contrast between the texture of the image and the string itself. Melissa's work is very interesting as she creates different shapes with the embroidery and adds elements to the photo, like a bird, that previously didn't exist. I feel as though this could represent the power that humans have in changing the world we live in. I think that the use of string and physically manipulating the image could have many powerful connotations which is something that I want to reflect within my own images. After looking at Melissa's photos I was immediately drawn to the unique idea of embroidering an image. I also like the way that she adds colour through the use of string to a desaturated image. I think this shows just how much she can alter the image and how much humans can positively impact the world and bring happiness. This is because brightly saturated colours represent happiness.
Images that have inspired me
The images above have inspired me because they are very similar to Melisa Zexter's images however they use slightly simpler lines and shapes. I like the use of straight lines because I feel as though this would be more achievable than creating different shapes. I also like the way in which the lines create a surreal atmosphere. Both of the images above are black and white or very desaturated and they have added colour through the use of string. I would like to try and portray this within my work and add colour through the use of embroidery.
Contact Sheet
This shoot was successful because I feel as though I have tried to incorporate people and faces into my shoot. This is something I have wanted to do to add some different elements to my final portfolio. I feel as though throughout the shoot I had some challenges with the lighting setups. Some of the challenges that I faced was trying to light up the areas of the photo that I wanted. This was mainly due to the fact that I used one light source. In order to brighten up the opposite side of the flowers I used a reflector however in some cases this didn't work as well as I wanted it to. The lighting is something that I would like to edit in photo shop.
My Best Images
AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
f/18 1/125 ISO 200
I have chosen this as one of my best images because I like the way in which the roses are centred in the frame of the image. I also like the fact that all of the flowers that I have used are white because I feel as though this could represent purity and peace. I also think that the roses being compact together gives the photo interesting textures and patterns.
F/14 1/125 ISO 200
I have chosen the image above as my best image because I feel as though the image includes many different colours and textures. I do feel that the photo is slightly dark in some areas however I would like to use the burn and dodge tool in photoshop to alter this and make certain areas of the photo stand out. I think this photo is effective because the rose in the centre is surrounded by dying flowers. This could have connotations of love lasting forever.
F/18 1/125 ISO 200
F/18 1/125 ISO 200
I have chosen the two images above as my best images because I like the way that portraiture photography has been included within my flower photography because I feel as though this will be a good element to add to my portfolio. I also like the way that the lighting used lights up the face and darkens the outer areas of the image. I feel as though this gives the photo a slightly mysterious feel. By having a male model within the shoot with roses I feel as though this feminises the male model and also has connotations of love.
F/20 1/125 ISO 200
The main reason I have chosen this as one of my best images is because I like the composition of this photo. I like the way that the entire vase is visible within the frame of the image. I feel as though this emphasises the entirety of the flower rather than just focusing on one specific area which is something that I have done previously.
Images that require improvement
AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
F/20 1/125 ISO 200
This image requires improvement due to the image being under exposed. When shooting I had some issues with the trigger on the camera working properly. This meant that when taking some photos the trigger would not go off and therefore the light would not flash. This resulted in some of my photos being underexposed. I overcame this problem by replacing the batteries in the trigger.
F/14 1/125 ISO 200
The photo above requires improvement because the image is under exposed. This photo was underexposed due to the lighting that I used. The snoot lighting attachment was set to a slightly lower intensity than I wanted it to be. This meant that when using the camera settings above the image was too dark.
Camera Settings and Equipment
AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.
Throughout this shoot I used a canon dos 400d to capture my images. I completed this shoot in a studio and used a soft box along with a snoot attachment on another light. When working in the studio I faced some problems. Firstly the trigger on the camera was not working therefore the lights would not flash as I was taking the photos. This resulted in the photos being very underexposed. Luckily I managed to solve this problem by replacing the batteries in the trigger. I mainly shot using an aperture range of f/14 to f/18 depending on the intensity of the light and the object that I was photographing. The higher the intensity of the light, the higher the aperture. This was because if I used a low aperture with a bright light then the image would be over exposed. Throughout my shoot I used a shutter speed of 1/125. This remained the same throughout the shoot due to fact that I wanted to freeze action rather than capture any movement that may have occurred during the photos. This would not have been an issue for the photos of flowers as they would not have moved however when taking portrait photos I decided to use this shutter speed because there was a chance that movement could have occurred in the image which is something I do not want. The ISO also remained at 200 throughout my shoot. This was because the lighting did not drastically change when completing this shoot and when measuring the camera settings ISO 200 was necessary throughout the shoot.
AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.
My ideas for this shoot mainly came from multiple photographers I have previously looked at. Mainly Imogen Cunningham and Irving Penn have influenced this shoot. Imogen Cunningham focuses on the details and the aesthetic of the flowers. I wanted to use these ideas within my work and photograph the rose in a lot of detail.
This shoot is mainly based around roses. This was done because I like the idea of photographing followers with a strong symbolic meaning. The rose represents love and romance. A white rose also represents purity and a clear mind. The idea of love and romance being implied by the use of a rose inspired me to use a male model within the shoot. This was because I feel as though by taking a male model and placing roses in the photo it feminises the male and gives the impression of men being romantic.
The idea of using string within my shoot was explored in my last shoot and I wanted to expand upon the idea of using string because I like the connotations that this has on the photos of flowers. I feel as though by capturing photos of natural forms and placing a man made object onto the image is represents humans destroying nature.
The idea of using string within my shoot was explored in my last shoot and I wanted to expand upon the idea of using string because I like the connotations that this has on the photos of flowers. I feel as though by capturing photos of natural forms and placing a man made object onto the image is represents humans destroying nature.
Edits
AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.
Firstly I used a needle and thread the string through the needle.
I then drew dots onto the back of the image in order to give me a guide as to where I needed to thread the needle.
I then emroidered the image.
Once I was happy with the embroidery I had created I tied a knot as close to the card as possible to ensure that it does not become loose.
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