Assignment 5: Hedgecoe Inspired Works (SAMSUNG PL70 / VLUU PL70 / SAMSUNG SL720)

All Photos:

ISO 400

F-stop f/3.4

Varying Exposures

Assignment 5 - A Summary of John Hedgecoe

• A lot of Hedgecoe's works use a strong light from either the side of the subject to illuminate the subject's facial features as it makes for a far more dramatic picture. It also highlights wrinkles etc (commonly seen as practically of the subjects are 40+) and creates stronger, more interesting contrasts.
• His portraits either show the subject at ease working their profession or relaxing, or show them very posed in a formal portrait taking session, e.g. this portrait of Agatha Christie & her husband.
• The narrative of his works are often very passive and impersonal, and you feel as though instead of taking a portrait, he's advertising the subject, but this said it could just be my personal opinion and even so there are a few exceptions.
• Hedgecoe, due to his period in time, used film to take his photographs as that was the medium of the era. It also appears that he was a travelling photographer as his subjects are seen with varying backgrounds, but there are some that could have been reproduced in a studio. Some as well, like this portrait, appear to be taken in the subject's home.
• Many of his subjects are wealthy people and/or of high importance of the time or other times, these people include royalty, lords and ladies, and popular artists.
• Hedgecoe's subjects are often directly in the centre of the photograph, whether that be a person of interest or their work, there is never no space left in the direct centre. Occasionally they are slightly to the side or misplaced fro effect, but that could be why the portraits often feel so isolated and cold, because of the placement of the objects.

Assignment 5: John Hedgecoe Inspired Works (FinePix S6500fd)

ISO 200

Shutter Speed 1/25 sec.

F-stop f/4.5


This photo feels too warm to be a Hedgecoe as you feel connected to Ailbhe and it feels more personal, whereas his feel more disconnected and isolated.

ISO 1600

Shutter Speed 1/25 sec.

F-stop f/3.1

I used a larger aperture in this photo because there is no background to keep in focus, as there is nothing but the hair to display.



For both of these images I used a short shutter time to capture the singular strands of Ailbhe's hair and to ensure the plants in the background, as well as Ailbhe's mane, were not blurred and unclear, as in both photos the hair is the main feature.
also for both of the photos I used the FinePix S6500fd as it allows more control over the image whereas my basic digital camera doesn't offer control over aperture or shutter speed.

Assignment 5: Annie Leibovitz Inspired Works (SAMSUNG PL70 / VLUU PL70 / SAMSUNG SL720)

On this photo I edited the saturation and colour slightly to give the photo a warmer effect, as well as sharpening it to give the background and dress' texture more apparent.
ISO 200

On this photo I brought down the brightness a bit and made the colours slightly more pale so to remove the bright glare that blurred the castle, and again sharpening the image.
ISO 200










I am very pleased with the outcome of this photo but there are a few criticisms I have towards them, beginning with the lighting. The right side of the photo is significantly darker than the left, but this was due to the size of the lighting apparatus and the room, but it could also be that due to the right hand of the backdrop being darker colours emphasising it, compared to the bright colours of the castle and top left corner. Also, if possible, I would have the backdrop taller and wider, but I don't have enough cardboard to fulfil that desire.

Assignment 4: Annie Leibovitz/Perou - Prezi & Comparisons

Analysis

Compared to Perou's photos, Leibovitz's works are more mature and less bright, but both are very bold in their own rights. Where Perou has bright, saturated colours, Leibovitz includes rich, intricate backgrounds and very grand costumes whereas Perou has a more youthful sense to his photos, and his choice of models very much embody the youth and colourfulness Perou tries and succeeds to communicate.

 These two photos show the differences between Perou and Leibovitz's styles. For a start, there are clear differences between key features. For a start, the lighting has clear differences. Leibovitz uses a soft, natural light for a lot of her photos including this one to avoid dark, contrasting shadows that draw away from the subject, as this lighting gives a smooth, elegant shadow that doesn't dominate the photo. But Perou who appears to favour bold, black shadows that often are one of the main parts of his photos. 
Such strong lighting, if used correctly, really brings out the subject and determines them from the background as the colours jump out when a bright light is used near. As well as lighting, traits like the backgrounds determine the photographer's style, such as Leibovitz who is well known for her complicatedly luxurious backgrounds - especially her Disney series which also include elaborate props. Yet unlike Leibovitz, Perou is clearly a minimalist who often uses a plain white studio background to really show off the model/subject. 
The aesthetics of each style are very much parallel to each other, as although both are fashion photographers (as well as portrait, music etc.) they show two very different sides of the profession. Leibovitz often uses more muted, tonal colours that give her photos a very sumptuous, ostentatious feel and her ornate backgrounds give her photos depth.

Assignment 4: Perou - Comparing & Analysing Perou's Works

• This photo is (as clearly stated by the logo in the top left corner) an advertisement for Vivienne Westwood, one of Perou's many fashion clients. It has a very soft feel, due to the natural lighting and neutral colours used in both background and clothing, which contrasts with the cartoon drawing to the right - but not overwhelmingly so. Compared to many of Perou's other works which as a general rule are very bright and graphic like the photos below. This is due to the fact that it is one of Perou's commercial works, so it is what the client wants instead of Perou's own unlimited freedom to choose brightness and colour in every aspect. If you look at the rest of the series you will see all of the other photos are very dim and lack the boldness and strength of Perou's own works.

•  This photo's aim is very much to draw attention to the subject which is achieved by having the contrasting, saturated hues both on the background and the model's trousers and eyeliner. Focus is also drawn to the model due to his pale skin and muted tattoos which have a very strong contrast against the bold yellow background. Strong front lighting is also used to bring out the full brightness in the colours and to minimise shadow, which would take attention away from the model and the trousers (the main focus as this is also a fashion advertisement.)

•  This photo is more tame than other photos, but still craves attention as the others do. The background is less of a demanding colour but still has a loud contrast with the hair, clothing and chicken wire. The audacious contrasts are a common theme in Perou's fashion portfolio as they demand the eye to gaze and stare at the clothes, one of the main elements of fashion photography. Once again, strong lighting is used to minimise dark spots on the face as the chicken wire provides an interesting structure instead of the bone structure of the model's face, but this time the shadow is visible which is a very uncommon feature to photography where the silhouette isn't the core of the photo.

• This photo screams at you, begging for the limelight. It uses the most blazing red there is and puts it against the whitest white and the blackest black, giving one of Perou's strongest, most powerful contrasts yet. The point of this photo is to catch the eye and to shock, hence the model being topless and wearing a gas mask, as it wants a reaction. This photo, compared with the other three, shows that Perou can produce a variety of photos for a number of clients whilst still withholding his own personal, recognisable style.

Assignment 4: Perou - Slideshare

Slideshare 1 

This slideshare I made myself to give an overview of Perou's professional life as well as analysis 2 of his works.

Perou pp from dmccannphotographygcse

Slideshare 2

Perou from HannahBolt

This is a good slideshare but could be improved in aspects. It gives a brief overview of Perou's work and his bio without complications, but I feel is too brief and could go into more detail about the photos and his life. It is mainly opinionated and the only real facts are the bio, but that aside it makes good points and offers a fresh eye on the chosen photos.

Assignment 3: Queen's Stamp Portrait Reproductions

This photo didn't work out as well as I'd hoped it could have, as the lighting, although exactly the same as the others, looks different due to his skin tone being far paler and pinker than the other models I selected so his skin reflects more lighting and almost blends with the background. I could have avoided this issue by finding another model with a less bleached skintone in this lighting, but it  was an issue that has only recently been noticed and recreating this lighting exactly the same (as is the point of these pictures) would be time consuming and less effective.

These photos, I feel, are an accomplishment and I am very proud of them. They are reproductions of this photo, taken by John Hedgecoe of Queen Elizabeth to be used on stamps and is one of the most reproduced photographs ever, 200 billion copies to be exact. To replicate this image, I used a white light perpendicular to the model's face and moved it back a good two metres to ensure there was no glare and to soften the shadows on the face. I kept the lighting, posture and position identical in each photo because I wanted the photos to be very similar but with clearly different elements e.g. race, gender, culture.

Assignment 3: Depth of Field - Perou

Definition

Link
this is a very good definition because not only does it give the meaning of the term, but it gives examples as well. it covers most aspects of depth and field, and those that aren't are mentioned in the below slideshare.

Comments

this photo is a great example of depth of field, although it was very hard to find one as many of Perou's works are against a plain white background and only contain a subject. this photo has a small depth of field due to isolation and a very prominent background. it doesn't follow the rule in the slideshare, that using the rule of thirds, splits up the image into three rows for the background, centre and foreground. although the fire is in focus, I feel it is the main point of the picture due to the strong contrast with the pale sky and its dominant presence engulfing the majority of the background, demonstrating that being in focus doesn't mean it has to be the subject.

Slideshare

Lesson 1b Depth Of Field from hweeling

Assignment 3: Lighting - John Hedgecoe

Definition

1. the act of igniting or illuminating.

2. the arrangement of lights to achieve particular effects.

3. an effect achieved by the arrangement of lights.

4. the way light falls upon a face, object, etc., esp. in a picture.

( link: http://www.thefreedictionary.com
/lighting)

Comments

This picture is a brilliant example of side lighting. it is used a lot in portraits to highlight distinctive features on the face e.g. wrinkles, creases, bone structure and to give the face more character and interest and can be achieved by lighting from the side of the face or placing your subject by a window. as well as side lighting, there are many other methods to use (see slideshare below), for example, back lighting, natural lighting and broad lighting.

3 Point Lighting for Photography from 614209
This slideshare is very useful for referencing as it goes into detail about how to achieve the techniques of lighting and when would be appropriate to use them.