3000 word Essay

Study into architectural and street photography

Introduction:

This project is an investigation into architectural and street photography. Architecture photography is focused on shooting government buildings, historical landmarks and impressive / interesting design. It’s important to study as it provides a fix point of view of buildings exteriors and interiors as well as other infrastructure and cityscapes. This provides a collection of well-maintained historic sites that offer examples of classic architecture, as well as run-down or abandoned buildings that show their age in different ways. This shows how each building fares over time which is important for architects to take into account when designing new buildings. Architectural photography is prevalent in society especially in the age of technology and platforms like Instagram. This is down to tourists posting thousands of photos of landmarks everyday as a result this makes the up keep of the tourist hotspot architecture of higher importance as it’s always in public eye. Architectural photography also is prevalent in society as it takes high place in travel magazines and websites in the form of promotion. As a result making a first impression of a place.

(https://www.format.com/magazine/resources/photography/architecture-photography)

Street photography is more focused on the chance encounters and random incidents within a public place. Based purely on spontaneity that can feature people or can be completely absent of people. It is therefore important to study as it is based on the realness and the moment, instead of the technical issues. Grainy photos, wonky framing, bad focus can all add to this idea of realness and therefore could improve a photo. Therefore it’s studied in order to capture what is happening during that moment in history. This can prove to have a powerful impact, normally placed within an article or newspaper that brings highlights to issues that the public may otherwise be clueless on. With street photography you also are on the same standing as every other photographer the only difference is the time spent learning to spot those moments. Street photography is prevalent as ‘social media floods this form with mediocre and subpar photos’ and doesn’t take into account ‘how to compose an image’.

(https://photographylife.com/what-is-street-photography)

This investigation is based on the Street and buildings of London and uses the idea of both types of photography as shown above. The idea is to find streets in London that aren’t well know and highlight them in new ways to show a different side of London. As well as this I wanted to take the same idea of renewing or bringing awareness to something and therefore using the known tourist areas, to photograph in new ways and creative ways.

History:

‘View from the Window at Le Gras’ is the world’s oldest photo taken in the 1820’s and is the first example of architectural photography.

(https://www.format.com/magazine/resources/photography/architecture-photography)

Created by French inventor Nicéphore Niépce at his countryside estate, Le Gras of the building and surrounding area. The scene was focused onto a pewter plate thinly coated with Bitumen of Judea, a naturally occurring asphalt. In the light the bitumen hardened in the dim areas was washed away by a mixture of lavender oil and white petroleum. A very long exposure in the camera was required. Sunlight strikes the buildings on opposite sides, suggesting an exposure that lasted for eight hours. The end result was the permanent direct positive picture you shown below.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_from_the_Window_at_Le_Gras)

(Close up of the original plate. With the enhanced version as a guide the major elements of the scene can just be discerned.)

(View from the Window at Le Gras, 1826–1827 (manually enhanced version)

Historians Helmut Gernsheim and Alison Gernsheim in 1952 had an expert at the Kodak Research Laboratory make a modern photographic copy. This proved extremely difficult to produce an adequate representation however Helmut Gernsheim heavily retouched one of the copy prints to clean it up and make the scene more comprehensible in the 1970’s he allowed only that enhanced version to be published. Harry Ransom purchased the Gernsheim Collection for The University of Texas at Austin in 1963. It remains the cornerstone not only to UT's Photography Collection but also to the process of photography which has revolutionized our world throughout nearly two centuries. During a study in 2002–03, scientists at the Getty Conservation Institute examined the photograph using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The Institute also designed and built the elaborate display case system that now houses the artefact in a continuously monitored, stabilised, oxygen-free environment.

(https://web.archive.org/web/20120118034415/http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/wfp)

Street photography today is different from street photography in 1918 where it used to be a photographer who would take portraits on the street for a fee. Photographers such as Henri-Cartier Bresson and Diane Arbus who documented the everyday weird and wonderful in the 1950’s were probably the pioneers of what we are familiar with today.  

(https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/the-history-of-street-photography/)

Eugene Atget is the rightful father of street photography, he worked the streets of Paris beginning in the 1890s and continued into the 1920s. His photography mainly consisted of non-human subjects. Henri Cartier-Bresson was one of the first to focus on human action in the streets and to photograph what he termed the “decisive moment”. Robert Frank published a book called, The Americans in 1958 as a member of the New York School of Photography. He’s photos weren’t always straight and were raw. This gave birth to the term street photography that people know today.

(https://streetphotography.com/a-brief-history-of-street-photography/)

(https://photographylife.com/what-is-street-photography)

Photographers Research:

My photographers research has a large impact on the types of photos that i am going to take. As well as this the photographers may use a different technique and that maybe something that can be used or tested within the work in order to get different shots.

David Gutierrez is one of the photographers that have influenced my shoots as he as many different series of photos that are relevant and based on architectural photography and night cityscapes. He is a London based photographer which has a contemporary style and is well known around the world.

(https://www.davidgutierrez.co.uk/)

This photo is of Tower Bridge in London at night where all the lights are on. The long exposure has allowed the streams of lights created by car and busses crossing the bridge to help illuminate the photo. They also bring in colour and drama to the photo. The streak's imply movement as that is how they are created, allowing the eye to follow it into the photo and under the arch way of the bridge. As a result the viewer can easily draw themselves into the photo. This technique is called motion blur and is taken from the series EXPOSURE and was taken in 2012. The left side of the bridge making a large swooping C curve forces the eyes down and then all the way up to the tower. Which has been framed by being highlighted by the lights and having the dark London sky in the background making the edges sharp. 

(https://www.davidgutierrez.co.uk/london-photographer--architecture--streaming-light.html)

This photo has many different buildings found around London. Where if you start from the right hand side at the church an work anti-clockwise it shows the buildings getting taller. This leads to the Loyd's building which has all the services on the outside of the building. This is where skyscrapers started to take over. The various heights of the buildings and the strong difference between the old stone building and the new, reflective glass buildings creates a hard contrast as well as juxtaposition. The angle shows the height and the vertical lines show the grandness of the buildings. As the eyes of the viewer move up the building for some its like you cant even see the top. This can create the feeling of intimidation and fear as they tower over the viewer. This is taken from his series VERTICAL.

(https://www.davidgutierrez.co.uk/london-photographer--creative-photography--architecture--looking-up.html)

Alexey Titarenko is the second photographer that has influenced my work. He is a Russian photographer born in November 1962 and produced series on the human condition in Russia after the Soviet Union collapsed. His most well known work 'City of Shadows' 1991 - 1994, was formed. In the series he used long exposure and intentional camera movement into street photography.

This photo is titled 'Trolley on Nevsky Prospect, 1992' and is from the 'City of Shadows' series. 

 During this time there was a lot of suffering and people had to just get on with there day. With in this photo it shows people hurrying about with the only thing proving that they were alive and a part of something is a blur. With the blurriness within the lower portion of the photo there's the large building looming over them. This provides a grandness and mightiness possibly symbolising how the Soviet Union ruled over the people. However the blur of the people would then show how with out the people and there suffering and still working then there would be no foundation to the building. 

The second photo is titled, 'Rain on Nevsky Prospect, 1993' and is from the 'City of Shadows' series. The blurriness of all the peoples faces mask any expression making it difficult to work out who they are and how they are feeling. However the person that has the clearest face seems to be looking down and possibly has a sad expression. Due to the blurriness however this is up for interpretation. As a result its quite a depressive scene as all the different faces of all the different people have become lost in the indecipherable blurs of others. 

(http://www.alexeytitarenko.com/#/cityofshadows/)

Relevance to work:

(shoot 2)

This is relevant to my shoot as it relates back to David Gutierrez and his VERTICAL series.

  

(shoot 3)

This photo had a black and white filter added to relate to the black and white photos of  Alexey Titarenko. The angle for this photo is inspired by David Gutierrez and his VERTICAL series.

(shoot 4)

Alexey Titarenko was the inspiration for the photo to have the long shutter speed was to used to create the shaken effect. 

Future:

For the future i plan on doing some night shooting as it will mean that i will need to adjust how i take and look at the location i am in. This will also relate to David Gutierrez more as most of his photos are taken at night, using the lights from the buildings as well as Photoshop. As well as this i want to explore more computer experiments on Photoshop. 

I am also going to correct where i went wrong on work record 4. I am planning on doing the motion blur again in order to get the full extent of the blur. The main issue i needed to correct was the amount of light entering the lens and hitting the film. As a result I couldn't get the shutter speed i wanted.

Conclusion:

In conclusion I like the work i have done so far and i have a good idea were i am going to take it next. I believe that having some night shoots will create a really different way continuing my work.

References:

Format Team, 2019, How to photograph architecture: the complete guide, [https://www.format.com/magazine/resources/photography/architecture-photography], assessed 11/19/19

Elizabeth, Complete Guide to Street Photography for Beginners, [https://photographylife.com/what-is-street-photography], assessed 11/19/19

Wikipedia, 2019, View from the Window at Le Gras, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_from_the_Window_at_Le_Gras], assessed 11/19/19

Harry Ransom Center, The first photograph, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120118034415/http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/wfp]

The history of street photography, [https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/the-history-of-street-photography/], assessed 11/19/19

M.Ernest, 2017, A Brief History of Street Photography, [https://streetphotography.com/a-brief-history-of-street-photography/], assessed 11/19/19

D.Gutierrez, David Gutierrez Photography, [https://www.davidgutierrez.co.uk/], assessed 9/24/19

D.Gutierrez, Exposure, [https://www.davidgutierrez.co.uk/london-photographer--architecture--streaming-light.html], assessed 9/24/19

D.Gutierrez, Vertical, [https://www.davidgutierrez.co.uk/london-photographer--creative-photography--architecture--looking-up.html], assessed 9/24/19

SHOTS magazine, 2005, Alexey Titarenko, [http://www.alexeytitarenko.com/#/cityofshadows/], assessed 10/11/19

Work Record 6

Shoot 6

Plan for the shoot

For this shoot I also looked back at work record 4, as I liked the effect that was created when moving the camera. I have decided that using the Christmas decorations and lights could give a different and a dynamic effect to the photos. As a result for this shoot I am going to head back to Covent Garden and the surrounding area in order to take photos while moving the camera to see the effects given. I am also planning on using the computer manipulation that I used in work record 5 with in this  work record as well. I'm planning on using the glitch to see what type of effect that will yield in the end, as I believe that the results will be interesting.

Location: Covent Garden and seven dials

The reason for this location is because it is well known as the place to be in London around Christmas. This is due to the enormous amounts of lights and the massive Christmas tree that is placed in the middle of Covent Garden market. I believe that this will provide many opportunities in order to test different ways of moving the camera whether that be longitudinal, latitudinal or vertical. As a result of this it will allow me to find a particular style in which I like to move the camera.

Resources

- Nikon D3100, 18 - 55mm camera

Techniques

- RAW shooting

- Motion Blur

Research influence

David Gutierrez

For this shoot my research influence is going to be David  because of his use of colour from lights at night as well as the fact that he shoots at night which is when I'm planning on taking my photos. As a result of this the photos may not be similar in style however in terms of colours and times it fits much better than any of my other photographers research. I did continue looking for a another photographer that did this sort of technique however I couldn't find a photographer who had the same effect or influence in the same way.

(Chinatown, London, UK)

This photo of the entrance to Chinatown is being used within this work record as it has a high amount of colour and also contains lights. However the main reason is because it is a main focus/one thing instead of a set of multiple things. This is the type of image that I am planning on finding as I want the main focus to be used in the same way however mine would have the addition of the purpose camera movement.

(The Millennial Bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral 2012, London, UK)

The next photo of St. Paul's was added as it maintained the idea of having one central focus for the photo. The lights on the bridge draw the viewer's eyes down the bridge. If I was to take this photo however I would have rotated the camera both ways in order to see if I could get the sides of the bridge to come upwards making almost like a tunnel.

Image Bank ( 3-5 )

For this first image they've got lights that are moving in front of the main focus which is the Elizabeth Tower. I do like the idea where you have the lights in front of the main focus however in this shoot I am planning on having the actual main focus of be the movement's of the lights with on the main focus. However the power where the lights are the part moving do go with this shoot idea.

So for this image the lights have become the main focus where there is a mass movement of them however there is no background focus like the one above. This is more along the lines of what I'm looking for in shoot however I still want the focus of the image to be almost interpretative in the correct way. So as a result the view will still know what the focus was when I was taking the photo.

In this last image it has the same idea as the image above however in this image the bright colours are the same and all the lights are moving with in the same direction. This  is going to relate slightly more than the one above to my chute as when I move the camera it's going to make it so all the light move in the same direction whether that be latitudinal, longitudinal or rotational. I do really like the idea of having all the lights with the same way this is because it creates a similar  look and I think creates more power and direction into the image.

Contact sheet 

Best Photos

For my first photo I decided that I was going to look at the rotational movement of the camera again. As I really like this effect back in shoot 4, on the photo of St Paul's Cathedral. Within this photo the rotational effect really blurs the lines and helped create the effect of circles within circles made by millions of lights. Lights on the buildings that are linear stayed within their lines however still distorting and bending with the directional movement of the camera.

The movement within the second picture comes from a lifting of the left hand side of the photograph however making sure not to do a full rotation. What's interesting about the movement within this photo is the viewer's eyes are automatically drawn to the almost stationary part which is encased within a circle. Then the eyes are drawn to the centre where the tree is where it looks like the tree has almost falling into place, then moving out into the lives of white light that have come from the building. This draws the eyes from the right hand side of the picture through to the left creating this spreading effect.

This next image is probably the most interesting as I not only rotated it clockwise but I also rotated it anticlockwise in order to create a dramatic effect that forms a almost tunnel like effect. This draws the eyes from the top left-hand corner and the bottom right hand corner straight in to the tree where there is such a rotational force that it forms circles within circles. Due to the different ways I've rotated the camera it caused the centre of the image and the lights to distort away from each other so there was not a easy match. However I think this gives a more interesting and confusing effect to the photograph creating more intrigue.

In this next photo I did the exact same effect where I've rotated clockwise and anticlockwise. This created a very odd effect considering that I only had building lights on the left-hand side of the photograph, this caused a dramatic and towering vertical effect where the lines also look like they are going to tumble over. However if you look on the right-hand side of the photo they are more see curved and have an odd straight bit at the top. For the viewer her is a path through the distortions which your eyes follow down creating the effect you can walk into the picture, however this creates a very odd feeling as it looks like you would have to step into the picture at an angle.

For my next photo I did one rotational, clockwise this allows the centre of rotation to stay completely still. In this photograph I decided that I would pick a window and I believe that this effect was extremely powerful as it creates a wave like a fit with the lights. This affects reminds me of looking into a puddle dropping some in it creating a ripple effect over the picture like ripples in water.

For the last image I tried just using the camera in as many different directions as I could think of. This was to create a turmoil and chaotic effect. For the viewer this image can be really difficult to follow the movement however that is what is meant to do as each line takes him in a testing turning and wondrous journey. The white lines which were headlights on cars work from the left-hand side where your eyes are drawn to because they are much brighter through the twisting chaotic mess and out on the right-hand side.

Needs improvement

This photo needed improvement due to the fact that it was very overexposed, resulting in most of the image becoming white and therefore there is nothing to see. When I was looking to improve this image the first thing I changed was by shutter speed and my aperture to make sure that I was using the correct shooting options.

In this photo needed improving was the fact that there was not enough colour or light. This resulted in a bland picture which had no dramatic impact for me therefore I needed to look for a brighter and more colourful area.

In this photo I decided to use latitudinal camera shake however it was not powerful enough and as a result only produced a slightly blurry picture where the effect is not strong enough.This led to a picture that wasn't dramatic enough or detailed enough and as a result had no effect. If I was to retake this photo again I would make sure to shake the camera harder to create a much more dramatic and dynamic effect.

For this photo, I was testing to see what this effect had on people. This just led to a blower and as a result created no effect due to lack of clear, strong or dramatic lines for the viewer's eyes to follow.

AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress

Best Photos

For my first photo I decided that I was going to look at the rotational movement of the camera again. As I really like this effect back in shoot 4, on the photo of St Paul's Cathedral. Within this photo the rotational effect really blurs the lines and helped create the effect of circles within circles made by millions of lights. Lights on the buildings that are linear stayed within their lines however still distorting and bending with the directional movement of the camera.
The movement within the second picture comes from a lifting of the left hand side of the photograph however making sure not to do a full rotation. What's interesting about the movement within this photo is the viewer's eyes are automatically drawn to the almost stationary part which is encased within a circle. Then the eyes are drawn to the centre where the tree is where it looks like the tree has almost falling into place, then moving out into the lives of white light that have come from the building. This draws the eyes from the right hand side of the picture through to the left creating this spreading effect.
This next image is probably the most interesting as I not only rotated it clockwise but I also rotated it anticlockwise in order to create a dramatic effect that forms a almost tunnel like effect. This draws the eyes from the top left-hand corner and the bottom right hand corner straight in to the tree where there is such a rotational force that it forms circles within circles. Due to the different ways I've rotated the camera it caused the centre of the image and the lights to distort away from each other so there was not a easy match. However I think this gives a more interesting and confusing effect to the photograph creating more intrigue.
In this next photo I did the exact same effect where I've rotated clockwise and anticlockwise. This created a very odd effect considering that I only had building lights on the left-hand side of the photograph, this caused a dramatic and towering vertical effect where the lines also look like they are going to tumble over. However if you look on the right-hand side of the photo they are more see curved and have an odd straight bit at the top. For the viewer her is a path through the distortions which your eyes follow down creating the effect you can walk into the picture, however this creates a very odd feeling as it looks like you would have to step into the picture at an angle.
For my next photo I did one rotational, clockwise this allows the centre of rotation to stay completely still. In this photograph I decided that I would pick a window and I believe that this effect was extremely powerful as it creates a wave like a fit with the lights. This affects reminds me of looking into a puddle dropping some in it creating a ripple effect over the picture like ripples in water.
For the last image I tried just using the camera in as many different directions as I could think of. This was to create a turmoil and chaotic effect. For the viewer this image can be really difficult to follow the movement however that is what is meant to do as each line takes him in a testing turning and wondrous journey. The white lines which were headlights on cars work from the left-hand side where your eyes are drawn to because they are much brighter through the twisting chaotic mess and out on the right-hand side.

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

The camera that i used during this shoot is my Nikon D3100. The deliberate movement of camera is a very interesting way to create a different angle of showing the particular image. this technique has allowed me to create some really interesting photos. The use of the lights as well has really added to the effect as it allows a clear way to show the movement. As a result I think this has improved on the work that I did in work record 4 as by shooting at night it has allowed me to obtain the use of lights from the buildings.

The main settings i used:
ISO 800
F stop 22
Shutter Speed 1/20
Set to Manual and Manual focus

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other source, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding

In this shoot from the beginning i had decided to use Adobe Photoshop to add the glitch effect to the photos in order to see the yielded effects. I chose this effect that i experimented with in my last work record, as i think the effect where it breaks the lines up will increase its effect.

Firstly i created a white background layer and then put a copy of my original photo of the top.

I then added a mask and filled it in white. Using the box tool to highlight i sections to cut away.

Lastly i used the box tool to highlight the sections of the photo that i then moved up or down using the arrow keys. 

For all photos:

Landscape = Longitudinal glitch - learnt from work record 5
Portrait = Latitudinal glitch

Screenshots taken using the Snipping tool

Afterwards I also decided to crop off the edges so the amounts of movement couldn't be seen as well.

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, make connections between visual and other elements.

Glitch work

Glitched work after being cropped.

Progression

In this shoot I really used the movement of the camera to cause the dramatic effect. The idea of using this from shoot 4 however having done it in at night as well I think that the effect has a really different feel depending on the time of day. Due to the effect I really enjoy working with this distortion. This shoot was partly influenced by David Gutierrez as he does a lot of night shoots. This allowed me to see and know what to look for in order to think of how they would look when i moved the camera over them.

For my next shoot i'm planning on possibly doing another physical edit or maybe a computer edit. I believe that i'm most likely going to stay in the same area where i did this shoot as well. For time of day i think that i am going to do a mixture of Day and Night so I can choose a selection of each.

What i am looking for:
- Movement through the way i edit the photo instead of movement through the camera / movement within the photo using lines.

Work Record 5

Shoot 5

Plan for the shoot

For photo shoot 5 I decided to return back to my last shoot, were I decided to do motion blur. However when doing it there was an issue with the sun was to bright, this led to overexposed pictures and not been able to get the desired effect. As a result, I have decided to retry this technique in order to correct the mistakes by shooting at a later time in the day whether some was not as much of an issue.

Location: 'The City' + Covent Garden 

The reason for this location is because there are many roads and inter junctions. As a result I'm planning to use the technique motion blur in order to capture movement of cars and buses along the roads. the reason I am going to do this is in order to check that I have the correct camera settings. From there I am planning to see if I can have the desired effect on people, the only thing that could become an issue is if there are too many people within the area and I cannot use a tripod.

Resources

- tripod

- Nikon D3100, 18 - 55mm camera

Techniques

- RAW shooting

- Motion Blur

Research influence

David Gutierrez - series 'EXPOSURE'

('Night Pulse', the shard, London, UK)

This photo was taken of the shard in London on one of the many bridges. It has a very long shutter speed in order to capture the movement of the traffic. A tripod must have been used due to the stability of the buildings in the background and there must have been enough movement of traffic in order to form the light lines. These light lines are leading lines and pull the viewers eyes into the picture starting from the left-hand side through to the right therefore creating movement within the image.

(Christmas ready – Oxford Street (2017), London, UK)

Within the second photo taken on Oxford Street in London, the Christmas lights are shown  indicating it is around December time. The photographer has again used motion blur within the image in order to create movement that forces the viewer's eyes along the light lines (leading lines). For this photo you must be standing on a crossing or somewhere where the road opens up in order to set up the tripod and not bother the flow of the traffic.

Image Bank ( 3-5 )

For this image that I put in, light streaks created by the traffic curve round the roads and I would like to look for areas where I can create the same effect. This was added as a good representation of the image i am planning on taking. As well as this i'm using the same idea of shooting at night.

In this photo the shutter speed is slower than the image above and it creates a drastically different effect. The bus in this image is still clear however in motion and the viewer can see the directional movement. 

The last image has the same long shutter speed as before, as well as this it has been highly manipulated possibly on Photoshop. Hue and Saturation has definitely been altered and possibly the contrast has been increased as well. 

Contact sheet 

Best Photos

For my first photo I decided to use a slightly slower shutter speed in order to capture a more solidified vehicle. Therefore allowing the viewer to be able to tell what the photo actually is about as they are able to tell what the moving part is. The use of the tripod within this photo allowed me to keep the background and foreground still, so you can see the movement of the traffic with out excessive movement of the camera.

Within the second photo I adjusted my shutter speed. For this adjustment I increase my shutter speed allowing more movement of traffic and therefore blurry lines where the traffic passed. On the left-hand side of the photo there is a shadowed person this shows that they were standing just long enough in order to have an impact of the image. This shows the viewer that a person was only there for a temporary moment before they moved on.

Where I was located for this photo there was an issue of too many people passing through, as a result I couldn't use a tripod. In order to combat this I used a bin in order to balance my camera and keep a steady background. This photo allows the eyes of the viewer to travel through by using lines of coloured light in order to engage and attract their eyes. This allows the eyes to move from the right-hand side of the photo down the road past the coloured building which was the main focus (the bright colours allowed it to stand out within the otherwise dark background).

My fourth photo is similar to my third however I adjusted the timing of which I took the photo so that there was less buses which caused less lines of light. As result of this viewer's eyes are more drawn to the colours of the background building and then pulled onto the lines of light starting with the cars, allowing their eyes to exit through the left-hand side of the photo.

For this photo I was standing on a bridge, I increased my shutter speed in order to capture as much movement of traffic as possible. While taking this photo I was waiting for a bus to go past in order to get the different heights of lights. However for this photo I was not able to use a tripod due to the amount of people walking on the bridge therefore if I was to retake this photo I would find in area where I could balance the camera better than the area that I did. The reason for this is that the background is still a little bit shaky.

All photos above were inspired by my first photographer and his use of motion blur at night.

In my last photo I decided that I would try and create the effect that I wanted where I was able to blur the people walking. These photos were inspired by my second photographer, the effect whereby all physical features are blurred and therefore there is no definition. Again there was the same issue as on the bridge where I was not able to find an area to place my tripod without someone hitting it. Therefore next time found to use motion blur I will scout the area beforehand to find the best places to set up my camera. This photo allows the viewer a visual representation of how busy that area is as the blur effect gives a chaotic and busy feeling to photo.

Needs improvement

In this photo I was trying to capture movement on the ceiling due to the describable turning. However my shutter speed was too high therefore causing the white lights to become over exposed. As well as this due to angles there is a lot of camera shake and therefore caused the whole picture to blur.

This photo needs improvement essay did not capture any of the effect that I was looking for. For a start there was no traffic as a result the lines of light in order to show movement within the photo was not there. Secondly I did not have the correct camera settings as the whole picture is too bright. I did read this photo however keeping all of these things in mind in changing the settings, achieving the desired effect.

The part of this photo which needs improvement is the amount of camera shake. This camera shake was due to someone bumping into my tripod as I was taking the photo therefore causing distortion especially on the left-hand side of the photo. As well as this distortion in camera shake you can see that overall the whole picture is blurry showing that I did not have the correct focus point as well.

In this photo I did achieve the desired effect of blurry people to make them look like fog, as shown in my second artist. However due to not being able to use a tripod the building in the background has become blurry and shows minimal camera shake but due to long shutter speed it's very noticeable. To improve this photo I would need to find a place where I can set up my tripod without getting knocked over.

For my last photo, I was experimenting with the effect of a long shutter speed as I was walking. However this did not show any desired effect, whereby the viewer's eyes are able to travel through the photo using something that is physically manipulated or computer done.

AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress

Best Photos

For my first photo I decided to use a slightly slower shutter speed in order to capture a more solidified vehicle. Therefore allowing the viewer to be able to tell what the photo actually is about as they are able to tell what the moving part is. The use of the tripod within this photo allowed me to keep the background and foreground still, so you can see the movement of the traffic with out excessive movement of the camera.
Within the second photo I adjusted my shutter speed. For this adjustment I increase my shutter speed allowing more movement of traffic and therefore blurry lines where the traffic passed. On the left-hand side of the photo there is a shadowed person this shows that they were standing just long enough in order to have an impact of the image. This shows the viewer that a person was only there for a temporary moment before they moved on.
Where I was located for this photo there was an issue of too many people passing through, as a result I couldn't use a tripod. In order to combat this I used a bin in order to balance my camera and keep a steady background. This photo allows the eyes of the viewer to travel through by using lines of coloured light in order to engage and attract their eyes. This allows the eyes to move from the right-hand side of the photo down the road past the coloured building which was the main focus (the bright colours allowed it to stand out within the otherwise dark background).
My fourth photo is similar to my third however I adjusted the timing of which I took the photo so that there was less buses which caused less lines of light. As result of this viewer's eyes are more drawn to the colours of the background building and then pulled onto the lines of light starting with the cars, allowing their eyes to exit through the left-hand side of the photo.
For this photo I was standing on a bridge, I increased my shutter speed in order to capture as much movement of traffic as possible. While taking this photo I was waiting for a bus to go past in order to get the different heights of lights. However for this photo I was not able to use a tripod due to the amount of people walking on the bridge therefore if I was to retake this photo I would find in area where I could balance the camera better than the area that I did. The reason for this is that the background is still a little bit shaky.
All photos above were inspired by my first photographer and his use of motion blur at night.
In my last photo I decided that I would try and create the effect that I wanted where I was able to blur the people walking. These photos were inspired by my second photographer, the effect whereby all physical features are blurred and therefore there is no definition. Again there was the same issue as on the bridge where I was not able to find an area to place my tripod without someone hitting it. Therefore next time found to use motion blur I will scout the area beforehand to find the best places to set up my camera. This photo allows the viewer a visual representation of how busy that area is as the blur effect gives a chaotic and busy feeling to photo.

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

Using my Nikon D3100 and tripod where possible, I corrected the mistakes from my last work record. Due to location I had to adapt as much as possible as people kept walking into the tripod. This led to me having to use brick walls and a bin at one point as a makeshift tripod in order to  try and obtain a stationary background.This was so the only movement shown was through the moving vehicles instead of camera movement. I also corrected the time of day where by before it was too bright due to the sun, this shoot took place during the night.

The main settings i used:
ISO 800
F stop 22
Shutter Speed 4 - 6 seconds
Manual settings and focus.

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other source, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding

For all my photos I'm planning on using Adobe photo shop to create different computer manipulations to alter and to store/highlight certain features. I am planning on trying out the sheer effect for distortion, the two-part colour where one partner is black-and-white and the other is full-colour and the glitch effect. These computer manipulations are going to be done on all my photos and will be displayed at the end to show the difference in effects.

The pictures below obtained using the snip tool show how I obtained each effect.

Firstly, I made two layers so I could manipulate the hue and saturation of the street and buildings for one and the bus movement and traffic light colour for the other.

Then I used the background and street selection and changed the hue and saturation to black and white. With the movement of the buses I slightly increased the saturation in order too make them stand out more.

From there I added longitudinal glitch by highlighting this section I wanted to move using the rectangular wrap tool.Then I selected the move tool and used the arrow selection on the keyboard in order to move that section left or right to the amount that I wanted.

Lastly, using the base layer that did not have the glitch effect I clicked on the filter button located in the search bar and went down to distortion where this shear effect is located. I then manipulated the photo as shown in the image above.

Screenshots taken using the Snipping tool

Results of the computer experiments 

Base edited 1st Photo. Using the selection tool and having the bursts of colour and movement in a higher saturation and making the inverse select very low saturation.

This is one of my favourites out of the computer manipulation experiments, using selective colour splash, as it really highlights the movement within the photo.

Glitch effect using the box tool with the move tool. (example 1 longitudinal)

Glitch effect using the box tool with the move tool. (example 2 latitudinal)

Glitch effect using the box tool with the move tool. (example 3 space to show the sections moved)

This was the best glitch effect as it shows the edges and distortions. As it causes a bigger effect when you can see the edges when compared to having a flat edge.

 Shear tool used (example 1 high amount of wave used)

Shear tool used (example 2 less wave used)

These edits are really interesting as the shear effect pulls the viewers eyes in the way the photo is pulled. Its really interesting as that could pull the eyes of the viewer in the completely wrong direction to the flow. However it could also enhance the movement direction. 

All EDIT's shown below.

Selective colour splash to highlight the movement

Glitch

I then cropped out the edges to make distortion. 

Sheared

Glitch

Cropped out the edges

Shear

Glitch

Shear

Glitch

Shear

Glitch

Cropped out the edges

Shear

Glitch

Cropped out the edges

Shear

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, make connections between visual and other elements.

Progression

For this shoot i really enjoyed the computer experimentation using Photoshop. This allowed me to learn a few new skills when it comes to using Photoshop. I am planning on possibly continuing the use of these new skills as the effects are interesting and create a different way of displaying the photo. By doing this shoot i was able to correct the mistakes from shoot 4 as i managed to obtain the motion blur photos i was looking for. Unlike work record four I had a different photographer's influence, this was because of time of day and type of photo I was looking to take. As a result I was heavily influenced by David Gutierrez – series 'Exposure'. As he used the same techniques i'm planning on using these techniques are using a tripod when shooting and motion blur. He also shoots at night within this series which linked very closely to what I did as I needed to shoot at night as it made it slightly easier to correct the mistakes I made.

Within my next shoot I am planning on going back to the same place in Covent Garden and using the purposely movement of the camera, the technique I did in shoot 4. The reason for this is because I liked the effect and I wonder how this would affect the lights and Christmas lights set up in the area. I really like this and i am interested in the idea of how this could look after a computer manipulation like a glitch. therefore in my next work record I am planning to use this idea in order to create a very different looking photo. I plan on using both the physical movement of the camera and the computer manipulation together in the next record and I think this could yield some very interesting results.

What i am looking for:
– movement with in the photo whether this be through the movement of the camera or the computer manipulation I plan on using.