Selection of final images for “People and the environment” theme (LO 1,2,3,4)
The project “People and the Environment” came to end and I had to select my five final images. This decision making process is never easy because you might not include an image you really like simply because it doesn’t communicate with the other selected images; it doesn’t convey the same message.
(LO1) Thanks to my research on well known photographers during this course (R.Adams in my blog People and the Environment; J.Sudek in my blog People and Nature and D.Michals in my blog Roads in Nature) I have been inspired by their ideas and vision. It helped me to look at the things in a different perspective. Michael Freeman showed me how to use light & shadow in images and I find his work fascinating.
(LO2) In my previous blogs I have learnt, experienced and practised different camera systems and techniques like exposure, slow shutter speed, aperture, light painting technique, ghosting, bracketting and time-lapse photography. I used and practised using polarizing and ND filters, tripod and different types of lenses like wide angle lens which I like using especially when shooting landscapes.
(LO3) I have been considering two different lines for my final presentation. My aim was to capture lines, light and structure. I wanted to show how people can blend in nature, be part of it. For that purpose I used lines, light and structure to convey this message. People are hardly noticeable on my images and they are blended in nature and colours. All images are connected with highlighted orange tones. This colour was dominant during the period when I was working on this project - during autumn. I really enjoyed playing with light & shadow and I tried to highlight that in my images. The overview of my final selection is below.
Final selection overview
Presentation of individual images:
Image 1
1/50s, f/5.6, ISO 500, zoom lens 24-70mm f/2.8S
The trees are dominant in my images, especially in this one. Sun is peaking through the trees and I played with shadows here. Feeling surrounded and overwhelmed by nature I used a slower shutter speed 1/50s as weather was very calm and everything was still.
Image 2
1/3s, f/7.1, ISO 100, zoom lens 24-70mm f/2.8S
I was fascinated by the light coming through the trees. I captured this image in the morning and it was a bit dark in the woods so I used a slower shutter speed of 1/3s without a tripod. I am impressed to still that the image is still sharp. The orange colour is again dominant and the enlighten plant at the bottom of my image shows the strength of the morning sunlight coming to the forest. This image is calming and peaceful.
Image 3
1/80s, f/11, ISO 100, zoom lens 24-70mm f/2.8S
I like the reflection on water and the repetition of trees. A fisherman is not disturbing the peaceful moment, he hardly moves. He is almost blended in nature and its environment. I used aperture of f/11.0 to show a bigger depth of field. My shutter speed was not very fast either as all elements here were still.
Image 4
1/125s, f/4.5, ISO 100, zoom lens 24-70mm f/2.8S
A lady is feeding birds in the park. Surrounded by trees she is blending with autumn colours of nature. Her orange trousers nicely fit in as well. I used a shutter speed 1/125s to make sure the birds are not blurry. Looking at the composition the image is split into thirds like the rest of the images in this selection.
Image 5
1/640s, f/7.1, ISO 720, zoom lens 24-70mm f/2.8S
This image captures lovely lines of shadows. At the beginning you hardly notice the contrast of having a bath tub in nature. I prefer not to have it there but it shows how humans can leave their footprints in nature. The composition if the image is divided into thirds again with a noticeable tree and orange tones.
Image 6
1/100s, f/7.1, ISO 100, zoom lens 24-70mm f/2.8S
Thanks to a golden hour the orange tones are even more profound and united. A lady is a photographer and is waiting for a perfect moment to take a picture. She blends naturally with the environment around her. The composition is again split into thirds.
(LO3) My images are sequences of light, connected with orange tones. I applied a composition of thirds to all of them. It was crucial for my pictures to make sure that my exposure (exposure triangle) was set up correctly. I edited the final images in Lightroom.
Printing
After adjusting my images for printing - checking the right exposure, contrast, tones and saturation - I sent them to the professional printing company The print space. The final prints came out well in general however some were a bit oversaturated compare to my digital prints.
Overall I am happy with my images, my inspiration comes from nature, lines, light and shadows. The hardest decision to make was to to pick the final images. The group discussion during the lesson was very helpful. I was happy for comments from my colleagues and my tutor. That helped me to make a final selection of images.
As always I wish I had more time to travel to different locations. Sometimes I felt I know those places very well and was looking for inspiration.
Another showcase and second series of images I was considering to present is below. In this series I wanted to show how people are using nature and how little we can feel in it. I used a different shutter speed to show movement. I edited the images in Lightroom and united them with highlighted orange tones again.
(LO4) Health and safety procedures
I had to observe health and safety procedures related to a location photography during my assignment “People and the Environment”.
Nature of terrain: Carefully observe the terrain not to slip over tree roots, fall into deep or uneven terrain
Poor weather: dressed up accordingly to weather and current temperature especially when shooting in the early or late hours
Animals: consider the danger of approaching the wild animals in parks and keeping the safe distance from them, like deers
Permission for portraits: ask for a permission from people I intended to take a picture; some are not comfortable with it and could get angry. Also ask parents for a permission to take pictures of their children
Permission: sometimes I needed a permission to shoot at the rail stations and other official building and places
Protection of the equipment: protect my camera, lenses, filters and tripod from damage like tripping over something, from bad weather especially rain, from stealing by a thief, from accidentally dropping them to the ground, from scratching the lenses and filters, from damaging the camera sensor when changing the lenses
Personal safety: be super careful when taking pictures in the park or other secluded areas when it’s dark. I prefer to ask to be accompanied by my friends and not to go alone
Traffic alert: carefully observe the traffic when shooting on or around streets and busy roads
Tripod: make sure the tripod is stable and safely secured on the ground
Shooting plan: prepare a plan of what, where, how to take my images
Declaration :
‘I confirm that the attached portfolio is all my own work and does not include any work completed by anyone other than myself.'
Jitka Zrust
Source: book Understanding Exposure by B. Peterson; book Light&How to photograph it by M.Freeman; course materials; internet
