AS Year Evaluation

For the last 8-9 months I have enjoyed my time in AS photography.  I feel I have learned lots of new skills and have developed my photography work from when I first started here at Harlow to now.  I am happy with the work I have produced and think it is a high standard and i am eager to begin my A2 year here in September and further myself in the subject.  I think the skills I have learned are demonstrated in my practical work and I think that I have began to explore a more signature style in photography unique to me.

Personally I have enjoyed my time in photography and as mentioned I am proud of my work.  I loved the unit one work where we looked at the formal elements as towards the end of this project I was able to conduct shoots of whatever I liked, and I think here I enjoyed myself the most and developed a style.  Although at first I thought the formal element techniques that we were learning at the time seemed a little pointless as I felt I wasn't actually shooting 'proper' pictures, I can now see the value in it and what I actually learnt - these are things I think about and apply in all of my work now.  The unit two exam project was something else I enjoyed (I picked the 'issues' topic) however after a while I became admittedly bored of shooting the same sort of things in photos and felt restricted to what I could do.  From this though I think it will help me to pick my unit three project more carefully to ensure that it is something that I am going to enjoy.

I have learnt a lot about myself as a photographer during the last year about the way I shoot - both strengths and weaknesses.  These are things I am going to take in my A2 year to develop my work further.  I have also learnt other skills such as those on Photoshop - these are skills that I am continuously developing.

Overall, I have loved my time in photography and cannot wait to start next year!  I think next year will give me the opportunity to develop further and really flourish in my own unique style of photography.  I have learned that I love working in the studio as opposed to location shoots - this is something I want to apply in my work.  I want to keep my project nice and broad so that I don't restrict myself nor become bored through out the coming year.

Video

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Sequencing

Teenage Pregnancy

Friday 10th May 2013

Plans for the shoot...

I am going to be looking at the issue of teenage pregnancy in today's shoot.  I don't want to represent the shoot by showing an actual pregnant teen, but instead look at it from a slightly different angle.  I am planning on getting a model that I am going to write some of the statistics of teen pregnancies on her stomach.  I want the photo to end up looking very simple with the focus being on the stomach with the statics on written on it.

What I am hoping to achieve...

In today's shoot I am hoping to get a shot that gets across the message that I am trying to highlight.  I don't want there to but much else, if anything in the photo, so I am liking going to be cropping the final photo down as much as I can.  I also would like the photo to be desaturated a lot or in black and white as I think this brings out different emotions and gives different feel to the photo.

What I actually achieved...

Here is one of the shots from today's shoot - I didn't get much variation in today's shoot as it was so simple, but I am happy with the shots that I did get.

I love the positioning of the photo and the feel it has given off.  I like the effect that the desaturation of the photo has given off too - I think it changed the overall feel and message of the photo.  Though there is no eye contact from a subject present in this photo there is still full focus on the subjects stomach as the cropping is so tight.

I think looking back a the shoot I could have tried to add some more complexity to the shoot to get some more varied shots.

What I am going to do next...

I liked the simplicity of the shoot that I did today - I have definitely realised in today's shoot that I don't need to over complicate things to get a good photo.  I still think though that I am going into shoots with the mind set of knowing what I want and this distracts from me experimenting and getting more variation in my shots and being able to get a get unplanned photo.  This is something that I want to continue to work on in my next and future shoots,

Guns

Tuesday 30th April 2013

Plans for the shoot...

In today's shoot I am going to be looking at the increasing issue of gun crime and how such weapons are glamorised.   This shoot is going to be done in two parts.  The first part of the shoot I will be using a male subject and photographing him holding the gun in a threatening way.  I want the gun to the focal point in the shot.  In the second part of the shoot I am then going to shoot with a female subject who is going to act as the glamorisation of the weapon.

What I am hoping to achieve...

I am hoping to be able to show the glamorisation of weapons in today's society in the shoot today.  I really want to get a threatening shot where the focus is on the weapon and then a shot where everything looks glamorised.  With the threatening shot I want the subject to be out of focus in the shot so you cannot see them clearly in the photo.

What I actually achieved...

Here are some of the photos from today's shoot.


I really like the strength in this shoot.  The gun is the focal point in the shot but due to the harmonious colours in the shot where the gun is positioned, and though the subject is out of focus they are still making eye contact with the camera and this distracts from the fact that he isn't dominate in the photo.  I like the way the way the shape is so clearly seen too due to the sterile background of the shot.

This is another similar shot that I really like.  I think this shot is possibly stronger as it looks like the subject has just turned round to take a shot or fire the gun whereas the other photo looks more static.  I think the gun is more noticeable in this photo too and there is even more focus on it as the subject seems further away and even less in focus.

This is one of the photos from the glamorised side of the shot.  I don't like these shots as much as the threatening side of shot photos turned out.

I don't think the photos have the same strength and I don't think neither the subject or the weapon takes full dominance in the shot.  The photo doesn't have the right feel about it that I wanted too - I think that this could partly be down to the expression of the model.  I like the positioning of the shot though and the way there is no background seen in the photo.






What I am going to do next...

I only liked half of this shoot that I did today so I would perhaps like to revisit the side of the shoot that I wasn't as happy with to see if I can get a better end result.  I really like the threatening part of the shoot I did though and I liked the feel that the photos gave off.  I would like to conduct another shoot where I get the same feel from the photos, possibly looking at a different issue or adapting this one further.

Don't be afraid, to be you!

Tuesday 14th May 2013

Plans fot the shoot...

The issue I am going to be looking at today is the issue of 'fear'.  For this shoot I am going to interrupt it in to something I could personally relate to or understand.  I want to get the message "Don't be afraid to be yourself' across.  My plans for the shoot are to literally shoot myself wearing no makeup holding up a sign that says "Don't be afraid", and then conduct another shoot where I hold a sign that says "to be you"with my looking how I normally would.

I also want to do a small shoot in-between the two where I photograph myself with half a face of makeup on and half a face without.

I will be using the ring flash for this shoot.

What I am hoping to achieve...

From today's shoot I am hoping to be able to show the contrast in myself wearing and not wearing makeup, but give a positive message about the issue that people may have in society with the pressure to wear things like makeup all the time.

I would really like to end up with a final piece that shows me wearing and then not wearing makeup with the two signs presented together.

What I actually achieved...

I am happy with how the shoot went today.  I ended up with these final pieces from the shoot.

This first one is the one I envisioned ending up with.  I am happy with it and think the contrast is clear and the message highly dominate in the photo.  I love the positioning of the photos and the pose of the subject.  I like the way the message behind the issues has been brought across in a light-hearted manner - this has added a contrast to the rest of my work as I have represented issues so far in quite a heavy manner.

This second photo I really like!  It was just a computer experiment that I was messing around with at first but I actually really like the effect and feel that this photo has about it.

What I am going to do next...

From today's shoot I am happy with my work and the way that I presented it in a different way (in a more light-hearted manner).  However I still feel that I prefer adding more of an edge in my work and making it 'darker' and therefore I am going to continue exploring this style and stray more from the type of work I did today.

Target Post (Friday 10th May 2013)

In today's class I am going to be conducting a shoot looking at the issue of teen pregnancy.

I am also going to be working on my coursework in the hope of completing it the pieces that are outstanding.

Best Work (20 images)

Best work (20 images) from Kate-Anna Smith

Best Work (30 images)

Best work (30 images) from Kate-Anna Smith

Little bit of graphics (technology issue)

Friday 3rd May 2013

Plans for the shoot...

Today's shoot is going to be like a big experiment for me really!  As mentioned from my last shoot I was happy with the style my photography had slipped into and wanted to explore this more, as well as look at other Photoshop skills that I could use in my work.  Therefore, today's shoot is going to be based around this.

I have chosen the issue of 'technology', and have decided on trying to do something graphics inspired with my work today.  Though this may seem loosely related to the exam topic I think technology is an issue in society and this is how I am choosing to represent it.  I am planning too shoot on a black background as I want a dark base for the background of this piece.  I am also going to be using a range of different brushes that I have downloaded for Photoshop including shattered glass and splatter effect brushes.

What I am hoping to achieve...

By the end of this shoot I am hoping to end up with only one piece of work that demonstrates the issue and effects that I want it too.  Though this shoot is being planned, some elements of the Photoshopping side to things are going to be a case of 'trail and error' and simply seeing what works and what doesn't.  Therefore I am hoping that my skills will develop during the making of this piece.

What I actually achieved...

This is the final piece that I achieved today.  I am fairly happy with my work and think that it looks like the sort of thing I was envisioning in my head.  I think I have matched the colours well and made it look like the subject I being 'destroyed' or 'melting away' in parts.  I especially like the effect that I have used on the arms where it looks like there is holes in then.  However I think in parts some of the splattered effects could be blended a bit better.

I think this shot looks very contemporary and and it defiantly gives me some variation in my work as it is rather unique compared to some of the other pieces of work that I have done.

What I am going to do next...

This shoot has inspired to continue to develop my Photoshop skills in future shoots.  I really like the effects that I am finding and starting to use and the way my style of photography has developed.  I would like to incorporate both my 'old style' and 'new style' in future shoots as I think that this is something that will really help to develop my work so far and as a photographer overall.

Lost

Friday 26th April 2013

Plans for the shoot...

In today's shoot I am really going to be really looking to use some of my Photoshop skills.  I have fond a tutorial (see previous target post) about removing your face.  I thought this looked like something that I would like to try and incorporate into my own portfolio of 'issues', and apply it to the issue of feeling 'lost' or 'lost in yourself' etc.

I am planning to used the ring flash for this shoot as I am going to be working up close on the face and therefore the ring flash will give more flattering lighting that looks more professional.

What I am hoping to achieve...

From this shoot I basically just want to end up with a photo where the face of the subject has been removed.  I would like it to have some kind of creepiness or eeriness about it too.  I am hoping that from this shoot I will also have the opportunity to experiment with the face in other ways and rather than removing the face away altogether, move facial features around.

What I actually achieved...

I am happy with the work I achieved today.  Here is the finished shot:

The shot looks exactly how I envisioned and I think I have done a good job of making the removal of the face look professional and 'seamless'.  I think the photo has the slight eeriness about it that I wanted to as well.

Though I am happy with the shot, I encountered many different problems in making this and have found that practice at more Photoshop based pieces of work like this will benefit me - for example, I struggled loads when I was trying to blend all the skin in where the hair and fringe started and had to try about three different ways before I was able to get it right.

This next shot that I did was simply an experiment that I did.  I photographed myself with hands covering my mouth, and then photographed myself screaming at the camera.  I then took the mouth from the screaming photo and put them on my hands in this shot.  I am happy with outcome and this the shot looks quite fun and contemporary.

What I am going to do next...

I have really enjoyed doing more Photoshop based work today and think I would like to experiment and try out something else using the tools available on the programme.  I like the contrast I have seen in my work here today too compared to, perhaps, my usual style of photography, and this is something I would like to explore.

Target Post (Friday 26th April 2013)

Your target for today is to clearly demonstrate your understanding of the possibilities of your chosen topic by completing further practical or contextual work according to the requirements of the assignment and your needs as identified in your personal target.

To ensure I achieve my target today I am going to be conducting a shoot in which I will be looking at the issue of feeling lost in yourself, like, not knowing or feeling who you are, or letting everything in your mind take over.  I think this is a good issue to explore as it's something that no-one ever talks about, being lost in yourself is something an individual might not even recognise. 

To help me with my idea for the shoot I am going to be follow this tutorial.

http://www.photoshopstar.com/basics/without-face-photoshop-cheating/

Outstanding Work Unit 2

• 2 Photographers
• 2 more shoots with contacts sheets and 3 work diaries
• Print Techniques
• Cluster
• Photojoiner
• 3 Computer Experiments
• 4 Physical Experiments
• 18 Final Pieces
• Powerpoint
• 2 (and a half) Connecting Essays

Exam Plan

For my exam on Friday 19th April 2013 I am going to be continuing with my theme of issues.

The way I am planning to structure my day is to arrive at college with my model, prepare the makeup and design I will be needing for my shoot, and then go on to doing the actual shoot at 11am.  I am then going to be in the studio for approximately 2-2 and a half hours doing the actual shoot before coming back into the class to download and edit.

My overall idea for this shoot is to incorporate more than one issue into one shoot with my model and make it seem like this is the subjects personal issues.  The issues that I am going to be incorporating together for the shoot are going to be drug and alcohol abuse, smoking, metal health, self harm and overall bring a feel to the pictures that shows a being that is ill in them self, sad and unhappy with the issues that has been inflicted on their lives.

Mentality

Tuesday 19th March 2013

Plans for the shoot...

For today's shoot I am going to be looking at possibly more than one issue.  The reason for this is oringially my idea was going to be mental health etc. but I have since thought my idea through and thought it could also link in with being terminally ill and in hospital.

The shoot is quite dark and invloves the model I will be using as my patient to hold a gun as if he were about to commit suicide.  I am also going to have a wheelchair for the shoot to just to help me get some variation in shots.  I will be using the white background for the shoot as it will repersent hospital walls etc.

What I am hoping to achieve...

From this shoot I am hoping to be able to really bring out the dark emotion that I want to be portrayed in getting this issue accross.  I also want to be able to do some things on Photoshop to enhance the photos and make them look even creepier.

What I actually achieved...

I really loved this shoot - it has been my favourite of this topic so far.  Here are some of the photos:

These two pictures were using the wheelchair. I really like the angle at which they were taken and the way the model looks almost lifeless.  I think the mask and the gun were nice elements to add to the photo shoot and I am glad that  encorporated them.  I think the white background worked really well too as it repersented the walls of a hospital, though as you can see in these photos shadows became a problem.

I love this photo! - my model reminds me of some kind of Gollum like creature.  I really like how stange and uniquw this shot is.  I like how you can only see part of the subjects face but you can see the 'dead' and creppy expression and the way you can really see the gun here too.  I would have liked to explore more with more unquie poses like this.

These next three shots are all ones that I enhanced on Photoshop.  I like to focus on the eyes as this made the shot, for me, even creppier, so I chnaged the colour of them to blakc or white and also made them look blood shot in one too.  On the one with the wheelchair I also edited it so that the colour of the skin changed to make him look more dead.  I really liked experiementing with some of the effects that I did here and I would like to try this some more.





What I am going to do next...

I really enjoyed this shoot and had fun with it.  I would like to do somehting like this again where I use props etc. to make the shot really come to life.  I also liked using the effects that Photoshop offer as it means that I can make the shot look veen darker.  I really would like to do another 'dark' shoot.

Thank you to my model Paul - again! x

Sexuality

Friday 15th March 2013

Plans for the shoot...

For today's shoot I am going to be look at the issue of sexuality.  I think that this is an important issue as it is something so common in today society yet something that I still feel is very unaccepted and one of the most discriminative subjects in society today.

My plans for this shoot will include me taking a male model and simply photographing them with 'I LIKE MEN' on there chest - to emphasise the point that it is something that people feel so strongly about yet don't really talk about, I am going to make it look like it is cut into his chest using makeup and effects on Photoshop.  I am going to be using th grey background for this shoot.

What I am hoping to achieve...

From today's shoot I am really hoping to highlight the issue in a light that shows the hurt and anger of people that have the same sex orientation and how society has shaped this by being so unaccepting.  The shoot is really quite simple, so I am really looking to bring out the emotion through my model and his connection with the camera.
What I actually achieved...

I am happy with today's shoot, though I got some different shots to that I was imagning in my head.  I really like them, but rather than making sure my model was all connected with the camera so to bring the emotion out in his eyes and facial expression, it turned out that during the shoot it actully worked better when his was 'disconected' from the camera and not looking at it.  Here are some of the shots:

I like this shot as I think the pose it rather unusal.  I really love how the red is standing out so much with all the other colours in the photo being neutral and harmonious.  The positioning of the photo is something I quite like too - I like the way it is off-centre.

This next photo I am not so sure about - I love somethings about it and am unsure about others. 

I really love the pose and the off-centre positioning of the photo again.  However, I think though the pose is really good, the accentuation on the 'writing' on his chest is lost slightly and more focus is brought to the subjects face as he is making the connection to the camera - nevertheless, I am not sure that this expression is quite the right one for getting across the issue I was trying to in the way I was trying to (I think it looks a little too moody).  I should have specifed more accurately to my model that I was after a more emotional shot.

This my favourite shot from today.  I love the pose of the subject and how it has really made the 'writing' on his chest stand out and get the message I wanted to accross.  I really like how he is looking down and away from the camera - it makes the shot really emoitonal as my model looks sad but also like he is ashamed of his sexuality.  This is what I stated at the begining about how society has shaped this and this is what I wasnted to get accross in a photo.

What I am going to do next...

I really like how these shots were simple and yet they still made an impact.  I loved how all the colours were neutral yet the red stood out so well in the photo making the point I was trying to get accross stand out more.  This has made me think about how I can use colour more in another shoot to get an issue accross and make it stand out in a photo.

I also loved the unique range of poses I had with my model this time and this is something that I am going explore in other shoots.

As always thank you to my wonderful model, Paul!

Target Post (Tuesday 19th March 2013)

By the end of this lesson you will have clearly demonstrated that your understanding and exploration of your chosen exam topic has increased and you understand the potentials of the topic.

In today's class I am going to demonstrate my understanding of my chosen exam topic of issue by tackling the issue of insanity/mental issues/terminal illness.

I think this is an important issue that is often dismissed in society.  I am going to execute this shoot by having my model done up like a patient in a hospital that is insane etc.  I am really hoping to photograph the emotion in make the photo look quite frantic and crazy (the model).

Target Post (Friday 15th March 2013)

By the end of this lesson you will have clearly demonstrated that your understanding and exploration of your chosen exam topic has increased and you understand the potentials of the topic.

In today's class I will be demonstrating my understanding and exploration of my exam topic of issues by tackling the issue of sexuality/ sexual orientation in  a shoot.

I will be shooting in the studio and have a model to help me.  I am going to go about this issue by shooting my model with 'I like men' on his chest - I am going to do this in SFX makeup as I want it too look as he has cut it into him.  I have chosen to do this as I think that some people find it really hard to come out and say whether they are gay/lesbian or yet they are still proud - it makes them who they are.  I also hate the reaction that society has on people who like the same gender to them and therefore around this 'cut' and I am gong to write some of the offensive insults or things people associated with being gay/lesbian.  

I really want this shoot to make a statement and really show the emotion that I am trying to get across.  I feel this is a big issue in society and I don't think that is is right that people aren't understanding of people's sexual orientation.

Target Post (Tuesday 13th March 2013)

By the end of this lesson you will have clearly demonstrated that your understanding and exploration of your chosen exam topic has increased and you understand the potentials of the topic.

For today's class, and so I can for-fill my target, I am going to look into research and planning for my exam shoot and get prepared for shoots I have planned for later this week.  My exam topic is issues and I want to be able to really show the emotion in the issues that I am photographing.  I am also going to look into the past shoots I have done and try to explore different ways of editing and enhancing my work by looking at Photoshop techniques and tutorials.

Home Sweet Home...

Tuesday 5th March 2013

Plans for the shoot...

For today's shoot I am planning on looking at the issue of homelessness.  This is going to be a location shoot as opposed to a studio shoot (for obvious reasons).  I am planning on conducting this shoot in an old garage car park area that is barely used now in an area close to where I live.

This shoot is going to be simple - nothing too complicated or over the top.  I am going to have my model sitting with a old blanket and sign that says 'HOME SWEET HOME...' - I want it to be sarcastic yet still have the deep emotion in it that people would experience being homeless.  I am then just going to use an props from things that I find around the area I am doing the shoot in.

What I am hoping to achieve...

I am hoping to get set of photos today that portrays the harsh reality of being homeless.  Though my shoot is going to be reconstructed I want it to still be convincing.

What I actually achieved...

I am happy with the outcome of todays shoot - I got some really good shots I think.  One problem I did realise though till I got back to the class room to edit the photos is that it was such a bring and sunny day, some of the photos have the wrong feel about them colour wise as they look to 'happy', even though my subject is looking sad.  Therefore in Photoshop I darkened them out a bit - here are a couple of my best shots.

Here is one of the shots that I really liked.  I like the pose and the way the subject isn't making eye contact with the camera and looks lost in thought. I have changed the colour on this photo by de-staturing it slightly and then changing the colour levels slight and brought them more toward the red/ magenta side of the scale.

This is one of the photos that was really bright to begin with that I made darker.  I like this photo a lot and think it looks pretty realistic.  To get the dark effect I have to layer over paint using the gradient tool whilst the opacity was right down till I got the desired effect.  I also changed the saturation and the colours slightly too.




What I am going to do next...

This shoot has made me want to experiment more with location shoots as opposed to just working in the studio.  I think there are many other issues that I could explore outside and I am going to start looking for some good locations to conduct shoots.

I have also been inspired to go out and find real issues from this shoot - I think if I walked round the streets in London I would find some real life issues going on right in front of my eyes - this would hold the emotion that I could never bring out using a model and get a different feel to the photo.  I might see if I can take a trip into London and see what I can find.

Again, thank you to Paul for helping me with all my work and being an amazing model! xxx