Idea 3 Secondary Research

I mentioned in my 'Idea 3' post that I would like to photograph someone blending in to the walls of an old building to illustrate insecurity and I managed to find this image which is similar to what I would like to photograph. I really this image and I think it's really cleverly done but like I said, I would like to do this in a different setting.

I also said in my 'Idea 1' post that I had the idea of photographing a skinny girl looking the mirror and seeing her reflection as a bigger girl. I found this image which perfectly suited my idea and is exactly the kind of photo I had in mind.

I think this is a very powerful image because

Idea 2 Testshots

This was the first photo I put together. It shows 5 separate photos of the same apple all placed on a background. I wanted to make it look quite rustic with the dents and scratches on the table complimenting the withering apple which lies on top and I think I achieved this. 

I also wanted to see if black and white would be just as effective but I think it is better in colour because you can more clearly see the texture of the apple and how the vibrant reds contrast with the brown background and foreground. Also, the black and white doesn't show the browning of the bite marks in the apple.

I decided to try it again but present it in a more professional way. I photographed it in a slightly different way to the previous photo because this is one photo of 4 different apples. 

Idea 1 Failed Testshots

                     1

I didn't like this photo because I think there is too much to look at in the photo and there is only one rusty thing in the picture which doesn't stand out.

                    2  

This was my first attempt at photographing the pedal of the bike but my camera focused on the wheel instead of the pedal.



                                  3



Similarly to the previous photo, I wanted to focus on the middle of the wheel but focused on the tyre instead. Even if I had focused the camera correctly, I still don't think it would have been a great photo because I think there is too much to look at in the photo and no clear focul point and the angle isn't very effective. Also there isn't a lot of rust in the photo which is the main purpose of the photo.

                                 4

I also had an issue with focusing in this photo. I took about 6 photos before I finally managed to focus on the chain. I think the reason I couldn't get it right was because I was too close to the chain so when I moved further back, then focused, then zoomed in and took the photo I eventually got managed to focus on the right point.



Idea 1 Testshots Editing Steps

Step 1

Firstly, I went to

Image>Adjustments>Levels

and moved the points to each side of where the histogram extends to correct the tones in the image.

 Step 2

Next,

Image>Adjustments>Curves

to brighten the colours in the photo. I dragged the line at different points to form an 'S' shape.

 Step 3

Lastly, I selected the Marquee Tool from the toolbar on the left and dragged it around the entire image. I put the pixels on 200 as I only wanted to darken the very corners. After that, I went to

Select>Inverse so that I was only working on the corners, not the middle and then adjusted the curves.

Idea 1 Testshots (Edited)

1.

This is a large metal decoration hanging on my wall in the garden. I spotted the turquoise colours coating the dark grey colour and I really liked the two colours together. 

2.

This is a rusty barbecue in my garden that we don't use anymore. I liked the curvature of the front and knew it would look good from this angle.  

3.

4.

Idea 2 Secondary Research

This is pretty much what I pictured when I decided on the idea of showing decay through a time lapse. The person who set this photo up took a chunks out of the apple between the 1st and 2nd and the 2nd and 3rd stage. I think this is a good idea because you can see more clearly how the apple decays.

This is similar to the previous photo, however each stage shows a more gradual change and the someone has taken bites out of the apple until there is barely anything left.

I couldn't find any photos of the stages of a flower dying but I did find this one demonstrating the stages of flower growth, not only do I like the idea of this but I also like each of the photos and how they are presented.

I also came across this photo of a candle melting which grabbed my attention as I hadn't thought of this idea. I think this is 5 separate photos of the same candle melting rather than 5 different candles in one photo.  I would like to try photographing this myself.

Idea 1 Secondary Research

I like how you can see all the textures and variety of colours of the rust in this photo

and I also like how only a part of the photo is in focus so that your eyes are drawn to that part of the photo.

There are lots of contrasting shapes in this photo such as the long, overlapping spokes of the bike wheel and the round parts of the chain curving around the bike. Again, I like that only one part of the bike on the left side of the photo is in focus and the chain just disappears as it travels towards the background.

I like the repetiveness of the shapes in this photo and how some of the wheels are more rusty than others. There is also a contrast in this photo because even though the wheels are old and rusty and abandoned, there is a sense of order because of the way they are neatly stacked on top of each other.

You never look at an object as small as this so close up so I think it is quite an interesting photo as you can see all the detail in the gaps and see that what you would think is just a dirty old screw can actually be quite beautiful and intriguing.

I love this because there is lots to look at in the photo and it's all metal and full of industrial looking materials and machinery.

Idea 3

For my third idea, I would like to do 'forces of society' which connotes peer pressure and competition. I would represent these things by photographing people demostrating their insecurity that society has lead them to. I have thought about some ideas as to how I could portray the message of insecurity through photos, for example, somebody merging in to the walls of an old or abandoned building, a shot from behind of a skinny girl looking in the mirror but the reflected image is a larger girl and this is how they see themselves. I will do some secondary research to broaden my ideas.

-Setting – bedroom, ruined building

-Props – wallpaper, mirror, black pen

- May need someone to be in photos

- Overall message

Idea 2

My second idea is 'decay and withering'. At the moment I would like to focus on food and flower decay, mainly a time lapse showing the different stages of, for example, an apple rotting over time or a flower slowly dying. This fits in with the topic 'force' because it is the forces of nature acting on something.

-Series of photos of the same apple gradually decaying

-4/5 different apples in a row (whole one on the left>nearly completely eaten one on the right)

- Show in a vase withering in a series of photos of the same/different flower.

-Black and White?

Idea 1

The first idea I would like to explore and research is rusting machinery whether it's farming equipment or bikes and cars at scrapheaps and dumps or just chains and nails etc. I like this idea because I think I would be able to take really arty and interesting photos by changing the focus, angle and aperture of the photos. I think this is my favourite idea of the three.

-      Tools – nails, bolts, hammers etc

-      Industrial  - pipes, machines, cars, chains

-      Streets – fences, barriers, bridges, bikes

-      Locations – scrapheaps, dumps, gardens, old buildings

Camera - close ups, low angles, texture

Mind Map