Evaluation of Film and Digital

(this might be too late but i thought i would be cheeky and try anyway)


So through this project i got the chance to use both media along side each other and it really give me the chance to compare them. Over all through out my photography courses i have always favoured film, and this project hasn't changed that preference, if anything its only made it stronger and given me more tools in which to produce film based prints.

Learning to use the 5x4 camera has been a real experience and i have ran into more than one problem with it. However this is what i love about photography and it really makes you appreciate a good print when you have it in the end because you know what effort, time and also money has gone into producing the final image. What i also prefer is the grain and the detail that is captured with this type of film shot. Its is really detailed and when teamed with the warm tone paper it really did create some beautiful shots.

I think that the detail and grain is whats lacing in a digital image for me. Even though it is a lot cleaner and sharper it just doesn't have the rich look and quality that a film image has. I don't know if its me not giving digital a chance but i just think that its too easy to cheat. In my eyes this is what makes it not as special as film.

With digital i can take a 100 pictures in about 5 mins and then i have a range to choose and can still make it better. With 5x4 i have 1 shot to get what i want perfect and then i have limited editing in the dark room. Its more raw and has more value because its harder to re-capture. I think that digital is just too easy in my eyes it doesn't push me to want to make amazing images, it doesn't drive my passion. It makes me do mediocre images that can be "sorted out" later and i think that this is the sole reason I'm not happy with my still life and i really feel proud of my landscapes. I can see were effort has been put in.

Evaluation

This is my first attempted at both landscape photography and also using a 5x4 camera. Personally I think I handled it rather well. I prefer to work with film so that was a relief to begin with, and learning a new way of shooting and printing is always good in my eyes. I really wanted my work to have some continuity in this project as I think that this is something I have been lacking in others. I feel like this was the base of my project and I strictly kept to this.

From the beginning of the project I had a range of ideas and a good set of starting points inspired by my research. The town I live in too also inspired me. I think that I used these influences and inspirations to capture some shots that I am really proud of.

The main thing that I struggled with in this project is the camera itself. I wasted a lot of film from not putting it into the dark slides correctly and also not making sure that the shutter was closed. Also another thing that I learned is that the lens has to be straight and positioned right to make sure that my shot was in focus. I think that this caused me to waist a lot of time by having to re-shoot some of my images.

Overall I am really happy with the out come of this project. I have used a wide range of research and I think that this has really helped me to create a group of prints that I am really proud of. If I was to do it again I would simply do everything the same but maybe go out and shoot more and earlier in the project so that I had more time to spend printing and making sure everything was perfect as it could be.

Final Images

These are the set of images i have chosen for my final prints. These arnt the actual prints as silly me left them in my locker so i didn't forget them for tomorrows big day or even ruin them with my clumsy ness. I chose these 5 because i think they are the images that best showed what i was trying to achieve in this project and I'm really happy with them as a group and also as individual images.

Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards 2012

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/uknews/9640813/Landscape-Photographer-of-the-Year-Awards-2012.html

All of these pictures are really striking and i think that they are all great in there own unique way. I really found it hard to narrow them down to put into my blog thats why i have used so many in this post. Some i haven't written about because i think they speak for themselves on why i have decided to put them into my blog...

I like this one a lot because it is just a really interesting image. The way that i would have never looked at this and thought it would make a good image. Thats why i like it so much because its not really your typical landscape shot. Also reminds me of the rows of houses you see round here. Its really simple, there isn't loads of colour or things going on in the image. Its looks to be a true representation of the location.

This looks so sharp and full of detail. Maybe the photographer has used a long shutter speed. Also looks like the photographer got low on the ground so they are slightly looking up. Makes everything around look bigger and grander.

The way that the weather has been captured in this image is stunning. The brightness of the flowers and also the little bit of light peering out of the clouds really highlights the image. And the little strike of lighting just makes the image intense and just magical almost. 

Need i say anything more other than the colour! it is lush, even the light coming through the trees really looks like a shade of lilac.

Evaluation

Still life really hasn’t been a good project for me. To say I struggled is a bit of an understatement. I have never really dived into the realms of still life photography before and if I have it’s been a small area of another project. When given the brief I though ‘ahh this will be easy, how hard can it be’ but yeh guess I was too cocky for my own good. I began with paintings as research what I found plenty to choose from but when it got to more photography based work I really struggled to find artist and photographers from more recent time. I don’t think that there was a lack of them but they all seemed really commercial based and I didn’t really want to go down that route for my work. In the end I felt like this couldn’t be avoided. 

I also really struggled with what to use as props in my shoot. I really don’t have anything of any significance to me and nothing that would be interesting enough to photograph. Once I managed to choose what to photograph I then struggled with composition and how or when I should use something. I don’t know if I just let my brain run away with me but I really think I began to over think it too much and this lead to me not really shooting anything because I was too busy sat there worrying about it rather than getting out and doing it. 

If I was to do this project again I think that I would get in the studio from the get go and not focus on what I'm shooting just get there and shoot whatever I have available. I would also dive deeper into my research and find images that inspire me and give me a creative burst and passion for still life. 

Overall I think that I did the project efficiently but maybe not to the best of my ability. I would also manage my time so much better as I think that a lot got wasted. I would also do a lot more shoots to make sure that i had a wider range of images to choose my final shot out of.

Final Image

This is the image that i have chosen and sent of to be printed as my final piece. I think that it captures everything that i wanted from the project and it also is something that relates to me.

My Still Garden/House

These are some images that i took a while ago but totally forgot about them till now. I did it as part of my research for my still life project and also to try and give me some inspiration on what i wanted to shoot in my studio images. I am really happy with these images and i think that there are some really nice outcomes...

Last Enlargement

These are the last two enlargements that i did before i started to print my final images. 

As i thought the bottom of the image is really blurred and not as sharp as  would want it to be. If i was going to print this as a final image i might consider trying to crop this out because i don't like it. I maybe would think about trying to crop out the light too. I didn't think before now but i think that it might be too close to the edge of the print. 

I think that this is going to be one of my final images. I just like the way that i am right at the entrance of the bridge. I cant really get any closer without loosing the bridge in the shot. This could maybe be the last print and all before that would be working there way in getting closer and closer. I like the tones in the image. However if i do decide to use this as a final print i would try and slightly burn in the bridge so it wouldn't be as grey as it is. 

Enlargements

This shot is full of detail and when enlarging it i used a no 5 filter just to make sure that the blacks were sharp and full of detail and weren't grey. I do wish however i would have checked the weather before i went because this is a bit dark and i think that the image would have been enhanced and made a lot better with a clearer sky. 

I am really happy with how this print has turned out. I think that it has a really nice range of tones and also isn't too dark what i was worried before printing because of the weather on the day. I think that this is a great document to show the rising of middle haven. I also like the patterns and details created by the    out side of the Middlesbrough collage building. I think that this might be one of my final images.

This is defiantly going to be one of my final images. I really like the way that it has turned out when it has been printed. I like the way that you can only see a tiny bit of the bridge. I also really like the composition how its almost hidden by the trees. I also like the positioning of the road sign too.

This image was really one that i wanted to use as one of my 5 final image. However when i enlarged it and got a proper look at it it is really badly scratched and has marks all over it. This is a real let down as i wanted it as its the furthest away that i managed to capture the bridge, and its more scenic than a lot of the other images. It has taught me to be more careful with my negatives though and also wear a glove then i am transferring it too and from the neg holder. 

Charlie Waite

http://www.charliewaite.com/gallery

Go have a look at the work on the website there were so many beautiful landscape shots. Below i have picked out my favourite...

I really like this one just because of the bright eye catching colours. I also like the great composition and the way that the tree is right in the centre and the lines in the lavender leads your eye right to the tree.

What really drew my attention to this image is when you see a crystal blue sea like this i would always expect lush locations and bright blue sky to go along with it. This clearly isn't the case in this shot and i really like that. Its not your typical shot that you would expect from a location like this. Its got the moody dark clouds and it just looks odd, but in a good way. 

This is my favourite of all the images. I just love the way that the city/town has been build on this kind of  hill and they all wrap round into this point of a tower at the top. I like the way that the Photographer has got the hill in the centre of the shot. Looks like a long exposure has been used from the look of the light trail in the roads from the car lights. I like the clouds again i think that this really adds the finishing touches to the image may be a bit too picturesque without these there.

Tim Parkin

I found this photographer just through looking through google and really liked his work. 

I cant tell if there has been a long shutter speed used on this image because the waves in the background appear to look as though one has been used. I like the lilac sky and the way that this has been cropped into really helps you get the full effect and see this beautiful coloured sky clearly without it taking over the image. I like the composition and how you don't get too much of the landscape in the foreground as i think that this could have made too much going on in the image, its got a nice peaceful feel to it i personally think.

I love a nice sunset shot and this one is beautiful. The colours created by the sun set really light the sky up with purples, oranges and blues it really brightens the image and gives it more contrast and colour. The colours in the foreground from the plants also brighten the image up and break up the dark kind of silhouette of the middle of the image.

I really like the look of this image. The way that the tree in the middle of the lake is really defined and noticeable yet the background is dimmed and softened by the fog. Really makes the tree stand out and be the main focus rather than just blending in with the rest of the surroundings.

Enlargements

This was really hard to print and it was hard to try and get even a little bit of detail into the blacks on the image. I do like the whites that are in the sky really helps to highlight the image on a hole and brightens it up. I think that this is too dark and maybe should have got a more accurate reading with the light meter to make sure my settings were correct. I do however like the way that the bridge appears as a silhouette in the background, this is really nice. 

This is one of my favourite shots. I just like the surroundings and the framing of the image, how the hole bridge is in the shot. I like the quality of the image too and i think that its not too grey. I think that i want to use this as one of my final images. 

This is the shot that i had to go back and re-do so i already know that i don't like the image because i rushed it and didn't really concentrate on what i was doing. I think that the framing could have been better. I think that the print itself is a bit dark and maybe i should have used less time with the no.5 filter so they were not as dark and didn't loose as much detail in them. I do like the location of the shot but i think that it might have worked better if it was in colour so that you could get the full effect of the boards that are hiding building works. Also think my negative was in backwards because this print is the wrong way round.

Normal VS Warm Tone Paper

Before i did my final prints on the warm tone paper i printed them onto normal black and white paper first. I have put one of the sets of images on here to compare. 

Normal 

Warm Tone 

Personally i prefer the normal black and white image. I don't know why but i think that on the warm tone paper its harder to print and get the blacks especially how i wanted them. I also think that the prints look darker because i don't feel like the whites are as crisp and fresh as in the normal paper. I think that over all the print looks a bit mucky and dirty and if i had the option i would just use the normal black and white paper for printing. 

Enlargement - Let down

So when i got all my negatives together and had a look at them this was by far my favourite. Even after i had made my contact sheet i couldn't wait to get into the darkroom and enlarge it. I really liked the sky and the dramatic clouds, also the trees and blossom in front of the bridge. 

However after i had enlarged it and got a proper look at it i realised that i must have had the lens maybe tiled when i took the image so the top of the bridge is blurred and out of focus. This is really annoying i wanted it to be bold and sharp so i was really annoyed with myself because if i would have just taken a few extra seconds to check if everything is right this might have been prevented.

Enlargments

What i decided to do in this project was do all my shots and get my negs processed then i wanted to spend my time focused on creating enlargements so that i could see my images and overall choose what ones i wanted for my final images. 

These are the first lot of enlargements that i did. They were just on black and white paper not warm tone. 

I literally was driving down the road and had to do an emergency stop to get this shot. I was just looking about to get locations to take my shot and this is one that i didn't really plan. I like the way that your looking at the bridge from this angle it makes it so you can only see a tiny snippet of it. I also like the detail in the foreground like the signs on the walls and even the little cars parked up.

I think that this image would have been better if i would have maybe taken a few steps back and got a bit more of the house on the left into the image. I do like that i have got the sign post in though. i like the low angle of the shot and the way that the post looks as big as the bridge itself. My aim was to take images that showed the bridge but some times not all of it and this is one of them. 

The bottom of this shot were the car is looked really dark on the negative and also the contact sheet so i thought that you wouldn't see much detail in the image. However i like it and there is a lot more than i expected. I like the white highlights on the car and also there is a lot more detail in the house. I like the subtle clouds in this image there not as moody as some of the other ones i have taken, there just nice.

Shoot 3 - Rose Close ups

I really got into this shoot with the flowers and the paint. I especially like them after i had covered them in all the colours. They were just so bright and colourful. Here are a few shots that i took close up. I didn't really want to do any too close as that's just not what i wanted to capture, however i really like these few that i have picked out. Just really wish i could have had my hands on pure white roses as i think that the intense colours makes them look a bit muckey with them being a cream colour. 

This is really close up and i don't really like it. I think that there is just too much colour and it is really bright and over powering. It really makes the flowers look dirty and drab. I do like the really dark background though i think that this is maybe why the colours appear so bright. Maybe if i wanted to do a shot like this i would not use really bright colours, maybe you pastels.

I really do like this one. The fact that the flower isn't covered in colour it only has a slight bit on it. However it is laid on a cover of paint and this really brightens the image up. I also like the dark shadow created by the flash, breaks the image up a bit from all the colour. I actually really like this for a final image. 

My favourite part of this image is the depth of field. Its nice the only the rose head is in focus and the colours behind just blend into the back and create the backdrop. I also really like the way that the centre of the rose is in the centre of the shot. The paint on the petals really gives something to the image and makes it interesting and different.

Shoot 3 - Part 3

So this is the final part to my last shoot. Took along time for me to put them on here, my bad. However i really like these ones because of the use of colour and how bright it makes the image. I rarely use colour in my photography so i thought for still life why not try and make it the 'colourful the better'. well this is as colourful as i could possibly get...

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3                                                         4

5

1. What i like about this shot is the way that you can see the paint being shot at the flowers, you don't just the see effects of it. This is really what i was trying to capture all along however i found it difficult getting the timing right for it. I also like the angle of the shot and the framing, how the vase and all the flowers are in the shot
2. This is nice because you see close up to the flowers without loosing the bottom and the vase. I really like the bright yellow of the paint on the flowers. Its not too pink what i don't really like. Clear crisp black background what was my main aim for the shoot. 
3. I don't like this one i think that the flash is too bright and and the colours look really harsh and in your face. I also don't like how half of the bunch of flowers has been lost in the shadows. Not nice framing or angle at all. 
4. This is way too dark. Not bright enough for what i wanted. I do however like the framing of the image. Also don't like the flying pink blob in the top of the image looks stupid with just one. 
5. Slightly too bright. Not too keen on this image at all, don't know why I'm just not.