Overall Evaluation

Since the beginning of the year we have been undergoing the workshop project. This consisted of several mini projects under one brief. The aim being to explore new techniques and create new skills, overall producing an outcome for each one.

At the beginning of the project when we were given our brief I was excited to get back to work and get my teeth into something I could really work on. This enthusiasm lasted not long at all. This was the biggest disappointment and I feel like I really let myself down. I just didn't have the motivation I had in the beginning and found it really hard to get back on track through the project because of it. It wasn't until I got to my self-directed project that I really got this enthusiasm and drive back. I feel like this may have been too little too late. Areas like darkroom and also my blog had suffered because of my laziness and there is no one to blame but myself.

Surprisingly the areas that I have avoided in the past due to not enjoying them are the ones that have thrived in this project. Digital has never really been an interest of mine but this project has changed that. I found my fill flash and my self-directed project to be challenging but in a constructive way, overall being enjoyable and the time when I was most engaged in my work.

To do this time over I would have found areas that got me motivated and back on track. I love to blog and it’s a shame that this was affected by my motivation. If maybe I would have put some effort in and found artist work that got me fired up and ready to work this would have made my time be more well spent and possibly got more outcomes for the medium format work like I wanted to.

Even though I lacked motivation I’m so happy with all the outcomes for this project and think that each and every one responds to the brief strongly and is clear to see. 

Evaluation - Medium Format

This wasn't the first time that I had experience using medium format black and white film so it meant that I knew my way around the camera and I felt pretty confident when shooting and processing the film.  This being said I did run into some slight problems what turned out to be nothing more that careless mistakes on my part.

I feel a little let down with myself when it comes to this project because I like to finish things that I start. But I feel due to an ambitious self-directed project it didn't leave time to come back and revisit the medium format work. this is a shame as I think that with more time and a better direction to take my work I could have produced some really nice prints as in the black and white darkroom is where I feel most at home. 

Another reason I feel I let myself down in this project is that there are so many amazing photographers who produce medium format work out there and I feel I didn't even scratch the surface with research. This is again something that I could have delved deeper into with time.

Overall I think that I produced an adequate amount of work for this project considering it got abandoned not long after getting started. This being said I would have still liked to have produced the 9 final prints as a personal goal as I like to complete what I start. 

Medium Format - Shoot 3

This is the last shoot that I managed to get done before I realized that it was probably best to abandon the project to make sure that I would have time to really explore the self-directed project. I made sure that I used all the lens in this shoot so that I had experience with them all:

Reece – 50mm

Zeba – 80mm

Matty – 150mm

Enlargements:

I am really happy with the outcome of this shoot as I think that there are some really strong images that show my skills and I think that this is a high that I can leave the project on. If I have time I would really like to come back to this to revisit and shoot some more medium format work. 

Book Research - The Great Life Photographers

I know that these shots aren't medium format work but the reason I put them in is because I don’t think that its important what format the photographs are for them to be inspiring and give my tips and ideas that I can use in my medium format work. 

Robert Capa:

What I like about this image is the grit and grain of the image. This is what I like about film photography, it gives the image a rustic feel and real gives the image a quality that you can’t get in digital without a lot of editing. 

Andreas Feininger:

I would really like to know how the photographer has managed to get the lighting like this in this shot. I really don’t understand it but I really like it. I also like the detail how you can see the aperture in the lens of the camera that the model is holding up. 

Philippe Halsman:

I’m obsessed with portraits of old Hollywood a listers in this style. I wish I could simply touch upon the look and quality of images such as this one. They hold such grace!

Medium Format - Shoot 2

When I was discussing shooting my last roll of film with Tim and how the light meter told me how to correctly expose the shot but when they came out the light was too harsh and this was not what I wanted he give me some helpful advice. As you only get 12 shots with the medium format it could get really expensive if it keeps going wrong. He told me to take the digital back for the Hasselblad with me to the studio, set my lighting up and shoot using the digital back. The reason for this was to get the lighting and the expose right before I used the roll of film. This was such a good idea as all my images on the film came out exactly how I wanted and the lighting was perfect for the look I was going for. 

The lighting I had was one light facing the model using a soft box so that it subtly lit her face. But I also had a light behind the model aimed at the back of her head. The reason for this was to hopefully get the “old Hollywood” glow like famous film stars had in the day! I’m glad I chose to do this as in the past Rachel’s jet black hair got lost in the background. This way it stands out and you can see were her hair ends and the background begins.

Enlargements: 

Research - KR

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+HotNewHipHop/posts

"KR - an emerging young voice out of the West (Los Angeles, California to be exact)."

I seen an image of Beyoncé (anything Beyoncé related and I’m there) after I posted something onto Google+. So I clicked on the page and looked through some of the images when I came across this photograph by a new music artist. I like this because it is a medium format set up and I think that this is the style of image that I am more likely to create rather than the ones I have seen of the likes of Steve Pyke. It has an urban, hip feel to it but still the classic style that I think my brief is wanting. I like the grain of the image and the gritty feel it has. I’m not sure if this image has been shot on film (my personal opinion it might be an instagram spesh) but I still like this quality.What I also like about this is the dark tones. The image is really gray. Normally I think that this is a bad thing and that you need harsh whites if an image is this colour to lighten it up, however in this occasion I think that without these whites the image is subtle and quietly oozes class and power.

Medium Format - Shoot 1

Contact sheet:

This is my first contact sheet. Me and Rachel shared our first roll of film as we wanted to test what we were doing was right before we wasted film. I did make a few mistakes throughout this shoot. For example the flash lead fell out when I took one of the shots so I ended up with just a black area on my neg obviously were no image had been taken.

I do like these images and I think that there will be some that I could really work on in the dark room but they do look like the light maybe was too bright or maybe too close to the model. This appears to have caused bleached areas on the models face and also the background not to be black like I wanted, it looks a bit grey.

Enlargements:

I really like this image. The catch light in the models eye is really bright and gives her life and really makes the image have power. The skin is rather grey in the image but because she is so pail this is the only way I could really get a nice exposure without having it too white. I do rather like this though because I think it makes the eyes stand out more. I used a red no 3 filter to get the eyes this bright in the darkroom as I really didn't want them to be lost in the darkness. I also really like how her hair begins to fade into the background. Like the composition and how the model take up most of the frame. 

                                                     A.                                                   B. 

I had to do 2 enlargements for this image because at the time I didn't realize but there was something destructing the light in the bottom of image A. I didn't realize this but when it was pointed out to me I can’t believe how bad it is! The arm of the model is really bleached out because of the lack of light due to a piece of plastic (filter holder). It looks much better in the re-print (image B.) I like this image because of again the brightness of the models eyes, however I don’t think that it will be a good enough print for a final one. It’s really dark and the hair and the background literally all just look like one! I wanted it to fade into the background but still have some detail but the hair looks totally lost. 

Book Research - Street & Studio

Ken Ohara:

I was instantly drawn to these images in the street & studio book. The framing and the way that the photographer gets right into the subjects face is something I wish I had the confidence to do because I really like the outcome of the images. You see all the detail in the models face and the eyes are so bold and full of detail, they really draw you into the image. The images are really grainy and they look gritty, this is something else I really like about them. The symmetry in the images that are placed next to each other is almost perfect. They line up so well, this is great attention to detail and really shows that there has been a lot of time put into presentation of the images. The tones in the image really creates a dark feel but the way that the photographer has really got the whites of the eyes so bright makes them piercing and stand out off the dark tones of the rest of the image. 

Diane Arbus:

I chose to put this image in as research as its more the composition I will be aiming for. I don’t have the confidence yet to get right into someone’s face to get images like the ones above. I think something like this is close enough for my liking. This also has softer tones and is really light, it doesn't draw you in as much as the images by Ken O'Hara but I like the styling of the subject and just the attitude of her. It’s got a fun vibe. 

A Lesson Learned...

When we had our practical introduction to the medium format work we were separated into groups of 3. In my group was Matty and Zeba. The idea was that we would shoot a roll of film experimenting with different lens and also using extension tubes etc. we did this but when we got to our max of 12 pictures that you expect to get on a roll for some reason it kept on winding on. We couldn't understand this so we asked Steve what was going on. He also didn't know so Jamie shot the film till it eventually stopped.  When we processed the film only one of our images was there the rest were what Jamie shot of nothing. For days I couldn't work out why this had happened. THEN all of a sudden it clicked where we went wrong. Silly us! We didn't wind the film on when we put the back on the Hasselblad. We just started shooting straight away. Basically we shot onto paper. That is a mistake I won’t be making again!!!

Steve Pyke's Moonbug: Apollo Astronauts and Their Journeys in Space and to the Moon [DVD]

Introduction to the medium format project began with watching Steve Pykes film “Moonbug”. Personally I think that this was a great way to be introduced to the project. The images that he captured of the astronauts are stunning. The balance between the jet black backdrop and the tones created when the light hits the subjects face is beautiful. The images hold so much detail, you can see every wrinkle and stress line in the subjects face. This is great attribute because these men have been to space they have been were few men have. Each line and wrinkle tells a story. The images are really close up to the subject this also helps you see detail in the faces and the eyes really let you look into the soul of the subject. These images are strong and tell a story on their own but together they are breath taking and are so strong and have such an impact. Also the range in expressions shows how each person found the experience and how they are living with it after the event.

This is just the trailer to the film. But if you haven't watch it! I really enjoyed the lesson when we watched this and I found it extremely interesting.

David Bailey

....I have decided to re-post this post as it is relevant tot he work i am doing now....

There are a lot of these square medium format images from David Bailey called 'A Box of pin ups'. I decided to look at these 2 thought because it shows both a single image of one person and also a group.



Mick Jagger - David Bailey, 1964

To me this image kind of looks out of focus (but im not too sure if its just my dodgy eye playing tricks on me). I like the framing of the image and how the top of the models head is slightly cut off. Also like how the arms lead off the end of the frame too. I dont really like it if there is a bit of a white edge to the image.


The Rolling Stones - David Bailey

I like the idea of a group portrait. I think it gives a little something different to the usual set up. I also really like the lighting in this image. How you kind of loose the detail on one side of the models faces because of the such harsh lighting coming from the left of the frame.