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

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...

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.

Jenny Van Sommers

These images are simple and crisp. I like the use of the white background, what is something i dont normally go for however i really like these shot.

Looks like there is only one main light coming from the right hand side. It really highlight and kind bleaches out this side of the flower. Also creates harsh shadows on the back of the flower creating a range of tones and colours. It gives the image depth and doesn't look flat. I like this and also the fact that the flash is coming from the right hand side it doesn't create nasty shadows on the backdrop.

Again main flash on the right hand side. I like the way that the head is balanced on something but you cant tell where it ends and the backdrop starts. Maybe its on like a curved bit of plastic so that there all the same. If i was to use something like this i would try not to get a reflection on the bottom, i don't really like this.

I dont really like the shadow on the bottom of the image, i don't know how this could be prevented though. Again look like the same light set up as the other two. This shows that it is simple and works for a range of objects.

Photograms

So was my mamas birthday a while ago and i decided to steal some of her flowers and take them to mess about in the dark room. I looked through a book and found some Photograms and decided to try and make some myself. I don't think mine were as successful as the ones in the book as they didn't really capture the detail that i was expecting. However i do like the tones due to the different thickness of different parts of the flowers.

Tulip

Rose

Josie Iselin - Beach Stones

What i found most interesting about this book is that i wouldn't have really thought to look in it or pick it up when it came to my still life project, however my obsessions with the beach and stones and what patterns are on them made me look. I'm really glad i did as i personally think that they are great examples of still life and ones i really find interesting to look at.

Even the simplest of lines or marks on a stone makes a really interesting pattern. Also what i find interesting is that everyone is unique. This one is very simple, it doesn't have to be covered to be interesting.

There are a range of colours, shapes, sizes, this is another reason that i find rocks and pebbles so interesting. This one especially i just really like the colours on these two, also the way that the patterns on them are rather similar. I like the composition and the way that the photographer has arranged the two together. 

The Polaroid Book

There are loads of images in this book and i decided to have a quick look through to see if i could find any that were relevant for this project. 

Landscape: 

I really am drawn to landscapes that look like this. They are like a typical landscape pretty and picturesque. I like the way that the trees create almost an alley way to the waterfall. I also like the location that the photographer has used its different the way that you see the waterfall falling at 2 different places.

This is what i really like, the way that there isn't a load of sky in the shot. i like the way that the photographer has got down low and shot the image so your not looking down your looking out. The line on the road also leads your eye really nice across the image. I do like however the way that there is some sky in the shot and also the mountains.

Still Life:

This is a simple image the objects are just placed in order, the real detail and what makes the image i think is the reflection's and the shadows created by the position and angle of the light. There isn't much detail in the image but i think its nice that way, there isn't loads to consider and look at.

The use of light in this image is really nice. I like the way that there are shadows covering most of the objects however the bowl in the top right must be like a strainer or something because there is holes in it and the light going through it is creating really lovely patterns on the objects underneath it. Its really simple looking.

Giffgaff Videos - Recipe Advertising Ltd, London

It might sound daft but these adverts really are what i would love to do with still life. The idea of throwing things or blowing them up really makes me want to try it and capture it in an image. I have tried to do this in my own way with powder paint however this is really what i would like to be doing....



Some artist that i have looked at already have done just that and been able to capture it in an image, artist such as Jonathan Knowles.

Here are some screen grabs from this video and a few of the other adverts for the same company.

(Need to find book title) - Book Research

I really like this book as i think the images in it are really simple yet beautiful. I like the use of soft tones and also the colours used for the backgrounds really compliment and bring out the best in the colours of the flowers. I also really like the depth of field that the photographer has used in many of the shots, i think that this also helps and enhances the soft delicate feel of the image. 

The colours of the petals really add detail to this image. I like how they change colour and have darker details in them. It doesn't make the image look as flat and boring with this detail. I also like how the flower head is the only part that is in focus. 

This is one of my particular favourites i really do love the depth of field and how you can only see very few of the petals in focus. I also like how the leaves are really out of focus. You know what they are but there not really in your face. Its really pretty and delicate. This is one of the main cases were the background really sets off the image.

I find this interesting maybe just because of the shape of the flower. The way that the flower heads are like hanging down over. Not a typical flower. Its also really nice framing the way that the stalk is centre and everything is very symmetrical.

Flora Photography - Book Research

I know its such a typical route to take but i am really being drawn towards flowers in my still life project. I just love the patterns, tones and compositions created by all the weird and beautiful flowers that there is. 

I really like the simplicity of an image using a flower, especially a tulip. I like this one just the way that it look as though it is in full bloom but the way that it is hanging over the vase looks almost like it is dying. I like the way that the flower head hangs lower than the vase, don't normally see a image of flowers composed in this way. Normally all top heavy.

I feel that this really looks like a painting. The way that the petals on the flower look really soft and floaty, i cant really describe it. I really like this when an image looks more like a painting. I think that it helps give it a really classic look and aged feel.

This is one of the first images that i was shown when i started my old college and its something that has stayed in my mind. I just really like the lighting in the image. the shadows created by the natural light and also how it highlights the vase and the flower and also the stairs. Very simple, and has a rather geometric feel to it.