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How the client will be using the videos we have produced.

For our videos, Tom said he would like to use the videos primarily for social media use, this being Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. This will allow it to be noticed on their official accounts.

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[nathgriffdocphotgraphy]

How the client will be using the videos we have produced.

For our videos, Tom said he would like to use the videos primarily for social media use, this being Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. This will allow it to be noticed on their official accounts.

>insert image of text<

[nathgriffdocphotgraphy]

(41) Feedback

Overall, I found the feedback very useful, the changes I had made given to me by my peers and tutor allowed me to make crucial changes to my work. Assuming these changes were not made, this could have hindered the quality of my work, making it not as effective.

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(41) Feedback

For my Independent Study I have received various feedback concerning my Major Project and Dissertation.

Major Project

For my Major Project I created my short awareness video. In order to develop and show my progress I created a series of rough edits so that I could take note of what I needed to improve on.

These improvements were partially achieved through the use of feedback from my peers and tutors.

I had people observe my video regularly through my post-production development so that I was able to get a fresh set of eyes. A fresh pair of eyes meant that people were likely to see small errors that I might of missed or a section that I could improve.

Dissertation

For my dissertation, I went through a similar process. I had my peers have a quick read through my dissertation where I was able to get some much needed critical feedback. One of my friends, Andrew was able to give me some suggestions for more academic words that would help reinforce some of the points I was trying to make.

I had also received some feedback from my Independent Study tutor who gave me some feedback. The feedback mainly consisted of small changes such as title changes and places where more academic words could be used.

Overall, I found the feedback very useful, the changes I had made given to me by my peers and tutor allowed me to make crucial changes to my work. Assuming these changes were not made, this could have hindered the quality of my work, making it not as effective.

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(35) Demon Costume Turnout

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(36) Demon Costume Turnout

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Final Evaluation

What I did?

Over the course of my Documentary Photography module, I have researched numerous photographers, experimented with a lot of equipment and explored several different subjects to base my documentation on. Using all these factors I was able to reach a final series of photo’s that document a specific subject. The subject I explored was based on the Idea of reflections in everyday life and how they tell this untold narrative about various different things.

For my final Images, I captured a series of photo’s that explored reflections in great detail, using my knowledge and understanding of previous work. These final Images aimed to capture the documentative nature of reflections captured in mirrors, windows, etc. Reflections captured in puddle or pool of water and Images of myself captured through reflections.

As part of my project, my final Images were to put into some sort of a documentative gallery in order to properly showcase my final Images. I laid out these Images in Adobe Photoshop in the style of a photographic book along with a given name to each piece.

Why I did it?

The aim was to explore this Idea of reflections in the everyday life and how they are found in things such as objects, the public and myself. After having taken Inspiration from several photographers I used this Information to further enhance my work by considering their approaches in terms of composition, style, technique, etc. The reason I wanted to base my project around reflections was due to my fascination with an unseen world. I very much enjoyed seeing the contrast of everyday life being hypothetically flipped and viewing it from a different perspective.

For some of my photo’s, I tried a certain style of using black and white in different areas using Adobe Photoshop to take away colour from an Image. My main reason for this was to add to that sense of a different world to our own, one that was bleak and lifeless. I felt that doing this allowed a lot of room for Interpretation from the viewer for what life without colour could be like.

Where I felt I could have done better?

Overall with my project, I still felt there could have been areas of my work that could have been Improved upon.

One example would be that I wish I had explored the Idea of using numerous exposures more, similar to John Hilliard’s work. I felt that this experimentation would have been great practice for my development.

Another thing would be that I wish I had explored the self-reflection and puddle reflection shots in more depth. For the puddle reflection’s I felt that something I could have done better would explore numerous depths of field in the foreground and then the content’s of the puddles and place the Images side by side.

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Final Images 4 (Puddles)

Top 2 Images - I was eager to gain reflections of people in the reflections of puddles or small pools of water. For these two Images, I wanted to capture it at the point of people passing by, documenting the Idea of people on a journey. I took the areas of the Image that contained the reflective water and desaturated it to black and white for a more dramatic style effect. Areas of the reflection such as the gold tip of the gates were kept in colour for an added contrast to the Image. 

Middle Left Image - This Image was captured in a large open field after the recent heavy rain had created large pools of water. The aim here was to document the reflection of the houses. I wanted to add a black and white filter to enforce this Idea of a mirrored kind of reality.  

Middle Right Image - An Image I captured of a small pool of water. I was playing around with find subject matter on the Inside of puddles and I was testing the depth of field to get a good focus on the bike in the reflection. 

Bottom Image - A low exposed shot I captured when stumbling across a pool of water on a staircase. The low exposure I will admit was unintentional at the time as I focus purely on the reflective aspect, however, this ended up working largely to my advantage as the silhouetted nature of the shot seemed to add a dramatic effect to the Image. 

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Final Images 3 (Self Reflections)

Top 2 Images - For the top two Images I was trying to use the reflective ceiling to capture myself but in a way that comes off as distorted. My reasoning for this was to capture something that was out of the ordinary and creatively divided the Image. 

Middle Image - The way I wanted to capture this Image was away that divided it into three subsections. The sections in that are present in colour represent the reflective aspect of the photo and the areas of the photo that contains black and white represent normal reality. 

Bottom Left Image - I came across this Interesting mirror whilst walking through a street in kind of run down alley and thought it would be a good opportunity to document some self-reflection along with my surroundings. The Image makes for some Interesting dynamics as the mirror gives off an almost distorted view of the street which I thought was Interesting. 

Bottom Right Image - For this Image, I stumbled across it whilst at the top of a building and when coming across it I noticed that my reflection appeared very silhouetted and contrasts the white dull clouds very strongly, which peaked my Interest to capture the shot. What I really liked about this Image was the use of converging both the Interior of the building with my silhouette to give a sense of the two scenes being combined. 

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Final Images 2 (Mirrored Reflections)

Top Left Image - For the left Image I wanted to combine two scenario’s through the use of reflection. I felt that the use of a building reflection being shown through another building added a lot of substance to the Image through the use of colour and line segmentation. 

Top Middle Image - For this Image, I wanted to capture a scenario that mirrored symmetrically. What I liked about this Image was how the right side of the Image has a slight green tint to it that separates it from the left side of the Image. 

Top Right Image - Similar to the top left Image, I was exploring the Idea of capturing buildings within building s through the use of reflections and I was impressed with the results. The main thing I like about it is the use of strong colours converged onto a clear building full of black segmenting lines that contrast everything so perfectly and beautifully. 

Bottom Left Image - For the bottom left Image I captured three boats together. I really liked the strong vibrant colours on the boats and I wanted to document their strong colours through the reflection of the water. Similar to my other photo’s I liked how the water creates a distorted, ripple effect that gives the Image more depth. 

Bottom Right Image - This Image was a fairly ordinary Image that captured some passing people through a reflection in a glass window, but what I liked about the scenario was the Iconic, bright yellow ‘POP UP’ sign that adds a vivid bright contrast to the Image that really allows it to stand out significantly. 

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Final Images 1 (Mirrored Reflections)

What I did?

Here are my final Images for my documentary photography module project. For these Images I have explored a range of different and creative ways to capture of series of reflections, varying from reflections captured by windows and mirrors, to reflections captured in puddles on the ground and Images of myself captured through reflections. 

Top Left Image - For this Image I captured a long, narrow pathway that had a reflective ceiling. I captured this pathway in a way that produced a converging line effect that made the Image appear more dramatic. I enjoyed the way the colourful nature of this Image contrasts heavily with the black and white reflective ceiling. 

Top right Image - For this Image I captured a scene that produced half a regular view and half reflection. The reflection in this Image helps create a delusion of the Image being distorted and split. 

Middle two Images - For the middle two Images I have captured people walking down a hallway. The ending of the hallway has an over exposed bright light. This Intentional depiction aims to show the contrast of the silhouetted figures and the bright white light. The reflection in these Images creates a distorted version of these silhouettes and creates a sense of a ‘mirrored reality’. 

Bottom left Image - This Image focuses solely on the reflection that is present. What I really liked about capturing this Image was how the reflection gives a distorted view into a large body of people. This again raises this Idea of a more bleak, purgatory-like world. 

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Ira Fox Research

Who is he? 

Ira Fox is a professional Photographer who specialises in event-based photography such as weddings, parties and other special occasions. He is known for capturing photos with a special cinematic appeal that really makes his work stand out above the rest. His work has been known to appear in big-name new papers and magazines such as ‘The New York Times’ and ‘The Huffington Post’.

What about his work Inspired me?

Ira Fox has a well-known series of photo’s based on reflection photography, simply titled ‘Reflections’ which is similar to my project based on the Idea of using reflections and documenting their nature. He captured all the photo’s in the city of New York where he is based. 

One of the photos in this series is a remarkable Image in which he captures a person riding a bike through the street. Purely focusing on the nature of the reflection, Ira has managed to capture an Image that ultimately leaves a lot to the Imagination. The way in which the Image was captured makes us feel as though the people within it have been captured through some kind of magical portal that seems so surreal. 

One particular thing I really enjoyed about the Image is the way that we can’t really make out the Identity of anyone within the Image and therefore I feel like we focus more purely on the colour of the Image. The soft, yellow glow of the Image gives us a sense of warmth and peace. 

Another one of his Images I was really fascinated by in the ‘Reflection’ series was this one here, which similar to the previous one shows a group of pedestrians but their Identity can’t really be seen. I feel as if this Image particularly has purposely tried to silhouette the people within the Image. I feel that as the viewer, this leaves us asking questions about who these people are and what they are doing. 

What I love about this Image is how Ira Fox has captured it in such a way that makes the specks in the pavement appear almost as if Stars in the sky that contrasts so heavily with the blue of the sky and the black silhouettes. 

How is his work similar to what I’ve captured?

When comparing my work to Ira Fox’s I see some distinct similarities in terms of what I have tried to convey. 

For example is this piece I have tried to use silhouettes in a similar way to Ira Fox, where I want the audience asking the question of “What is happening in this Image?” or “What is it that I am particularly looking at?”. It add’s a sense of mystery to the Image which is partially what I want to convey. 

I also find that what I have tried to document in this picture is similar to how Ira has documented reflection in his pieces, where the main focus is purely on the reflection aspect and distinction between what’s real and what’s reflection based is quite limited. 

How can I continue to use his work to Improve my own?

Something I still want to develop on using Ira’s work as Inspiration is the use of documenting both people and reflections together, something which I believe Ira has done very well. I want to be able to document the nature of showing the lives of ordinary people through the unseen world of reflections in numerous way and puddle based reflections is one of those ways that I would like to try and Improve upon. 

References:

http://www.irafox.com/meetira/

https://fstoppers.com/portraits/photos-these-puddle-portraits-photographer-ira-fox-are-unbelievable-6119

[nathgriffdocphotgraphy]

 John Hilliard Research 

 Who is he/What does he document? 

John Hilliard is an English born conceptual artist who aims to address the specificity of photography as a medium and its uncertainty as a representational device. He also specialises in commercial photography, painting and cinema. Hilliard’s work aims to document the nature of photography and the camera in terms of how they work and operate. 

One example of his work can be seen above and is a piece called ‘Camera Recording its Own Condition (7 Apertures, 10 Speeds, 2 Mirrors)’. This piece is an experimental series of Images which used a camera, 2 mirrors and series of different shutter speeds and apertures which from what I gather aims to document the basic nature in which a camera captures a subject in different mediums. 

What about is work Inspired me?

What I find truly fascinating about Hilliard’s work is the very surreal, abstract way that he takes something quite basic or neutral and allows it to be seen in an entirely new perspective. 

The Idea of exploring multiple different settings within a camera is an Interesting subject as it takes it back to the roots of photography and I find the way in which the Interpretation of a photo can depend on the different levels of exposure to be very Intriguing. 

How is his work similar to what I’ve captured/How can I use it to Improve my own work?

I find that my work isn’t too similar to Hilliard’s in terms of style and technique but I find that the use of black and white within Images add’s a certain effect that gives an Image an entirely different meaning, which is something that I have been exploring/what to be able to continue exploring further. 

I am also very Intrigued by Hilliard’s use of exploring numerous mediums within one subject and it’s something that I am eager to perhaps explore. My thought process is that I could continue my Idea of reflections and use Hilliard’s method of exploring numerous shutter speeds and aperture setting’s in order to gain different levels of exposure. This range of exposure could help me create a whole new meaning within my Images. 

References:

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/john-hilliard-1287

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hilliard_(artist)

http://www.artmonthly.co.uk/magazine/site/article/john-hilliard-interviewed-by-patricia-bickers-may-2015

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Furthering my development for reflections 2

What I did/Why I did it?

For this development, I went to Birmingham city centre where I realised there would be an abundance of people to use to explore my Idea creatively.  I have explored other scenario’s of reflections and I wanted to explore more In depth the Idea of combining both real people and their reflections captured in different scenarios. I have thought carefully about how each shot has been captured and aligned to give a certain feel to the Image. 

For example for the top two Images, I have carefully aligned the shot to divide it into three sections which I felt would Interestingly portray real life and reflections to make the Image appear more unique and diverse. 

What Went well?

I felt something that went particularly well for some of these shots was the technique in how I have captured them. For example the bottom two Images I have captured converging lines which adds a lot of depth to the Image and makes the viewer feel like they are being pulled into the Image, drastically Improving the composition. 

I also experimented quite fondly with the use of different black and white effect. I wanted to experiment further with this effect, similar to my Images captured of the mannequins to give the Image a different sense of depth by adding and removing colour in certain areas of the Image. For example, I wanted to see the effects of taking colour away from the reflective aspect of the Images as it gives this sense of an opposite reality where things are bleak and distraught. I believe this raises this raise how dramatic the Images are and makes the viewer question what the message of the Image is. 

What could be Improved on for next time?

I would like to continue working on perfecting the whole aspect of capturing reflections in general. I would like to explore multiple creative ways that I could document reflections in everyday life and the kind of Impression that I would like it to give off. I think I will be moving on towards taking my final Images over the course of the week so I would like them to capture my Images to a high quality with a lot of depth and meaning. 

[nathgriffdocphotgraphy]

Furthering my development for reflections

What I did/why I did it

I decided that as part of my further development, I would focus on the aspect of reflections. I decided to go out and observe shop windows that contained interesting scenario’s and capture them in a way that made them appear to be combined with the street.

I also experimented with the use of a black and white filter. I feel that the use of the filter adds a certain dramatic feel to the Image that helps reinforce a certain message about people and fashion and how people use fashion as a way to be something they aren’t, almost faceless.  

The use of the black and white filter also added a deep contrast between the mannequins and the street, which helped convey the Idea of the two scenarios being combined. 

I decided to continue with this Idea as I really liked my past research that focused on the Idea of reflections, where I captured the reflections of carnival rides in glass windows.

I enjoyed the Idea of documenting two scenarios and bringing them together. My lecturer seemed Interested in my last documentation of reflections but said I should think more about the alignment of the shot as if I am deliberately trying to merge the two scenes.

I decided that an Interesting way to develop on this advice would be to think about the kind of message I could give off to the viewer when capturing these reflections. I began to think about the Idea of mannequins in shop windows and how they’re these faceless Items with no identification, yet resemble humans. This is why I want to capture these mannequins in a way that made them appear as if they were Humans standing on a street. 

What went well

• For my recent Images, I liked how I was able to define on my last Images in a way that presented more of a message.

• I had thought more carefully about the alignment of the shot to portray a message.

What could be done better for next time

- I think for my next development, I need to think about how I want to document a stronger message.

- I feel that the alignment of certain Images wasn’t entirely accurate and could be better positioned for the future. 

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Exploring Ideas 3 - Reflections, mirrors, windows, puddles.

What is the Idea?

For this Idea, I explored the subject of capturing anything that produces a reflection. I was fascinated by the Idea of merging scenes together to make the audience think differently about a particular scene. I like the ways in which things like puddles come across almost as portals to different worlds.

Why have I explored this Idea?

For this idea, to begin with, I really wanted to explore it in a simplistic way where I would go out and take Images of any general reflection that I could find. I feel like it allowed me to explore everyday life in a different perspective, constantly keeping a close eye for anything that resembled a reflection. 

Locations 

I generally looked in any place where I could find a reflection and think about how I could use said Image to document a particular subject. Initially, my Images shown are to give an Idea of the kind of Impression I want to give with the use of reflections and don’t fully extend the kind of narrative I’d wish to tell with my Images. 

Continuing this Idea

I’ve looked into things such as water on the ground as I loved the way that the Images often mirrored and contrasted with the background. I really enjoyed this and want to explore it further as I believe it holds a lot of room for development which I found to be very Interesting. 

[nathgriffdocphotgraphy]

Exploring Ideas 2 - Festivals/Fairs

What is the Idea?

One of my other Ideas that I was developing on was the Idea of documenting Fairs and Festivals, as well as other colourful events such as Christmas markets or similar events.

Why did I explore this Idea?

I liked the Idea of exploring this subject as it seemed to have quite a large scope. I had noticed that many cities were currently holding fairs, festivals, markets, etc for Bonfire night and Christmas, so had a lot of opportunities to capture Interesting Images. I wanted to take the concept of festivals, etc and document how the public reacts to them as well as the people who work at them. I thought it is an Interesting Idea to contrast the different sides of fairs, showing the reaction of kids winning toys or something similar, and then going on to show the life of ‘a carni’ (carnival worker).

Impact

I thought that when documenting something like this, that I could aim to capture a contrast of emotions. When we see carnivals, many of us think of a happy, joyous fun time out, but I feel the life of someone who works at a fair or carnival may not be as glamorous.

Locations?

I considered using many locations for this Ides as many places seem to hold fairs or markets during the winter months. Some places I had visited/considered using:

- Worcester Racecourse - Bonfire night - A fair was held here and I was able to capture some Interesting Images of the fair, it was only on for Bonfire night, so the time space was limited.

- Worcester City - Worcester Victorian Market - A market and fair were held for a few days at the start of December, where I was able to capture some of the people Interacting with the Market Stalls. Although this did prove quite difficult with the exceptionally large crowds.The fair was less packed than the market and I was able to capture Images easier, with a few turning out quite well.

- Birmingham City - Birmingham Christmas Market - Birmingham City market is a yearly event which draws in 1000′s of people from all over the country. It has a lot of scopes for exploring the market lifestyle with large ranges of different and unique stalls.

Why did I not continue with this Idea?

The reason I did not wish to continue this Idea was mainly down to limited time space and crowded areas of some fairs/markets. I felt I wanted a flexible time range in order to fully explore the documentative side of the fair, market lifestyle, however, events were somewhat limited for certain markets, fairs, etc. Another problem was the severe crowdedness of these fairs and markets which seemed to make it incredibly difficult to capture a clear, open shot. Due to this, it was also difficult to set up any kind of equipment without worry of people knocking it over.

Image Analysation 

Looking at the top left Image, when I captured this Image, I tried a few times to correctly position it as I largely considered the rule of thirds in order to make the Image appear more dramatic. I was happy with how I captured the Image in the end as I not only loved the vibrant colours of the of the carousel but also how the lights from the ride shown on the women. I love how the women appear isolated in the Image, but it’s not so much loneliness as it is that she seems almost captivated by the enjoyment and ride. I feel that it gives off the Impression that the ride seems almost magical. 

I really liked this Image so I wanted to further edit it, mixing up the colours which increased the dramatic-ness of the Image. This was only to further explore how I could make the Image seem more appealing and Increase that feeling of ‘magic’ within the Image.