evaluation

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EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHYOliver Georgiou

(Multiple Exposure)

Use this slide to annotate your final imageOne main thing about this image is that the structure of the skateboard blends into the architecture of the building. It is positioned well enough to almost fade into the downhill area of the building.

The clouds of the walls bring an abstract theme to it. I've made the skateboards almost rebel against the sign of no walking as there is skateboarders on the ramps. It symbolises freedom for skateboarders and also a no rules mind-set as there are no rules to the sport. All skateboarders see the world different to regular people which refers back to the idea of skateboarders would use these ramps even if people are not allowed to walk on them. I used an image of blurred lights and used the screen setting so it just shows the blurred bits of light.

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Evaluate: ideas eg analysis, results; How well do you feel you have realised your ideas and intentions and what results have you got? Ensure you talk critically (compare, contrast, assess) about your work. You should reference your influences and assess how your work compares.

I think I have realised my ideas and intentions well because my first idea was to have a skateboard and another image to create a multiple exposure. I did not think about adding the sky to the picture until later on when I had almost finished my original idea. For this image I think it relates most to my original plans as it was my first idea. I am happy with my final piece and the message it gives out which is that skateboarders don’t have rules and they express their sport anywhere they can. One idea I had was to take images of three different urban areas. One would look very urban which is this one as it involves a car park and a skateboard element. I wanted one image to be in an urban area but look quite posh and look less run down which is what my third image is like. I liked the idea of using clouds which I got from Jerry Uelsmann so I decided to do a multiple exposure of the clouds as well on parts of the walls.

Qualities:Consider the aesthetic qualities of your work. How does it look? What do you like about it? What are the strongest and weakest elements from an aesthetic point of view?Consider the technical qualities of your work? How well done is it? What elements are strongest and which could need further work and development? Be sure to use technical terms in your work such as exposure, shutter speed, aperture and talk specifically about any post-production techniques you have used.

I think once you have looked at my image for a small amount of time you understand what is going on. The multiple exposure of the skateboards attract your eyes at first as you have to figure out what they are. I had to use the quick selection tool to select the skateboard to create the multiple exposure. I like that it is not completely visible as there is actually two skateboard images. I like how the skateboards blend into the architecture which shows the link between the two urban images. The strongest aesthetic quality is that it brings you in after your first glance because it makes you look deeper into the picture where you see the clouds and the other skateboard. I altered the brightness and contrast of the background image and also made it black and white. The image of the skateboard gives the whole image a darker sepia look to it but I used an image of blurred lights to make it look a bit brighter but I used the screen setting on that image to get rid of any dark parts of the image so it just shows the lights. I took this image with my camera on manual settings so I could get the lighting right but I could always edit it on Photoshop which I did.

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How could you improve your work? Could you develop your work further with additional work? What would you try to achieve with this? Could you undertake further experiments? If so, what would they be?

I could made sure I used the quick selection tool more precisely to make the skateboard blend into the background image of the car park a bit more. I could have had the clouds a bit more subtle to so they blend into the white walls more. I could try to make it a bit more easier to look at and understand. Make it so people can understand the message that It it trying to give off which is there are no rules or boundaries to skateboarding that is why the skateboards are on the ramps but it shows a sign saying no walking.

When talking about your work, consider formal elements such as lines, shapes and patterns as well as the colour and contrast and also tone of your image. Think about the composition of your work and where this could be developed.

The walls that are cloudy go in a line from left to right as they start close to the front of the image which is what you would notice first, they then go to the wall at the back of the image and down the wall next to the ramp. So if you follow the clouds you will see everything in the image. The most visible skateboard sort of blends into the image and the architecture of the building. There are almost to sections to the image where things are quite close at the front of the image and then it goes to the wall which is quite far away. There are three main sections of this picture which are the part of the wall closest to the image with a multiple exposure of the clouds, then the other parts of wall that are further away with the clouds as well and then there Is the ramp with the multiple exposure of the skateboards.

Finally you should consider if the images you have produced fulfil the brief you were set. Do they match the theme? Are they experimental? Explain your answers using specific examples.

I think this image does match the brief and the whole theme of my work as it all has an urban theme to it as all my images are taken of buildings in an urban area and this image especially has a very urban theme with the skateboard.

Reflection

Use this slide to annotate your final image

The reflection in this image is very visible so I turned the image upside down and you can still tell what it is. I also like the difference of colours because it gives off a message of two different worlds almost, how one is in colour and one is black and white. It could imply that our reflections show another world that is brighter and more vibrant. I used an image of stars that I used in the reflection sky that also adds to the colours in that part of the image but it also blends in with little bits in the water. The reflection part of the image has been altered to look brighter and more colourful with the use of changing the brightness, contrast and vibrance. I changed other half of the image which is not a reflection to black and white to give off the message of the reflection is a more colourful world. I also like how it could even look like an old picture of the building in black and white and then a new picture of the building in modern day. It could be an image of the old building with a reflection of the future.

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I have realised my intentions as I planned on doing a reflection image that looks like another world. I originally wanted to take a picture of a puddle and have a reflection in that to look like a portal to another world but the day I went out to take picture there were not any puddles as it was a dry day. But this image meets my intentions of taking a reflecting image. My main inspiration was an image I found on Google but could not find the name of the person who took the photograph. This image was a large puddle with a row of buildings that looked like it was a portal into another dimension. I think that I could of incorporated a multiple exposure of clouds again it would fit in more with my other images.


I think the coloured part of the image obviously catches your attention first because it stands out. After you have looked at the image you then realise that the image is actually upside down and the coloured area of the image is the reflection in the water. I think the strongest point of this image is that it is upside down because the reflection is so visible and easy to understand what it is. The weakest point would be the tree leaves on the right hand side, as they are so many of and spread about very unevenly it is hard to select them on Photoshop so I had to leave them. I altered each half of the images differently for example the reflection is in colour so I adjusted the brightness, contrast etc. but with the bottom half I made it black and white. I used the quick selection tool to cut the image in half precisely and also to select the sky in the top half of the image to add the stars. I used the manual setting on my camera for this image just so I could get all the lighting right because it was very sunny and I didn’t want any reflection of the sun coming off the water.

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I could improve my work by spending more time on it to be able to select the branches of the tree as I didn’t have enough time to properly select them so they are actually in colour when they should be black and white as they are not part of the reflection. I think if I took a picture of the same building from a different angle it would look better as it would have more in the background.


There is obviously a line of symmetry as there is a reflection of the building. The line between the reflection is separating the colour from black and white. There is also a big contrast between two halves of the images as on is black and white and the other half has been made to look brighter and more colourful. From a distance you can see the shaped of the building reflect a lot better and you cant tell the top part of the image is the reflection as the water just looks like the sky.


I think this image does match the brief as I have used an experimental technique which is reflection but I have also taken it a step further by editing it and making half of it black and white. It also matches my theme of it being urban as it is a building in a city. Also it fits well with my three stages of urbanisation. It kind of tells a story as each image is in different locations and this one in terms of how far away it is from the city centre is in the middle of the other two.

Use this slide to annotate your final image

With this image I went for a more mystical urban look with the clouds and the star paths. The clouds and stars relate to my other two images with the multiple exposure of the clouds on the buildings. This image is a bit more upper class because it doesn’t involve an old factory building or a car park with skateboards like my other images. The architecture in this image looks more modern in a way and a bit more better looking. The font used on the building is also quite formal. I used am image of blurred lights again and put it on the screen setting on Photoshop so it would just show the light. The light just covers the lamp post, part of the floor and part of the background building. The lamp post is lighter then other parts of the image because if it was on it would produce light. The stars on the floor represent the mystical/dreamscape side of it because it is like you are walking on the stars. The clouds are there to fit in with the stars as stars appear in the sky and so do clouds so it is like you are walking through the sky on a cloudy night. The darkness of the rest of the image could represent the season as it is very dull and dark with the clouds and rain and that is why I decided to call it “Bring an Umbrella” because if you are walking in the sky the clouds will be very close to you therefor the rain will hit you sooner than when your on the ground.

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I think I have realised and portrayed my intention well because I wanted my images to have an urban theme but not of all the same urban theme as this one is the highest class urban looking image because of the area where I took the image which is in York city centre but the buildings looks very well built and quite modern. One thing I think I would change is the stars on the path to make them look a bit more subtle and it would fit in a bit more with the rest of the images tone. I also think I could of turned the opacity down more on the multiple exposure of the lights.


I think this image looks good because it is quite mysterious with the clouds and stars and the whole colour scheme to the image as it is light but black and white. The thing I like most bout this image is the way the depth of the image doesn’t change where you first look in the image for example to lamp post is closer to the viewer in the image but the building walls are further away but as they have a multiple exposure of clouds the they also attract as much attention as what's at the front of the image.I had to use the quick selection a lot as I did with my other images to create a multiple exposure and also change the brightness and contrast, vibrance and make it black and white. I think the techniques I used on this image I used quite well as there are not parts where the clouds are shown on anything but the building and the same for the stars on the path. I think this image is a good image because there is not too much going on and there is nothing that confuses you as it is quite a simple image.

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I could improve my work by turning all the post production techniques down a bit so the clouds and stars are a bit more subtle. I could make this image more eye catching and more mysterious if I had more time by adding more post production techniques or maybe warping parts on the image.


The star path on the floor will lead your eye around the image as it goes from right to left. The point where the cloudy building stops indicates the other building and you can see that with the line down the building. The light around the lamp post attracts your eyes more just because it is brighter than the rest of some pieces of the image apart from the star path. I could of taken an image not showing the background building and just one of the Harkers building.


This image fits in with my them of the discovery of urban life. This is experimental because it is quite abstract and mysterious with the clouds and stars on the buildings and paths. My post production techniques are what made it look experimental because I did a multiple exposure of the stars on the path and clouds on the buildings.