Unit 57: Photography and Photographic Practice

Selection of final images & review (P4, M4, D4)

Image No:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Theme or focus of image & reasons for choice1. The theme for this image was architecture and the focus of it is the Imperial

War Museum. It is one of the more interesting buildings located at Salford Quays and also one of the most iconic, which is why I chose it. The focus is entirely on the museum as it takes up the majority of the photograph and there is very little else included in the image.

2. The theme of this image is media and the reason I picked it was because it clearly displays and promotes Salford Quays as a media hub. The building and signs are located at the heart of Media City and are in bright, attractive colours. The focus is on the signs as they are the only ones in colour and therefore it is also on Media City as a whole, as the signs clearly state ‘The Studios’ and ‘MediaCityUK’.

3. The theme for this image was a general landscape shot of Media City, showing some of the various buildings and locations. Like the previous image, it shows Salford Quays as a media hub with various BBC buildings visible along with the two signs that say ‘The Studios’ and ‘MediaCityUK’. Though it does show the media side of the Quays, like I stated above it can also acts as a general landscape shot of the area, as other things can be seen such as the teepees in the bottom left hand corner and the hotel in the top right.

4. The theme and focus for this image was the greenery at Salford Quays. I wanted to show that is not primarily big buildings and studios, having green

10.

areas too. The first focal point of the image is meant to be the grass, with the branches of leaves at the bottom of the photograph meant to compliment it. The buildings in the background are meant to show the contrast between the high rise glossy buildings and the green areas located at the Quays. This was not meant to be negative to either of them and instead to promote them equally.

5. I took this image after being inspired by a photographer I had found while researching landscape photography. Charlie Waite is a landscape photographer who has many images that depict paths and roads going off into the distance. The roads/ paths are usually flanked by something that matches, such as bushes or trees. In my image, the bridge is the path and its panelled railings and structure are its flanking components. The theme of this image is architecture and is to simply show some of the buildings and structures located at Salford Quays, in this case being a bridge and building. The building is very unique and has reflective bronzed windows, which is a reason I chose this image.

6. I took this image because I thought the two contrasting signs worked well together. The one on the right is a tram sign and establishes the fact that the location is Media City, while the one on the left is an illuminated neon sign that says ‘happy’. My idea was to use the latter sign to represent Media City as a happy place that would be a good place to visit. The sign is also unique as it isn’t something that you would expect to find on the side of a building. The focus for this image is on both signs concurrently.

7. The seventh image is meant to display some of the more interesting things that occur at Salford Quays and which a visitor can partake in. The focus of the image is on an advertisement for a dance show that is going to be taking place at the Lowry, which shows an image from the event and several reviews. It is held in place by a metallic structure and the unique Lowry tower can be spotted behind it. A large apartment block can also be seen in the background. This creates a unique landscape of contrasting buildings as well as the advertisement. I chose this image because I liked the fact it is promoting something at Salford Quays as well as showing some of the landscape of the area in general.

8. I selected this image because it shows something other than the media side of Salford Quays- three matching apartment blocks resting on the side of the Quays itself. The image’s colours are aesthetically pleasing as they all match, while the buildings are unique and an older part of the Salford Quays landscape. The general theme for this image was to focus on a place to live in the area as well as the landscape of the area

9. Like the fifth image, I was inspired to use this photograph from my research of landscape photographers, once again Charlie Waite. He focuses on paths with flanking elements such as trees, which is something I used in the photograph. The theme was too show something other than buildings and to

show Salford Quays has much more greenery than one might think, which creates a unique, modern place. The focus of the image is on the path and the matching formation of trees on either side.

10. For my final image I wanted to use another black and white effect but first, I had to find a subject for the photograph that would be in colour and work well. I finally settled on a goose that was wandering around the side of the Quays, as I thought that it would work well in black and white form and as the focal point of my image. The theme of the image is supposed to be on the more natural side of Salford Quays. I wanted an image that depicted something of natural beauty rather than all of the shiny, new buildings and I believe the goose worked very well for this intended vision.

Techniques usedThroughout my photography series, I kept the shutter speed at a consistent rate for most images, as I felt no need to change it. I was producing some quick, effective photographs and the end results were very good. I decided not to change the shutter speed of my images as the lighting throughout the photo-shoot remained the same (grey skies).

I also kept the aperture the same throughout the photo-shoot as I felt a wholly average f/stop of 8 made some quality photographs. I also primarily used foreground focal points in my images and so a narrow depth of field (only sharp in the foreground) suited the style. Examples of this are in images six, seven and ten.

I kept the ISO the same throughout my photo-shoot as the lighting was very consistent and there was very little artificial lighting to require any change. The most of my images had an ISO of 400, which is low and suited to settings which have suitable light sources. Apart from the images which used the ISO setting of 400, three used 800: 6, 8 and 10. In the sixth image I wanted both of the signs to be as bright as possible and therefore I increased the ISO. In the eighth image, I wanted the windows to be brighter to bring out their blue colours more and in the tenth I wanted the goose at the front of the photograph to be as bright and as clear as possible for the editing stage.

I used the rule of thirds in several of my images, as I wanted them to be aesthetically pleasing to the viewer. In the second image, I visualized the signs on a rule of thirds grid and if one was to be placed over them, it would reveal they are on interesting lines. The same applies to image 3 where two large buildings are evenly stood apart above Media City, appearing roughly where the vertical lines would on a rule of thirds grid would be situated.

In the fifth and ninth images, the contents of the photograph are almost symmetrical and therefore perfectly adhere to a rule of thirds grid- the placement of the elements is easy to look at and they are of good aesthetic value.

In the sixth image, I had the rule of thirds grid in mind when taking the photograph, as I wanted the signs to be on contrasting sides. They can be looked at quite easily and a viewer can clearly look back and forth between them.

In the final image, I waited for the goose to walk into a position where it was almost

completely in the middle of the frame with very little in its immediate area. This was because I wanted it to be a focal point for the photograph

Strengths & suggested improvements1. I think the photograph of the museum is very good and I like the editing I did

on the colours of it, changing it from dull grey to a sharper, more metallic one. I think the sky edit is OK but, I believe that much more work could be done on it. I also think that some of the other colours in the image (the building behind and the wall and flags in the front) are far too bright and detract attention away from the museum.

2. I like the black and white effect I used on this image and I think the two signs that I kept in colour work very well. I also think that they put a lot of focus on the media aspects of Salford Quays, which promotes the area heavily. In terms of improvement, I think I could have done a bit more editing to the rest of the photograph. Apart from the colours, I think that the rest of the photograph doesn’t have enough of a spark about it, seeming slightly dull. However, I am overall very pleased with this image.

3. I like the colours in this image as I think they all stand out well and are visually striking. I also think that the things within the photograph are very good, such as the BBC buildings, teepees and huge buildings. This helps it as a landscape image. However, I think that the colour of the sky slightly ruin the overall appearance of the image. I think that if the sky wasn’t dull and grey but, was instead blue and cloudy, the photograph would look much better. I had decided not to edit a sky into the image originally, as I didn’t want it to be unconvincing, though I think if I had done a professional job it may have looked OK.

4. I think that some elements of this image are very good, including the grass and branch in the foreground and the buildings in the background. I think the brightness and contrast of the image work very well and that it is overall good. My criticism of this image is the sky that has been inserted into the background. I don’t believe that it works very well, as the buildings look too sharp on the sky, which takes the focus away from the main theme of the image- the grass and greenery area. However, the colour of the sky is OK and I think that the colour gradient is realistic and reminiscent of an actual sky.

5. I think that this image is OK with the setting and style of the image being very good. However, I think that it has been over manipulated to the point where it seems to lose some of its striking features and colour (the building has reflective bronze windows). I also think that the sky and bridge walkway look smudged and unnatural. The overall image could have been edited better and in a different way to keep the core focal point of the image and to make it look more realistic.

6. The sixth image looks good but, I think that it could be edited better. I think that the sign on the right is too bright and the tree in the middle takes the attention away from the two signs. I also think that the sign on right is out of focus and slightly too blurry, which could have been resolved by a higher aperture. However, I think the style of the image is very good.

7. I think that this is a very good image which compliments Salford Quays and The Lowry. The image depicts an advertisement for a show as well as featuring some of the Lowry’s unique building in the background along with an apartment building, which adds to the theme of landscape. I think all of the elements of the image work really well. I think that the lighting isn’t great on the image though, with the light being a bit too bright on the transparent advertising sign. I think it could have been better edited or had a lower ISO during the shoot.

8. I like this image as I think that the colours of the windows on the various buildings are very attractive and striking. I think they are very bright, bold colours that stand out well. This especially applies to the bold blue building on the far right. My criticism of this image is that the sky is once again too bright and unrealistic. I think that because it is so bright, it barely looks like there is a sky there. This could have been improved by a lower ISO setting or a lower brightness during the editing phase.

9. This is one of my favourite images and I think that it makes a very good landscape photograph. I think the trees are a good shade of green which is visually attractive and I think the premise of a path flanked by trees is good too. The colours on this image are generally very good and the image itself has an interesting and engaging look, with the winding path. I think that an improvement that could be made would be the colour of the path. It is stained green and it doesn’t look particularly pleasant but, I was unable to suitably remove it from the image. However, the image is still overall very good.

10. I very much like my final image though I believe that some changes could be made to improve it. I think the black and white effect is OK but, I think it could use some improvement because the goose doesn’t stand out as much as I think it should. This is because the goose itself is black and white. I think the goose could have been edited slightly better to make it stand out, possibly by using the contrast and vibrancy tools.

Editing details1. The changes I made on this image are very noticeable, as I cropped a large

portion of it out, as well as making it more concise. I also added a new background, as I felt a more vibrant background would create a better image. I also made the front of the image (the museum itself and the surrounding trees/buildings) brighter, while also increasing the vibrancy and contrast. These tools helped bring out the wall at the front and the building in the background, as well as the museum. I also used the ‘sharp’ tool on the museum building to make it a more metallic eye-catching colour.

2. Even before I had begun editing, I had wanted to experiment with black and white effects. I think it helps certain elements of the image stand out more and therefore creates a unique effect. In this case I cut and paste the two signs onto a different layer and made the image black and white. I then added the coloured signs to the black and white background. I think it helps promote the media aspects of Salford Quays. I also cropped a lot of the original image's foreground, as it was empty and didn't add anything to the picture.

3. In this image, I cut and pasted the sky onto a new layer and primarily edited the buildings in the foreground. I used the brightness, contrast and vibrancy tools to help them stand out more and to enrich the colours. On the day of the shoot, the weather wasn't very good and the sky was dark and grey. The tools I used above helped make the photograph stand out more. The building on the left and the two coloured signs are helped especially by the editing, by being brought out more and being more eye-catching. I retained the original sky as I felt it was more realistic than my attempted sky edits. I also digitally cropped the road in the foreground out, as well as digitally removing the bin. This was because it ruined the image and proved an unpleasant element of the photo.

4. On this image, I once again edited the sky, to help create a more aesthetically pleasing image, which complimented the bright grass and leaves in the foreground. I removed the sky using the polygonal lasso tool, placing a gradient blue square in its place. I changed the colour to a sky blue, which gets lighter as it gets closer to the earth, like a real sky. I then put the buildings and grass layer at the front. The image looks more pleasing and

brighter due to the sky, as well as the foreground which I also made brighter.

5. For this image, I cropped a large portion of the sides as I wanted the primary focus to be on the building and the bridge. By cropping a large amount of the sides and foreground of the photo, I achieved this. I used the contrast tool to bring out the glass panels on the bridge out more, as well as the bronzed windows on the building. This made the image much more vibrant and helped it to stand out. I digitally removed the stairs on the white structure of the bridge, as the green mould/ stains didn't look very pleasant. I effectively cleaned the bridge and made it look newer and better. I also removed the emergency rail on the left of the image, as I felt it drew attention away from the bridge and building.

6. For this image, I cropped out the tree on the side of the image and a lot of sky and building at the top. I did this in order to make the image more concise but, feature the two main elements that I wanted in the image -the tram sign and the illuminated 'happy' sign. I wanted the sign in the foreground there to prominently show that the location of the image is Media City. I also wanted to include the happy sign as it added extra content to the image. I also want people to read it as Media City is a happy place. Apart from the cropping, I made some slight changes to the brightness and contrast, specifically focusing on the sign, which I used a polygonal lasso tool to draw around and then increasing the brightness.

7. For this image, I increased the contrast so the metallic of the building and sign became more prominent. I also did this on the building in the background to bring out its colour. I digitally removed the very small blue marks on the piece of metal building on the left, by using the clone stamp tool. I also did this for the dirt on the building in the bottom left hand corner. I also experimented with the sharpness tool, focusing on the metallic coloured building. This helped to add an extra element to the image and make the building stand out more.

8. The changes I made for this image are very noticeable, as I greatly increased the contrast and vibrancy to bring out the coloured windows more. Thusly, they go from being bland and grey to being vibrant and eye-catching. The blue windows on the far right and the turquoise-like colour on the three main buildings are the ones most affected and the colours are very vibrant and add much more depth to the photograph. I cropped out a part of the sky and bridge on the far right of the screen, in order to make it more concise and too have less plain space.

9. On this image, I greatly increased the contrast, vibrancy and brightness. This helped bring out the rich green and brown colours of the tree more. Though initially very dark and grey, the trees became more eye-catching by the edit, while the sky and the surrounding area became brighter. Unfortunately, the settings I used also brought out the green stains on the pathway, which

doesn't make the area look particularly clean. I attempted to edit them though it didn't work and I had to keep it the way it was. However, I believe the trees are more eye-catching than the path.

10. I wanted to include some sort of wildlife in my photography series, as I wanted to show that Media City isn't all buildings and technology. I managed to approach the goose quite easily and managed to get several shots, though this was the most eye-catching, balanced and interesting image. As I mentioned in the second image, I wanted to experiment with black and white effects and I felt that this image would work well. I selected the goose using the polygonal lasso tool and then made the rest of the image black and white. I then increased the contrast on the goose to help it stand out more.

Capture LogSetting Shutter Speed ISO ApertureManual

Manual

Manual

Manual

Manual

Manual

Manual

Manual

Manual

Manual

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

1/160 sec

400

400

400

400

400

800

400

800

400

800

f/8

f/8

f/8

f/8

f/8

f/8

f/8

f/8

f/8

f/8

( All Manual ) ( All 1/160 sec ) ( All f/8 )