Statement of Intent Theme 2 ~ People in the Landscape

Intentions/purpose
For my second theme I will produce a minimum of 10 textured images of people in the landscape as agreed with my tutor, Steve Davies.

These relate to the first theme due to the inclusion of human figures and the finishing process of applying texture to give a painterly effect.

These images can be used for illustration purposed in books and magazines or on the internet, for other printed material including calendars, t-shirts, fabrics, desk items, household linen or equipment, or as art prints.

Reasons for selection           

I have been inspired in my choice by contemporary artists, mostly through the Flickr website, who have been experimenting with different ways of presenting images rather than a photograph straight from the camera.

Using photoshop, which is a vast image editing system, many different and innovative art works have been produced and I have been trying to use the software to produce a style of my own.

Diane Gracy (Flickr)

Lasofabunny (Flickr)

I have also been greatly influenced by painters of the past including Turner the dutch masters and Gainsborough, through my many museum and country house visits which I have enjoyed throughout my life.

Equipment and medium

I will be using my Canon 5D Mk2 with a 24-70mm lens.  Since this is a full frame camera this lens will give me something towards a panoramic view of the scene.  I will also need a tripod and have available a number of filters including a polariser, which inproves colour in blue skies and cuts down glare and reflection on water, and several neutral density filters or varying degrees, which will hold back bright light such as the sun or other light sources so that detail can be retained in shadows.

I will use an internet based printing company to produce 10 prints on mat paper which I can then mount on board for display.

Technique

I will be photographing people at a distance so model release forms will not be required since they will not be recognisable.  My camera is set on aperture priority at F11 which is the optimal focus range for this lens using exposure bracketing, 3 shot bursts, set half a stop either side of the automatic exposure setting and evaluative metering, auto white balance and minimum iso.

I will process the images in Photoshop CS5, adding pre-made textures to achieve a painterly finish.

Control of light quality

To control light quality in the field, I can use evaluative metering system on the camera and combine ISO and shutter speed to give the correct exposure.  I will also have available a polarising filter and neutral density filters which can be used to hold back a bright light source or slow shutter speed to bring detail to the flow of water  or add a silky dreamy look to water.

Risk and H&S

To ensure the safety of myself and my equipment I will have a companion with me and we will travel a planned route, which will be notified to others. , we will have mobile phones and money for communication and refreshment and ensure we are dressed suitably for the conditions.  The route will follow public footpaths and highways to ensure we do not travel over private land and we will use a map and compass.  We will beware of other hazards such as triping or sliping and ensure that the tripod is set up on suitable ground and we are safe from hazard at all times.

1st Studio Portrait Session

Since I have decided to go with mainly head shots using shallow depth of field, we set us the continuous lighting equipment in the studio.

These consist of three cold lamps inside and umbrella, with a white screen over the front to soften and evenly spread the light, one on each side of the model.  These are very portable and can be moved up and down the stand or around the studio to vary lighting angles.  There are no hot lamps or flash to startle the model and are therefore very easy and simple to use.  From a health and safety point of view they are excellent, since with young children in the studio there is no fear of contact with a hot surface.

After going through the usual health and safety issues to beware of trailing cables as slip and trip hazards, making sure all electric equipment is compliant with current regulations and pointing out fire exits, I talked through the type of shots and poses I was trying to get, with my models, and showed them examples on my blog.

Since I have a 1.8, 85mm, usm lens, I decided to initially hand hold the camera for freedom of movement.  I also borrowed a 50mm lens from the college to compare the quality of shots achieved.

Here are a few initial examples of the shoot.

For the shoot with his father I moved one of the lights so that his side face was more shaded to give a moodier look, I tried with shallow dof at 1.8 but also at 4.5, after mounting the camera on the stand, so that all of his features are in focus.

By the end of the shoot, Jonathan was getting restless and found it difficult to stand still, I might try to blend these two images since I find the last one quite a fun shot.

On the whole I am satisfied with my first studio shoot, I got the type of images I set out to achieve and can use some of these in my assignment.

I am now looking forward to my next session in the studio.