Chosen Photographers

Chosen Photographers.

1. Norman Parkinson:

I chose Norman Parkinson, because I found the way that he used the black and white imagery to show tones between the darkness and lightness. I also liked the way he contrasted the fashion with the backgrounds, to create more of a shocking photo as it brought in attention. The fashion used is the old style which creates the photo to become more interesting.

This is the first Norman Parkinson photo, this one is known to be my favourite photo out of all his photos. In this photo, we can clearly see a pin up styled girl with dark hair and a dark hair contrasting against the pale background and old pillars. Her shawl is also seem to contrast against the blackness of her dress with its silver/ grey colour. This positive point of this photo has to be the contrasts of the pin up look against the pale background, this is a positive factor because it really does attract attention with it's different style of fashion but also the way the photo looks older than most. I believe that this photo does not have a negative point to reveal. An improvement I would make to this photo is by darkening the background a little.

This is the second chosen photo I've selected out of Norman Parkinson's album. In this photo, there is a slight contrast between the dark shades of the dress and background including the model against the white fluffy coat and snow. This photo shows emotion as the model seems to show sadness even though her clothes tell the story of her being from a upper class family, by including the snow, it can show that she misses her childhood of having fun as she can only be the word 'beauty'. The positive point of this photo is that the background and the snow create the model to stand out, this is a positive factor because it really draws in the attention to the models facial expression before the photo releases the story. A negative point of this photo is that the corners of the coat seem to blend in with the snow, this is a negative factor because it pulls the attention away from the models face as the whiteness seems to bleach the photo out and draw in the attention as the focus point. An improvement I would make to this photo was by darkening the background of snow a little.

This is another one of my selected favourites from Norman Parkinsons work. In this hptoo we can see a female model looking trapped amongst the ivy and branches as she uses her foot upon the step to support herself. The tones are shown to contrast with her dress and skin of paleness against the old run down building covered in plants. The positive point of this photo is that the pale dress is eye-catching, this is a positive factor because it really draws in the attention between the different contrasts. These contrasts are between the perfect dress yet destroyed place and the tones of colours. The negative point of this photo is that in the corner, the image is shown to be slightly blurred. This is a negative factor because it pulls the focus point away from the model. An improvement I would make to this photo is by cropping that part of the photo away.

This photo is the fourth selected photo from Norman Parkinsons work. In this photo, the model is shown to holding the snake upon a sphinxs head. Her eyes are also closed to show her connecting to the religious sphinx. She is also shown to wear an old fashioned hat to cover her head but alot of beads around her neck to show royalty like the old days in Egypt. The positive point of this photo is that the pale model stands out against the old rotting away sphinx, this is a positive factor because when the model becomes the focus point, she can resemble a time travel against the old and new to the audience. I believe that this photo does not have a negative factor to point out. An improvement to this photo is by using Gaussian blur a little more to the background to create the model and sphinx to stand out more.

The influence Norman Parkinson has had on me, is to take photo's in black and white. I have briefly used this in my formal elements work, to show contrast. When I develop my work even more, I would like to use the same style as he does by taking more full body photographs of the models than close up. As an overall summary, when I researched into him a lot more, my thoughts on his work changed to a more negative thought. I started to find his work a little more boring as the work was constantly in black and white, while I believe that some of his photos could stand out more, if kept in colour.


2. Adrienne Adam:

I chose Adrienne Adam to be my second chosen photographer because I liked the way she would use close up shots of objects to show the pattern. All her shots were also extremely bright which made the photo more eye-catching and interesting. 

This is the first eye- catching photo that attracted my attention from Adrienne's work. This photo shows the bright blue and white colours of the petals which also seem to be sharp. The pattern is also shown by the petal shapes and sizes but also how they are positioned. The positive point of this photo is that the close - up shot clearly shows the pattern on the petals and the way they are layed out, this is a positive factor because it shows the audience a different perspective on a flower, if looked upon closely. I believe that this photo does not have a negative point to reveal. An improvement I would make to this photo is by changing the curves and levels to darken the blue and lighten the white.

This is the second chosen photo from Adriennes work. This photo shows a pattern of old stones which all link in with each other. To create this pattern to stand out, a stone is shown to be missing from the floor. This hole in the stones is the eye focus point. This photo was also taken at a high angle. The positive point of this photo is that by having a hole from where a stone has been removed, the pattern has become more noticable and interesting. A negative point of this photo is that is can be classed slightly as 'un-interesting', this is because there is only shown to be one basic pattern. An improvement I would make to this photo is by changing the curves and levels of this photo to create a contrast between tones but also apply another patterened image over this one, I would then change the second layer's opacity level to create a realistic two patterened image.



This photo is the third chosen photo from Adriennes work, this is also my favourite photo she has taken. This photo is a close up taken photo peacocks feather. The colours of the vivid feather and patterns of lines throughout create the photo to be more interesting and out standing against most photos. The positive point of this photo is that by having the pattern of lines showing through the colours, the colour and pattern balances eachother out carefully, creating the whole photo to be the focus point. I believe that this photo does not have a negative point to reveal or improvement which can be made.

This photo is the fourth chosen photo in Adriennes work. In this photo, the patterns of the petals but also the green shade both show a pattern and light contrast between the colours. The way the petals are shown to grow, create a 'wiggly line' pattern across the photo. The positive point of this photo is that the contrast of the colours create more of an eye catching pattern, this is a positive factor because it creates the spikes of each petal look more realistic in shape than a 2D image. The negative point of this photo is that the colours are basic and really do not stand out clearly like the peacock feather image. An improvement I would make to this photo is by changing the contrast and brightness of this photo but also the curves.

The influence Adrienne's work has had on me, is the way she uses the macro setting on the camera to take close up shots of patterns. With the fact she mainly used the macro setting, for my work I decided to complete the same when it came to patterns in my formal elements.  I found out that my patterns can be now shown in  a more interesting and unique way with this influence than before. As an overall summary, when I researched into this photographer more, I found her work a little more repetitive with the same macro shots. This made her work uninteresting and plain, the further I looked into her work.

3.  Lauren E. Simonutt

I chose Lauren E. Simonutt as my third chosen photographer because her work is unique with the deep meanings behind them but also she shows a lot of tone through out her work. She also shows a lot of 'horror' as a genre in her work. 

In this photo we can see a young women sitting upright beside a pile of medical books. An old clock and curtains are shown to be resting against the wall. What we can also see is the sun light which falls down on the subject and objects creating shadows against the background. The tones are shown through the black and white lightness and darkness of the subject, objects and background. The positive point of this photo is that the tones create the women to become the eye focus points as the tones of her skin and outfit stand out clearly to the audience, this is a positive factor because it creates the audiences minds to wander as they become curious of what she is doing. The negative point is the women's face is not clearly showing tones against the curtain in the corner, this is a negative factor because it can confuse the audience as they wonder what it is they see. An improvement I would make to this photo would be to lighten the corner up more with the brightness and contrast tool, so the subjects face is shown clearly against the curtain.

In this photo we can see the tones of the subjects legs, chair and background in the sepia colour. The legs of this model are positioned as one being high and leaning against an object against the background while the other swings down. The subjects hand seems to be the eye focus point in this photo. The positive point of this photo is that by having the leg swinging down into the shadows, the contrast of the tones really stand out to the audience, this is a positive factor because it can really draw in the audience as they wonder why the shadows are creeping up against the walls and the models leg. The negative point of this photo is that the subjects hand pulls away attention from the leg of the model, this is a negative factor because the tones do not stand out as well to the audience or tell a story like the shadows on the leg. An improvement I would make to this photo would be to crop the hand out of photo.

In this photo, we can see the body of one women in an old fashioned room sitting in the chair, while there is shown to be a faded face against the leaned back neck of the body that is sitting down. The light of the lamp reveals the tones of the photo as it lightens the body and background but darkens the corners and clothes of the subject. The positive point of this photo is that the by photo-merging two different photos of head movements into the one body, the audience are drawn straight in. This is a positive factor because the audience are then drawn into looking at this 'weird' structure before seeing the tones of the shadow creeping upon the lightness the lamp gives out on the background. I believe that this photo does not have a negative point or improvement to reveal.

In this photo we can see the black and white tone of a body which is seen to be slumped across and old chair against the dark clothing and rags the subject wears. Even though this photo is very basic, the message of the body against the old furniture can be interpreted quickly as it is shown clearly. The message is ambiguous. The positive point of this photo is that the contrast of tone between the room and clothes to the body colour really gives an old photo effect as if the colour was drained like it would have been from a dead body, this is a positive factor because it can cause the audience to become shocked and feel fear as if all hope was lost. The negative point of this photo is that it does not stand out as well as the other photos due to the simply and basic background/ furniture, this is a negative factor because the audience then may not focus or notice this photo as much as any other photo. An improvement I would like to make this photo would be to photo-merge more 'dead looking' positions on the chair on top of this photo, I would then change the opacity to make the body look like it's moving. 

The influence Lauren had on me was hugely effective. I used her work to influence me into exploring contrast in my formal elements in a different way, by basing them around mental disabilities compared to people with none, but also using different positions in the studio that involves showing a lot of background. I also really liked the way her chosen colours for the photographs suit well with the scenes she has chosen to create a more edgy feel to the audience's atmosphere. As an overall summary when I researched more into Lauren's work was a positive one. I found out that even though her style of photographs in colour and camera angle can be repetitive, her chosen scenery and positioning of herself make the photo's more unique and show mental disabilities in a different light. 

4. Tim Rudman

I chose Tim Rudman as my fourth chosen photographer because his work focuses on the different tones but also scenery and macro shots. His work is influential because he's varies between close up and scenery but also by choosing different tones, his work becomes unique and 'old' looking as if the audience were living back in the past when colour was not invented in cameras.

This is my first selected photo that stood out from Tim Rudman's album of photographs. In this photo, the audience is revealed to an old abandoned graveyard which's grass has overgrown onto the partly seen gravestones and the bushes have grown up upon the crumbled church. The tones range from the dark sky to the lightness of the grass to then the church, gravestones and trees. The positive point of this photo is the fact that the sky is caught in a dark way in the tones, this is a positive factor because it creates the emotion to feel as if something extremely bad was going to happen or darkly as it was in religious grounds. I believe that this photo does not have a negative point to reveal. The improvement I would make to this photo is by using the lasso tool to select the ground and trees, before then using the curve tool, to darken the trees and ground so they become less distracting against the rest of objects.

In this second selected photo, there is shown to be the darkness of a cave edge going across the lens, but in the distance in the mist and on the sand by what is interpreted, there is one oddly shaped stone on it's own. The tones in this photo are the sepia colours which range from the sand to the stone to the edge of the cave. The positive point of this photo is that the stone is the focus point of this photograph, this is a positive factor because it draws the realisation of the audience in as they interpret a story about this one stone while personification would have been used to give it feelings. My own interpretation is that this one stone is shown to stand out against the mist for being different, like we should in society. The negative point of this photo is that due to the fact that the cave edge has been shown a little too much on the side of the camera, it becomes a distraction. This is a negative factor because it creates the audience to wonder and comment on the caves edge instead of the main source of the oddly shaped stone. An improvement I would make is to crop the photograph down so most of the cave edge has been taken away. 

In this third selected photograph, a macro shot was used. This macro shot reveals the edge of a rotting door with the lock missing but also the blurred background of darkness and what seems to be a window edge in the background. The positive point of this photo is the fact that it was taken in a macro shot, this is a positive because it draws the people in too looking at this paint rotted door and wonder why the lock seems to be missing but then it leads straight onto another comment about what actually is hidden in the shadows behind the door. I really believe that this photo does not have a negative factor to point at as the photograph itself seems to stand out well for its own story. No improvements are needed in this photo at all. 

In this fourth selected photograph, we are revealed to an empty and lonely scenery. This scenery only shows the clouds heading to the lens while the wet puddles between the ripples of the sand lead the audiences eyes onto the cave and it's reflection. Tones are shown through the rocks, sand ripples and clouds. The positive point of this photo is the reflection of the cave upon the sand ripples, this is a positive factor because it shows the audience what is usually not seen in an everyday life but also can be mistaken and forgotten about in a more unique way. The negative point of this photo is there is too much scenery in the left hand side of the cave, this is a negative factor because it becomes a distraction from the reflection which can lead to confusion from the audience. An improvement that would need to be made, would be too slightly crop away the left side of the photograph so there is less scenery.

The influence Tim's work has had on me, was by making me re-look at my work before developing them into more unique photos. I've done this by using his method of either taking distant photos of a model or object, or choosing to do an extreme close up shot to really show the detail. The influence of his work has helped me choose my camera angles carefully on what I have selected to take photos of. As an overall summary of Tim's work, after deeply researching him became a positive outcome. I found that even though Tim's photographs are mostly scenery based, his photos either stay in vibrant colours or calm sepia colours depending on what is shown. This shows the change he can create to the atmosphere from one photo to another.  

5. Lucy Shires

I chose Lucy Shires as my fifth photographer because she explores textures in a different way. In macro shots. Due to the fact her work shows the audience a different view on things that are old and unwanted, her photographs really stand out for being original.

This photograph reveals the rust and colour of a textured drain coverer but also the depth of field as it travels away from the macro shot at the left hand side. The grim and dirt can bee seen clearly with the colour of the drain while the rest goes off into black and white. The positive point of this photo is that by using selective colour the photograph becomes eye-catching but also the depth of field is seen a lot more clearly for the audience as they can wonder how it long it goes on for but also why only a selection of it has stayed in colour. This photo does not have any negative factors or improvements to reveal.

In the second selected photo, the audience can be stunned by the macro close up shot of barbed wire which is usually stored on top of walls to keep either people in or trespassers out. The colours in this photograph are all shown to be rusty coloured and old. The positive point of this photograph is the fact that the story can be suddenly interpreted from just being looked at, for instance mine would be the fact that the barbed wire is shown to be the trapping of freedom and the spikes are used to hold onto the hope so there is nothing left for my future. The negative point of this photo is the colours in the background with the gaussian blur can be distracting, this is a negative factor because t draws the attention onto the wrong section of the photograph and destroys the sudden story telling. An improvement I would make to this photo would be too use the hue and saturation tool and turn the saturation down a little so there is less colouring in the background. 

In this third selected photo, the macro shot reveals an old ruined and worn away shutter door. Like the barbed wire photograph, the story's can be linked in together about a trapped freedom that wants too escape. The material that is rotting away can be linked in with the fact that the 'freedom' could have tried escaping by scraping the shutter down. The positive point of this photo is that the depth of field with also the macro shot is used carefully, this is a positive factor because the audience can feel stuck at a dead end as the depth of field show the continuous of the shutter trapping them in. There is no negative factors to be revealed, but an improvement would be too use the saturation tool and give a little more colour to the rust so it stands out more. 

This is the fourth selected photograph but also one of Lucy's most known work. This photograph reveals the paint peeling back on the left and right hand side of the photograph as if it was peeling off and going different ways. The positive factor of this photograph is that the paint stands out clearly in its colour, this is a positive factor because it draws in the audiences eyes and captures them.  The negative point of this photograph is that it can be very plain in a way as the texture is not clearly shown like her other photos, this is a negative factor because it means that the photo does not ear the long amount of attention as it should do. An improvement I would make to this photo would be to maybe darken the wall and lighten the paint. 

The influence Lucy's work has had on me is the fact she can show texture but also depth of field in a completely different way. To begin my formal element work on texture and depth of field, I chose to take far away angles from the object or material I was showing, when I developed my work further while using Lucy's method of extreme close up shots using the macro tool, I found that my photographs their-self have become more professional looking and intriguing. As an overall summary when I deepened my research on Lucy, I found her work more and more intriguing as she chooses to photograph only what she can see but in different angles that show more detail than anything else.