The Portrait Element - Male

For my male shoot for the Portrait Element brief, I decided to shoot a contemporary craft student, Garnett Douglas whilst he was in the workshop working on a new project making a sword.

Formal Portrait:
I chose this image for my formal portrait because I think it best portrays what Garnett was doing - working in a workshop. We tried several shots with and without the goggles and ear defenders and in different positions and we both decided that this was the best one. It does not distract us from Garnett but does add extra important information to the image.

This is the only image I shot with a flash. At first I just used natural light from a large window that lit the right side of Garnetts face well but the other side of his far was very dull and in poor light. Therefore, we moved closer to the side of a large machine and I used this to bounce my flash light off to evenly light the whole of my subject.

The part of this image that I do not like is that I think the flash is a little sharp on my subjects face. I am fairly new to using flash and it took me a while to get this result so at this stage I think its the best I could have got in the environment I shot the image.



Detailed Portrait:
I really struggled to decide on which shot out of the two I have show here to chose for my detailed portrait. After discussing it with others, I decided on the top image. The angle and tighter framing I think makes the image better than the alternative.

I shot the image at a fairly modest shutter speed of 1/160. This is to show the motion of the belt sander but freeze the slightly movement in Garnetts hands and fingers. I really like the contrast in this image between the motion blur and frozen action. This was only possible due to the huge differences in speeds.

This is one of the reason why I nearly chose the other image below. I love the motion on the sander I think more in this one because you can see the sawdust getting thrown off the end of the belt and the contrast of this to the vibrant colour of the untouched half of the sander. Having said this, I do have an element of this in the top left of the chosen image and along with the preferred angle and framing, this is why I chose the top image over the bottom.
















Observed Portrait:

I shot this image for my observed portrait using an 85mm lens for the same reason as I used this lens for the Detailed Portrait. They were both taken next to a potentially harmful machine. When I am concentration on getting the shot and looking through the viewfinder of my camera, using a shorter focal length lens may have proven to be hazardous. Also, the lighting in the workshop was not very good. I had looked at the location before the shoot so I knew I'd need a lens with a low f stop in order to let as much light into the camera as possible. For this reason, I used a 50mm f/1.4 and a 85mm f/1.8 throughout the whole shoot and both being shot fully open the whole time.

I think that this image really shows Garnett working clearly and I shot from the side to achieve this allowing all of the relevant information to be contained within the one photography which is why I chose to use this as my observed Portrait.

This shot was also taken whist Garnett was working on the same machine as the Detailed Portrait (the belt sander). I wanted to include the motion blur as before but include the concentration of Garnett's face as well which I think I managed to achieve in this shot.

Environmental Portrait:
This is the image I have chosen to use for my environmental portrait. You can clearly see the Garnett and the machine he is working on and some of his surrounding environment.

I chose to leave all of the images in this set in colour because I feel that the few bright and vibrant areas of the image add to it and make it more interesting. I think it would be quite flat if it was converted into black and white.

The only part of this image some have said could be changed to possibly make better would be pulling the background back into the focus point. At the time of the shoot I thought that although it was an environmental shot, I wanted to have Garnett as the main subject still. Also, the lighting was very poor in the room meaning I had to shoot with a very high f stop so I had to be fairly selective on which part of the image would be in focus.

Portrait Element - Male - Contact sheet

I did this shoot in the design centre at the uni with a 1st year Contemporary Crafts student. I didn't get such a large range of shots as I did from some of the other shoots because I had already planned out the ones I wanted to take. Therefore, I had lots of similar images to chose between to make my final 4. I think that this has made my final set better.

Final 4 Images - Portrait Element - Female

Formal Portrait:

This is the shot I have decided to use for my formal portrait. I shot this using the ambient light that was coming through the large window behind me. At first I used a flash but I preferred the effect of the natural light when I was editing down. Laura was wearing her mask which protected her from the evaporated water containing dye. The vibrance of her eyes and the mask make this image unique.

The darkness in the background of the room gives off a studio feel. Having said this, this image was made with no artificial lighting, reflectors or any use of a studio.

I struggled to chose this image out of two potential ones. The other that I did not choose for the final set (shown below) I liked but the lighting wasn't quite right for me and the background did not offer anything and was more of a distraction than anything.

Detailed Portrait:

This is the image I chose for my detailed portrait which is Laura stirring salt and water to add to her dye and fabric mix. The detail in the cup and gloves show nice contrast against the dark background.

I had another detailed portrait very similar to this one but more tightly framed where you could not see so much of the background. I did not like that shot as much because it was quite boring. The background, although not adding much more information other than knowing that Laura is wearing a lab coat makes the image more aesthetic.

I used a flash in this image because I was blocking the only light source. I shot in portrait so used the white wall to the right of me to bounce the light off to ensure the result wasn't harsh.










Environmental Portrait:
I feel that this image shows the environment Laura was working in best. There are aspects of the room that I did not include but I did not feel that these added any information and instead distracted from the more important parts where Laura was working. I again shot this using ambient light because the large window behind me offered enough warm light to not use a flash.

An aspect of the image I really like is that Laura is looking past me and it feels as though she doesn't know I am there. Obviously this is not the case as the shoot was arranged but this is the feeling I get from the image which I think makes any image more powerful if it feels like the photographer isn't there.

In the image, you can clearly see, the sinks Laura is working in, the pots of dye, the sale and parts of the room making this my best option for an environmental portrait from the shoot.














Observed Portrait:
I chose this image as my observed portrait because it clearly shows me, the photographer, 'observing' Laura work. In this image she is mixing her fabric, hot water, dye and salt together.

This is the image where it was most important for me to use my flash. I was shooting towards the window which is where all of the natural light I was using was coming from so without a flash I would have found it impossible balance the exposure in the foreground and background of the image. Therefore, I needed the flash to brighten the foreground/Laura.

It took me several test shots to get the exposure about right in throughout the image but after changing camera and flash setting I settled with this shot. Although it is clear I have used a flash, I do not think that it is effects the image badly. I think it is only noticeable because the main light source is clearly on the other side of my subject meaning that the side being shot should naturally be in shadow.

The Portrait Element - Female

For the female portrait element brief, I decided to shoot a textiles student whilst she was dying fabric. Below is the contact sheet of the shoot.

I did this shoot in the design centre at the uni with a 1st year Textile Design student. I didn't get such a large range of shots as I did from some of the other shoots because I had already planned out the ones I wanted to take. Therefore, I had lots of similar images to chose between to make my final 4. I think that this has made my final set better.

Relevant Photographers to Docks - Establishing Image

This image, shot by Jean-Claude Coutausse, shows a container ship unloading in the Delwaide Dock on the Scheldt river, Belgium; July 2010. I chose this image because I feel that it really shows the huge size of the container ship. As an establishing image, I feel that it is important to give the viewer an idea of the size of the boat due to it being so abnormally large; it is likely to play an important part in the story. This image has been carefully framed to show the size by using half the frame to show the docks and half to show the boat. This enables easy comparison between objects that the viewer can easily recognise to the rough size of the boat.

The difference between this image and mine is that mine is shot at night and this during the day. I chose to shoot mine at night because I knew the lighting over the docks at night was very aesthetic and that I could shoot it from above. This may not have been an option for Coutausse meaning he chose to shoot during the daylight. Also, there are aspects of his photograph that would not show up at night due to low light and long exposure such as the men in the foreground which show scale.




This image is taken by John H. Avery and is of a ship in King George V dock. The ship is possibly the Euripides and the dry dock is about to be flooded to allow the ship to leave after repairs.

I love the angle this image was shot at. It shows the sheer size of the ship and the precise engineering gone into making it. The dry dock helps to show more of the boat which makes the image more interesting because most of the time a boat is mostly underwater.

This image is very similar to one of mine which I have shown below. It is shot directly in front of the boat showing perfect symmetry. This is not only aesthetic but also gives us a better understanding into what the boat looks like.

A difference between this photograph and mine is that it is shot in black and white. At this time, this was the only option. I chose not to do this because I shot during the night and felt that the lighting added to the look of the photo especially seeing as the boat was bright red. It also helped it to stand out from the less important background.




This photograph was taken on 02/03/1912 of the Titanic in a dry dock having propellors fitted and a final coat of paint applied. I could not find the photographer that took this image but decided to keep it in my research because it was a photo of such an iconic ship to symbolise industrial coast.

Although there is quite clearly a fair amount of marks and damage to the negative of this shot, I still think it offers a lot. It is not the most technically brilliant image but bearing in mind it was taken almost 100 years ago and still provides us with information about this iconic ship is what I think makes it for me.

The image is clear and sharp and since it is shot from above and in a dry dock we can see so much of the ship. This is important for press photography in this sense because it is important to give the viewer as much relevant information as you possibly can through an image and caption.

This is a photograph of HMS Illustrious alongside the new carrier at the dockyark in Rosyth taken by Tam McDonald.

I chose this image because the ship at first blends in with the surroundings. This is often seen as a technical fault in photos since the main subject is not particularly standing out from the rest of the image. In this case I think it really works because it shows the sheer scale of the docks that the boat is in. The size of the docks is clearly an important part of the image that McDonald wanted to show.

This image is very similar to one of mine that I used in my final three shown here. I used the artificial light since I shot at night to help make the ship stand out from the surrounding docks because like McDonald I did not frame the image around the subject tightly to show some of the surrounding area.

Photographers relevant to Hospital - Isolation - Establishing Image

Leah and Kristin Jent are sisters that specialise in baby, child and family photography.

I chose this image because I feel that it is very powerful. The isolation is not only shown by the woman being by herself but also by the equipment that she has around her head. This makes it very clear that she is different from others and therefore isolated in this hospital room.

The Jent's decided to convert this image into black and white. I feel that the contrast is very strong and makes the image more interesting whether or not this is the reason for them doing it. Also, when I was shooting in the hospital, I found that the colours were very dull making it less powerful and more 'boring'.

The only aspect of the image I do not like so much is the left hand side of the frame. I feel like there is too much empty space that doesn't tell us any more infomation which is important for an establishing image. Having said this, the photographers may have done this to emphasise the isolation.

Kevin Lamb is a photographer who took a series of photos in a psychiatric hospital. This shows great isolation because the people within the hospital are carefully isolated from others and the normal world.

I feel that this image shows real isolation and in a negative way. The patient is in a room that looks very similar to a prison cell, with no personal items or any comforting items. The idea of a prison is to isolate people from the outside world. It feels as though these people are possibly unfairly isolated in the same way. The difference is that there is nothing they can or could have done about it due to their mental health.

Lamb has shot the image of the back of the woman. This makes it more mysterious and shows isolation further. This is because it feels as though the woman can't even face society.

Converting the photograph to black and white also makes it feel colder and emphasises the loneliness of the woman.



Fergus Falls State Hospital, or the third Asylum. This hospital was built in 1888 and abandoned in 2008. It was built to house all those whose psychological conditions excluded them from interacting with the general population. This is a perfect example of isolation. A lot of these people were said to be able to lead almost 'normal' lives if they hadn't been taken to the Hospital.
On July 29th, 1880 the first two men were sentenced to the asylum, joined the next day by eighty transfers from St. Peters. St. Peters was one of the current asylums in the area that was massively over populated.

The picture I have chosen shows a ward in the hospital. Although it is full of patients, I still feel that it shows a strong sign of isolated. The patients do not appear to be talking to one another or interacting with anyone at all. Much like the image before, there is a sense of inprisionment. The photographer has shot the image so that it portrays the too men standing up in a authoratitive way. This is an image of the exact same room from the same angle in 2008 after it had been abandoned. From this we can see that the environment was clearly designed to isolate people that were different and not to make them comfortable or help them live a normal life. I think it is important to show both of these images to show this because it is not just the pateints that show the isolation.

Final Image - Isolation - Hospital

This is the image that I have chosen for my final 8x10 print. This is because I feel it shows isolation the best and has the most impact. It is very clear that the patient is in a hospital from the tag visible on her arm and the wires in the background. She looks unwell, weak and vulnerable which help add to the negative portrayal of isolation.

The shot is in black and white because it improves the image aesthetically and helps enhance the paleness of the patients face. Also, the expression she is pulling suggests that she is not sleeping normally and that she has had general anesthetic. This makes for an interesting establishing image for a story about isolation.