My final 10 images after 9 weeks of the course, which covered light, exposure, shutter speeds and basic composition and colour. Each week I submitted 10 images based on the module and some free work for peer assessment.
Some of the final images were drawn from the 9 weeks, others were revised and some new images added.
I concentrated on the top row in black and white and using structure, shape and form as the basis of the theme.
The second row focused on colour and various types of photography from creative, portraiture, macro and landscape.
As part of the EMA I provided a 200 word narrative on two images.
Image 6 – Explosion of Colour
I had great fun taking this photograph. I am limited at times with my photography due to my terminal illness. My intention was to freeze the colours of holi powder in an abstract cloud.
This required precise direction and position of studio lighting and which direction I threw the powder into the air. I positioned two studio flash heads fitted with snoots at forty-five degrees in front of the camera. To assist with focusing I placed an object in the centre of scene and used the modelling lights to check the direction and power of incident light with a sekonic light meter.
Selecting manual mode ISO200, f8 and the fastest shutter speed I could possibly using of 1/200 due to the synchronisation speed. Using a short focal length gave a better opportunity to capture the entire scene. I manually focused as I needed to remotely trigger the camera at the same time throwing the powder into the air. I chose three harmonious coloured powders, green, yellow and blue to create a Triad-split. By placing the camera with sufficient distance between the focal point and background, with an aperture of f8 creating a well-lit subject and an almost black background. Post-process in Lightroom I cropped to a 1:1 ratio making global basic adjustments and enhanced the vibrancy and saturation.
Image 10 – Stained Glass
This photograph of the stained glass window was quite a challenge to capture because of it’s height, direction of light (back lit) and low light levels inside the church.
I used a tripod to mount the camera to minimise camera shake and because of the height would not have allowed to me to create the overall finished image. I used a prime lens in this case a 50mm. To reduce camera shake further I used a remote trigger and manually focused to ensure sharpness.
To create a correctly exposed photograph I spot metered both bright and dark areas of the scene. I took one reading for the reflection on the stonework and one for the glass. I then took two exposures setting my camera to manual and settings at ISO800, f4. The first for the exposure for the glass at 1/160 and reflection at 1/40.
I edited the two exposures in Photoshop and Lightroom. I used layer masks to combine both images to produce a correctly exposed photograph. I made my final adjustments in Lightroom where I reduced the noise and sharpened it slightly. I also used the transform panel to adjust the vertical distortion.
