Wednesday, March 24, 2010

12 Photos around Campus

Wide Angle.
The first attempt at this shot, the exposure was too long and let in too much light, resulting in the image completely white, i adjusted the setting and allowed for the camera to capture this image.
Ugly
I was trying to think of which angle to photograph the ATM machine, but thought in the end, no matter which way i look at money, it all appears ugly to me.
Stranger Portrait
I took this photo really quickly, trying to capture her taking a photo of me. I didnt adjust the camera setting and resulted in this slightly blurring image.
Tasty
It was quite amazing to see the detail of this flower, im pretty sure i adjusted the setting to macro for this one and zoomed in from a distance.
Surface
I like the idea of having two subjects in this photograph, the foreground and the background quite suggestive but not clear.
Semi
I love the mechanical and technical feel to this photograph. I could have adjusted the setting to make it clearer but found at the time it was too hard to tell on the tiny camera display.
Self Portrait
This was the first photo i have ever taken with a digital SLR camera, so it was all a bit much to take in with the settings and feel.
Mixed Lighting
Drab
Extreme Close Up
I really love this photo and im not sure why. I like the way its not all in focus and the harsh colours and communication it portrays.
Blurry
This photo i took very quickly and not sure how to approach moving objects yet with digital SLR's, this will be my next problem to solve.
Beautiful
I really love this photo, it is busy but not overwhelming. I feel this photo has many levels to it.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Ideas for final folio

I have a fascination with being alive at night while everyone sleeps. Being surrounded by the crisp silence and deserted streets, as if the streets are mine to explore with a sense of purity to the night air. So my idea was to take photographs of melbourne at night/early morning in the perspective that many are unable to experience. I love alleys at night, how the street lights reflect on the graffiti, puddles and bins. To capture the night and also those who are awake.

I likes the idea of having consistencies with my photography, as did Donovan Whylie's watchtowers and Hilla Becher's industrial buildings. Where i would have variables such as time, day, angle or perspective consistent.
I then thought of the idea "Access and Entry" as a theme to my work. Melbourne live music venues, the entry perspective, outside view, doorframe view, maybe a panorama from the entry.
Then thought i could go to a range of music venues and take 3 perspective photos from each, the band members perspective, the staff members and the audience/patron's perspective.
When thinking about the venues i wanted to cover a range of styles, audiences and areas in Melbourne. The music venues i chose:
The Arthouse - underground alternative venue
The Arts centre - ballet, symphony, theatre for upper class/conservative/artists
Bennetts lane - jazz club for the upper class/conservative/artists
Revolver - Nightclub - open 24hrs on weekends, dj's, range of young patrons but does get messy
Loophole or Catfood press - venue in a home, underground for artists
Church - conservative, age varied
World music bar - international crowd, audience varied.

Connections could be made with the venues: Nature of access and entry (security, rules), demographic, appeal/agenda, community. Idea to maybe present images sequentially based on entry cost. Connection of money, the audience and the type of access and entry.

I thought to photograph on a sat night between a certain time and have a consistent perspective to capture the nature of entry and access.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Cannon EOS1000D info

Tv - Time Value is the Shutter Priority
Av - Aperture Value is the Aperture Priority (size of the diaphragm hole inside the lens).
A-DEP - Auto depth of field.

ISO
In very low or bright light - shutter speed and aperture display will blink if pressed half way
In low light (30" 3.5) either increase the ISO speed or use a flash
In bright light (4000 22) decrease the ISO speed

ISO speed
  • 100/200 Sunny Outdoors
  • 400/800 Overcast skies, evening
  • 1600 Night or dark indoors
Flash range - the higher the ISO speed the farther the flash range will be


If subject is far away, increase the ISO speed (extends the flash range)

Tv - can freeze the action or create blur
Frozen action - (fast shutter speed) moving subject 1/4000 t0 1/500
Blurred action (slow shutter speed) 1/250 to 1/30


Av - can change the depth of field
Blurred background (large opening)
Sharp foreground/background (small aperture opening)

The larger the f/number the smaller the aperture opening

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Week 2 - Taking Photographs



Ok... week 1 and 2 have been too hectic, I will start with an introduction: I have never owned or known anyone with a Digital SLR to use, and instead have managed to tolerate my Pentax Optio S6 now for too long. I have been travelling the world for 5 years now, in between my studies. I have studied in San Diego, Lived in London, Berlin and France and adventured all over Europe, Sth East Asia and Africa, and all with my Pentax, to which i am growing antagonistic towards. My memories have been captured (and sometimes lost due to travel dilemmas) but to be in such amazing , breathtaking and surreal places in time and space, and to be able to share these moments is something special. My camera has not only served to capture memories but also served as an educational tool for my travelling as well. There was little options to manipulate and take control over capturing images, and instead i have taken great interest in manipulating photos 'after' they were captured.

Week two i finally took control over the images i captured using AV mode and changing the ISO and Exposure ranges. The St Albans campus i have always found to be uninspiring, although found interest in the small things around like the fire extinguisher, a bike and reflective mirrors. I always knew light to be an important element with the outcome of pictures, but didnt realise how detrimental and technical the process was. This made me reflect... I have always driven a automatic car and last month i decided to buy a manual and learn to drive it. After 3 weeks of learning to drive with gears and a clutch, it all clicked and now i will never go back to automatic. As with a camera, you must work with the vehicle/instrument, understand how and why it operates a certain way and learn to work with it for a successful output. I am at the first steps in learning to use a SLR camera, where only practise and experimentation will develop my understandings. Only problem is, i dont have a SLR to practise with.

I have been trying to find ideas/themes for my images. I work in a live music venue, "The Arthouse", which has been effected by the new liquor licensing laws and threatens to shut down. The Arthouse has been a home to me and thousands of other musicians, familes, travellers and friends for 19 years. My idea was to capture these moments before we close down. Or capturing the live music industry in melbourne and the effects from the government.

I have added some travel pictures as well as Week 2 photos
www.flickr.com/photos/melodysdigitalfineartphotography

Monday, March 1, 2010

Week 1 Introduction to Photographers

Eugene Atget:
French Photographer known for photographing the architecture and street scenes of "old Paris" between 1897 and 1927. Saw photography as a source of income, advertising his photography as "documents for artist" (common for artists to paint from photographs). Photographed Paris with large-format wooden bellows camera with a rapid rectilinear lens. His subjects ranged
from architecture, urbane
nvironment, street hawkers, tradesmen,
prostitutes and the homeless. Photography was characterised by his wispy, drawn-out sense of light due to the long exposure. The wide view sugge
sted space and ambience more than surface detail. He photographed early morning before
pedestrians and traffic appeared. He avoided perfection and approached his subjects with humanism.



Joel Meyerowitz:
N.Y.C. street photographer. Early advocate of using colour during a time of resilience to the idea in 1962.
Changed to large format in 1976. Meyerowitz came to photogr
aphy in 1962 by "finding and rescuing the invisible moment". The initial and fascination was with the immediacy of events the way things happen and then disappear forever. He explains that
using a larger format camera "it amplified my own curiosity about how to describe the world i live in." 1991 he transfered his entire personal archive to digital format. He was the official photographer of the World Trade Centre attacks and said to "translate the chaos of the city." He has an acute sensitivity to everything around him.
www.pdngallery.com/legends/meyerowitz



August Sanders:
German portrait and documentary photographer. Spent his military service,
1897-99 as a photographers assistant. First book "Face of our Time," 1927 included 60 portraits from his series "People of the 20th Century." His work was constrained due to Nazi regime and seized in 1936. He aimed to show a cross section of society during the Weimer republic. S
eries was divided into 7 sections, The Farmer, The Skilled Tradesmen, Women, Classes and Professionals, The Artists, The City and The Last People (homeless and veterans).



Alexander Rodchenko:
Russian artist, sculpture, photographer and graphic designer. One of the founders of constructivism and Russian design. Known for his Photomontages that were socially engaging, formally innovative and opposed painterly aesthetics. Often shot his subjects numerous times and from odd angles usually from above or below, to shock the viewer and to postpone recognition. Impressed by German Dadaists photomontages, he experimented in the medium, first in 1923 using found images and in 1924 he started to use his own photographs, as he was unable to find suitable subject images. Often related to poster art and book design. Famous artwork include his illustrations of Vladimir Mayakovski's poetry Preto (About This). He integrated elements of line such as stairs, grids, overhead wire into his artworks. Used a Leica camera as it had freedom from the tripod and 'belly button' photography.