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Experimental Photography

Daniel Edwards

Out of focusWe were tasked to take pictures around the college whilst the camera was out of focus. The aim was to learn about new artistic ways to take photographs in order to vary our technique in the future. I learnt that you can use the camera whilst out of focus in order to set the mood of the photograph and elicit emotion.

I wasn’t very happy with the results I got whilst using this technique. I made the mistake of not steadying the camera whilst I was taking my photographs and as a result there is evident camera shake in the majority.

The photograph at the top is one that was ruined by the camera shake, and as a result it can be quite nauseating to look at. The newspaper on the left, and the lights at the top are particularly off-putting. I believe if I had put on the camera on the floor in the centre of the hallway the picture would have worked much better, as the feeling of distance down the hallway coupled with the reflection of the lights onto the floor would have had a nice effect whilst out of focus.

The middle picture was probably taken at the wrong angle, and at the wrong ISO setting. It would have looked better with more light, and with a nice effect like the reflection from the light onto the metal and into the water stream.

The bottom picture was also affected by the camera shake. If it was lighter, and it was only the subject’s body that showed movement (rather than the television on the wall also), it had some potential to be an interesting image, but it is dissatisfactory in its current state.

I took this picture in the open art-display room on the first floor. It simply pictures Ashley walking across the room as I attempt to capture his movement whilst out of focus. The general blur does have the intended effect but I feel the picture would have been more successful had I held the camera completely still as not to produce movement from myself, when it should only be coming from Ashley. I do like that the movement coupled with the blur leaves Ashley initially anonymous to whoever views it, but overall the picture looks very amateurish.

JoinersWe were tasked to experiment with the technique ‘joiners’. Whilst practising with this technique I came to the conclusion that it tends to work best when you are photographing something from afar. This allows for more scope and gives you the ability to offer variation because there is more to photograph.

The top picture is a collage of a bookshelf inside York College. I took 6 pictures and used the photomerge tool in Photoshop to create a collage. Because there was a wall behind me I wasn’t able to take the pictures from further back, which I would have preferred to do. I would have preferred to have more light to bring out the colour of the books.

The middle picture is an edit of the picture above. Seeing as this is experimental photography, I wanted to try and experiment with different colours. I edited the separate image layers using effects like monochrome and changing the contrast.

The bottom picture is a series of images I turned into a collage that I took of a bench within the college grounds. I wanted another edited image as it was far too bland in its original form. I didn’t expect it to look good, and it doesn’t. None of the colours work well together, and the stroke between images is too large.

This is an image taken of a bookshelf on the second floor of the college. There was an initial image that was rather bland, so as this was experimental photography I wanted to experiment with different editing tools on each separate image within the image. I am relatively happy with the outcome, but I think I have simplified it by using only a few different techniques rather than a different one for each part of the bookshelf. I feel the monochrome and the high contrast would have worked well together as it could have been like looking back in time at how the bookshelf used to look.

Shutter speedWe were tasked to take pictures around the college showcasing the different shutter speeds available on the camera, and to try and achieve an experimental image using one of these. I learnt about the uses of alternating between shutter speeds, and what effect it can have on your work.

In the top image I sat the camera on top of the hand-rail and asked Ashley and Henry to walk past each other on the staircase to try and capture their movement. I made the mistake of not making the camera completely still and for this reason there is some light glare, and and some slight blur on the railing too.

For the middle image I asked Ashley and Henry to walk around within the near vicinity. Again, I wasn’t holding the camera still so it is slightly out of focus. What I like about this picture is the man stood in the background, therefore a solid image, as opposed to Ashley and Henry’s transparent figures.

For the third image I used the floor to keep the camera completely still, and again asked Henry and Ashley to walk around in front of the camera so I could photograph their movement. I probably should have lowered the ISO to lessen the brightness of the image.

Whatever moves the most, is captured the least in density. Ashley and Henry moved a lot whilst the shutter was opening and closing, whilst the man in the background barely moved at all. This means they are very hard to make out clearly, whereas he has remained a solid object. The slow shutter speed let in too much of the light on the left wall in the distance, and this gives the image an unwelcome gloss that detracts from what was initially attempted.

ReflectionsWe were tasked to venture around the college campus to try and find some interesting reflections we could picture. I learnt that whilst photographing reflections you can get some odd distortions due to the shape of the image that is reflecting.

In the top image I simply found a puddle under the metal pipes outside the college. I wanted to try and measure the height of the pipes within the reflection, and although this worked to an extent, it would’ve worked better if I had taken the picture from right above the puddle.

In the middle image, I took a picture of Henry taking a picture of himself in the chewing gum holder. I think this makes for a great effect, especially because of the red light on his camera.

In the bottom image, I took a picture of Ashley taking a drink from his water bottle, but via one of the pieces of artwork on the walls. The light on the wall that is also seen in the reflection further advances this picture, and helps add some depth, but I fear it still lacks clarity.

This is a relatively good demonstration of reflection using photography. The purity of the water and darkness of the surface it rests on helps give the actual reflection some definition and clarity. Had the picture been taken from higher above the surface, more of the metal pipe would have been pictured, which I believe would have led to a better image, as it would have created some illusion of height and depth.