PHOTO SHOOT SIX- INSPIRED BY JACK BARNOSKY:
This is the contact print from my fourth photo shoot that I based around the images that Jack Barnosky has produced, taking inspiration from elements within his photography such as the point of view, framing and composition of the image. I chose a few of the images that I liked best from this shoot and edited them in a similar way to Jack Barnosky to replicate the look and atmosphere that he has in his photographs.
PHOTO ONE:
I was inspired to take these images after researching the photographer Jack Barnosky and analysing his images that he took of trees in an isolated landscape or in empty space so that they appeared to be alone. I wanted to recreate this with my own photography but add my own personal touches to the images. I liked experimenting with looking up at the from the bottom of the trunk to give the artistic point of view shot that I created above.
I aimed to compose and frame this image so that the two main trunks of the tree were positioned almost evenly at the bottom of the image so they acted as leading lines for the viewers eye to naturally follow up to the top of the image. Through the use of point of view and a technique of taking the image closer then Jack Barnosky did I have captured a very detailed and interesting image where the viewer can see the fungus growing on the tree trunk, can follow the trunk up towards the smaller branches that come off in every direction through the rest of the image and see the beautiful coloured leaves in the top portion of the photograph. |
When I came to editing this photograph I wanted to retain as much of the detail as possible and accentuate the natural beauty of the tree - adding layers on top of the original file in Photoshop allowed me to do this. The first step I took was to turn the saturation of the image down slightly so that the extremely bright colours in the trunk and leaves were slightly muted to give an even set of colours and tones in the overall image. I then altered the levels of shadow to darken up the underneath of the branches and altered the highlights to make the sky slightly brighter so that the viewert could pick out the leaves and to help show up even more detail in the main part of the trunk. I wanted to give a warm finish to the image to help convey the happier atmosphere within the piece so I added a Warming Photo Filter on 28% to add a slight orange glow to the image - this meant that the harsher dark tones in the trunk were turned to a warmer colour which helped me to create an overall warm atmosphere. To finish the image off slightly I changed the brightness so that even more of the detail of the main trunk could be seen as some of it was still hidden in shadow and turned the contrast up so that the viewer could easily pick out the leaves against the sky
I like the final outcome of this image as I think that the composition and framing help to create an interesting image that attracts the viewers attention through the use of colour and leading lines throughout the image. The washed out sky in the background of the image adds a finishing element to the final photograph as it has allowed me to experiment with the low angles to take a picture that is not from a 'ordinary' or 'usual' view and has allowed me to keep the detail of all the leaves at the same time as keeping with the theme that Jack Barnosky creates through his images. This photograph not only reflects my theme of isolation as it shows the tree by itself in an image but I have also incorporated the idea of trying to photograph the tree alone in the landscape just as Jack does.
I like the final outcome of this image as I think that the composition and framing help to create an interesting image that attracts the viewers attention through the use of colour and leading lines throughout the image. The washed out sky in the background of the image adds a finishing element to the final photograph as it has allowed me to experiment with the low angles to take a picture that is not from a 'ordinary' or 'usual' view and has allowed me to keep the detail of all the leaves at the same time as keeping with the theme that Jack Barnosky creates through his images. This photograph not only reflects my theme of isolation as it shows the tree by itself in an image but I have also incorporated the idea of trying to photograph the tree alone in the landscape just as Jack does.
PHOTO TWO:
This is another of the images from this photo shoot where I was inspired by Jack Barnosky. This photograph was taken a further distance away from the tree then the previous image so the style is very different. In this image I wanted to capture more of the tree then I had before so that the viewer could see it as a whole rather then in a close up frame.
I decided to position the tree on the left hand side of the frame so that the leaves and branches that were coming off of the tree were spreading across the frame towards the right hand side. I think that this looks effective as the busiest part of the image is at the bottom left hand corner and as the viewer follows the leading lines of the trunk up the page the leaves begin to disperse and become thinner so that more of the sky is visible. I have used the technique of washing out the sky in this image as well as I think that it draws the viewers attention towards the focal point of the image, which is the tree, and helps to give the illusion of isolation which is a convention of Jack Barnosky's photography that I wanted to incorporate into my own work. |
I used some similar editing processes on this image as I did with the first finished photograph as I liked some of the techniques that I used and the effects that they gave. My first step when editing this image was to use a layer of levels to wash out the sky and to make it brighter through latering the highlights and to make the bottom part of the image slightly darker to give the illusion that it is more dense through altering the shadows. I then turned the image into black and white to give a dramatic look to the image that I felt I could not achieve through the use of full colour. I think that through using the sliders on the black and white tool bar to slightly chnage the levels of each colour in the image I have been able to make the tree look majestic against the white sky and I was able to pick out the leaves and make them darker so that they stood out. However, I felt that the image was too dark and drawn through using only shades of black and white so I added a Warming Photo Filter on 42% to add a warmer atmosphere to the image and to take the edge off of the harsh black tones. I think that this worked effectively as the image still looks desaturated and in black and white with a slight hint of the sepia tones showing through to soften the image. The last step for me was to add another layer and use the white paint tool to neaten up the leaves against the white sky: some of the leaves has faded slightly through the editing process so I erased those and made the overall shape much more elegant and rounded.
Overall, I like the final outcome of this image: a mixture between the framing and editing of this image has allowed me to recreate the atmosphere of isolation and loneliness that Barnosky creates within his photograp and has allowed me to convey these emotions to the viewer through the use of a tree rather then a human subject. I think that these images allow me to explore my theme of isolation just as well as exploring the human emotional side of the project and has allowed me to be more creative with the point of view and editing of the images.
Overall, I like the final outcome of this image: a mixture between the framing and editing of this image has allowed me to recreate the atmosphere of isolation and loneliness that Barnosky creates within his photograp and has allowed me to convey these emotions to the viewer through the use of a tree rather then a human subject. I think that these images allow me to explore my theme of isolation just as well as exploring the human emotional side of the project and has allowed me to be more creative with the point of view and editing of the images.
PHOTO THREE:
I shot this photograph is landscape so I could capture the long branches that are pointing off to the left hand side of the image to give the viewer a persective of how big the tree is, taking the image from a specific angle and viewpoint so that there was nothing else in the frame apart from the tree. This is reflecting the work of Jack Barnosky again but with my own elements of inspiration and framing my images differently to look at the different points of isolation.
I framed the image so that the biggest tree trunk was on the right hand side of the photograph and the smaller tree trunk was in the centre of the photograph. This made up the basis of the image with the spiralling and randomly shaped smaller branches spreading out across the rest of the page. I think that this is very effective and the bigger trunks of the tree create two intial leading lines for the viewers eye to follow and the smaller branches then offer a variety of ways for the eye to be directed around the photograph. |
I used very simialr editing techniques to edit this image in Photoshop too, using the same tools to create similar effects but verying the degree to which I use them to change the outcome. The first step I took in editing this photograph was to put a Sepia Photo Filter on top of the original image: this enabled me to alter the colour of the sky and to change it to very warm tones to suggest that the picture was taken at sunset or dusk. I like this effect as it made the atmosphere more comforting then it orginally was with a white and washed out sky: I was able to explore the comforting and happy side of isolation that I found Andy Ellis explored after researching his work and incorporate those emotions into these images. This suggests that people find a place that is beautiful and serene to be at one with their thoughts rather then being distracted by the busy city life and the bustling home of people. I found that I could explore this even through pictures of the lanscape itself as I felt I did not need the subject in the image to portray these thoughts and emotions to the viewer.
The rest of my editing process was a simple case of slightly lowering the brightness so that the detail on the tree trunks was visible and lowering the contrast so that there wasn't so much shadow within the branches of the tree. I then went on to alterate the levels: decreasing the amount of shadow that was in the image and adding some slight highlights to the tree trunk so that a bit more of the detail could be seen. I like the final outcome of this image as I feel it reflects the emotions and the atmospheres that I wanted to explore as well as mixing in the inspiration that I took from the photographers that I have researched to create a shoot that looks at the isolation of nature, in particular trees, and how that can either be a serene and pleasent experience or how it can have an unhappy, lonely and lost effect on the viewer. I also like how I have experimented with the framing ad composition of the photogrpah and proved that you don't have to follow the 'Rule of Thirds' to make a focal point in the image.
The rest of my editing process was a simple case of slightly lowering the brightness so that the detail on the tree trunks was visible and lowering the contrast so that there wasn't so much shadow within the branches of the tree. I then went on to alterate the levels: decreasing the amount of shadow that was in the image and adding some slight highlights to the tree trunk so that a bit more of the detail could be seen. I like the final outcome of this image as I feel it reflects the emotions and the atmospheres that I wanted to explore as well as mixing in the inspiration that I took from the photographers that I have researched to create a shoot that looks at the isolation of nature, in particular trees, and how that can either be a serene and pleasent experience or how it can have an unhappy, lonely and lost effect on the viewer. I also like how I have experimented with the framing ad composition of the photogrpah and proved that you don't have to follow the 'Rule of Thirds' to make a focal point in the image.