Final Project

Proposal:

For this project I will take photographs around TCNJ’s campus and digitally render them on Photoshop. I will research different photographers and editing techniques to inspire my work.

 Research:

I first began to search nature photography because that became the main theme of the collection. After getting bored with gorgeous nature photos I saw some black and white photography. I experimented with it a little in the past but it was never something I dove into. Photographers such as Ansel Adams really used light to their advantage. His pictures were more than just still images; they allowed the viewer's eyes to look beyond the image alone. Adams began experimenting with filters in the 1920s to render different parts of the scene more closely to how he visualized them. For instance, he pioneered the use of a red filter to darken blue skies in his photos, giving contrast between the sky and the clouds. He also adopted the technique for exposure, development, and printing known as the "Zone System" which is a way of carefully controlling tonal values to achieve the widest range of light and dark in his prints. He knew the science behind where light falls and how it affects the overall mood of the photo, and this was an aspect I wanted to explore with this project. The light and shadow created amazing contrast that defined his photos.

Production Log:

I did not want to just take random pictures of flowers because we’ve all done that before. Even though most of my photos follow the theme of nature I wanted to do something different. I began going through my photos and decided which ones displayed interesting shapes and designs within the compositions. There is a range of macro and non-macro photos. When I edited them I still felt like there was not enough contrast and they did not pop. This is when I took inspiration from my research. Some photographers I looked into had photos that displayed interesting patterns that could only be appreciated with a high contrast of light and shadow. I then played around with the saturation of my photos and decided that the color was no the defining feature of this collection. I converted all my photos to black and white and began to see more patterns. But that was not enough. Playing around with the levels was my next move, which increased the contrast of light and shadow to great lengths. With some photos I stopped there but with others I decided to add a filter to emphasize the shapes and patterns created by light. I ended up with ten photographs that each display the common theme of contrast in light and shadow to create interesting patterns.

Original

Saturation/Contrast

 

Filter

Self Evaluation:

In the beginning I was not sure what I wanted to do but after the process of walking around, choosing certain times of day, and mapping out my objects, and editing I feel that I succeeded with this project.

I have always loved photography but I never know where I am going to start when it comes to a project with a wide range of possibilities. At first I thought it might have been cliché to run around taking pictures of nature but I decided to take it in a different direction than I normally do. I usually keep the color in my photos and try not to distort them too much but this time I tried filters and different processes.

I enjoyed taking my photography in a different direction and I plan to experiment like this in the future. Photography has always been a love of mine so after learning more from my research and exploring new paths I will use the knowledge I have gained in the future for both assignments and fun.