Final Evaluation of Unit 2

For this unit I have looked at the relationship between gravity and objects/people. My intention was to try to be more creative, to try different techniques that I had found to relate to my theme. I think I have met my intention as I have used a range of techniques including; fast pace flour technique, fast and multiple exposure, I've also tried the effect of levitation of people. Through out these I have also tried to use my 3 artist as inspiration to help with my ideas for future shots and trying to incorporate their work ideas with mine to improve my work. I have also tried to show my influences through out the shoots that I was looking at their individuals pieces of work, I either tried to use a similar technique, or took an idea as inspiration from their photographs.
I found that my research has helped me when looking into further ideas for shoots, this especially helped me when I found a technique I wanted to use but didn't know how to, or when I was researching an artist on the technique they used.
I have tried to be more experimental with this unit, I did this by documenting more of the things I tried to do but maybe didnt' go as well as hoped, I also tried to be more creative in the shoots I did whether that was with the things I used, e.g. flour, or the technique used the try to improve the pictures. With this unit I found that I have used photoshop a bit more to improve the photos or to edit shots to make them look cleaner and clearer.
Over all I think this unit has worked well as I feel I have met my intentions of how the final edits and photos would look, I also think that I have been a lot more creative in my ideas and shoots.

1 of Final Pieces 

2nd Final Piece 

Final Piece Photos and Best Edits

After and Before, Best Edit 1

After and Before Best Edit 2

After and Before Best Edit 3

After and Before Best Edit 4

After and Before Best Edit 5

Before and After Best Edit 6

Final shoot Andy Goldsworthy Evaluation

Shoot 5
Final shoot Contact sheet

Andy Goldsworthy 'Dust'
2003

For my final shoot I have looked at the photographer Andy Goldworthy. For the final piece I have looked at goldworthys photograph 'Dust', and tried to incorporate the idea into the technique I used in my initial shots and first shoot, fast pace flour movement. The idea I took from Goldsworthys photo is to use natural substances from the environment around you, for instance sand if on a beach. I decided to do my shoot in the forest as there were less people and I was able to find more natural things to use as the substitute for the powder.
For the shoots I used flower petals, grass and leaves found around the forest, however the leaves and the flower petals are the only parts that are noticeable as the grass was to fine and small. I chose to use the fast pace flour technique again as it linked well to my theme of relationship with gravity.
For my shoot I used a Nikon D300 camera and a 15mm lens. For the lighting I used 3 lights, one either side of the model out of shot, and one behind her this helped highlight her and the objects in the air making them more visible. When I first set up the lights and took the tester shots the photos were coming out too bright, to improve this I increased the exposure to darken the background, I also increased the shutter speed to make sure that I would be able to capture the flower petals and leaves whilst  moving.
At first we tried to do the same actions as from the initial shots of the arms swooping down, however the petals and leaves were too light and the wind kept blowing them away, there were also too big to have too many on her arms at once. This meant we had to stick with the idea of getting the model to hold the flowers and throwing them up in the air to stop them blowing away before I was able to take the photo. Once we had a few shots of the model throwing the petals into the air and capturing them as they fell we tried to pose the model differently, we tried side on. From this we were just getting similar photos to having the model face on. So we then tried having the model twirling round in a circle then throwing the petrels in the air as she went, this did work well however most of the shots have her hands in front of her face as she threw them. I then thought about moving me to see if this would make a difference and improve the photos, I lied on the grass in front of the model with the camera pointing upwards so I could capture as the petals fell down towards me, this worked really well as it gave the photos a different perspective, this makes the photo look more interesting and as it shows in the best edit the blue of the sky really helps highlight the colours of the petals. I have used quite a large depth of field as the F number was quite high to balance out with the exposure I used, this has made the background more in focus and clearer as well as the model in the foreground.

Before editing 

I think this shoot worked well as I was able to get the finished shots I was aiming for and achieve the technique well, I also think the finished shots relate well to Goldworthys photo due to the natural environment and similar technique.
For my best edit I used photoshop to increase the brightness slightly, I also used the select colours this helped brighten certain colours too help them stand out against the background, I used this on the pink of the petals. I chose this as the best edit as I think it was the one I was most happy with after I had finished editing as it helped lighten and highlight certain points especially the pink petals against the blue sky. Also the composition and the perspective of the viewpoint I found interesting.

Best Edit after Editing 

Planning for Final Shoot

I have looked at the photographer and sculptor Andy Goldsworthy and his photograph 'Dust'. For my final shoot I wanted to go back to the technique of fast pace flour movement, but this time I'm going to variate it slightly by incorporating the idea from Goldswrothys piece by using natural substances to the environment.
First I tried to think of different locations to do the shoot where I could use the natural substances from that environment, I thought about; the beach, using the sand as a substitute for the powder, or the forest and using flower petals and, grass and leaves. From this I decided to use the forest as it would be easier to find an area where nobody would be, but also it would be less windy, which could effect the movement of the objects. For the natural objects I have decided to use flower petals, leaves from around the forest and grass. I did think about using dry soil and mud crumbled up as this would create a powder, however this would get very messy and dirty, it would also be a harder substance for the camera to pick up against the back ground as against the dark greens of the trees its harder to see.
I have also tried to come with some movements for the model to do to create the pattern as the objects are in the air, I have come up with; trying to get the model to twirl with the objects in her hand and she slowly lets them go as she goes around, or throwing them up in the air and capturing the shot as they fall down. I could also do similar to the first shoot of the arms swooping down.

Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Golsdworthy
Dust
2003

The third artist I am looking at is the english photographer and sculptor, Andy Goldsworthy. Goldworthy is well known for his sculptures he makes out of natural objects to the environment he lives in, in Scotland, his work is mainly done in fields and forests, land art. Goldsworthy is a modern environmentalist, this is why his work is all based around natural products of the environments.
 From my previous shoots using the different techniques, I have found that I liked to work with the fast pace flour movement. I choose this as I found it linked well with my theme of relationship with gravity, and when doing the shoot it worked well and I enjoyed it.
This is why I have started to look at Goldsworthy as he has done photos using a similar technique with powder. For his shots he has used the natural powders from the environment he is in, for instance in the photo 'Dust' on the left, he was in a forest when he found a stream which had red/orange coloured rock . After finding this substance he ground it up to make the powder, he then threw it up in the air and capturing this shot as its being carried away by the wind. As the photo is set in the forest it makes me feel calm, peaceful, especially the colours of the trees and the meadow he is standing in. However the red/orange of the powder adds some sort of danger, like its not supposed to be there. I chose to look at this photo it linked well to what I did in my first shoot, using the wind/ movement to create patterns with the powder. I also particularly like the colours in this photos as it has the natural colours of the forest in the background, greens and light yellows, adding the red of the powdered rock creates a colour scheme of nature, red, green and yellow.
This is why for my final shoot I have decided to use a similar idea to Goldswrthys work by using substances/things natural to the environment I will be in.

Shoot 4 Levitation David Nemcsik Evaluation

Contact sheet 

For this shoot I looked at the photographer David Nemcsik, I looked at Nemcsik as my theme is the relationship of gravity so I have now moved onto looking at the relationship with gravity and people.

Untitled
David Nemcsik
2012

Nemcsik took pictures of people in I kind of dream environment so this is why I used fairy wings to use the idea of dreams, however I was mainly looking to be able to do a shoot using the technique of levitation. To do the shoot I used two lights at either side of the of the room just intron of the black screen, this meant the models were highlighted clearly. I also used a Nikon D300 camera and a 15mm lens. At first I just got one model to jump in different stances to test how the shoot will work out, once I found that worked I then wanted to make it look less like they were jumping and more like their were flying this is another reason why I added the wings as a prop. The depth of field I this shoot is large as shown in the contact sheet the camera focused on the model in the foreground and further away in the background.
I think the shoot worked well as I did achieve how I would have liked it to have gone, however I don't think I will use this technique in future shoots as I would like to mainly focus the gravitational relationship with objects. For the final edit I used photoshop, I used the painting tool to cover the edges with out having to crop parts of the picture of as you could still see the edges of the black background.

Best edit

David Nemcsik

Untitled
David Nemcisk
2012

Nemcsik is my second artist I am looking at, as I am looking at gravity I looked for an artist that has used levitation in their work. Nemscik has done a project called 'The levitation project', the project was done for a university exam, in this he would ask his friends "Where were you in your last dream?", with this he would take the setting for their dream and use it as the back ground for the photo. He would then have to find the surrounding that were the closest to the dreams, the aim of the pictures is to create a dream like perspective. Through research I wasn't able to find out how he did these particular shots but I did think about using photoshop, taking a picture of someone lying down, and a picture of chosen background then photo shopping the sleeping person onto it. Or having some lying on a table or something in the location then later photos shopping the table out of the picture.
This is what the photographer himself said about his collection;

“I’d like to show that people can levitate. It’s magical and mysterious. They are levitating in a lying position just as if you’d be if you were lying in your bed while you were sleeping.” 

The photo I looked at in particular was the photo shown above, the main reason I choose to look at this photo was because of the relation to gravity and levitation of people. An idea I had at the begging when coming up with initial ideas was to play around with levitation and people jumping in the air to capture the relationship with people and gravity.  This Nemcisk photo is based on the location of peoples dreams, I would like to take this idea of dreams and people mid air into a future shoot. The photo I have looked at for inspiration, above, does make me think of sleeping, dreaming, in a state of imagination, freedom.