Work Record - Shoot 3

Evaluation:
For this final shoot the aim was to capture the sun as it was rising over the horizon. Also I planned to continue from the previous shoot where I took photos with long exposures because it was still dark and it meant I could still use a large exposures. To achieve these photos I looked what time sunrise was and decided it was best to wake up a 5 in the morning so I didn't miss my chance to get the sunrise at 6:30.

One of the photographers I researched inspired me to get the initial idea of a sunrise for this shoot because they do shoots in both sunset and sunrise.The photographer Shazeen Samad does experimental sunset and sunrise shoots were he takes a photo of sundown normally and then adds in lots of different colour into the image and changes the natural colours of the image into colours closely linked to the original of the image.

Once I was out shooting there was enough light to start with the long exposure again. This time I was further away from the pier and took photos of something else. I was also still using the neutral density filter of 0.6 to enable me to use the longest possible exposure. For the first few images I used a tripod but then decided to carefully place the camera on the floor and put it as close to the sea as I could without getting it wet. This proved to be easier then I thought because likely each placement was just far enough not to get wet but close enough to get the water come right up to the camera. This allowed for some amazing photos which I will annotate and go into more detail down bellow.

The final part of this shoot was to actually capture the sunrise. This was hard to do because there was clouds covering where the sun was going to come up from. This meant that I wouldn't get the sun in my images just the light from it. Luckily after shooting the sun manged to get in-between the clouds allowing for it to be seen. Like the previous day this wasn't for very long as the clouds then covered it again.

Here we see the long exposure has caused the sea to look rather calm and not rough and choppy like it was. Also we don't have the same misting affect because it was for a much shorter time then the ones done the previous day. The thing I like about this image is the clarity of the rocks and black and white I added in Lightroom.
This was taken with a 70mm Lens. Focal Length 24mm. Exposure 20 seconds f/22. ISO 100. 

Here we have one of my favorite images from the day. As you can see there is a long exposure on this image as is evident by the mist affect. What I love about this image is how I got the mist affect on the small rocks on the ground. The reason I got this was also due to the angle at which I took the photo. As I mentioned above for some of the photos I took photos by placing the camera on the ground. This allowed me to get the mist across the rocks which makes this image great. It looks like there is a mist that is slowly making its way though a forest of rocks with a large mountain range on the right on the image.
This was taken with a 70mm Lens. Focal Length 24mm. Exposure 20 seconds f/22.

Here like the image above I placed the camera on the floor and had a long exposure which also created the mist affect. What I like about this image is that there is a large central rock which draws in the viewer focus to a specific point, that point being the rock.
This was taken with a 16-35mm Lens. Focal Length 35mm. Exposure 5 seconds f/22. ISO 100. 

Here we have an image were I manged to capture the sun just above the horizon. The main thing about this image which I like is the colour manipulation that I did to the photo in Lightroom. It allowed me to increase the colours of the sun and make it less brighter and add more colour to it.

This was taken with a 16-35mm lens.Focal Length 35mm. Exposure 1/100 seconds f/22. ISO 400.

Contact Sheet - Shoot 3

Straight Images - Shoot 3

Work Record - Shoot 2

Evaluation:
For my second shoot it started to get dark which was perfect for the type of photos I wanted to get. In my research for my unit 4 I found a photographer called Michel Rajkovi who takes photos of the sea and other large bodies of water and then uses a long exposure to create an image with a mist like affect over the water. I set out to try and re-create that same type of image.

Originally I was just using the normal 200mm lens with no filter but the issue with that was the photos were too over exposed even at a higher ISO and f-stop. This was due to the increased exposure needed to re-create the photos by Michel Rajkovi. I started with a 10 second exposure and when down to a 0.3 second exposure which started to work but it wasn't great. This is when I had the idea to use the neutral density filter of 0.6 so it would block more light and I could get a longer exposure. This began to work but to help it work even more I went under the pier as well to decrease the light. I took various shots under the pier which some work others didn't but after a few minutes it was much darker outside which meant I could then take the photos of the sea with the pier and other object in it.

I started to take the photos of the pier and the sea with an initial exposure of 10 seconds. As it began to work I slowly increased the exposure time until I maxed it out at 30 seconds exposure which gave me the greatest impact and effect on the images. I took all of these photos on a tripod stand so there was no shake in the photos. After I took the photos of just the pier and the sea I moved over to the rock dividers on the beach and did the same thing with them but had the rocks in the shot. This was by far the best choice to do because it created a mist around the rocks and some going over the rocks which made it look like a tall mountain range.

Here we have one of the first successful photos that I took. This was taken from under the pier with a 30 second exposure. With that type of exposure it allowed me to the the mist affect at the bottom of the support beams. This makes it look like there is a layer of fog or mist moving in from the ocean onto land. By doing this it creates a creepy and eerie feel to the image. Plus when we add the blue tint I added to the mist in Lightroom we get a cold feeling as well because people generally associate blue with cold and ice making the perfect creepy image of water. Another element of interest in this shot is the reflection in the water makes the poles seem longer. Add that and the mist the reflections look like a possible gateway to a parallel world.
This was taken with a 200mm lens. Focal Length 100mm. Exposure 30 seconds f/11. ISO 1000.

This is one that I am very pleased with because it worked even though it was at a lower exposure when compared to the other photos I took at 30 seconds. This image is quite similar to the image I saw of Michel Rajkovi, because in his he had a pier and the same mist like affect which allowed him to get a great photo. The main difference between mine and his is the distance and I have some beach in mine. Although they are different I think that both achieve what was set before them. Both capture the mist like affect created by a long exposure and both have rather dark and eerie looking pier in them. The way in which this effect comes about is due to the back and forth of the waves which due to the white in the waves when they crash and turn creates the effect above which is a misting effect.
This was taken with a 200mm lens. Focal Length 70mm. Exposure 10 seconds f/20. ISO 100.

Finally we have my crown jewel image so to speak. This is the one I am most pleased with because I think it works the best out of all my images. For this one the tripod was very low and facing towards the edge of the rock divider. The exposure was set to 30 seconds and then I just had to wait. During the 30 seconds the rocks were bombarded with wave after wave. Once the 30 seconds where up I took a look at the image and was amazed with what I got. The best thing about this image I think is the sea of mist which was created due to the splash and ripples of the waves. To my eyes this could be mistaken to be a mountain range that extends well above the clouds. On of the feels I get when I look at the image is that of serenity and tranquility due to its mountain like appearance.
This was taken with a 200mm lens. Focal Length 125mm. Exposure 30 seconds f/32. ISO 100.

Progression:

For my next shoot I had decided before I even started the exam that I was going to try and capture the sun as it was rising or setting over the horizon. I couldn't get the sunsetting because it didn't set over the sea but I did getting it rising over the sea. This meant that I would then have to wake up extremely early in the morning to be able to capture it as it rises over the sea. This shoot I did here did however give me an idea to continue it when doing my sunrise shoot because it would still be dark and I could still use the filter and the long exposure while I was waiting for the sun to rise.

Here we have the type of image I would like to get. Its of a sunset on a clear day over the ocean. This is an unlikely image for me to get because of the area of the world in which I can take my photos. Due to being stuck in England and it being a rather cold and cloudy spring, I am unlikely to get this type of image. The thing about this image which I would like to try and get if I can is the streak of sun down the centre of the image on the ocean. Another interesting point that can be seen in this image is the organ tone that can be seen across the horizon. It give it a rather interesting orange tint which is rather calming and creates a rather interesting contrast between that light part of the image and the remaining shadowy parts of the image. The final element of this image which I like is that even though it is hard to see we can tell that there is a rock in the foreground of the image near the bottom, but because of it being so dark round that area we can't really make it out the only bit that gives it way is the expanded reflection of the light over more of the rock then it does in the sea. This is a nice hidden part of the image which I find to be rather interesting even though it may seem like a mistake to have that part of the image so dark you can barely see it.

Here is a more realistic type of image I would get because considering the time of the year and the fact that I am in England it is very likely that there will be lots of cloud cover andI will end up with this image. The main thing I like about this image is the massive contrast between the sun-rays bursting though the clouds and the dark blackness of the sea.

Contact Sheet - Shoot 2

Straight Images - Shoot 2

Work Record - Shoot 1

Evaluation:
For my exam I decided that the best option for my shoots was to do a beach type of shoot. So I went to Clacton-On-Sea where in my first shoot I would try to capture the waves as the crashed over some rocks that had been placed by the local council as dividers for the beach. The starting inspiration was to try and capture a seagull or bird perching on a rock and then take a photo of that with the sea and the windmill farm in the distance. I thought this would be unlikely to capture as it is impossible to get a wild bird to do what you want so as a back-up plan I had the idea of capturing the moment a wave hits the rocks and to take photos as the rock get enveloped by the wave.

This was inspired by lots of different photographers from my research because lots of them did basic capturing the sea images. If I had the choose who had the greatest impact on what I was trying to capture I would have to say it was Ray Collins because during this shoot my main focus which then developed into other ideas was to try and capture a rather crisp image of a wave before it crashed and as it was crashing. This can be seen in Ray Collins images and also can be seen in mine were I have tried to capture the different point in the lifecycle of a single wave.

When I arrived at said destination there were no seagulls about due to high winds so instead I went with my plan to get the moment a wave hits the rock. The key with getting the photos I wanted was timing. To ensure everything was in focus I used aperture priority which allows for the largest f-stop. I started with a very low shutter speed of 1/80 of a second which manged to capture some of the waves but due to the slowness of the shutter there was some motion blur. For this the f-stop was 2.8. I then changed the shutter speed to a high setting and for the rest of the shoot it was between 1/1250 and 1/2500 of a second. This allowed for me to capture the wave the moment it hit the rock without motion blur so I could get a crisp clear image. I also used a neutral density filter of 0.6 with a holder and bellows.

One the the main things I did for this shoot was get close to the ground this allowed me to get a straight-forward image of the front of the rock and wave. Also because I was on the same level as the wave it gives it a low perspective making the wave seem larger then they were. For some of the shoots a actually placed the camera on the ground and shot into the sea but these photos didn't come out correctly because the camera couldn't focus on a specific area and I couldn't focus it on the area I wanted on manual focus because I couldn't get that low down and couldn't get the camera to stop pointing down towards the sand not the sea.

For this image I was walking along the pier to get some photos at the end. The only issue was the sun had gone and there was lots of cloud cover. Luckily the sun peaked though the cloud and I manged to capture the above image but after I took this initial image I took a few more at the same time to make sure I had a good one but the others didn't work because the sun had hidden itself behind the cloud making the lightning in the other photos flat and dull. One of the main things I like about this shot is the single strip of the sun thought the main area of the image and the dark above and on either side. It creates a feel of the light being over taken by the dark as it is being surrounded on all side but it still mange to shine though. One of the connotations of this image could be the fight between light and dark, good and evil. Also while editing this photo I decided to use the spot remover tool in Lightroom to remove the railing which were in this image because I felt that they were a distraction from what was going on above them in the image.

This was taken with a 200mm lens. Focal Length 70mm. Exposure 1/1600 seconds at f/14. ISO 100.

This image I found to be very interesting because it was after the light had gone flat and I didn't think I would be able to get anymore good photos but as I was returning I walked up onto the road and saw that even though there was no good light there was a perfect line separating the sea from the sky which when edited looks rather satisfying. This image shows that even without light there are still good photos. The interesting thing about the image is the division of the sea from sky both are endless and seem to go on forever but some how they both end and meet at a point. To make up for having very little light in the image I increased the exposure.

This was taken with a 200mm lens. Focal Length 200m. Exposure 1/800 seconds at f/5.6. ISO 800.

This is one of my favorite images because it shows that I manged to achieve what I set out to do. As can be seen in the image I manged to capture a wave as it is crashing down on top of the rocks and the wave is frozen in air by the photo. This is what I set out to do because it shows the interaction between water and a solid object. Some links to this image could be that it shows how destructive a wave can be and how even a small wave like this can have a large impact against theses rocks.
This was taken with a 200mm lens. Focal Length 200mm. Exposure 1/1250 seconds at f/2.8. ISO 100.

This was a rather interesting shot I thought, because it shows the after crash of a waves water moving along water of a smaller height, but what caught my eye was the small gap in-between the two rocks it was approaching. This is because as you can see the water is being funneled between the two and I though it created a rather peculiar shot. My image is rather reminiscent of a stamped of animals charging though a canyon much like the scene from Lion King where the bisons charge though and kill Muffasa. My image shows the same sort of energy and destructive force that happened in that scene of the Lion King.
This was taken with a 200m lens. Focal Length 200mm. Exposure 1/2500 seconds at f/2.8. ISO 100.

This images gives off a rather ethereal vibe. This is because we seem to have water defying gravity and just hanging out on the ceiling. The reason it is doing that is rather simple. All I did is when I was editing the photo I flipped the image so it was upside-down which allows for this surreal image to exist. The other edits I included as well were mainly an increase in all colour within the image to allow for a rather bright a colourful image to go with the ethereal vibe. One might look at this image and think that it is a mirror world that someone has entered thought the water. This is because if you look at the reflection of this in water the type of image you get is the one I have captured above.
This was taken with a 200mm lens. Focal Length 70mm. Exposure 1/100 seconds f/2.8. ISO 1000.

Progression:

One thing that happened during the shoot was the light began to fade meaning I had to keep increasing the shutter speed to enable more light to be in the shot. I couldn't increase the aperture because it was already on its lowest setting meaning it was letting in the max amount of light. this then reminded me of one of the photographers in my research ( http://tomunit4photography.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/research-on-michel-rajkovic.html ). Michel Rajkovi used long exposures to enable him to get a mist like effect from the back and forth of the waves. This allowed for some interesting and rather creative pieces of work for him so I thought it might work well in my next shoot. This gave me an the idea for my next shoot which I would then try out later on once I had finished with the test shots for it.

This is one of the images I want to try and re-create during the next shoot. It is from Michel Rajkovic and is of a pier. He has taken it with a long exposure which allowed him to get the misting affect due to the back and forth movement of the waves. This image is one of the images I would like to try and re-create.

Here we have another image with the same smiting affect but over a waterfall. I won't be able to re-create this but it has inspired me to get an image of of the misting affect along with some form of rocks in the foreground because I believe it will make an interesting image.

Contact Sheet - Shoot 1

Straight Images - Shoot 1