Last year, I discussed how digital toning was something that I loved to use as it completely changed the mood and style of an image, and it is incredibly simple to do. This year, I have adapted to the style of using digital toning to help to portray a message again. In my recent work, I have been exploring the repercussions of COVID-19, and how people are feeling. Using props, I was able to signify the link to COVID-19 using masks and cling film. Both of these items represent the need for being covered and protected, but wanting to break free from them.
I used a light blue shade tone in my editing process for multiple reasons: - Blue represents sadness, but also trust (I wanted to create an honest/relatable portrait) - The shade of blue links to the NHS (gloves, scrubs and masks), a further visual link to COVID-19 - The lightness of the blue gives a "barely there" look, which comes across as calming to see, which works in contrast to the strong message. I plan to continue to tone my images digitally as they help your images to be perceived the way that you intended them to. This is helping me towards recognising my style in my practice.
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I wanted to create a portrait which represented poor internet connection/pixelated. This could have been created by taking photographs during a video call with poor internet connection, but I wanted to mimic this look digitally. To do this I opened my digital image on Photoshop. I then went to Filter > Pixelate > Mosaic. Once on this option, you are able to choose how many tiles you would like your image to have. Either more pixelated or less pixelated. To emphasise how this is due to poor internet connection during a video call, I wanted to show a loading symbol. I took a PNG of a loading symbol and added this as an additional layer on top of the portrait. I wanted this portrait to represent the feeling of being/feeling disconnected. This links to my recent work orientated around COVID-19.
A petzval effect is a slight movement/blur on your image while the eyes are in focus. It is where there is a shallow depth of field, with a sharp focus. It is mainly used for portraiture as that is where it works best.
Firstly, I duplicated the layer. Using command T, I moved the anchor to the middle of the models face. I then changed W: 101.00%. using command, alt, shift, T, I pressed these 4 times to create 4 copied layers. I then selected all of the layers to have an opacity between 30-50%. To then join all of the layers, I pressed command G. After, I added a layer mask to the group of layers. Ensuring the paintbrush tool is set to black, I used this to paint any areas which I wanted to come back into focus, like the eyes/facial features. I really liked the way that this turned out as it created a subtle distorted effect. I would use this again in my portrait images to just add a different look to them. All of these borders were very easy to do. To do them, you copy and paste the borders onto your photo, and adjust it to size accordingly. This is very useful as you can put any image into the border and it will create an interesting effect. There are different styles of border and you can even get a view finder look.
An interesting way to create a series would be to use the 35mm strip and put some of your images in. Another thing that I enjoyed doing during the project was digital toning. What interested me about this was the endless possibilities that you could create. You could entirely change the mood of your image by just adding a colour to it. As I used coloured gels in my shoot, I thought it would be interesting to see what my images looked like if they were solidly the colour of the colour gel. I wanted to see if this helped change the mood, or link to the house better.
This was a very quick edit that I did on Photoshop to test out toning and to see if I liked the look of it. Although it is not perfect and does require some further editing and adjustments, I love the way that this looks. This works very well if I was going to create a poster for a Harry Potter movie, or even advertising products. This process was extremely quick and simple and the effects are brilliant. I had not initially planned to use toning in my final series, but now after testing it out like this, I am definitely going to test out more and consider it. I believe it helps to categorise each portrait into the intended Hogwarts house perfectly. The strong use of colour also helps to give an insight into the personality of the house, which is very useful. Short Split Lighting Equipment needed: •Beauty Dish with diffuser •750 light source •Pink backdrop •DSLR with 50mm fixed lens This lighting set up created a split lighting style. The use of soft lighting enables the light to wrap around the subject, giving diffused shadows and soft edges. The transition from light to dark is graduated. The short lighting is useful for round faces which you want to appear longer and more slender. This also helps to add drama to the subject. It is recognized by the way the far side of the model is illuminated while the near side is in shadow. Broad Split Lighting Equipment needed: •Beauty Dish with diffuser •750 light source •Pink backdrop •DSLR with 50mm fixed lens Here, the split lighting is created again. This lighting is much more flattering for portraiture compared to hard lighting which is very harsh. I attempted broad lighting here, which is the opposite to short. It eliminates the problem of thin faces looking too slim with short lighting. This lighting is also useful for hiding features in the shadows which you do not want to be seen. Gold Tri Reflector Equipment needed: •Large soft box •750 light source •Pink backdrop •DSLR with 50mm fixed lens •Gold tri reflector I used a large soft box here and had it directly in front of my model to fully illuminate her. This light was very bright but soft and flattering for my model. I tested out using a gold tri reflector which can be angled at my model from any direction without the aid of an assistant. This created a subtle flattering warm light onto my model which adds a nice flush of colour. Silver Tri Reflector Equipment needed: •Large soft box •750 light source •Pink backdrop •DSLR with 50mm fixed lens •Silver Tri reflector • Here, I kept my set up the same, but I changed the reflector. Instead of using the gold reflector, I wanted to see what effect the silver reflector gave instead, to see which one I preferred. The silver gave a brighter look to my photographs. It helped to illuminate my subject more with a whiter light. Equipment needed: •High performance reflector X 2 •750 watt light source X 2 •Orange colour gel •Pink colour gel •Canon 7D DSLR with triggers •15-85mm lens •White backdrop This lighting set up created a pretty, bright look to my photographs. The colours I was using created a nice variety of coloured highlights over my subject. Both colours are evenly evident. The lighting was flattering for my model and her skin tone. I like the fun, playful aspect that this coloured lighting combination created. Equipment needed: •High performance reflector X 2 •750 watt light source X 2 •Blue colour gel •Red colour gel •Canon 7D DSLR with triggers •15-85mm lens •White backdrop A much darker, more serious mood was created with this colour combination. As I knew the lighting would be much harsher and darker, I thought it would work better with a male model. The blue light casts the majority of the light but the red adds in a bright contrast of colour which I really like. It helps to change the mood of the image. It also works perfectly with my model. Equipment needed: •High performance reflector X 2 •750 watt light source X 2 •Yellow colour gel •Green colour gel •Canon 7D DSLR with triggers •15-85mm lens •White backdrop The end result from this colour gel choice was much less vibrant than the pink and orange. The lighting was more muted, but still very evident. I do not think that these colours worked as well as others due to the cool tones washing out my subject, and not being as flattering for her. However, due to her positioning, I like how the green almost works as the shadow for the yellow. Equipment needed: •High performance reflector X 2 •750 watt light source X 2 •Pink colour gel •Blue colour gel •Canon 7D DSLR with triggers •15-85mm lens •White backdrop I had found inspiration from this colour combination on Pinterest on a high fashion style image so wanted to test it out myself. These colours are very commonly used together for fashion photography. I liked the way that this turned out as it set a calming mood with the pink lights, and added a pop of blue for the highlights of the image. To gain a better understanding of the meaning of Studium and Punctum and the difference between them, I read some information from Roland Barthes book Camera Lucida. Brassaï 1931-1934 Nude In my opinion, this image is an example of a Punctum image. This is a gelatin silver print photograph created by Brassaï, a French photographer between the years of 1931-34. The image was given the title of Nude. Brassaï was well known for his images documenting 1920's Parisian life. He photographed scenes such as prostitution and city life. This image acted as a Punctum to me as it is not something that I see often as a student photographer. This image strikes me as it is quite graphic as the model is completely naked, in a vulnerable state. This image speaks to me, as body confidence is a difficult thing to have, so to see a model completely naked is quite inspiring. It interests me the way her face has been hidden/cropped to conceal her identity. The whole image is very natural looking with the use of soft lighting and a minimalist setting, which fits in with the idea of vulnerability. This is where I see the Punctum. However, someone else looking at this image may just see the Studium, they may just see it as a simple body without meaning or a message to portray. Others may not feel anything towards this image. I can understand how this image may be too simplistic and plain in peoples eyes. The Studium in this image would be the blanket, and the woman and the way the image has been cropped. However, to me, I really see how this image can show vulnerability and beauty. I saw this image in the Tate Modern in London. It stood out to me over other images as the work around it was more abstract and less pictures of people. Although this image is still abstract due to how the body is positioned, it is still clear what the image is of. In conclusion, I believe that Barthes theory on Studium and Punctum categories helps us to annotate images further and discover the photographers true intentions with a photograph. You are able to understand whether or not a photograph has made you feel anything different, or whether it is just something you like/dislike. RetouchingRetouching is a way to perfect your prints by eliminating any dust marks or scratches which may have caused white specks on your print. The process is very simple to do. You simply use some SpotPen’s to paint/draw over any marks you have. The print must be dry when you do this. They come in different shades, so you pick whatever shade matches the area you are covering. Usually the spots you are covering are very small so you just need to be very light-handed with the pens. I chose to use an older print that I had which had a lot of small white dots on it caused by dust either on my negative or on the enlarger lens. I used a between shades 5 and 7 to cover these marks. As you can see, there is a slight, subtle change between the images. However, I found that the pens do not have a good opacity and are quite thin/watery. Therefore, I often had to wait for it to dry and do another layer. I can see the benefit of using these pens as they can perfect your prints and remove any marks. However, in my opinion, they do not completely get rid of them. I would use the pens in future to remove any slight marks. Lumen Printing Lumen is known to be the projection of light given out by a particular light source. This could be sunlight or UV light. This way of printing is very useful as you are making use of any available light instead of having to create it using something like an enlarger. This way of printing uses less equipment and it doesn’t cost much to achieve compared to the standard way of printing with an enlarger. Although this is a black and white process, it is known to create different colour tones in the process, which is fascinating to see. Depending on what material you use, the lumen will have a very different effect. To use something wet or damp could react with the paper to create a reaction which spreads out across the paper. It is also interesting to use objects with different opacities and densities. Plants are one of the best to show small details as you can see all the small veins and lines across them.
You can either use expired photographic paper, or just normal photographic paper which has been exposed to light. You can then pick any object to display on the page. You then leave the paper and object in sunlight for 2-6 hours and you can see the paper changing every so often. If you expose the paper to UV light, it does speed up the process. I also tested out Lumen printing myself which I got successful outcomes for. I used both normal photographic paper which had been exposed to light, and I also used expired paper. This was to see the different effects the paper alone can create. I then placed a few things like leaves and plants on the paper and then put it in a photo frame to keep the leaves flat and stable behind glass. I tried to compose my objects in a way that you would be able to see small details and different textures. Overall, I would use this technique again as it was quite simple to achieve and you can use a variety of different objects to create different effects. It does not require very much manual labour as it does most of the work itself. I like the distorted halo effect that this technique makes. It is also very interesting to keep checking on the paper to see how it slowly changes. This is something I would be interested to use again. |
About me
I am currently undergoing a Creative Arts & Design Practise (Top-Up) course. This blog contains tutorials and advice when creating digital images and editing using Photoshop. Archives
April 2021
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