This was a challenge, I spent a lot of time planning what object to use and once I had chosen the bunny I was then free to decide what to do with it.
I made some notes about my initial thoughts:
http://atkinson-beaumont.blogspot.com/2011/01/next-assignment-thoughts.html
http://atkinson-beaumont.blogspot.com/2011/02/assignment-inspiration.html
Here are the notes about my submission:
http://atkinson-beaumont.blogspot.com/2011/02/assignment-4-using-lighting-techniques.html
I made some notes about setting up the shots and some of my rejects:
http://atkinson-beaumont.blogspot.com/2011/02/assignment-4-setups-and-rejects.html
http://atkinson-beaumont.blogspot.com/2011/02/assignment-4-reject.html
Simon's Feedback:
Tutor Report Form
| Student name: | David Atkinson-Beaumont |
| Student number: | 506126 |
| Course/Module title: | AOP |
| Assignment number: | 4 |
Overall Comments
You have done well with this assignment David; You have fulfilled the briefs well in that you have used a variety of lighting techniques to get the best out of the 4 themes of shape, form, texture and colour.
I have one or two issues with some of the submissions and will go into detail in my comments on the individual images, but generally they are well executed and show a lot of thought and consideration.
One or two comments on your learning log
Your log is well written up in terms of recording your thoughts and reasoning behind your shots. You continue to include information about what the conditions were (lighting, aperture shutter speed etc) which is useful in giving an insight into the rationale behind your choices. I have commented in the past about including some information about the influences of other photographers work and it’s good to see you doing this on this occasion.
Comments on the actual images in the assignment
Shape 1
You have picked up on the particular lighting technique from a photographic magazine and put it to good use here as it produces a good silhouette image with a rim light. I wonder if you could have opened up the aperture a bit – this would have given you a higher shutter speed which may have helped your hand held take, also I wonder if the rim light could have been just a bit stronger? You are loosing some of the edges around the ears and the base… the bunny seems to be floating in air. Perhaps the slits in the soft box could have been repositioned slightly maybe brought round towards the front a bit to give just a hint of detail in the front? It’s easy for me to suggest these points when I don’t know if you have tried this or not. Perhaps a bit more detail in the log to say if you tied slightly different set ups? You have got a good image here, my suggestions/comments are really just the counsel of perfection.
Shape 2
I really like this image – you have shown good imagination in separating the shadow completely from the lit object to show a different aspect of the bunny’s shape and have come up with an interesting image. Again just some questions about the set up – did you try varying the distance the bunny was away from the wall and the distance of the flash from the bunny – this will have not only moved the shadow away from the bunny but also have given the shadow a more or less defined outline. The use of flash is good – as you know, it give a good strong shadow.
Form 1
Another good choice of lighting - the natural daylight from the window as you say gives nice soft shadows and gives enough light to the front of the bunny in spite of it facing away from the window. Did you use a reflector to bounce some light into the front of the bunny?
I like the fact that you have kept other objects in the frame but wonder about placing the bunny in the centre of the frame. What do you think about cropping some of the right hand side as in my suggestion?
I have to say I like the framing of this one, I think as part of the whole set, it was good to give the Bunny some context but the other objects also lead to the form being more pronounced.
Form 2
I too like this image – the fish eye lens does give a different perspective on the form of the bunny and this is further enhanced by you camera angle being above the head looking down. I like the way that you have placed the top of the ears against the background of the buildings/grass rather than against the sky which, I think would have been distracting.
I do wonder if you would have been better to have taken a view of the back and 3/4 behind view of the bunny – all your photos show the front or 3/4 front view and as this is to illustrate the form of the bunny perhaps the second shot of the form should have shown this different view. As to the use of natural light, I think this was a wise choice as if provides even illumination but with sufficient modeling to show up the shapes.
As I mention below, the back of the bunny shots were all in the reject bin as it wasn't brilliantly modelled.
Texture 1
Your use of main front light without any diffusion does give a good impression of the shiny nature of the metal and throw up good detail in the nicks and dents in the metal surface – always good to see the sacrifices made in the interests of art. Using the large soft bix to illuminate the general scene stops the dark areas of the metal becoming too dark – always a problem when photographing shiny surfaces like metal or wet surfaces.
You talk of possibly using a wider aperture to increase detail but wanted to keep the background blurred. I think that you mean you could have used a narrower aperture (smaller hole) ie something like f8 or f11. Widening the aperture say to f5.6 or even f2.8 will result in a narrower depth of field.
Yes I got this the wrong way round!
Texture 2
I think that your different lighting set up works here except that I would have thrown some more light in from directly beside the camer position – either using a reflector or a low powered light (my choice would have been a reflector). This wouldn’t have materially altered the dark background, as this was being lit by the setting sun, but would have lit the 3/4 side of the bunny more and given a better feel for the texture – as it is I find it a bit too dark.
You have succeeded in smoothing out the nicks and bumps. I don’t think that increasing the light to the 3/4 side of the bunny would have materially affected this.
Yes this is a good suggestion. I should have raised the light on the side of the bunny here.
Colour 1
I like this image and your use of the coloured reflector underneath the bunny to result in the warm glow of lighting. As you say it all enhances the warmth of the metal colour of the bunny.
You use two lights and soft boxes – if these lights were flash, then this provides quite a blueish light. Did you think of experimenting with the white balance of the camera to enhance the warm light. Alternatively you could have used sunlight at either the beginning or the end of the day which would have given nice warm light as well.
Colour 2
I really like your use of the blue ice bunny to contrast the brass colour of the bunny – it shows good imagination and a useful influence of another photographer. Looking at the colour of the brass bunny in this shot its quite different of its colour in the Colour 1 image. This together with the harsh small flash lighting the reflector gives a cooler rendition generally.
| Tutor name: | Simon Barber |
| Date | 7 March 2011 |
| Next assignment due | 8 April 2011 |
Reflection on Feedback:
Overall Comments
You have done well with this assignment David; You have fulfilled the briefs well in that you have used a variety of lighting techniques to get the best out of the 4 themes of shape, form, texture and colour.
I have one or two issues with some of the submissions and will go into detail in my comments on the individual images, but generally they are well executed and show a lot of thought and consideration.
I'm pleased about this bit too:
I have commented in the past about including some information about the influences of other photographers work and it’s good to see you doing this on this occasion
Progress!
Favourite comment:
Colour 2I really like your use of the blue ice bunny to contrast the brass colour of the bunny – it shows good imagination and a useful influence of another photographer
Simon made a cropping suggestion which I will think about and also pointed out that my WB might have been a bit off on another. He suggested that I could have taken some shots of the back of the bunny, I did try one, seen here http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iGrtzCuphbs/TWemvwEJR0I/AAAAAAAAJF8/Xs46bhpxGY0/s1600/colour_rejects.jpg but it lost something for me.
