Task 1b) Conventional and Abstract Landscape Photography WORKSHOP

Task 1b) Creating conventional & abstract landscape photography

By Kirsty Richardson

Conventional landscapes shows the world and can capture nature or manmade features.

Abstract Landscapes are something that you can't identify straight away and usually uses shapes in an unusual way.

Here are the images I took that I think are Abstract/Conventional landscapes and reflect the 4 themes.

Abstract

Before Edit

Glass

I wanted to get a little bit of the sky in the background, mainly blue as I think it represents the colour of glass event though it is transparent. The building is blue with all of the glass panels reflecting from the sky. The challenges I faced trying to capture this picture was that it was really bright so I had to make sure that I could capture all of the detail and it wasn't over exposed. This image is abstract as the building is an unusual abstract shape and the image shows a lot of lines used in different ways.

To achieve this picture, i had to make sure that the ISO, Shutter speed and Aperture were set correctly so that the picture wouldn't over expose. I had to take this picture a few times as it kept over exposing and you couldn't see the glass properly. This picture has turned out how i wanted it to, however I should've tried to make it darker using the f stop and ISO so that you could see more detail of the sky in the background.

Editing process using the Tone Curve in Photoshop.

After Edit

After

For this image, I used the tone curve tool in Image/Adjustments in Photoshop to make the glass more of a stronger blue colour and less transparent. I wanted to crop in the photo to make it look more abstract and less like a building. You can see the sky a bit more with this photo as the stronger blue stands out, but you can make out clouds if you look closer.

I wanted to use tone curve as I only wanted to slightly make the colours stronger. I made the tone curve to look like a slightly S shape so it wouldn't make it look too over exposed or under exposed. 

Task 2) Conduct Your Own Primary Research

Task 2) 'Conduct Your Own Primary Research'

On Sunday 9th March 2014, I went to Reddish Vale Country Park to take some photos for this task since it was a nice sunny day. I focused on getting images that linked with the 4 themes; Heavy, Space, Time and Glass. This shoot really helped me focus into Photography more and I learnt how to use the different settings on the camera in my own way (with a bit of help from my Dad about depth of field!) and own time. I had time to carefully think about what photos I could take, how I could take them, what of and how they would link to the chosen theme. I really enjoyed taking these images and this really helped me with research into the four themes, as I feel that I have a better creative understanding of the theme.  

I used a Canon 30D (on manual settings and manual focus, and my sister (who wanted to copy what I was doing!) used a Canon Powershot SX500. 

Glass

Heavy

Edited

Time

Space

Edited

Heavy

For this image, I wanted to show someone walking up steps from the steps point of view. I wanted to get as close to the steps as possible so you could see the detail of how they were formed, making this image abstract. I think that this represents heavy as it is showing heavy footsteps and also heavy concrete from the steps and bars that is holding it all together. I think the main challenge I faced when trying to capture this image was trying to get as close to the steps as possible and have the framing right to capture the steps, the sky and trees and Carlton. I also wanted to capture a vanishing point from the steps so trying to get all of these points in was quite hard but I think that the image turned out quite well and how I wanted it to be. I think the lines of the steps makes this image abstract and the point of view from where I shot it at, as I could've just shot the steps from far away to make it more of a landscape, but I shot this image from an usual point of view instead.

Space

Time

Conventional

Glass

Heavy

Space

Time