-

Portrait photos: Dads and bikes

As a development from my bike photographs I took some portrait photographs of my dad and his bike in two different settings, I did this because I wanted to look at the human element and aspect of bikes and cycling. For the three photos in front of the fence I struggled to get the framing right and as a result the end of the bike wheels are cut off from the frame which I think cause my images to look amateur. I got him to stand in different positions and I believe that the most successful out of the three was where his head was facing downwards as I think that this portrays a feeling of exhaustion and really conveys to the reader his physical state throughout the image. I think that the anonymity that this creates is really interesting as it allows the image to have a faceless subject that the viewer is able to project themselves onto. 

I believe that the decision to take the images when he had just got back from a bike ride has allowed the images to feel less staged as he has all of his gear on and it has clearly been used. I think that this also causes the photographs to feel more relatable as he is doing things and performing actions that people do all over the world. I believe that the addition of his cycling gear has really pulled the images together, It provides a bright focal point that draws the viewers attention and creates a stark contrast to the more natural colours and tones of the surrounding areas. 

I think that the two photos taken with him siting in a pod chair are the more overall successful images, one with his hand up towards his face and one with his hand down. He is sitting and seems relaxed and laidback, I believe that by having one leg over the frame of the bike invokes an atmosphere of confidence and strength to the image. Again the bright red jacket serves as a focal point but I think the patches of light reflective silver compliment the white bike fame and tie the two together. I believe that the setting of these two images is far more comfortable and inviting for the viewer, the grass and bushes in the foreground and background allow the photographs to have a softness to them and although the sky is cloudy and grey I think that the brown and orange tones add a hint of warmth to the images. 

I think that the least successful images were the ones of him leaning on the seat and sitting on the bike. When looking at these images they feel quite staged and manufactured, like a stock image. I believe that this would cause a disconnect for the viewer as they would be able to sense that they are not natural. They feel too generic and poised, in the future I would like to capture images during the actual ride to eliminate this issue. In terms of the colour grading for these images I was still trying to adjust the amateur and shutter speed resulting in a brighter image than I would have liked, the sky is white and I think that this draws attention away from the subject. 









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

-
Image
 Photographing light: As a development from my initial ideas I wanted to explore and experiment more with light so I began taking photos of the artificial light that I am surrounded with, which included street lights, exit signs and ceiling lights, however, I found that when looking at the images of the exit signs and lights I thought that they were quite boring and I believe that I would need to develop them further either by editing and manipulating the on photoshop or by collaging them for them to be successful, but I think that they are a good starting point. I thought that this was an interesting development from my initial ideas and I have become interested in the way that light interacts with its surroundings, the majority of my outdoor photos have been taken at night which I believe provides a nice contrast between the light source and the night sky as well as provides a nice gradient of light across an object such as a tree trunk, and I believe that my most successful phot...
Read more
-
Image
Artist Research: Mandy Payne  https://mandypayneart.co.uk/portfolio/paintings-gallery/ Urban Landscapes  Issues of gentrification  Inequality Social housing  The flux of city environments  She is interested in: Brutalist Architecture  Notions of utopia\Dystopia  Finding beauty in the ordinary\overlooked  Materials: likes using materials that have a physical connection to the sites that she depicts  Surface texture and fracture are important concerns for her and her paintings  Concrete  Spray paint  Glass fibre panels Marble  Micro masking tape  Oil   Techniques and media used in this work: - Painting  - Spray paint and oil on glass fibre reinforced concrete  - Urban landscape  Use of tone  Depth and perspective  Thought out composition  Follows the rule of threes  Focal point ( tunnel under the bridge ) Lack of colour and use of gray and black  convey the feeling of a monot...
Read more
-
  End of year project: Final evaluation: For this final project I decided to merge the collections project and our end of year final project together due to the way in which my collections project was evolving and the time that I had left. The focus was mainly on bicycles, cogs and the way that they interacted with each other and their surroundings, and originally I wanted to create a series of photographs of people on bike rides and interacting with their bikes. I was very focused on the machinery and industrial aspect of the bikes and cogs and was inspired by artists such as Johnny White, who often incorporates metal and movement into his works, and Mike Brodies 'Train Hopper' photography series which was gritty and industrial. I felt connected and inspired by these artists and moving forward I wanted to develop my piece into something that explored connection and interaction a bit more.  Having one on one sessions with the course tutors helped me a lot and I was able t...
Read more