After each of the shoots we had to select with the tutor our strongest photographs, this followed with some post production editing in Photoshop. I selected most of my images using an image overview software called Adobe Bridge. I use a multitude of Adobe software including Adobe Bridge and Photoshop. I have selected a few images and given examples of processing for editing, software , reasons for selecting the images and original inspiration.
Adobe Bridge
Following a shoot Adobe Bridge is an excellent piece of software to quickly evaluate which images you want to select after your shoot.
I find it extremely useful as it jogs my memory on whether I've used the studio camera or my own and what settings I have used on each photograph by showing showing the meta data information.
The image depicted below of the night lights taken from a moving taxi in Las Vegas shows the camera used was a Canon EOS 300D (ref under camera data), giving also the focal length 45.0mm
File properties shows
F / 4.0
1/125 shutter speed
ISO 100
Resolution 72ppi, dimensions, colour mode and file size.
Exposure Mode: Manual
I used Adobe Photoshop to alter the size of my final 12 selected images and to retouch and if necessary change the saturation levels.
I selected the crop tool and changed the resolution to 300dpi and also the dimensions of the images to A3 - by selecting the crop tool you are given the option to pre-set the dimensions at the top bar to the required size which was 29.7cm x 42cm.
The image on the left shows an original image opened for editing. As you can see the the crop tool has been selected. It shows the width, height and resolution required to be cropped.
Following cropping the image I identified areas of the image which I felt needed retouching - I found a mark on the background on the right hand side which needed removing and the lighting on the female model was a little unflattering on her lower left hand side.
As you can see on the left, I have highlighted the areas for editing using the rubber stamp tool on the background and on the females body.
I selected the pen tool and followed the contours of the females body and reduced the bulges and the highlighted areas on the black fabric.
This was achieved by selecting the path created by the pen tool and then using the clone tool to replace the highlighted area with the background tone.
Having decided to change some of my portrait images to black and white I then desaturated the image. This is achieved by selecting image, adjust and desaturate.
The above image named Love. I selected five images for my final selection each representing the couples engagement. I am extremely happy with the lighting effects. I changed some of the shots to black and white to give a contemporary feel and to reflect the engagement shoot I had with Lynsey Thompson. The focal point in this image is of the couples faces - you can see the happiness not only through their smiles but also in their eyes. I like the way the light highlights the side of the brides hair and the rear side of the groom. The dark clothing works well in contrast to the light background and the couples skin tone. Following my research into black and white photography, Steve advised to give an example of my own scale of value, the value of the above image is around 2 the lower the value the darker the image the higher the value on a scale of 1-10 the lighter the image.
Above shows my original inspiration for my Fashion shoot. The image is by Lara Jade. In hindsight to get the same affect I should have used darker make up to make more of a stark contrast -to highlight the linear details of the models lips, eyebrows and outline of her eyes - however I was inspired by a multitude of shots from Lara Jade's website portfolio and this image purely reflects composition and inspiration. I really like the tone in Jade's images - the light gives an ethereal look and your eyes are automatically drawn to the models eyes and lips which remain in focus however her neck line and surrounding areas appear slightly blurred. I have kept my image in focus but feel the focal point is still the models face - particularly her eyes which contrast with her pale skin.
As mentioned in an earlier blog, I have an interest in fashion and in particular lingerie. Whilst researching one of my portrait themes, I came across the work of Mary Ellen Mark and Paola Kudacki. As you can see below I have based the styling of the shoot on Kudacki's work of Burlesque model Dita Von Teese. I really like the clarity and clean lines of Von Teese, the pale skin against the black and textured fabric. The vignetting adds to the mood of the portrait, which I created in Photoshop. With this in mind I created my own interpretation but desaturated the image - I still have the contrast of the pale skin tone with the models dark hair and clothes and I have created the clean lines with the bone structure of the corset as opposed to the suspender braces on Kudacki's work.
Following the editing of our final twelve images we had to give them a title. Steve gave the group a hand out containing information on how to analyse photographs, this included our influence images and how they inspired our own shoots. The portrait shoot of the couple was to represent their joy of becoming engaged. The connotation behind this image of the holding each other represents true love and happiness - I therefore simply named the image Love. You will find an explanation in titles in the blog named Final 12.
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