Unit 31: p3 - taking images - tips and advice

• I do not know about your equipment, so if you have any questions, just do an online search for your model number
• If possible, take your images in RAW mode. If you have a camera, go through the settings until you find 'quality' or similar and change the quality to either RAW or RAW and JPG
• If you have a phone, RAW is usually activated by setting the camera to 'professional' or 'pro' mode
• If your phone or camera doesn't have RAW, it's not a problem!
• If you have a really old digital camera, that's not a problem! In fact it's even better!
• If in doubt, shoot in auto mode. A lot of photographers look down on auto, but they tend to be the most boring photographers. Auto allows you to concentrate on shooting, rather than concentrating on your camera. 
• Take LOADS of pictures. Hundred and hundreds. Why not?
• Get in close. Or as close as you are able to get in a global pandemic. 
• Either hold down the button on your camera or tap the screen of your phone to focus the image (when in auto mode)
• ISO is a measurement of how sensitive the cameras light sensor is. In auto mode it will do whatever it wants and you can sort of forget about it. But as a good rule of thumb, you should set the ISO as low as possible while getting a clear and dynamic image. Never put your ISO higher than 800. That's crazy
• Shoot every single day, wherever you go
• Try not to look at the LCD screen on the back of your phone or camera at all. It leads to bias when constructing your image. Maybe a quick glance now and then, then snap away
• Try taking images from a variety of angles.Lie on the floor, climb on a table
• Don't delete anything until later. Sometimes 'mistakes' are the most interesting images of all!
• The only way you can get good at something is by doing it over and over and over again. So do it, over and over and over again!
• I'm looking forward to seeing your images!

Here are a few images of my village taken during lockdown. Remember, photographers around the world are currently working under extreme restrictions! Try to use this as an opportunity to create amazing work!

Unit 31: Examples of photography 'zines

Joe Skilton: Kids Of The Black Hole

Kids Of The Black Hole
Polyester 
Record
3dot
Louie Palu (makes a documentary/news 'zine)
Void Tokyo
Where there is Light
Five examples of photography 'zines (contains nudity)
Lots of awesome 'zines 

Unit 31: P1 - Understanding professional photographers and their work

Before you jump in planning your own photo-shoots, you will need to conduct extensive research on a variety of professional photographers. Make sure to follow the guidelines and instructions of the slides of the unit 31 workbook

Image analysis

In order to do this, you will find professional photographers, and you will analyse their photography

Image analysis is straightforward, and it's the kind of thing you've been doing since unit one. Here are some things to think about:

Is the image typical of the photographers work?

• For this you’ll need to be familiar with their portfolio, and the ideas their trying to communicate in their work

Framing, positioning + composition (shot distance)

• What is the subject(s) (or ‘focal point’) of the photo?
• Where is the subject(s) positioned in the frame?
• If there is more than 1 subject in the photo, how do the subjects relate to the each other (positionally)?
• Do we see the entire subject, or just a portion? Why might this be?

Lighting

• Does the photo feature natural or artificial lighting (or both)? → What effect does this have on what the photo is trying to communicate?
• Is there an ‘expressive’ use of lighting? (e.g. strong/noticeable use of bright light? Heavy use of shadows?)

Content

• What do other visual elements signify? (e.g. props, costumes, hair, make-up, location, colours)
• Do any of the visual elements complement or clash with each other?

Focus

• Is everything is sharp focus, or is anything in ‘soft focus’ (blurred)? → Why might certain objects be blurred?

Angles

• Has a high or low angle been used? → Why might this be?

Mode-of-address

• Does the subject (model) make eye contact with the audience? → What does this signify?
• If there are multiple models, are they looking at each other? → What does this signify?
• Mode of address is how the image 'speaks' to the audience. So how does this image make you feel? Is it comforting or threatening? How is this achieved?

An example of excellent analysis

Lightroom Classic basics

You can find a video tutorial on how to use basic function on Adobe Lightroom Classic by clicking here

Unit 31: research

Brief

For unit 31, you will create a photography 'zine, in a digital or a physical format. 

A 'zine is a low budget, self published magazine. They typically thrived before the internet exploded and blogs and social media overtook them in terms of popularity and ease of production.

'Zines are awesome, because there is absolutely no barrier to entry. No matter what topic you wish to create a zine on, you can do it! And since typically only a few copies will be published or made, there are no real financial implications.

'Zines were traditionally hand constructed and duplicated using photocopiers. A zine can simply be made out of a single sheet of paper, or can be much more complicated.

For this project, you will be making a photography 'zine. You will have complete freedom as to what kind of photography you make.

Possibly my favourite photographer of all time is the Japanese Street Photographer Daido Moriyama. In the early 70's, he self-published a series of photography 'zines called Record. He did this because it was easier than getting his work in galleries.

Moriyama's photography is grainy, gritty, and super high contrast. Shooting what was available to him, with the cheapest camera he could get his hands on, he didn't care about technique or traditional ways of constructing an image. The result is filthy, challenging, dreamlike and utterly wonderful.

Moriyama worked with limitations, and this is what makes his work so amazing. His shots are frequently out of focus, 'badly' exposed, and with the contrast pushed much higher than is typically considered acceptable. His subject matter, of shop window displays, confused looking people, and grimy corners, is also highly atypical. He takes pictures because he has to, and, almost 90 years old, he can still be seen walking around Tokyo, now using an out-of-date digital camera to take images of what he loves.

For this unit, you will be working under extreme limitations, especially if you are completing it during the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020. You may have a camera, but it is more likely that you will be using a camera phone. You will also legally not be able to go far from your house. You are stuck where you are. You will need to work with these limitations to produce something amazing. I don't care how 'bad' your equipment is: for this project you will embrace these limitations. 

Research 

You should be consistently be exposing yourself to new and challenging media. Art, be it a painting or a film or a videogame has the potential to alter the way in which we see the world and to challenge our preconceptions of life, love and society. 

You will research photographers, starting with the examples below. Your goal is to find photographers that inspire you. Please spend this week researching photographers to find out what makes you tick. Your zine can be in any style and on any subject, so start off with the greats, and work from there.

Save all of your research! It will be going in to a new PowerPoint very soon. 

Though the images here are all 'worksafe', please remember that when researching the artists featured, you may come across more challenging images that feature depictions of nudity. 

Unlike art, there are fewer specific 'movements' in the history of photography. This is for two major reasons: photography has often been seen as a poor cousin to fine art, and has seen less classifications as a result. Additionally, photography is a relatively new medium, and has only really been viable for around 130 years.

Photography has exploded in terms of popularity, and it punctuates every aspect of our lives, from adverts, to fashion, to art, to recreation, to social media. Below you will find some examples of photographers of a range of different styles to inspire you.

Daido Moriyama

Martin Parr

Joel Meyerowitz

David Baily

Guy Bourdin

Richard Billingham

Man Ray

Wim Wenders

Steven Shore

Cindy Sherman

Barbara Kruger

Michael Collins :)

I take photos too! You can check them out on my blog