By the lake

The composition in this photograph isn't exactly simple however i feel the surrounding of the tree's and plant's and the lake is what gives the building that interest. The background isn't cluttered as there's plants and tree's however not so much it all over powers the photograph. The refection of the building on the water shows a sharp clear reflection which gives you the feeling of still air and calm waters. The black and white works for this photograph i feel it enhances the white in the building which make it stand out which makes it the main interest in the photograph to me.

The bridge

The angle in the photograph i feel was the best choice as with the photograph being black and white, also the cricked angle of the bridge it gives the photograph that extra interest, otherwise with a straight portrait of it, you then lose that interest and appeal. The composition has been well set out as i don't find any confusing objects in the photo that i feel shouldn't be there. The simplicity of the composition i feel is one of the reasons i get a feeling of loneliness from this photograph. Nature reserves such as this one in Henfield, one of the few around in Sussex which is why i feel this feeling is important, as it describes the place. Overall i see this photograph as a well focused photograph that has capture the feeling of the place.

Taken with Digital SLR D5000 

This photograph is of the same bridge, however we have a few differences; I have first of all made this photograph not emphasize the attention on the bridge itself however more of the layout and composition. As you can see this photograph has a variety of angles such as the tree on the right and the bridge, it's not a cluttered composition. Also this photograph has darker shadowing on the tree on the right and also many tonal values, which adds depth to the photograph, this adds interest. I changed this photograph from color to black and white due to the poor lighting, also i felt the color didn't resemble what i was trying to get across in this photograph which were that peaceful loneliness feel. The place may be the same as the photograph above, however they both are different slightly with contrasts and lighting also layout is different. 

Photo shoot 1

This photo shoot consists of 54 digital photo's and 18 film photo's. The weather started off sunny with moderate temperature however then became cloudy and low lighting situations. This made it hard to get some right lighting, due to also i wouldn't use flash due to the fact i wished to keep it all natural and not artificial lighting. First we're going to look at my photo's from the film shoot.

Wild Life photography tips- From 1000 photography tips book

Interest

• Avoid straight portraits
• Try to show action
• Running
• Flying
• Jumping
• Feeding
• Courtship or play

•  If a portrait, make good lighting and composition

Composition

• Good composition is simplicity
• Avoid cluttering and confusing backgrounds

Shutter speed

• Keep in mind lighting will be reduced  

Plan for first photo shoot

My photo shoot is based on 

• Landscape
• Flowers/plants

Location: Windmill nature reserve in Henfield


Techniques

I'm going to use both digital SLR(Nikon D5000) camera and Film SLR(Canon EOS) with black and white film, as this will allow for me to explore which i get the best results with. 

Digital:

• Can easily lose detail in whites and blacks
• 10 Megapixels is high enough resolution for very large prints
• Cameras are generally lighter
• Memory cards are small
• One memory card can store more images than a dozen rolls of film
• Images can be viewed immediately
• You can edit your images- This means after capturing many photo's the favourites i can edit colours and many other ways which i find one of it's highest advantages
• Only print the images you like 

Film:

• Better at capturing detail in whites and blacks (dynamic range)
• More forgiving of minor focusing issues
• More forgiving of exposure problems
• Film is still higher resolution
• Cameras are generally heavier unless digitally integrated will vary
• Film can take up a lot of space
• Film is a continuing cost
• Film must be developed before viewing
• Unless you have a darkroom, you are dependent on the lab to edit your images which results in waiting also costs.

As you can see both have their advantages and disadvantages however after my first shoot i will see two shoots same but also different in their own way. This will be the hard decision.
 
TRIPOD:

I'm going to use this to make sure i can get the best focused shots i can, also this is going to be good practice for me with a tripod as I've not had need to use them much before.

GB, Wales 1999

By Peter Marlow GB, Wales 1999 from www.magnumphotos.com

Brief overview on his steps from the beginning

Peter Marlow- Born UK 1952

Peter Marlow has been defined in relation to photo- journalism, however he is not a journalist. It was in his early years he set out to be a journalist, however he disliked the war between photographers hunting for fame. In 1980's he gained access to Magnum Co-operative with his portfolio, which he enjoyed as he gained freedom to exercise an independent vision of his own. He started as an international journalist and then came home to UK and discovered many wonderful pieces of art, and now has taken to other places now and his new work with him. 

GB, Wales 1999

This photograph has been captured most perfectly in my opinion as Peter Marlow has managed to capture a well focused photograph with shadows and reflections with great detail. The foregrounds in the photograph has been well focused which adds depth. The composition has been presented well as you have the foreground and the trees and mountains which all fit into the photograph, there is nothing there i would take out that i don't see relevant. The lighting and exposure by the aperture has been set correctly as you can see the outline of the mountains against the sky however not overexposed so much that we end up with the mountains being completely white and no depth to them.  

Black and White Magnola

By user "crash8088" from website www.lifesimages.wordpress.com

Taken with Nikon D60- click here to get more information

Photographers Style

His profile consists of mostly photographs that relate to nature. From photographing his cats personality to landscapes to flowers. He catches interest in his photographs for example the photograph of his cat isn't a straight on portrait however caught the silouet of his shadow through the blinds and his tail peaking out at the bottom. He also creates a good composition in his photographs, as he catches that simplicity and avoids cluttering and confusimg backgrounds. He uses a mac programme "aperture 2" where he tends to change his photographs to black and white or gives them a grain texture. Another technique he uses is his tripod, as with one photograph of the night sky over some trees he left the camera on for a 30 minute exposure which he captured the stars movement in the clear night sky. 

Black and White Magnola

In the compostion in this photograph he's captured that simplicity which has made it emotionally moving as others have mentioned how looking at this photograph is moving. This is created by it's delicacy that is created from the delicate white flower with the soft contrast also with the soft edges the background reflects the photographs main focus and feature of the flower also softened with the shadowing.  

Research on two photographs

I've chosen to try out photographing two diffferent area's so that i can see which one works out the best. My first area i'm going to look at is photographing flowers/plants, then the second area is going to be landscapes. I'm going to look at each photographers styles and techniques and study each photograph by them. The first photograph i'm going to look at is "Black and White Magnola" by user crash8088 (personal information such as names aren't given) from website www.lifesimages.wordpress.com. Then i'm going to look at the second photograph which is by Peter Marlow in GB, Wales 1999 from website www.magnumphotos.com.

Research on environmental area's

Fresh and wild

"Fresh and wild" is a project which will involve me taking photographs that show my involvement with the environment. I'm also going to look into my development of taking good photographs such as what equipment i will use and techniques. However first i will look into what area's of the environment i can base my photographs on, then i can look into research on this area by looking at photographs by other photographers. Then i plan for my first photo shoot. First I'm going to look at what area's in the environment i can look at, being issues of the environment or people within it.