People and Portraits - Samples

Having been looking at locations, although the weather conditions were not brilliant, I wanted to get out with my camera and experiment. I took a number of images and have not done (with the exception of the B&W image) any real post production work on them.

I am now starting to build my portfolio of images, from which I will decide what Photos to publish. Here are a few samples below.....

 ISO 200: F4.5 1/30: Lens 18-55mm

 ISO 200: F4.5: 1/80: Lens 18-55mm

 ISO 200: F4.5: 1/80: Lens 18-55mm

 ISO 200: F4.5: 1/250: Lens 18-55mm

These images were taken during the morning and early afternoon on an industrial estate in Lichfield. Timing was everything, as we needed to make sure that traffic was at a minimum and that the areas were safe. So, no traffic, or delivery vehicles etc, giving us cause for concern.

When taking the photos however, I did have one person just checking to make sure that no cars were coming.

On Saturday I purchased a 5 in 1 reflector kit, to enable me to use natural light to enhance images. I have used this on a couple of photos, to get rid of unnecessary shadow. However, I also realise that when doing this you now need three arms, or extra people to assist.

We made sure that there were no obstacles or trip hazards and that the area was clean from relevant debris.

People and Portraits - Backgrounds

In order to get orgainsed for taking my pictures, I have been walking with the dog this morning and have taken a number of backgrounds that could do well in my final portfolio. The aim has been to get vibrant colours, different texture, and different shades, to provide contrast within the image. All of which I have managed to find within a mile of my front door!

Ideally I am also looking for some graffiti and some concrete too, as this will add to the mix. However, I think that may involve a trip to somewhere like Birmingham.

These were just experimental photos, so I was not too worried about the settings in the camera, as I really was just trying to get an idea of location(s). However, I have included settings for reference purposes.  They were taken quite early in the morning and the sky was cloudy and dull, so the colours are a little bland.

 ISO 800: f/10: 1/250: Lens 18-55mm

 ISO 800: f/10: 1/13: lens 18-55mm

 ISO 400: f/10: 1/100: lens 18-55mm

 ISO 400: f/10: 1/25: lens 18-55mm

 ISO 400: f/10: 1/15: lens 18-55mm

 ISO 400: f/10: 1/80: lens 18-55mm

 ISO 400: f/10: 1/60: lens 18-55mm

 ISO 400: f/10: 1/60: lens 18-55mm

 ISO 400: f/32: 1/13: lens 18-55mm

ISO 400: f/5.6/: 1/13: lens 18-55mm

Re-Focus My Efforts

I need to focus on the two elements that I am doing as part of the course.

People and Portraits.

Having spent several weeks thinking about various things I have now finalised where I want to be and what I want to do - at last.

I want to take images of people against varying backgrounds. Could be the same person against different backgrounds or maybe different people against the same background or variations on a theme. I need to focus on this and to review photographers working in similar spheres and review that.

In order to do this I need to research the better use of flash (on and off camera) and  am already thinking about constructing the shots.

Nature

Looking at this topic, it is very wide ranging. However, I have a number of photographs that I have taken recently and which I continue to take, of flora and fauna. Therefore I am going to concentrate on these elements, using some of my recent work and supporting this with additional images over the coming days/weeks.

I've got my eye on you

Whilst in Africa I wanted to get loads of picture of people going about their day to day lives. This is not as easy as you would think, given the time that I had when I was there. Safety too is a big consideration, as there are limitations that control where you can go and what you can do.
However, I may get more opportunity to resolve these issues in the future.

Whilst there, I did mange to visit one or two places and took some photos of animals in parks.

Looking at the options I became intrigued by their eyes. I took a picture of a vulture and the eyes got to me. They were jet black and seemed completely empty. They swallow the light and let nothing escape.
As a consequence I then got interested in the eyes of the animals and birds that I photographed and put together the montage indicated below.

 ISO 100: f/8: Shutter Speed 1/100. Lens 55-200mm

If you look hard enough at this image you can even see my reflection in the eyes of this vulture. The top of its head is slightly 'blown out', but trying to focus on the object and keep the camera still, whilst the bird itself it moving is tricky. Add to this the fact that whenever it moves, the light changes and it becomes a touch difficult to get the shutter speed perfect.

 ISO 100: f/8: Shutter Speed 1/40: Lens 55-200mm

This is the only picture in this segway that shows both eyes. I did this as this monkey looked particularly interested in the camera and I think his intrigue comes out in his expression.

 ISO 1600: f/5.6: Shutter Speed 1/800: Lens 55-200mm

They eye on this chicken really looks like it is made of glass. Trust me, on the blown up version, you can see my reflection in the eye too.

 ISO 200: f/5.6: Shutter Speed 1/400: Lens 55-200mm

What I like about this is the difficulty to differentiate the edge of the lionesses cheek with the surrounding backdrop. These are white lions and with the sun being so high and bright, it really made it difficult to differentiate in the close up settings. Good camouflage then!

 ISO 100: f/5.6: Shutter Speed 1/80: Lens 55-200mm

The eye once again, has a truly reflective, glassy, quality in this image. However, the detail with the hairs and eyelashes, the crinkled skin, etc just brings a level of detail into the image.

ISO 100: f/5.6: Shutter Speed 1/100: Lens 18-55mm

Contrast the other eyes to this of my dog. Maybe it's me, but there is a serenity in this eye compared to the wild (or almost) eyes of the others.

Given that I was not going to get close to the animals and birds, I took my zoom lens with me, to allow me to focus right in on the subjects. With the exception of the last one, where I was able to get up close and personal with my wild pet, were I used my standard 18-55mm lens.
I did consider taking my flash gun, in case of the need to highlight the foreground against a very bright back drop, but this proved not to be necessary.

There were no real health and safety issues to consider, except not to get out of the vehicle when you are near the Lions!

Reflections

Whilst away last weekend, I spent some time on the beach looking at various reflections off the water. Using a combination of wide angle and zoom lenses I captured the images below with varying levels of success.

Thinking of the pictures that I have seen by Jonathan Chritchley, I wanted to try to get some kind of reflective quality into the images, with the minimum amount of detail in the picture. The reflections off the covering of water on the sand gave me that mirror like quality.

Planning
I looked for a wide expanse of beach that would enable me to use my wide angle lens. I took several images with this lens. However, the sky was a very dull grey (until the sun came out!), so I took a number of images in portrait with this lens and then I opted to take various images with my zoom lens, which gave me greater flexibility to shoot near, or far, without having to keep swapping lenses on the beach.

ISO 100: f22:  1/60

Lens: 10-20mm

I like the simplicity of this image. The arc of the clouds is reflected from the sand and draws the eye from left to right in a natural way. There is very little detail, which is intentional, save for the lone windsurfer in the water.

ISO100: f32: 1/25

Lens 55-200mm

Unlike the previous picture this has more detail in it, but the interest here is in the reflection of the runner as he jogs down the beach. Yet again, there is minimal interference in the background, which allows you to concentrate on the runner as he disappears into the distance.

ISO 100: f32: 1/160

Lens 55-200mm

With this image I was trying to see just how much reflected image I could get. I zoomed in closer to fill the viewer with the surfer and got lower in my pose, to try to increase the length of the reflection on the sand. Centering the subject, I tried to make the most of keeping the surfer in the top third that hopefully got me the reflection in the bottom third of the image. The reflection is kind of not exactly where I would have hoped and the reflection is a bit broken, but it was an experiment.

ISO 100: f9: 1/15

Lens 15-55mm

Later in the day I went to take some pictures in a completely different setting. In actual fact my original aim was to take some 'big skies' and reflective images of the sun going down over the sea. As it happened the peninsular obscured what I originally wanted to achieve. However, making the most of the situation, I noticed a lagoon behind me and directly opposite was this boat house. 

The boathouse itself was interesting but, with the stillness of the lagoon and the lowering sun giving a yellowish hue to the picture, I was able to take the above, which is almost a mirror reflection of the boat house and tree.

Corn Wall

Overview

Taken once again in Cornwall, very early in the morning just before sunrise, this picture provides some good contrast between the patterns in the dry stone wall and the milky, foggy, motion of the sea.

I like the way that the patterns in the wall and the rocks contrast with the smooth water.

ISO 100: f10: Shutter Speed 20.0s

Lens: Tamron 55-200mm

It is unlikely that the final image will not remain in colour. I have taken this with the specific thought of converting it to a black and white image. as I envisage that black and white will enhance the effect of the stone wall and that there is not sufficient strength in the rest of the image due to the lack of peripheral light.

Planning.

I wanted to get some shots of the sea when there was little light and I could use a long exposure to get the desire effect of blurring out the water motion. The previous night I checked the map to see where I could go that would give me a good chance of getting the right light and the right amount of wave motion.

As it happens, I should have checked the location out the day before and I will need to bear this in mind again in the future, as the location did not quite live up to expectation.

I knew that this was going to be a 'timed' exposure, so was sure to take my tripod and my remote control trigger.  I also took a variety of lenses to make sure that I had something for every opportunity. I chose the zoom lens in this instance to allow me to get close to the topic and to remove any unwanted peripheral image data.

Health and Safety Considerations

It was early and so quite dark and the picture was taken on a slipway, with boats, fishing nets, and ropes all around. I checked to make sure that there was nothing that could cause much of a hazard. The most likely incident would have been that I could have slipped or fallen over, or into the water. Consequently, I made sure that I was not in danger of tripping or slipping over, and that the area in which I was working was as 'safe' as it could be. In addition I made certain that my tripod was firmly fixed in position. There was no one around, so I did not have to worry about cars or other traffic.

Africa

I am fortunate to be going to Africa with work and whilst I am there I will be looking to take as many pictures as I can. Concentrating on the Portrait theme I will be seeing how I can make the most of my time there.


Having not been before it is difficult to know what to expect. However, I am hoping to get some urban scenes and am thinking about settings and scenarios, for example, people in bars or on the street, kids playing football or such like.

Looking at the health and safety angle, Africa can be a dangerous place, so I am also thinking about security and safety. Not putting myself into a dangeours space and making sure that I am accompanied by a local when out taking photos.

I guess I could look at the guys at work, which would be a safer bet. However, I need to look at what is available and go with it.