The distorting lens:
Coursework part two – imaginative spaces is based on the distorting lens. For the exercises within this section the camera is to be set to aperture priority mode – this allows me to control and experiment with the aperture and to see how this can change an image. To show this there are four exercises such as:
- Zoom
- Viewpoint
- Focus
- Woodpecker
Exercise 2.1 Zoom
For this exercise I had to find a scene that has depth. From a fixed position, take a sequence of five or six shots at different focal lengths without changing your viewpoint. (You might like to use the specific focal lengths indicated on the lens barrel.) As you page through the shots on the preview screen it almost feels as thought you’re moving through the scene. So the ability to change focal lengths has an obvious use: rather than physically move towards or away from your subject, the lens can do it for you. But zooming is also a move towards abstraction, which, as the word itself tells us, the process of drawing things away’ from their context.
For this exercise I used my Canon 100D with 18-55mm barrel lens. I visited a place nearby to me called ‘The Lost Gardens Of Heligan’ where they have this fascinating rope bridge. I love the patterns along this bridge so took this as an opportunity to try out my zoom.
Below is another attempt of this exercise that I took today whilst out on my walk. I made sure my camera was set to aperture priority mode I stood in a fixed position in an area that had depth. I shot my image and slowly zoomed in taking several more images. When looking back through my photos it gave the illusion that you were travelling down the path.
Looking at some of the examples shown in the guide book, I explored Hans Holbein’s painting of ‘The Ambassafors’ from 1533. This was shot on a gigapixel camera. From initial viewing it looks remarkable however, it is noticeable upon looking further and zooming in you can see cracks, dust marks and blemishes. Please see examples below.
I began experimenting with one of my images from this exercise and its shown that as I zoom in the images become blurry and become unclear. It just shows that an image can look impressive on first view but when looked at closer/zoomed in you can see it in another way. This also reminds me of the work by Uta Barth who is known for her deliberate blurred photos.
A note on iso:
Iso is referred to the sensitivity of the sensor to light. When you change the ISO on your camera settings you’re rendering the sensor to more or less sensitivity to light. In simple, a high ISO can create grainy or noisy images, a low ISO creates less grain and clearer colour (Mathies D 2019). Please see an example below.
Exercise 2.2 – Viewpoint
For my next exercise, viewpoint, I had to select the longest focal length and compose a portrait shot fairly tightly within the frame in front of a background with depth. Take one photograph. Then walk towards your subject while zooming out to your shortest focal length. Take care to frame the subject in precisely the same way in the viewfinder and take a second shot. Compare the two images.
For this exercise I took photos of my husband at the top of our lane so that we have the depth behind us. I found this quite difficult to ensure that my husband was precisely the same in the viewfinder. So I do think this might of been better to do with a tripod to ensure that the camera was kept exactly still. As you can see I uploaded another two as I wanted to practise this a bit more so I tried again in my garden. Its amazing how your focal length can change so much in the background. I found it made it seem like I was taking photos looking uphill when I zoomed out and walked towards Matt. It allowed a lot more into the background and even made it look like I had changed my angle.
Exercise 2.3 – Focus
This exercise required me to find a location with good light for a portrait shot. Place your subject some distance in front of a simple background and select a wide aperture together with a moderately long focal length such as 100mm on a 35mm full – frame camera (about 65mm on a cropped – frame camera). Take a viewpoint about one and half metres from your subject, allowing you to compose a headshot comfortably within the frame. Focus on the eyes and take the shot.
For this exercise I roped my husband in to help be my model. I placed him in front of our patio doors in our front room as this had the most light within the house. I placed my 75-300mm lens on my camera and positioned myself approximately one and half metres away from him. I did try and the portrait on a 100mm focal length as you can see from my first two pictures but found this was too close so then tried with 80mm and 75mm focal lengths.
Exercise 2.4 – Woodpecker.
This final exercise required me to find a subject in front of a background with depth. Take a very close viewpoint and zoom in; you’ll need to be aware of the minimum focusing distance of your lens. Focus on the subject and take a single shot. Then, without changing the focal length or framing, set your focus to infinity and take a second shot.
I chose to take these photos down at our local car recycling centre. I aim to go back and do a retake of this as the second image the distance is still unfocused. This was noticeable when I uploaded them. I will upload my retry below the first attempt.
RETRY:
Today I went back to the same area to retry this exercise.
Again without moving the camera, select a very small aperture (perhaps one stop above the minimum to avoid diffraction) and find a point of focus that will give you acceptable sharpness throughout the entire field, from foreground to infinity. Take a third shot and add it to the first two to make a set. (Please see my attempt below).
I chose aperture F4.0.
Researching photographers:
Ansel Adams (1902 – 1984)
Ansel Adams is a photographer born in San Francisco, California and was mostly known for his great photography of landscapes however, it was known that he was unusually talented at commercial photography and worked on anything from portraits to catalogues. This however, was for more of the financial benefit than it was of love. He is very well known for his black and white West American landscape images. Adams also went on to write ten volumes of manuals in photography and they are some of the most influential out there. Adams helped to create a group called F64 which, included 11 photographers. Their aim was to keep photography “pure”. The group name came from the smallest aperture setting which, produces a crisp background and sharp depth of field (Fargon Jene, O 2015). Most of Adams photographs have an extensive depth of field and he states that it is the position of the aperture that is important in producing that clear picture with defined detail.
As part of this research point for Project 2 Lens Work I have included below an image which, I have found out of my own archive. An image which I have named ‘walking into the distance’ it has a deep depth of field – showing the viaduct pathway going off into the distance. It is also set in black and white something which most of Adams work illustrates also.
Fay Godwin (1931-2005)
Fay Godwin was a British photographer who mostly focused her work on portraits at first but her interest soon began apparent in Landscape photography. She worked closely with a poet writer called Ted Hughes who agreed he would write poems to illustrate her pictures. Godwin, works mostly in black and white although, in the 21st century she began moving onto colour and digital imagery looking more at beaches, nursery gardens and small scales photos (Lenman R & Nicholson A 2005). Godwins work is similar to Ansel Adams in the sense of passion for landscape photography, working in monochrome and also capturing mostly in deep depth of field.
Gianluca Cosci (1970)
Gianluca Cosci focuses his work with shallow depth of field. Cosci states that he tries to put the emphasis on both subject of the photograph and the way it is photographed for example the position. Often the point of view is marginalised and this results in restricted views. Although I find his work creatives, I don’t feel my mind wanders as much as it does with the like of Ansel Adams and Fay Godwin. I feel that the emphasis really is on one key element of the photograph. Below is an example of this work in shallow depth of field from the series called Panem et Circenses.
References:
Bonakdar, T (2017) Uta Barth http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/artists/uta-barth/series-photography (Date Accessed 4/7/2019)
Fagon Jene, O (2015) How Ansel Adams and the Photography Group f/64 Found “Pure” Photography https://www.artsy.net/article/theartgenomeproject-how-ansel-adams-and-the-photography-group (Date accessed 4/7/2019).
Lenman, R & Nicholson A (2005) Oxford University Press – The oxford Companion to the photograph.
Mathies D (2019) What is ISO? Camera settings explained. https://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/what-is-iso/ Date Accessed: (25/09/2019).
National Gallery (ND) The Ambassadors – Hans Holbein the younger – https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/hans-holbein-the-younger-the-ambassadors (Date accessed 4/7/2019).
Turnage, W (ND) Ansel Adams, Photographer (http://anseladams.com/about-ansel-adams/ansel-adams-biography/ Date accessed: 01/07/2019
Heather Wade OCA Blog 