Month: March 2017

PB2: Final Production

Key creative decisions (and why you made them) in the shoot, editing and post-processing stages?

I think the key creative decisions of my PB2 is the color of photos and the details of flowers I want to present. Andy Small is a flower, nature and landscape photographer. He photographs dramatic close-up portraits of nature and particularly flower. That’s what I want to learn to shoot. I used the long lens to shoot the flowers’ detail. Also, his work has become known for its modern graphic style and striking use of color. Andy’s images are described as being “very painterly” in their appearance. So when I was taking the photos, I paid very high attention to the color of the flowers and the background. And while I was editing the photos I also adjust the color to make the photos look more “painterly” as Andy did. I took hundreds of photos in different type and style of flowers. I choose these five photos as my final production is because the color of them are the best. And they are the all different type and styles flowers which can represent Andy’s work to show his photography style better.

What worked and what didn’t?

I think the natural part i did is quite good. However，Andy also does some landscape photos which combine with the flowers. I tried to do it，but it did not work well. Then i gave up that part and only did the natural and flowers part.  I thought I should use a  wide-angle lens for the landscape.

What did you learn in the process of completing the Project Brief about your own skills and creative practice and what you might do differently next time?

I learned to combine the light with my DSLR to take good color photos. I also learned to shoot with burst mode to take photos to capture every moment I want and I do not want to miss. Such as the photo I took which is a butterfly on a flower. If I did not us burst mode I can not capture that moment. I think next time I will try the wide-angle lens to take the flowers with the landscape.

PB2: Production

Research findings on your chosen photographer and style:

“Flowers are willing subjects and lend themselves quite well to being photographed.  This much is evident when you look at the numerous photos of flowers posted on social media and photo sharing sites every day.  However, not all flower photographs are created equal.  As with any type of photography, there are general rules and guidelines, and tips and tricks to make the best images possible.  The basic idea is to make our photos stand out from the rest; to create something unique and inspiring; something with that “wow” factor.  Hopefully, these tips will provide at least a starting point to getting more creative images of flowers and inspire you to try techniques and ideas that you may not have tried before.  If nothing else, at least trying some of these will get us all out shooting more, and that can’t be a bad thing. ”

                                             —- 21 TIPS FOR CREATIVE FLOWER PHOTOGRAPHY

 

Some test shooting/experimentation：

Ideas on probable technical procedure for the shoot：

The theme of my PB2 is “Life As Flowers”.

I want to shoot the flowers in the different stage (such as beginning to bloom, blossoming, etc) to present my theme.

I choose the daily light to shoot for the original flower.

I took the photos with Canon 7D and 100-400 lens. The long lens can easily to shoot the details of the flowers.  The iso is around 125, f is 5.6, and the shutter speed is 1/500. I use the burst mode to record any details I want. 

 

PB2: Pre-production

PB2 pre-production ideas and reflections:

What kinds of photographic styles do you like and what are their key features creatively and technically?

The photographer I choose for PB2 is Andy Small who is a Flower, Nature and Landscape photographer. Andy studied Fine Art. He photographs dramatic close-up portraits of nature; particularly flowers, and landscapes. His work has become known for its modern graphic style and striking use of color. Andy’s images are described as being “very painterly” in their appearance.

What aspects of their work attract you, what parts of their work could you draw from?

I love his photos’ striking use of color. His photos show the natural world. They also presented his lifelong passion and provides inspiration for his photography. I will draw from his modern graphic style and striking use of color. I also love his photos show the detail of the flowers. He uses the long lens to shoot the flowers’ detail and I will do this in PB2 also. The macro lens is like a window that transports him into another world. In this place, he observe details, shapes, and patterns that are not usually seen even though most of the subjects are right under our noses.