Work Record 5

Work Record 5 - Mirror Indoor

Plans for shoot:   
For my fifth shoot I want to focus on creating a series of images that use mirrors in an abstract way, and mainly focusing on indoors. I also want to use a wild angle lens to create a more confusing images. 

Research influence:
My influence for this shoot is Florence Henri and her work with mirrors to create complex photos.

Florence Henri

This photo is good in using mirrors as a framing device in an abstract way. The use of two mirrors makes a simple image of fruit far more complex. The image cuts of parts of the subjects creating a much more complex image. There is also some reflection in the base that an orange which adds another dimension to the image.

The image uses a mirror to frame the subject. Because the camera is at an angle we can't see it. This allows for the frame to only be framing the subject and not distracted by anything else. The subject fits centre frame in the mirror but slightly to the left of the of the actual image. The mirror is put up against a plain background, can't say what colour it is becasue the image is in black and white but we can see that it is just a solid colour, this means that the frame and its contents are undistracted and nothing else becomes takes the focus away.

This image uses an empty frame and a frame with a mirror to create a portraiture. The person adds a subject is easily where the viewer focuses on because of the surrounding white around her, this use of negative space also helps frame the subject. The light also helps as it keeps one side in darkness but the other side that contains the subject is well lit. 

Contact sheet:

My Best images (target 4 - 6)

I think this photo is strong because the mirror and reflection blends in and makes a slight confusion. I also have some ideas to edit the further to further increase the importance of the reflection. 

The use of portraiture is the reason why I chose this photo. I would like to do more photos where the photographer is within the reflection and subject. 

This photos reflection has the style that is similar too a puddle reflection. 

This photo uses the reflection as a minor part of the photo but still a key part of the photo.

Images that require improvement:

AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.
The shoot went well. I managed to keep my aperture at 5.0 and shutter speed at around 1/40. I set my ISO to 200 for all the photos. The majority of the photos went as planed and I managed to get some photos that used a confusing and complex reflection. 

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

 With this photo I think the composition is correct and does not require any crops to improve the image. But I do want rotate the image 180 degrees to make the reflection more complicated.

I started with using curves and levels to make the photo brighter and more vivid. 

To finish, I rotated the image 180 degrees making the image more complex and confusing. 

I then decided that I wanted to experiment with the reflections, to do this I created a new canvas in photoshop, making sure it was the same width as the actual image but double the height so it had room for the same image on top of it. I then exported the image and then added one to the new canvas and dragged it to the top and then added another into the image, moved it to the top, rotated it 180 degrees and then flipped it.

With this image I wanted to use photoshop to straighten the image and then use levels to edit the colours. 

With this image all I need to do is edit the colours using levels so that the reflection is clearer. 

For this photo, the composition is how I want all I need to is use levels to make the photo a bit brighter.

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
Focusing on Florence Henri allowed me to progress the idea of using mirrors as elements of the image was my main focus during this shoot. Florence Henri focuses on portraiture I focused on framing the image with regards to the reflection,

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements. 

I think that these images work with my progression on creating images relying on a planted frame that creates a disorientating perspective. Have the frame embeded in the image but still presentating a contrasting reflection works well. 

Progression:

I would like to go on and do the same type of photos but outdoors and then try composite image making where I edit in the subject.