The object of this assignment is to show a photographical understanding of the meaning Contrast aided with comments.
Below I have chosen 16 individual pictures and paired them together representing a chosen Contrast from the table given in the assignment. I have also provided a further single picture representing a combined contrast, also with comments.
Contrast – Straight / Curved
Picture 1
Picture 2
Camera, Lens & Settings
Picture 1 – Nikon D4 (Full Frame), Lens 24/70, Speed 1/2000th sec, Aperture f2.8, Focal Length 24mm, ISO 100.
Picture 2 – Nikon D4 (Full Frame), Lens 24/70, Speed 1/250th sec, Aperture f8, Focal Length 24mm , ISO 100.
Picture 1 – Thoughts when taking this picture
This picture was taken in Bath, Somerset. An elevated view from an open bus tour, I liked the classic roman straight road along with the repetition and equal conformity of the windows and chimneys, I also like the wide road.
Picture 2 – Thoughts when taking this picture
Again this picture was taken in Bath, Somerset, on the same open bus tour. This elevated corner picture immediately appealed to me for its parallel curves between stories, its like an inverted railroad coming at you. I also like the curvature of the building in the way that its concentrically related to the pathway, road and park.
Pictures 1 & 2 – Contrast Comparison
The colour and tone of masonry in these buildings is very close and in relation to surrounding light, both were photographed at near identical times. Another comparison is they are both of Georgian design. Due to the similarities of these buildings they are very easy to compare like with like but they do shout out their differences between straight lines and curves.
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Contrast – Light / Dark
Picture 3 …… I HAVE SINCE AMENDED THIS PICTURE IN ACCORDANCE WITH MY TUTORS FEEDBACK, IT WAS RECOMENDED TO AMMEND THE CONVERGING LINES AROUND THE ARCH LEADING IN TO THE PICTURE.
Picture 4
Camera, Lens & Settings
Picture 3 – Nikon D4 (Full Frame), Lens 24/70, Speed 1/40th sec, Aperture f3.2, Focal Length 24mm, ISO 800
Picture 4 – Nikon D4 (Full Frame), Lens 24/70, Speed 1/320th sec, Aperture f4.5, Focal Length 24mm , ISO 1000.
Picture 3 – My thoughts when taking this picture
Taken inside Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucestershire. I like the welcoming effect in this the picture offered by the contour of the arch, from here we see almost perfect symmetry again from the arched roof with its lattice structure, the equal height of the side windows and not forgetting the gothic shaped stained window in the distance. The amount of natural light inside this chapel within the Cathedral was beautiful, most churches and Cathedrals are dark inside.
Picture 4 – My thoughts when taking this picture
Again taken inside Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucestershire. I was in luck with this shot as the light conditions at the time of day for this stained glass window were perfect. I was attracted to the detail and colours bursting through this window.
Pictures 3 & 4 – Contrast Comparison
The colour difference in these two pictures are like night and day but the lighting for both images was close to perfect. Both pictures were taken in the afternoon and share a common relationship as they were taken from the same Cathedral. The contrast I have shown here represents light and dark but another contrast can be seen here with the busy detail captured in Picture 1 in comparison to picture 2, until enlarged, where we see much more from the stained glass.
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Contrast – Large / Small
Picture 6
Picture 5
Camera, Lens & Settings
Picture 5 – Pentax K5 (APS-C), Lens 300mm telephoto, Speed 1/500th sec, Aperture f5.0, Focal Length 300mm (450mm equiv. in 35mm format), ISO 400.
Picture 6 – Pentax K5 (APS-C), Lens 60/250mm, Speed 1/500th sec, Aperture f10, Focal Length 128mm (192mm equiv. in 35mm format), ISO 400.
Picture 5 – My thoughts when taking this picture
Balcony shot, taken from a cruise ship whilst coming into port. I was attracted to the size of vessel and when enlarged you can just make out the two coastal policemen in hi-viz coats standing in a patrol boat. I also like the repetition and conformity of the balconies and glass windows along the ships side.
Picture 6 – My thoughts when taking this picture
A pier shot, I liked the reflection of the boat in the water, a rarity to get seas this calm. At the time of the picture the scale of the boat looked tiny in comparison to the open expanse of ocean water surrounding the craft. Just in this small picture you get an immediate impression of how much water surrounds these two men at sea.
Pictures 5 & 6 – Contrast Comparison
These two pictures were taken at different times of the day, the picture of the cruise ship was taken at early evening time and the other during mid afternoon. In comparison the sailing boat and ship share a similar colour in hull and that of the orange life boats and life ring seen on the sailing boat, you could also say that both are in water but that’s where the similarity ends, the contrast here is of large and small.
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Contrast – Still / Moving
Picture 8
Picture 7
Camera, Lens & Settings
Picture 7 – Nikon D4 (Full Frame), Lens 24/70, Speed 1/160th sec, Aperture f5.6, Focal Length 27mm, ISO 200.
Picture 8 – Pentax K5 (APS-C), Lens 60/250, Speed 1/40th sec, Aperture f8, Focal Length 170mm , (255mm equiv. in 35mm format), ISO 100.
Picture 7 – My thoughts when taking this picture
Taken outside Bath Cathedral, Somerset. A street artist attracting a crowd of on lookers. I was attracted to this shot from the shock of it and when my wife stood beside him it beckoned me to take the picture.
Picture 8 – My thoughts when taking this picture
This panning shot was taken from a hotel balcony whilst on holiday in the Philippines, in the smaller cities the local people refer to this as a tricycle taxi, in the UK we see conventional cars and black cabs used in every city as taxis but in a third world country such as the Philippines this is their means, I had to take this picture for the record. The person riding is actually ‘covering the brakes – just incase’ as he is about to overtake a stationary parked lorry on a blind corner on a very busy road!
Pictures 7 & 8 – Contrast Comparison
The colour difference in these two pictures are of winter versus summer, as we can see by the dress code, there is also a huge difference in climate as one is the other side of the World from the UK. Although similarity does exist in the lighting as both pictures were taken during late afternoon. The relationship these two picture share is that of the bicycle but the contrast is – one is still, the other moving.
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Contrast – Many / Few
Picture 10
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Picture 9
Camera, Lens & Settings
Picture 9 – Nikon D4 (Full Frame), Lens 14/24, Speed 1/200th sec, Aperture f5.6, Focal Length 14mm, ISO 200.
Picture 10 – Pentax K5 (APS-C), Lens 200mm Telephoto, Speed 1/500th sec, Aperture f3.5, Focal Length 200mm (300mm equiv. in 35mm format), ISO 100.
Picture 9 – My thoughts when taking this picture
A field of poppies – Image taken in a field just outside Bampton, Oxfordshire. I love the sheer brilliance of red created from this poppy field, it only appears every 3 years. It must look fantastic from overhead.
Picture 10 – My thoughts when taking this picture
Fritillaries – this picture was taken in a meadow in the village Ducklington, Oxfordshire. These beautiful flowers are only in flower for a short time and grow in random patches of twos and threes at the most. Their unique shape reminds me of lampshades and also the old fashioned overhead hairdryers used in ladies hairdressing salons.
Pictures 9 & 10 – Contrast Comparison
In these two pictures we see a similarity of colour in the green from the flowers storks and that of the surrounding grass although the green and red petal tones are different. The lighting conditions in the poppy picture were of late afternoon opposed to late morning for the fritillary flowers and the time of year was mid to late summer versus spring. The relationship shared is wild flowers growing in a field but the contrast of these two pictures is visual in that the field of poppies are many and the two fritillary flowers are few.
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Contrast – Rough / Smooth
Picture 11
Picture 12
Camera, Lens & Settings
Picture 11 – Pentax K5 (APS-C), Lens 16/50, Speed 1/60th sec, Aperture f7.1, Focal Length 36mm (54mm equiv. in 35mm format), ISO 80.
Picture 12 – Pentax K5 (APS-C), Lens 16/50, Speed 1/800th sec, Aperture f18, Focal Length 16mm (24mm equiv. in 35mm format), ISO 640.
Picture 11 – My thoughts when taking this picture
Picture taken at WoolacombeBeach, North Devon. Rough rocks, one mile up the Woolacombe coastal road. A far cry from the golden sands and dunes of Woolacombes main beach.
Picture 12 – My thoughts when taking this picture
Picture taken at WoolacombeBeach, North Devon. Two people in a canoe coming into shore, I waited thirty five minutes for the opportunity to capture their silhouette in the shimmering sunset on the water.
Pictures 11 & 12 – Contrast Comparison
These two pictures share a relationship in that they both show large rocks in sea water, they also share a sea and sky horizon as a common background. Where they do differ is in colour and tone, the water captured in each picture is from a different time of day, one was taken late morning and the other during late afternoon / early evening time. The contrast I have shown here is in the texture of the rocks, picture 1 shows very rough and jagged rocks and in the foreground of picture 2 we see wet shinny rocks smoothed by the continuous movement of water across their faces giving a contrast of Rough and Smooth.
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Contrast – Broad / Narrow
Picture 13
Picture 14
Camera, Lens & Settings
Picture 13 – Pentax K5 (APS-C), Lens 16/50, Speed 1/30th sec, Aperture f9.0, Focal Length 50mm (75mm equiv. in 35mm format), ISO 100.
Picture 14 – Nikon D4 (Full Frame), Lens 24/70, Speed 1/60th sec, Aperture f20, Focal Length 24 , ISO 250.
Picture 13 – My thoughts when taking this picture
Picture taken of the east Lyn river at Lynmouth, North Devon. I was drawn to take this picture as I like the rocks and their random positions in the riverbed, I also like the contrasting vivid green algae growing upon them and the white water breaking over the rocks on the opposite side. It’s also a busy picture offering several cropped opportunities.
Picture 14 – My thoughts when taking this picture
This picture was taken at Mortehoe Bay, North Devon. This is a coastal walk offering elevated views of Woolacombes neighbouring village. In this picture I tried to capture the peace and tranquillity of a deserted path on a summers evening with distant views of gently breaking sea waves amidst a beautiful sea side village. I also liked the character of the road in the way it snakes past the houses following the contours of the natural bay and coast line.
Pictures 13 & 14 – Contrast Comparison
These two pictures share a similarity of colour in green foliage seen on the river bank and on the coastal hillside. The colour tones are similar too, as is the time of year but the times of day in relevance of light are different, the picture taken over looking the river Lyn was taken during the midday sun and the picture of Mortehoe, late afternoon / early evening time. The relationship shared by these two pictures is of water and rocks but the contrast between them is broad in relevance to the river width and narrow as visually depicted in the coastal path.
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Contrast – Transparent / Opaque
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Picture 16
Picture 15
Camera, Lens & Settings
Picture 15 – Pentax K5 (APS-C), Lens16/50, Speed 1/200th sec, Aperture f4.5, Focal Length 50mm (75mm equiv. in 35mm format), ISO 100.
Picture 16 – Nikon D4 (Full Frame), Lens14/24, Speed 1/400th sec, Aperture f10, Focal Length 14, ISO 160.
Picture 15 – My thoughts when taking this picture
A picture taken of my daughter having fun with an underwater propulsion unit. A family picture taken to capture a memory, what drew me to taking this picture was the fun element and also the way the sunlight dances at random on the bottom surface of a swimming pool.
Picture 16 – My thoughts when taking this picture
Picture taken at the Eden Project, Cornwall. My thoughts on taking this picture at the time were of the dramatic looking clouds in the sky above the alien looking biomes amongst the landscape.
Pictures 15 & 16 – Contrast Comparison
The contrasting colours in these two pictures have little in common, the same can be said with picture similarity, one is of movement in water the other is of a still landscape. Both pictures were taken at a similar time of day but with differing light conditions (white balance). The contrast I have chosen here is transparency in the water and opaque in the plastic Biomes windows.
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Contrast in one picture – Straight / Curved
Picture 17
Camera, Lens & Settings
Nikon D4 (Full Frame), Lens 24/70, Speed 1/30th sec (Tripod Mounted), Aperture f3.5, Focal Length 31mm, ISO 2500.
Thoughts when taking this picture
Tower Bridge, London. Against the dark of night, London’s most famous bridge looked fantastic illuminated. I wanted to capture the sweeping lines, the light on the iron work and the inner glow of the tower.
Contrasts
In this night time picture it shows the combination of both straight lines and curves. It also gives visual enhancement to this combination being illuminated against the dark of the night.
My Reflections
This course has taught me and given me countless new ideas when looking through the viewfinder. Now when I upload pictures from the cameras memory cards to hard disk, I look at my pictures and also other peoples with more criticism. I also often ask myself what would I do different and how could I improve the view, subject or scene to provide more interest or different lines. Whether its moving into a different position, location or looking for a public building close by that I can gain access to elevate my shot. I am constantly trying to better my technique and ability in what I currently achieve and this course is certainly changing my photography in approach and ideas.
In relevance to the exercises and also this assignment, I have tried to show my ability with necessary pictures and comment in understanding.
I have also been active in between coursework in writing up my learning log, we are all different and my personal approach so far has been to write my initial ideas and thoughts for each exercise into my A4 sketch book, carry out the exercise and then transfer parts across to my on line Blog and learning log.
Having completed the exercises prior to this assignment was a nice way to start this course, it has also provided an introduction to the whole experience of becoming a student again and I am looking forward to the next part of this course.
Current Books I am Reading
- The Photograph / Graham Clarke / Oxford History of Art.
- The Nikon Creative Lighting System / Mike Hagen / Rockynook.
- Nikon D4 & D800E handbook.
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