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OPTIONAL UNIT - DOCUMENTARY - FINAL FEEDBACK 

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OPTIONAL UNIT - DOCUMENTARY - FINAL FEEDBACK 

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For my optional unit I wanted to show the reality of the working world. I also wanted to show the difference in men and women's labour. When researching and planning my shoots I wanted to go into depth with my research and my mood boards so that I had multiple different images to recreate. I saw these images on Pinterest and loved the black and white images I really wanted to incorporate this with my work. I loved the 1960s working women’s posters more specifically as I felt this was really important to my own history. My main focus for my optional unit was to show the many roles that women take on in their day to day life even if it is often seen as controversial.

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Powerpoint created by Alan Sill

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lachapelle powerpoint created by Alan Sill 

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Still life photography is a genre of photography that focuses on capturing inanimate objects. It is typically done in a studio setting and involves carefully arranging objects for the purpose of creating a visually appealing image. Still life photography is often used to create art, to sell products, to document objects for scientific research or for other commercial purposes

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Rankin tutor hand out

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This is the mind map I created of my install ideas, I was unsure which route I wanted to go down and I wanted to have as much variety in my images whilst still sticking to my main theme of colour. I really like different photographers use of colour specifically William egggleston I love the way all of his images are bright and colourful and I wanted to incorporate this with my still life images.

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For week three we looked into Different lighting techniques, we looked at lowkey and high key lighting. I preferred the style of low key lighting as this follows the work of Zachary Zavisklak. This is the inspiration i found to use this weeks techniques.

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week one's assignment was still life or product photography we are to develop 6 images that show still life using different techniques. Alan explained to us about different things we can try to get the desired effect such as use of negative space and choosing the right lenses.

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I researched different photographers for inspiration. I really liked the work of Zachary Zavislak, he often works with dark or simple background to make the item he is photographing really stand out. He also uses a lot of negative space in his images, again making the item very impactful.

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"There is no deodorant like success " Richard Avedon

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Personal opinion :

My first reaction to this image was wow, I love the use of the dark feathers and the dark outfit worn by Elizabeth Taylor. The mood of the image is very dark and gloomy Elizabeth has a very moody expression on her face and see seems almost bored.

The message of the photo was success is a way to cover up past mistakes. I really love the way that this is shown through the use of feathers to replace Elizabeths hair. This shows she is concealing her real hair in the image.

Context and Description:

The image is a portrait of Elizabeth Taylor, the image is black and white with a high contrast of her white skin and dark black clothing and hair.

Richard Avedon named the image "there is no deodorant like success" This makes you see the image differently as the feathers in elizabeths hair show that she is covering her hair and the feathers are replacing her hair.

Visual Analysis:

The first thing that I look at in the image in the darkness of Elizabeth Taylors eyes and eyebrows. Because of the way the feathers have been place your eyes are drawn around the image in a circler motion this makes it so that you look at the entire image and not just the centre. The image is made up of lots of different shapes, circles and lines shown in the feathers and the straight lines of the eyebrows.

Process :

The direction of light was straight forward to create shadows around the model. Artificial light was also used in a studio the creates a really crisp image. There are lots of different textures in the image. There is texture in the feathers and in the outfit she is wearing. There is also a lot of texture in Elizabeths eyebrows this gives a very nice effect to show she is a real person not just a celebrity and she also has imperfections just the same as any normal person.

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I really like Zachary's pop of colour in this image. The use of the red table cover to match the red of the watermelon really compliments the image and again makes it stand out.

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This is the mood board I have created full of the inspiration of my images I am going to create. I really like the darkness of the images as well as the simplicity of a lot of the examples. I used Pinterest to create my mood board of inspiration.

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When researching different photographers I came across a selection of images where there was two halves of an apple sewn back together with a needle and thread with a dark and simple background. I really liked the deeper meaning of this as it shows that anything can be fixed even if its not the same as before. It also suggested the original sin that not everything is as good as it seems.

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This was my first attempt at recreating the apple image. I was not very happy with the lighting or the positioning of the apple i also felt like the stitching was in the wrong place so I decided to retake this

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Gregory Prescott first started out in Los Angles as a self taught photographer, he describes his work as very raw and classic. I feel his work is very similar to Richard Avedon as his work is also very raw portraiture. Gregory Prescott also creates a lot of high contrast black and white images. I have added some similar examples of both photographers.

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With this image I had tried a different Angle from the side, this shows the different sides of the apple as well as casting different shadows onto the object in the photo. I have also used the rule of 3s in this image as there is only 3 items in the image.

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This was my third attempt, for this I changed the colours of the apple.

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Still life brief created by Alan sill

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This was the final raw image, i was happy with this because it had rule of three's. I also liked the lighting and the angle of the image.

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This is my final image, I increased the sharpness and reduced the colour noise. I also removed some impurities in the image. Finally I cropped the image to introduce the rule of thirds.

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when researching inspiration i found this image which i would like to recreate. I particularly like the use of different colours and the low key lighting from the front. I like the idea of pumpkins as this often represents prosperity and abundance and this is shown by using multiple pumpkins.

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This is a Powerpoint created by Alan Sill this helps to understand low key lighting in more detail with examples of what to create.

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High key lighting Power point created by Alan sill, this explains in detail how to take high key images and examples of this.

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This was the set up for my images, I used the studio to create the effect of the low key lighting by using a dark background and the correct camera settings. The settings i used were ISO 100 and F8 this makes it so the background of the image is completely black. Also when creating my images i used a flash device connected to the camera so that when i took the image the lights flashed again creating the desired effect of the lights from the front or side.

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This was the First image i took. i was not happy with this image as it looked quite strange with just two pumpkins. I do really like the contract of the colours and this is represented in my other images.

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This was my second image. I was extremely happy with this image as i like the contrast in all three colours. I also like the way the lights are shining from the left as this creates a shadow of the pumpkins in the image. I also like the rule of three's used in this image it makes it feel less forced.

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Once i had an image i was happy with i decided to sharpen the image and increase the brightness of the oranges in the image. i did this in photoshop a shown above. I also increased the colour saturation to really show the colour pop.

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I then decided to rotate the pumpkins to create a different effect. I kept the lighting in the same place as i didn't want the image to feel too purposefully placed. I really liked this formation as i feel the colour pops even more .

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I decided to edit this image black and white so that it would give the pumpkins a more emotional feel. I feel doing this made them look sad and broken. I did this in Photoshop by using a black and white filter as well as increasing the sharpness and the saturation.

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when researching this week I found these images I would of loved to recreate. I like the fact this mixes up the idea of product and still life. I also really like the representation of the happiness that coca cola symbolises taking away the happiness from the flowers. I feel this displays a really impactful message of the things of modern life draining the happiness of time.

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This was my first image I took, as you can see I tired to use the high key lighting show in my inspiration photos by using a light box. This created a very light and bright image but the angle that I used was not correct. I tried to correct this by using different positions and different view points for the image.

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This was my second image, I liked this image much better as it was straighter and not as close. I felt as though this image wasn't as vibrant as I would of liked I fixed this when editing by increasing the colour saturation.

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This is my final image, I increased the saturation and I cropped the image to reduce the background noise. I was very happy with this image as it is so similar to the original inspiration. I used ISO 300 and F11 to create this image with my camera in manual mode.

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When editing the image used the crop feature to crop the image and also straighten the image slightly. I then increased the saturation to make the colours of the cola can and the roses brighter and to make the whites of the image a lot clearer. I also reduced the background noise in the image so that it appeared a lot clearer. And finally i sharpened the image a small amount to ensure that the image was as clear as possible.

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On week 4 we also tired out lowkey lighting and lighting painting. To do this we had a completely dark room and a dark background. We had our camera set too ISO 100 to reduce the noise in the image we also had our settings on F8 and a low shutter speed for long exposure. Alan explained the technique to use and showed us a few examples before we got started.

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This is an example of light painting Alan showed us. I really like the simple lighting and the strong effect this has on the item.

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This was my first attempt at light painting the flower. As you can see the shutter speed and ISO was too high on this image so it made the image look blurry. I also feel the angle was too high. I also had Auto focus still on so this needed to be switched to manual.

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This was my Second attempt, This image was much better as the rose was in frame better and ISO was reduced to 100. Unfortunately the shutter speed was too slow so the image did not focus correctly.

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I also had many more unsuccessful attempts whilst I was changing the settings and trying to get the correct image.

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This is my final image, I am very happy with this image as it is just like the one Alan showed us. The image has a dark background and the rose is the only thing that has been illuminated. I also really like the fact the light is coming from the left side. This creates shadows on the leaves of the rose.

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when editing this image I wanted to keep it very simple as I was already very happy with the image the only thing I wanted to change was the colour saturation which I increased a small amount and I also increased the sharpness of the image to show all the details in the stem of the leaves of the rose.

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I decided to post one of my images online to see what my friends and family think, this was the response I had from them 100%of people liked the image which I had taken. I really liked making myself vulnerable and opening myself up for constructive criticism. I was very happy with this image and it was nice to see that people agreed and liked my image.

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This was my final image produced, I love the shadows on the leaves and the brightness of the rose. I am also very proud of the way my skills are developing, as this is something I have never done before I am happy with how this turned out. To improve I would change the flower to multiple flowers of different colours, I feel this would really emphasise the different shadows and colours and created a really beautiful image.

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When taking this image we used a low ISO:

F8: SHUTTER SPEED :

We used the standing flash in one direction to create a shadow effect. We also used the remote flash trigger so that when we took the image the flash on the stand flashed at the same time. This creates a lovely effect of lighting from one side and creates shadows behind the model.

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For week 5 I decided to make my selection on my final images. I decided I wanted to recreate my Images with pumpkins and low key lighting. I decided to use a black background and a completely dark room. I did some research using Pinterest and these are the Images I decided on.

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This was the set up I used at home, I used a black bed sheet and my tripod. I used the tripod so that I did not get any movement when taking the images. I also used a timer on my camera of 3 seconds do also reduce any movements in the image.

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This was my first image, I really love the way I was able to cast the shadows over the pumpkins whilst still also capturing the colours. I also love the way I choose to stack the pumpkins as this makes them look usual and strange as you would not normally see this in everyday life. I also love the colour variation in the pumpkins as this makes each colour look really unique and different from the rest. To improve this image I needed to switch my camera to manual focus to allow the image to be crisp and clear.

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This was my second image, I really liked the shadows on this image but you can see the creases in the sheet are very visible. I tried to fix this in my next image by smoothing over the sheet and not focusing on that area.

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For my final images I wanted to create a series of low key pumpkin shoots. I tired out the techniques Alan showed us in the image above. To create these images I used a flash trigger which I attached to my camera and this was set up with the soft box so that when I took the image the soft box flashed creating the low key image. I really liked the way the light bends around the wine glass by using a small piece of black card behind the glass it creates a really beautiful effect.

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When editing this image I decided to crop the image in such a way that it fits in with the rule of thirds. I also sharpened the image and increased the colour saturation so that the colours really pop.

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I really love the way this image turned out, I feel it really matches my inspiration images. I also think that the image is very Dark and gloomy with a really nice pop of colour.

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When editing this image I also sharpened the image and increased the colour saturation. I also wanted the image to feel very cold and dark. I feel I really made this image pop just by editing a few simple things.

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When editing this image I decided to crop the image so that you can only see the black and not the whites from the background I also kept any editing very simple by increasing the sharpness and making the whites of the image much whiter.

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I was very happy with how this image turned out I feel as though this really shows my skills from the low key lighting shoot. I feel this image is very clean and looks very appealing to the eyes.

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This was my final shoot set up, as you can see I used the light box and the flash trigger, I also used a sheet of clear plastic and a dark piece of card to create the shiny but dark background appearance.

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This was my first of my final images I really loved this raw image as I feel this really shows the growth in my skills as this image is very impressive without any editing. I love the rule of 3's in this image as it makes each pumpkin really stand out. When editing this image I decided to keep it very simple and remove a few imperfections from the pumpkins and increase the colour saturation so that the orange really pops.

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As you can see when editing I increased the vibrancy as well as the saturation I also removed any imperfections on the pumpkin.

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When beginning my still life unit I was unsure on how to feel as it was something I was new too and something I had not done in the past. Throughout the unit I feel I really expanded my knowledge and skills with photoshop and with different features on my camera. I also used new lighting set ups and techniques I had never tried before. I specifically enjoyed the freedom to photograph whatever I wanted and the ability to try new things with the advice and assistance of Alan. I would love to do this project again and if I did the only thing I would change would be more variety in the items I choose. I would also like to try different colour patterns and lighting.

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This was my second image, I really liked the formation of the pumpkins in this image. I also really like the simplicity of the image and the way each pumpkin casts a different shadow. If I was to recreate this image I would ensure the pumpkin did not have any imperfections I would also use a slightly different angle to ensure each pumpkin has its own shadow.

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when editing I removed the imperfections from the pumpkin and I increased the saturation to make the colour really pop I also cropped the image so there was not as much dead space in the image. I finally sharpened the image so that you can see all the details in the pumpkin as if seen through the human eye.

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This was my mind map I created before starting my optional unit. My ideas may seem very conflicting but they all link up in some way. I really wanted to emphasise on the “old fashioned look” of different images but also including a modern twist to show the history and the future of women at work.

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Content/ Description:

The image is a portrait style photo created to be propaganda for the second world war. The content of the image is a woman displaying her strength encouraging women to join in. The colour of the image is blue, yellow and red this is very pleasing to the eye and draws you're eyes to different parts of the image.

Visual Analysis : Your eyes are first drawn to the eyes of the woman, she looks very encouraging and very serious. This gives the impression from the image that what she is saying is very important. You're eyes are lead around the image from the woman's face to her clothing and then up to the title of the image. The lines in the image are very harsh and sharp as shown in the outline of the women and the outline on the title.

Personal opinion :

My first reaction of the image was it feels very impactful, The image makes me feel like I want to do as she is saying and I want to follow with her. The mood of the photo is very serious It feels as though she is trying to send a message of everyone sticking together and being a team. I like the bright colours and the animation in the image. I also love the way my eyes are lead around the image in a circular motion. This gives a very rounded and well thought out feel to the image.

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personal opinion :

My first reaction was wow, I love the hand placement and the positioning of the hair.The mood of the photo was very dark but with Zendayas face quite bright. I really love the positioning and the darkness contrast of the outfit and the hair.

visual analysis:

My eyes are initially drawn to the hair in the image, it almost gives the effect of a halo. I really love the shapes in the image the circular motion of the hair and the straight lines from her fingers. The tone of the photo was very plane and very bland. This really makes the sparkles of the dress stand out.

process:

The direction of the light is straight forward, this gives a very direct look and highlights the face and collarbones on Zendaya. The depth of field is very short and the shutter speed is slow. There are lots of different textures in the image the textures of the hair is really impactful as it looks very unnatural. There is also lots of texture from the dress and from the skin in the image.

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This is my first image, I love the way you can see the emotion on her face. I also love the way her smile matches the word smile on her shirt. I chose to make this image black and white to match the style of Richard Avedon. He often has emotionless models or very moody models so i liked the fact i followed his style but put my own twist on his work.

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This is the first image I wanted to recreate. I really love the contrast in the image with the bright outfits along with the brightness of the flash but also with the darkness of the background. This images is very controversial given the time it was taken as welding was often seen as a man’s job. I wanted to recreate this with a modern twist to show the consistency of women defying the odds and making history.

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When editing my images, I wanted to make the image very sharp but also black and white. Because of the lighting this created a natural vignette whilst still sticking to Richards style of work.

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When editing this image I decided to change the clarity and the sharpness of the image i also used the black and white filter on the image to make the image dark but also very sharp. I much prefer the way this image was edited as the Vignette is not as prominent.

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I love the way this image turned out, i used the Clam Lighting style that Rankin often uses. I decided to do a very simple side profile shot of the model. I love the way the lighting illuminates the models face whilst blurring the rest of the dark background.

I also love the way that the lighting illuminates the models cheekbones and her jewellery this makes them the focal point of the image.

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When editing this image I wanted to increase the saturation ever so slightly as well as sharpening the image and reducing the noise on the image. I wanted the image to look dark and gloomy but also still fell quite colourful and sharp.

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When taking images like Rankin, we used a clam lighting set up. This creates a beautiful wrap of light around the subject. As this was something I had never done before I had some issues getting the angle and the lighting correct on my first few tries. To correct the issues I was having I made sure to take the images through the gap in the lights. I also made sure to have both lights set to the correct power. Finally I used my camera on a low ISO to create the darker and more Rankin style look.

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When editing this image I wanted to do it slightly different than my first image as I wanted to enhance the dark parts of the image such as the bracelet and the shirt. I also really wanted to dull the shine on the glasses so that you can see the eyes on the model much better.

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I love the way this image turned out. I love the shadowing of the image as well as the contrast between the black clothing and the white background. When taking this image I positioned the clam lighting closer together to create a larger shadow and I also took the image from a lower angle to make the shadow behind more prominent.

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Content/ Description:

The image is shot portrait this is very impactful as it shows a very controversial figure Kanye West being portrayed as a religious being, The image is shot in colour and has very muted tones for the background.

The image is called ‘The passion of the Christ’ this name further solidifies the meaning of Jesus and the thorn crown which was worn on the cross. This connotates ideas that Kanye West is often crucified for his racist remarks.

Form/visual :

My eyes are initially drawn to the yellow/red background of the image as well as the crown on his head. My eyes are lead around the frame initially in a circular motion following from the centre. The lines in the photograph are quite contrasting as the lines on the crown are going in lots of different direction but the outline of his body are going in a circular motion.

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Michael Jackson – ‘Archangel Michael

Personal opinion :

My initial reaction was shocked, I felt it was very impactful as it shows and angel standing on a devil which are two very contrasting things. The mood of the photo seems quite dark and gloomy but a small pop of colour. The message of the photo in my opinion is good overpowers evil. I really like the pop of colour from the devil as well as the shines of the jacket on Micheal. There are lots of different textures in the image shown on the rocks and the wings on the angel. There is also lots of texture in the snake and the sword.

Form / visual analysis

I first look at the wings on Micheal, I am also drawn to the devil and the position he is in. My eyes are lead around the image quite harshly as I first look at the middle then down to the bottom then all around the edges. The photograph is quite harsh with lots of different colours and textures all clashing together .

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Practical exercise created by Alan sill 

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Practical exercise created by Alan sill 

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NCFE Level 2 Photography

Week 9

Alan Sill7d

David LaChapelle - Ring Flash - Practical

Practical Exercises (25 minutes)

Split into groups of 3-4, rotating roles:

1. Bold Color Exercise (8 minutes)

Photograph subject against bright backdrop

Emphasize LaChapelle's saturated color aesthetic

Experiment with colored gels on ring flash

2. Catchlight Control (8 minutes)

Practice controlling the signature ring catchlight

Vary distance and angle for different effects

Focus on eye placement and reflection

3. Creative Portrait (9 minutes)

Combine techniques

Add props and styling elements

Create dramatic, magazine-style portraits

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When looking at David's work a lots of the time he uses contrasting colours which are often very overstimulated. I really enjoy the use of different colours and highlights and low lights. I also really enjoy the religious element in a lot of his images. This makes you see a lot of his images in a different light and makes you ask yourself questions about why he has chosen to do that. I particularly love the selection of images he created on Michael Jackson. Those images create a lot of questions as to why he choose to compose the images in that way with the use of the devil and the angel wings.