Hyde Park Picture Evaluation

In these images I used the composition technique of law of thirds so that what I believed was the most  interesting section of landscape came two thirds of the way up. I also composed it so that I took the image with the pathway towards the side of the frame and lead the viewers eye towards the city-scape horizon, the use of leading lines was effective and I found that it enabled me to include some foreground interest also. I did this image using HDR and took images at different exposures (for the above image), this gave added detail and allowed the shadier sections to have as much detail as the more light and more heavily exposed regions. The time of day (towards mid-afternoon) and the season of winter caused a cloudy casting overhead and gave an interesting texture to the sky. The blue toned clouds when increased in vibrancy in the edit allowed the image to have a surrealist feel and atmosphere as the unlikely natural shade of blue due to the lighting qualities of the day creates an unrealistic feel. Moreover the lighting in the similar pictures below gave of a clear canvas look and spread the lighting evenly. The direction of the light has dispersed amongst the clouds and caused it to have general array of light spread throughout the picture, as it wasn't taken in between the time period of the golden hours there isn't a dewy golden glow and rather a much more bluey haze to it, I vamped up the saturation to increase and exaggerate this feature in the picture above and only contrasted some of the ones below.  I used JPEG to transfer this image because using a RAW would be too much storage for the computer to withhold, I used Adobe Lightroom to accentuate the already visible elements of the image and sharpen up what was produced. I believe that the strengths of this image is the post production put into the image as it has been turned from a average shot to something quite interesting and diverse due to the editing done after. In order to improve I would like to find a more interesting area of Landscape for my shot. 

In this image I tried to create a law of thirds compostion also with the chairs towards the side of the page, as well as the bench toward the side also. The chairs create interesting foreground interest and contrast nicely to the naturalistic feel of the landscape. On the one above with the two deck chairs the horizon comes up two thirds of the way as I believe that the leaf covered floor created an interesting pattern across the ground. Moreover the leaves peering through the top of the frame create a subtle frame within a frame feel and appearance to the picture. However the bench image allows the trees  and city scape to take up the majority of the two thirds of the image as I found the juxtaposing structures created an stimulating frame. The framing in the third image is a blatant use of the frame within a frame composition technique as the trees sculpt the top of the page and border the top, giving it an soft curve and softening the framing. The lighting conditions of them are quite pale and less golden, the light given off is a bland grey and doesn't highlight or create diverse ranges of shadows. In the first image however the shadowing of the trees above me creates an interesting shading from dark to light on the floor. I used a tripod in order to frame the image successfully however I found the unstable floor tricky to adapt to. I adapted the white balance also to add better color warmth and correction. I shot in JPEG because a RAW file is too much to hold, storage space wise, even though a RAW file will create better image quality. I think the shot is effective and to improve possibly shooting at a different time to create a better golden quality to the lighting. 

Both of these images display a close up image and a less conventional arrangement of a traditional landscape image. The use of focus to the foreground image and the blur of the background don't show an effective use of depth of field, as it is shallow and has a smaller "f" number. I wanted to produce interesting foreground image and still keep the background as sharp. However this wasn't successful but still displays some of the landscape and so I thought to include it. Law of thirds was included as I displayed the risen horizon coming up two thirds of the way up. The foreground image of both are interesting because the detail is pin sharp and creates a nice gradient of detail into blur. The light of both due to the noon timing of the day creates a bland overtone to the image and doesn't suggest as much light and shade as I wished it did. Again, I shot in JPEG and warmed up the image by increasing the saturation in post-production. The strengths of this image is the detail and interesting angling of both images however it has a sense of not really landscape due to the blurriness of the backgrounds so to effectively produce a traditional one in the future.

In this image I wanted to create a "follow the yellow brick road" type shot. I like the font and placement of people and wildlife in the image giving of an interesting depth of field. The use of leading lines guides the viewer to continuously look on and follow the pathway into the horizon. The law of thirds showing the horizon coming one third of the way up allows the interesting shades of the clouds to take centre stage. The lighting is blue and hazy in the sky and blends nicely from a more saturated blue in the right hand corner into a paler grey in the left hand side of the sky. The direction of the light obviously coming from the left hand side. The shutter speed was fast so that the wind blowing the leaves and the movement of the pigeons and people aren't blurry but are captured sharply. I used JPEG and during post production I removed the bicycle sign below the "NO CYCLING" caption as I found it quite jarring and distracting. The strengths of this image I believe is the framing of the image as the pathway is central and at a nice angle, however I would like to shoot possibly without the deckchairs cluttering the side to create a more symmetrical shot. 

In this image I wanted to include several elements of the Hyde Park landscape;concrete pavement, wildlife, water, trees, shrubbery and sky. The use of the law of thirds creates an dynamic view of the park and includes a varied array of patterns in the brick work on the floor to the paneling on the bench and white/orange colour scheme on the life-saving ring. The foreground interest and background interest are both sharp and give a nice depth of field to the image. The shutter speed had to fast in order to capture the movement of the animals and the rivers lapping waves. The light coming from directly above creates a nice use of shadow to add depth through the puddle of darkness under the bench and as the light is coming from above due to the noon time of the image and so it doesn't create a possible yellow haze that the golden hours produce. I think the framing of the image is pleasant because of the inclusion of the wildlife dotted around conveniently and so the timing was correct on my part. However in post-production I had to tilt the image and re-crop it because the picture was taken at an awkward angle and so wasn't horizontal. The surrealist saturation of the colours creates a Utopian picture that displays a colourful array of several shades. 

In this image I tried to create a expansive landscape image, with the inclusion of the pattern of the coupled deckchairs it creates an dynamic and sequence like image. The soft and fluffy texture of the clouds against the sharp leaves create a nice dynamic and contrast. The law of thirds and frame within a frame, as well as the pattern give this image detail and interest. The morning/noon time of day displays some blue skies as well as a mix of grey and white clouds giving the sky depth, the use of post production exaggerates the blues and grey. The sunlight shining through patchily gives golden puddles of light onto the floor, this is emphasized in post-production through the use of the tool clarity to give the image more detail and allows the viewer to clearly see the the whole image and the nooks and crannies also. The saturation of the colours also separates all the greens as the different shades are accentuated, making it easier to separate and display them. I have used JPEG again. The weakness of this image is that there isn't a central point of focus or use of leading lines and so isn't as striking as I would want it to be. However the framing is correct for what I want to display and the foreground interest of the deck chairs and tree.

ISO

What ISO denotes is how sensitive the image sensor is to the amount of light present. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the image sensor and therefore the possibility to take pictures in low-light situations. 

And, where you would have needed to physically change to a different roll of film if you wanted a different ISO speed, digital technology allows you to simply dial one in. 

In this way, you can record images taken at different ISO speeds on the same memory card.

Suppose your digital camera's light meter warns you there is not enough light to correctly expose a scene. 

You could use the on-board flash, but let's suppose again it's not allowed (like in a concert or indoors recital).

You would then need to use a higher ISO. Set on "ISO Auto" mode, your digital camera will automatically select a higher ISO. 

Otherwise, you can manually select the next higher ISO and see if the increased sensitivity allows you to obtain a correctly exposed picture. If it does, you can now take a correctly exposed picture. 

Crystal Palace Park Excursion

Before and After: Lightroom 

Landscape Photography: Hyde Park

I plan to go to Hyde Park in order to explore the interesting scenery and versatile gardens amongst it. As well as the Thames running through it, creating a nice array of wildlife and interesting horizons.  

Hyde Park has an extensive range of trees and shrubbery as well as the back drop of London city to add to the structures within the

image. 

HDR

HDR-High Dynamic Range

We took 3 images of the same frame, changing the level of aperture from normal to dark and light, we had to use a tripod because these frames won't appear effective if they aren't precise. Then we used Photoshop to merge the images and we used the dials to change the saturation, vibrancy and sharpness in order for it to appear much sharper and more interesting. 

 HDR Effect

We then explored the HDR effect on Photoshop and explored using the HDR effect, so that we created the look of HDR without the real process of taking multiple images. 
I changed the vibrancy, highlights and saturation on this also so that the areas in which were dark and shady were more visible and detailed, for example the dark trees.  

Shutter Speed & Aperture

Shutter Speed

The "shutter speed" is the rate of the shutter opening and closing which determines how long shutter remains open as the picture is taken. The slower the shutter speed the longer the exposure time. In this image everything is in focus as the shutter speed is quick, allowing the image to be in focus, and capture the movement and freeze the motion in time. This technique of having a faster shutter speed id used in sports photography to capture the movement and allow it to all be pin sharp and in focus.

In this picture however the exposure time is longer as the shutter speed is slower, this means that the moving elements of the image are blurred (hands)yet there's still elements that are in focus (wall), in order to have both focussed and blurry elements you need a tripod to create this effect, because you need to remain as  still as possible. 

Aperture

This image displays shallow depth of field but larger aperture, but the larger the aperture the smaller the "f/4" number. The foreground bottle and the boy is in focus however the background building is blurred and out of focus, making the focal point the bottle and the boy. This is often used in portrait and fashion photography, this is because it will focus the clothes or the model and make that the focal point rather than the background. 

This image displays a large depth of field but a smaller aperture and therefore a bigger "f" number is being used. This means that every aspect of this image is in focus (f/22), and it is often used in landscape photography so that you can focus on every single part of the image, rather than having a specific focal point. 

This is a diagram displaying aperture and the f numbers used. 

Waite & Wolfe

Art Wolfe

Art Wolfe was born 1951 and is an American photographer and conservationist, best known for colour images of nature, landscapes and cultures. His photography documents and extracts elements from every continent and in several locations, and have been distinguished by environmental advocacy groups for their "stunning" visual impact.

In this photograph produced by Art Wolfe, he uses foreground interest as he displays the iceberg towards the front, and the sea in the middle, moreover having another iceberg in the background, exhibits the distance. Using foreground interest really exposes the depth of the landscape and displays interest going on eternally rather than just in the distance or in the foreground.  Art Wolfe has also taken this so that it has a frame within a frame as the iceberg bridges across the top of the picture and round the sides shifting the eye to be intrinsically attracted to what is going on inside the frame and in the background. The use of blue hues really gives a chilly feel to the image and display the numerous shades found in an icy area. Using the Rule of Thirds also so that it is more satisfactory to the eye as the sea level/horizon stops a third of the way up the image, moreover the iceberg isn’t directly in the middle but slightly towards the left hand side, eliminating a regimented feel and giving the viewer the idea of them moving swiftly past this iceberg, making it an especially creative shot.

In this image Art Wolfe has eliminated the Rule of Thirds and has used symmetry to create an interesting landscape image. His use of time, as it seems to be sunset/rise time the sun is shining an orange glow which is melting in to the dark sky, this makes the mountains have interesting jagged shadows with light shining on the most prominent regions, and this wouldn’t have been able to be achieved unless he chose this time period which its shines lightly. Otherwise it would’ve been too much exposure and the photograph would be average and bright, with less saturated colours. Wolfe has also used leading lines to draw the attention to the side, this displays a combination of the rule of thirds and leading lines so that the viewer is drawn to the side which is generally more appealing to the human brain.

Wolfe in this image has selected an interesting time period as it is dark, however the northern lights sky has illuminated the picture and introduced an interesting splash of lime green in the corner. He has also involved the use of foreground as the rocks are closer to the front and you are able to see the detail, texture and pattern. This creates an intensely interesting shot as the sky seems smooth in the background and the rocks seem bumpier, creating a greater idea of depth.  Moreover he has used the rule of thirds as well, as the horizon comes from the bottom upwards to the bottom third of the page.

Charlie Waite

Charlie Waite was born 1949 is an English landscape photographer, noted for his "painterly" approach in using light and shade. Charlie was Born in England, he worked in theatre and television for the first ten years of his professional life before moving to photography. 

In this image Waite has used leading lines subtly as the floor paint leads the eye across the water and towards the village in the background. The sun setting gives off an unusual blue glow, moreover showing symmetry with the sky and sea. The use of focus shows that even the clouds in the far back are detailed and as exact as the concrete floor towards the front of the image. The rule of thirds is displayed also as his horizon comes up to two thirds of the way up the frame.

I really like this interesting landscape photograph as it uses pattern of the trees and although the lines lead upward your eye still follows all the trees side by side. The horizon still comes only one third of the way up and there is a very interesting array of pattern and texture throughout. For example the use of clouds as a pattern, the cracks in the trees moreover the branches pointing upward as a pattern too. It appears as a photograph to looks slightly like an optical illusion, to see where the root ends, which is only exposed by the water line at the base near the roots.

 The use of different types of weather as fog creates a nice dispersion of light into different strips. It casts an amazing shadow on the trees and leaves it with silhouette, also the leading lines across the page slice up the frame and although the most obvious lines the streams of light are the most prominent for the eyes as it leads you towards the lone tree in the bottom right corner. Although there aren't any obvious colours the beige seems to have several hues and there is a sneaky glimpse of a light blue undertone that has been caught at the right moment by the camera.