(7/5/15) Still Life - Shooting in the studio

Today I went to Uni with the intention to shoot 3 of my mini - assignments, Product, Food and Nature Morte. I shared the  studio time with Cara and Oneka, we all chipped in and helped each other with ideas, setting up and just general things within the studio like helping place various objects for shots and checking the images for being in focus as we focussed manually and also making sure we were keeping safe, i.e wires were made aware of. I got in for about 10.30 and stayed till 9 at night. Oneka and Cara shot most of their images first and I got one or two done in between, as I was booked in after. We put all our names in to book the studio together so we could all work within the studio together and have about 6 hours all together, which works best as we don't get disturbed, can keep our set up and luckily no one was booked in after so I was able to stay till late, meaning I didn't mind at all letting them get on with their ideas and shoot, though they still let me shoot in between here and there, a team effort! One of the biggest things I like about this course is the people, my peers, helping each other get the work done, people don't mind because they know if they need the help it's there, the help gets returned. At dinner time I popped out to get the salad for my food shop and also got flowers for mine and Oneka's Vanitas/Nature Morte as we had decided to do a photo together, as we were both actually in the original group we got given and both had missed the group's final shot, though I was there the first day, we didn't end up shooting anything as not all the group was there and therefore didn't have all of what we needed, so we brainstormed some other ideas, Jodie, Grant and I. I bought both white and red roses though in the end only used 1 white rose throughout various photos and vanitas. The shoot went quite well and I am happy with the outcome and glad I stayed till 9 as it allowed me to have a few hours working on my own and so I think I did quite well, I did a few shots using a perfume bottle(s) and a single flower, which can be used for product potentially as well as the cans and chocolate bar. Overall it was a very productive day with 3 assignments shot, Vanitas, Product and Food. I've already done Documentary and I'm now left with Montage. Below are a few of photos just to show the set up today, fairly simple but effective. 

Still Life - Documentary/ Practice, Ideas shoot

Unedited/ Untouched photos.

These photos are from the same shoot, (the previous two posts). I like the look of these photos quite a lot and I am pleased with how they turned out. The lighting, in my opinion, was good and I like the shadows created. I like the look of the first image's angle however the paper edge which is visible would need to be fixed, with a simple resolution, possibly a longer piece of paper where the end isn't visible and that would then take out the background currently used and the longer paper would become the background. The second photo is where it starts with the overhead shots, more like Irving Penn's photographs of Cigarettes, which is the inspiration for this style of shot. The third and fourth shot are in the same style. Like previously mentioned, I like the lighting on all photos except the first one as the shadow, I personally don't think quite works, mainly because of the angle of the shot however regardless of the shadow I do like the angle though. The third and fourth shots are my favourite out of these four and out of the third and fourth I'd have to say the fourth photo was my favourite because of the variation in the ash lying about within the shot, I think it makes the difference and I think it works well for the shot. I like the positioning of the cigarettes as well, though not too dissimilar to the previous shots, in this image they're not quite as straight and lined up as equally. The top and bottom needs to be cropped otherwise I think it is a good overall image.

Still Life - Documentary/ Practice, Ideas shoot

Unedited/ unaltered photos.

Within the same shoot I shot the same style as before (previous post) the only difference was the ashtrays. Like mentioned in the previous post, this is the white, Union Jack ashtray. I did the same shots, same lighting and setup. I used more cigarettes in the majority of the photos in this ashtray, the least I used was 4 cigarettes in the 3rd photo down. I think the last photo, out of the white ashtray is the best as it is central, unable to see the edges, fairly symmetrical and has good lighting on it. There is a part of it at the top of the ashtray where it is slightly darker however I don't mind that as the shadow would be naturally there as it is natural light. 

Still Life - Documentary/ Practice, Ideas shoot

For the documentary I had decided to document cigarettes and more specifically what they look like after my mother has smoked them and left them in the ashtray. I have took some images of the cigarettes in and out of the ashtray for my first practice, ideas shoot, the ones out of the ashtray I lined them up on a white background and base. I was inspired by some shots taken by Irving Penn and so did the same sort of idea with the cigarettes I had. The shots are below, untouched/unedited.
The first two show the set up. It was very simple, I placed the ashtrays and cigarettes on top of an an envelope and I used my window ledge as a base to put these on as I used the natural light for these photos. 

The next set of photos show what I did next, how I set the cigarettes up and lit them. I kept them in the glass ashtray first trying out different angles and amounts of cigarettes and ash within the ashtray. After I looked at the images a second time I noticed the photos, though it was a test/ ideas shoot, the photos could have been a little better on the sides where you are able to see the edges of the paper. On the second photo however I would be able to crop that and solve the issue without it looking too cropped I don't think as it will even up with the other side. I liked the glass ashtray as the light hitting of the glass looked good with the shine, compared with the white/Union Jack ashtray. I also like the fact that the ashtray is glass as it's therefore see through, allowing the light to pass through, lighting the contents. 

Pro Studies - New Blog

I have created a new blog to display my best work/photos. I also may however show some photos that are tests, in the making and trial and errors. The blog will be mostly focussed on my photos though may have some text in as well to explain the images. 
http://nicolalcallaghan.blogspot.co.uk/

Pro Studies(13/3/15) -

The last lesson before my tutorial and before the break for the Easter Holidays. We went over everything needed for the report and a few extra things. The title of the report is the title of the brief 'Working within the Photographic Industry'. I need to blog, have a digital archive of my photos (best work) and have a CV as well as write the report. Other things we went over have been mentioned in previous blog posts, just things need to write the report and actually how to write the report and what to put in appendices etc and about the summary etc. The blog to include a mixture of taught sessions, research, ideas, artists, industry and evidence to support my knowledge of the appropriate creative industry. To upload the report and CV as a PDF when submitting so nothing can be altered and changed.
In the lesson we also got told about Alamy, which has a plentiful stock of photos if you are looking to purchase one/ some. It sells the rights of images so you can use it for a certain number of time. Photographers can sell their images on their for people to use for the company or brand etc.  
http://www.alamy.com/
Another website where you can buy the rights to an image is Stockimo (part of Alamy), which has images taken on Iphones. https://www.stockimo.com/
Another, separate website to buy photos is Millennium Images http://www.milim.com/

Pro Studies(28/11/14) - Pricing and Costing

Another lesson for professional studies was on pricing and costing our work. We learned that the value of our work is influenced by a number of various factors:
Quality & Distinctiveness
Reputation & Experience
Geographic Location
Competition from others and lastly price. 
Is the price I'm selling at profitable from the cost of my work.
OVERHEADS - Costs general to the business
DIRECT COSTS - Specific to a piece of work
We were told of websites to look at regarding this, they are:
https://www.nuj.org.uk/site-search/?keywords=freelance+fees+guide

https://www.a-n.co.uk/explore/news/for/the+artist+fees+toolkit

For the selling and cost - Work out how much it costs to print the image then times that by 4, rough guide. Think who you're selling it to. 

Pro Studies (7/11/14) - Report Writing

One of the lessons we had for our professional studies was on report writing. In the lesson we were given a run down of the does and don'ts in report writing. From my notes I learned that: a report is not as in depth as an essay, it is mainly stating facts, it is best to use short paragraphs, short sentences. Also to use short facts, e.g could use bullet points whenever necessary and as many times as you wish. Some basics were also mentioned, things that I already knew but they are good to hear again. Things like a summery is the main point of the conclusion, sums up everything you have talked about in a small paragraph or two. It is outlining what the report is about. For the report we use the same referencing style as an essay. We got told what to use for Primary research (Questionnaires, interviews, surveys, museum visits etc) and Secondary research (Books, journals, internet) and that we can only use 10% internet, just like our essays. We got told to consider what information we will need and want for our report, need to think of a list of specific, to the point questions and link the facts logically.  Write the report in third person. The intro slightly differs from the summary, though the summary is at the top of the report and not nearly last at the bottom. Recommendations are how the matter could be resolved and to list them by priority, so the most important at the top of the list. We also got told what appendices are and what to place in this section of the report. This can include visits, leaflets, emails both sent and received, questionnaires and anything else to add to the report which we may not have included before. For actual writing aspect we were told to keep it short and to the point, and to try not repeat what we've already said too much. Presentation wise we were also told to bullet point lists, don't have to write sentences, just to bullet point the facts. Space out lines (1.5 line space) and to keep it the same so it flows and looks right. It's best to check over and proof read the report. Paragraphs to be used for intro, conclusion and main body. Write the date you looked at the website for referencing if you used the internet. 

Pro Studies Entered a Competition

For part of my report I have to enter a competition and write about it with a part of the photography industry. The competition I chose was by the AOP (Association Of Photographers). It was a student award/ competition which I entered and within the four briefs given I chose to enter a one about animals charity in which you have to enter a photo that can be used online to advertise what the(se) charity(charities) do for the animals. The four pictures I decided to enter are:

Pro Studies (26/9/2015) - What do artists do all day?

For one of the lessons in Professional Studies we watched a BBC Four programme called 'What Do Artists Do All Day?'. The artist on the particular episode we watched was named Cornelia Parker. She is English, has an OBE, she was nominated for a turner prize and is a installation and sculptor artist. Whilst we were watching the programme we were asked to write down some notes about her professionalism. One of the things I noticed while watching, and what I jotted down was, what she does as part of her art is to hook ordinary things together and turns it in to art. One of the things she said was, for her art, she collects material that is deteriorating and which looks unusual. Cornelia also mentioned that it shouldn't feel like you're forced to do it and she doesn't necessarily always know what she is doing but has an inkling and goes with it. She has a vision of how she wants to show and communicate her art and is very self motivated.  

Pro Studies - Entering a Competition

After some of the competitions that have past there is still one on the AOPs (Association of Photographers) that I can enter. The AOP Student Awards 2015, there are 4 categories to choose from. These are 1) Social Media - Animal Conservation. 2) Product shot - Sense 3) Brand Image - Charity 4) Sunday Supplement Cover. I will go in to these in more detail later on. I am unsure which one to choose as of yet. 

Pro Studies - Competitions

As part of my report just under half of it is around me entering a competition. There has been portrait competitions and many others to choose from, I will inform you more when I have done further research and hopefully will have come to a conclusion on which one I will be entering. 

Pro Studies - Archive of my photos

As well as the report I have to select some of my best work and present them on, (I've chosen blogger). I will be looking through and going over the photos that I have taken and choosing the ones that I think are my best and show of my abilities best. I'll pick ones that overall and together combined show a range of photography from portraits in the studio using a 5D Mark 2 to street photography using a 35mml film camera and using my own camera taking my own photos in my free time. I'm not quite sure how many I will select yet as this choice is left up to us however I will try not to choose too many as this will also affect my mark as I will be judged on the choice I make of how many to show as it will determine my editing skills, (do the photos work together as a group, are there too many or not quite enough).

Pro Studies - C.V

For one of the parts of my hand in for pro studies I have to write a skill based CV. I already had a CV so I planned on altering it to fit in with more of the photography based skills and updating it more. This will be just like a normal C.V but will take out the unnecessary information that isn't relevant to photography. Things like my old GCSE results and past work that isn't photography related.  

Pro Sudies - Assignment

For this years assignment we were given a 2500 word report to write however this time it was split in to a 1500 word report on a part of the photographic industry and 1000 words on writing about entering a photographic competition. For the chosen topic I decided to stick with landscape photography. I originally planned to write further in detail about landscape photography, e.g what cameras actual landscape photographers use and other equipment also, where they go to take the photos and what prices they'd sell etc. After having my tutorial it was agreed that I would ask a few landscape photographers some questions regarding being mainly a landscape photographer and what that entails, e.g prices of photographs, how they got in to photography and specifically landscapes. Along with the report we have to  also hand in a skill based C.V, (photography based) as well as a collection of my best photographs presented, I chose to show them on blogger and lastly blog posts for Professional Studies.      

Still Life - Food Idea(s)

At first I was unsure of what to shoot. I thought maybe soup as I thought it seemed quite simple but could look effective however I then thought of choosing salad instead as this would be easier to shoot in the studio (no possible spillage, plus as requested by the brief to use the studio). The food choices we had to choose from were salad, sushi, soup, ravioli or some form of pasta(cooked or not) and limeade. Out of the choices and because of having to shoot in the studio I thought using salad would be best. Once that was settled I then went on to do a bit of research and looked at other photographers photographs of salad (food) to try and get some ideas and inspiration as I have never shot food before so wasn't coming up with too many ideas of how to shoot it that I was happy about. As the maximum lights I'm able to use is 2 flash heads (because of the brief) I think I will use 1 for lighting up the background and 1 focussed on the salad but not too close.

Still Life - Product (Practice shoot)

For the 'Product' idea I just shot a Tango can I had to get some ideas going of what I could shoot for it, and also things like; angle, style and final. As shooting from home I kept it quite basic and simple, which I think I would have done anyway, i.e simple and plain background and also base. I shot from various angles to see which I preferred when it comes to shooting the final for the 'Product' Mini Assignment. For the lighting I just used one light from above which was the ceiling light.
After shooting the first three images I decided to turn the can around so you are able to actually see the label of the brand. I didn't at first as I just concentrated and focussed on trying out different angles. 

Still Life - 1st two Mini Assignments (Food & Product)

For the first mini-assignment we got asked to take pictures of Food and then the second mini-assignment was Product photography. Both of these were around two week projects and we had to pick a minimum of one final picture of each and print it out. I missed theses first two and haven't quite decided what to shoot for food photography but will be going more in depth of it soon. I did think of a breakfast but this is fairly popular and has been done before so I may just use this as a practice. For Product photography I have thought of shooting a Lucozade bottle and have done little test shots with a Tango can just as practice and demonstration. I will Shoot both properly and then decide a final image however I may, as well as shooting these, think of something else I could do and choose this instead.  

Still Life - Idea (Documentary)

In the first lesson, for the first time, I thought of an idea of what I could shoot for this semi - assignment within the main overall project brief. The idea of cigarettes popped in my head for some reason, I don't smoke but know plenty of people who do and one of whom is my mam, therefore I would be able to do this idea fairly easily. I thought of doing this for 'Documentary Photography' as it will be documenting my mother's cigarettes as she smokes. She has quite a few times but has smoked since I can remember really. As we began research on the general topic (documentary) or your own idea if you had one, during lesson two people each told me of artists who had photographed cigarettes to some degree, both of whom I had heard of. One was Irving Penn who I found out about during the beginning of first year and the second was Rankin, who I had previously found before Uni.  

Still Life - 26/2/15 (Documentary) 1st Lesson Introduction & Ideas generation.

For the first lesson we got introduced to some photographers who have shot 'Documentary Still Life'. A few examples are Raphael Dallaporta, Stephen Gill and Narelle Autio which we had discussions about their work and what people thought of them and comparing the works together as well. After we had a look at a selection of photographers, which was supposed to give us some insight to the genre and possibly give us some ideas and/or starter points we then were asked to go and do some research on the topic and find some more inspiration to try and find an idea to progress with. If we already had an idea then look into this further and try to expand your thoughts on it. 

Still Life - New Project

My last project for 2nd year is twice as long (around 14 weeks) and is a combination of both Commercial and Fine Art style work. We have to do both types of photography and through this, as it helps us pick for our final year by giving us a slight insight to both styles, we gain experience in the two genres. The first to look at is Food, second Product, thirdly Documentary, fourthly Nature Morte/ Vanitas and lastly Digital Montage. After we have the five mini series we then write our own Individual Learning Agreement (ILA) which is me writing my brief based on what I have chosen to produce for my final outcome of the overall brief set for us. After each of the mini assignments I have to choose at least one image sized A3 or 12'' x16'' for a total of at least 5 prints then from that a minimum of two final prints  sized A3 or 12'' x 16'' for my ILA.  Each assignment is a two week mini course split in to seminars/ lectures, shooting, research, technical demonstratins and group critiques. 

Portrait - Jon Brock

Here again I found earlier another photographer who uses large format, but not just for portraits, also for landscape as well. The link to his work is below;
http://www.jonbrockphotography.com/info.html

Portrait - Mark Cator

An artist I found who uses large format cameras for portraits and has some great work; the link is below.
http://www.markcator.co.uk/gallery/collections/the-polaroid-portraits/

Portrait - Ben Anderson

Another artist I found who uses large format has written some useful advice for people who aren't as familiar with using them, it goes in to great detail. This can be very useful to beginners, the link is below;
http://benneh.net/techshit/tips-on-large-format-photography-what-they-dont-tell-you/

Portrait - 22/1/15 Black and White Printing 2nd time

The second time printing, I spent the rest of the day in the dark room up until 7. I had already done my exhibition piece (20x24), which was the old man with his eyes closed and also I used him for one of my three littler prints (9.5x12). I began focussing on printing an image of Ben, (one of my classmates) who I spotted outside and asked if I could take his photograph. I really liked this image as it had worked pretty well, the only problem I had noticed, though I had seen the issue while taking the photograph, was the background, (the church) was wonky. The tones in the photo came out well and is one of the reasons I prefer it out of the other two black and white photos I took. The other reason I prefer it is, ignoring the wonky background, because out of the other two the person is in complete focus and the eyes are open. In regards to the others, the man has his eyes closed because it blinked and the girl is blurry because she moved slightly when I took the photo. However both of these I could have prevented and I can learn from this. I am really happy with how the photo of Ben came out and because of this I therefore chose to print it out onto the 20x24 sized paper as well. As I hadn't much choice with what photos I had I made do with what I was available. Although the photo of the girl is blurry for some reason I still quite like the shot. Due to this I chose it as my final 9.5x12 print. Printing both the Ben photo and the girl was fairly easy, there wasn't any major problems. I did test strips, worked out the timings and printed my final images. I worked on the same deveer as previously (the 1st one straight to the right as soon as you walk in) so I new how to work with it and the settings roughly that I had used before. I enjoyed printing my own photos again as I like to watch them come through in the developer solution and working to get the print as best as you can. There is also a sense of accomplishment and achievement because I have done it myself. 

Portraiture Large format camera

For this project I had to use the 5x4 large format camera again. I had last used it for the Landscape project. Within this particular project (Portraits) I used the field camera for taking my black and white photos outside which I would also then print myself. Once you get used to using this camera, like any other camera by practice, it becomes easier to use and not daunting. I enjoyed using this camera because I liked the square photo shape because of using the 5x4.
Below is a link dedicated to the large format camera;
http://www.lf-photo.org.uk/participants.htm

Portrait - Ideas generation B+W photos

For my black and white shots, at the first shoot, I had decided to take my photos outside of the church (now an art gallery and information centre). I picked outside the main entrance as I liked the symmetry of, not just the doorway and building itself, but outside as well. I decided  to take all my photos outside there in the same spot as, like I mentioned about the symmetry but also then because of this all of my photos will have the same background but with different focuses on them and will look more like a body of work, joined together because of the same background. I was just going to take pictures where ever we (the people I'd shoot with) set up as it would be a little different in each photograph and would have various people in the shots due to the area in which we chose and this would be reflected in the background of the photo. Once I started to shoot however I decided to use the front entrance of the church and this is what I stuck too. 

Portrait - 20 x 24 Image(s)

These are the two images I decided to print as my big exhibition pieces, sized 20x24 paper with borders on both. I used these images for my smaller 9.5x12 also. 

                          (excuse shine on top image, it's in a sleeve) 

Portrait - Black & White Film - Depth of Field

For my 3 small black and white photos I had to use three different depths of field, where one was completely in focus (person and background), the next the foreground was in focus but the background was somewhat blurry, not quite clear enough to see detail or what it was but that there was a visible enough background (person in focus, background a bit blurry) and lastly this photo the person was in focus but the background was completely blurred.
For the 1st photo I took, where everything was in focus, I set the F-stop to f/22 (thought the man is slightly out as he moved). Notice the background is in focus and clearly visible as to what it is.

The second photo I took, where the background isn't so clear, I set it to f/11.

The last photo I took I set it to f/5.6, which is supposed to completely blur out the background and only keeps the person in focus.

Here is some literature from Cambridge in Colour, the link is below;
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/depth-of-field.htm
Here is another link for some advice and a read up on depth of field from Digital Camera World;
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2013/07/17/what-is-depth-of-field-how-aperture-focal-length-and-focus-control-whats-sharp/

Portrait - 22/1/15 3rd shoot (Black and White)

As most of my photos hadn't worked out due to various reasons, i.e, not quite in focus (because people have moved or I haven't focussed it properly), the exposure isn't quite right and even one case were the image, I think, might have worked but it got dropped in the 'stop' tank before being put in the developer, so it became ruined. I had two films ready in the negative holder, so I took out a 5x4 field camera, light meter reader, loop to check focus, a cloth to help block out the light whilst focussing and a tripod. 
I set up the camera in the same spot as my first shoot, which was outside the Art Gallery, that is a converted former church. I placed it in front of the entrance as I wanted it to match my other image I took and to try and get it fairly symmetrical also. A friend from Uni helped me with the shoot, reminded me how to set up and use the light reader. I wanted it to work as the other shots, in my opinion, especially in the first shoot, should have worked a lot better than they had because everything was done right that I recall and I had someone there as well to help me and we matched up the light meter reading with the camera, set that up correct however something can't have been right or worked as not all the photos worked. The same happened with the second shoot as one of those images was dropped in the stop tank so I don't seem to have too much luck. This third time I did everything correct, with help, and the first photo seems to have worked pretty well which I am pleased with but on the other hand unfortunately my second image I wasn't so lucky. Through an amateur mistake in the rush of it all and just basically happy that the gentleman we asked was happy enough for me to take the photo I forgot to close the lens before pulling out the slide to take the photo. This resulted in an image were there is a visible mark across the bottom and I think it may have been salvageable though through putting the dark slide back over the film to cover it and protect it from being exposed to the light, so I could close the lens I knocked the camera slightly, as it was a little loose, which made the top of the image blurry and unusable. I am disappointed with this as I think the photo would have been a good one to print, and the man even confessed he used to develop photos himself and has always been interested with photography. 

Portrait - 4/12/14 1st Group Critique - 20 x 24 photo

After I printed for the first time, the same day, we did our group critique for our 20 x 24 photos. We all sat around the table and went through a few people's photographs in general, just as everyone got to see each others' work for the first time all together. After the initial start we began by pairing up and writing a little about each others photos. We then proceeded to go around and talk about each one individually around the classroom, were the teachers would prompt us as they may, for example, mention something about the image then people would speak up on what they thought about it. There all were really good photos and everyone enjoyed each others photos, which I think helped boost people's confidence over it as some weren't too sure over their photos. A few of the group had taken the shot in front of a brick wall, making quite a lot of them with a very similar, if not the same background and this was pointed out by one of our lecturers. I do like the brick wall as a background and it is quite a popular choice for photographers, especially I'd say for fashion shots as well as using studios. It can create a great background and even contrast. The contrast being the models wearing these high fashion, expensive items of clothing at the backdrop of a simple but effective red brick wall. There is also something about it, it adds a form of grittiness and grunge/dirt look to the photo, it makes the contrast more dramatic. Over all it was actually quite fun as we even made a few stories up about some images. We looked at the images and said what we thought the person, or people, either did as a living, what they would do in their lives, their past or where they have just been or are going to. We tried to guess the information by simply just looking at the photo and trying to work out what the information could be from these photos. How have they been photographed, why? What do they portray across the image? How has the photographer decided to shoot the person/people?  

Portrait - 2nd time shooting.

For the second time shooting, I went with Donna and we just stayed inside and shot in the main entrance area, reception part of the building, as the weather was't that great outside. We set up facing a wall, that at that time had drawings on the walls as Illustration had displayed there work by actually using the walls as their canvas. I chose to have this as it was't just a plain wall and was something different to use as a background. I took two shots of the same person as I stood him under a light that was coming from the ceiling, therefore the light was directed straight down on him, which wasn't quite enough however I thought I would try this, as thought it wasn't quite enough light although looks okay on the negative, when I developed the film and could see this. Nonetheless at the time I was unaware but just incase took another shot this time using the hand held flash. This seemed to be slightly too bright and overall I wasn't too happy with the outcome of either of these two shots, most likely because it was inside and didm't match up to the ones I had taken outside of the church. I did take a third photo though this was damages/destroyed as it was dropped in the stop tank whilst developing (not by me) and therefore could not be used. 

Portrait - Technical Theory, camera used, method and technique.

One of the Cameras I am using for this project is a 5x4 field camera. I am using this for my black and white portrait shots of strangers, as my brief asks. Along with this equipment I am using a light meter reader to see what setting is best for the ISO and camera shutter speed. To help you see through the lens, especially on a bright day, there is a black cloth to put over your head and camera to block out the light allowing you to seed clearly, as he last picture demonstrates. Before I take the image I manually focus, set the ISO, the camera shutter speed and close the lens once I am ready to shoot. I then proceed to open the back section and place my dark slide in, which contains my film. After I am happy with everything and I have checked my settings I then proceed to remove a thin part that covers over the film. I then pull back the silver mechanism, which you can see on this first picture (just to the left of the square) the after having done this first I click back another smaller, silver mechanism to actually take the photo.  
  
      
The two images above don't belong to me and are found on the link below;
http://kenichiosuga.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/toyo-field-45aii.html
Another front view of the camera when it is pulled forward.

The image doesn't belong to me and can be found on the link below;
https://www.edwardmoss.co.uk/news/entry/5x4_toyo_film_camera/
                  

Portrait - 1st time printing for this project

I went back into the dark room for the first time since the last project which was Landscapes where we used a 5 x 4 camera with black and white film, which we are also using in this project too. I got all my equipment and started to print on the enlarger known as a deveer, as this is the one I needed to use due to having 5 x 4 film. The other smaller enlargers wouldn't have allowed me to print 20 x 24 either. I had a few little hiccups at first but that was mainly, if not entirely, because of memory. I just had to get back into the swing of things. I only had one decent photo to use/ work with really, which was the old man outside the church with his eyes closed. I was able to do a contact sheet of this and another photo I took of a girl, in front of the church, in the same spot. Of the older man image I was able to print a 9.5 x 12 photo as well as the 20 x 24 print out that we have to do. Both turned out pretty well and I am pleased with them as I think both look good and that I have managed to get the timing right on the enlarger. I had to try a few times to get the right amount of seconds for the gentleman in front of the church shot as it was either too light to begin with then ended up slightly too dark. I used the contact bored first and did those then printed my 9.5 x 12 and printed the 20 x24 last as I waited for the bigger bored to be able to do so with the larger paper. These images below are the test strips I did.

                            

                           

Portrait - 27/11/14 First shoot 5x4 Black and white film (& two contacts done)

Today I went out and shot 3 images first. I chose to go in front of the church, which is now converted to an art gallery and information centre, that is right outside of our main building. I decided to shoot towards the front of the entrance facing the doors as I liked the look of the detail in the architecture but also so it was symmetrical on either side of where I asked the people to stand after already setting up the camera to the settings that I needed, with help, and checking the focus on one of my classmates that I went out to shoot with, then double checking when the person I asked stood in the spot. After taking the photos I went to develop the negatives in the processing room. The developer was 19 degrees which me and Donna put the film in for 13 minutes, which Grant did just previously, then stop for 30 seconds and fixer for 5 minutes. We do all this in pitch black darkness. First before even taking any pictures on the film you have to load it in the neg holders in the dark to be able to use in the camera then, again, in pitch black you have to take them out and put them onto metal holders to then place those in a metal rack and use this in the 3 chemical tanks to develop, stop and fix your image on to the film. Only after this are you able to open the sealed light tight door and see if your photos have worked. Once you have developed your photos you then proceed to wash them for around five minutes and then place them to dry.
These 2 negatives (and their contact sheets below) from the first shoot are the ones that worked best and the third didn't come out at all, I think it must have been exposed to light at some point.

Portrait - David Bailey

David Bailey is another fashion and portrait photographer, like Rankin and also a very well known English photographer who has created iconic photographs over the years which many people are familiar with. Such as his famous photo of Jean Shrimpton, which he photographed many times. He is known for his black and white portraits of celebrities. The majority of his works are close ups of the subject with very few too far below and past the shoulders. Like mentioned, he is well known for black and white photos however he does shoot in colour also, where I think there is good reason too and sometimes within his black and white photographs he will introduce the slightest of colour sometimes, for example by using a red lipstick.
The first image is of Jean Shrimpton and one of his most well known and famous photographs. Also out of his black and white photographs is his other most famous photographs which one are of the Beatles, particularly a certain image of Paul Mccartney and  John Lennon, another is of Mick Jagger and is a great example of his style of cropping of a photograph. Michael Caine, which is, again another quite specific image because of the rule of thirds, this image as well he shot again in the sense of he shot Jude Law in nyon the same pose and style. Another good example of his use of rule of thirds and cropping is the portrait of Andy Warhol.
The following photos are all perfect examples of Bailey's cropping style. Apart from the first one they all crop near enough the same, half cut of heads for example. These are all great examples of his earlier work in the 60s. The top image, of Jean Shrimpton, is slightly different to the others, his crop is still tight though in this image as you can notice her hands and elbows are just in the crop, they will have been his border line. 

The image of Jean Shrimpton belongs to David Bailey and is found on the link below;

        http://uk.phaidon.com/agenda/photography/picture-galleries/2010/april/13/david-bailey-look/

The image above belongs to Bailey and can be found on the link below;

                         http://worldinphoto.net/magazine/david-baileys-stardust/

The image above belongs to Bailey and can be found on the link below;
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/photography/8418600/David-Bailey-in-conversation-with-Andrew-Graham-Dixon.html

 The image above belongs to Bailey and can be found on the link below;
http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portraitLarge/mw58428/Michael-Caine

 The image above belongs to Bailey and can be found on the link below;
http://f-stop-photography.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/identity-david-bailey.html

The image above belongs to Bailey and can be found on the link below;
http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portraitLarge/mw58428/Michael-Caine