Professional Studies - Gathering info

Here is an example of how I gathered some information for my report. I simply asked anyone to comment on the camera and/or equipment they used. I should have done this earlier as with this I find it to be very successful and have got good results compared with when I asked a few questions on two or more photography pages I got about 3 replies from all of them were here with just the one group/page I have been a lot more productive and helpful answers. I found these results https://www.facebook.com/groups/141232682675643/461274704004771/?notif_t=group_comment This image is just of the moment, I expect a few more answers as the day goes on.

Professional Studies - Equipment

This image was taken by Jennifer Khordi of the Atlantic Ocean at Corson's Inlet state park USA. It was took using a Canon 6D Rokinon 14mm 2.8 ISO 1600, 15 seconds. This image was found here https://www.facebook.com/groups/141232682675643/

This next image was taken by  Colin Palmer and was in Grotfjord Tromso Norway. He used a Canon 10 - 22mm lens at 10mm. This image was found also at https://www.facebook.com/groups/141232682675643/

Professional Studies

For professional studies I had always thought to write and report on being a professional landscape photographer as this is the career I would like to delve into and focus on most in my career. However due to lack of responses and more than one person telling me I have picked a hard subject to write about I wish I had given it more thought about what I could write about, maybe still including landscape photography but not on such a broad sense and possibly focus on something more particular. I wish I had given myself more time as I do like the subject I have chosen as I thought at the time and still do that it would help me for the future, as I said, I would like to do landscape photography professionally. Instead of just using internet sources I hope to learn from my mistake and next year use book sources early so I have the information and don't need to worry if it happens to fall like this again were the deadline is just after we come back from a break where I haven't got time to do any of the work from libraries. Once I have done this report it will give me an idea and an insight now I'll have done one so next year I shall understand better what is expected of me and what is wanted, within my report. I will be able to plan better and know what to do more than I do now as I'm not too sure.  

Professional - Being professional taking images - ethics

Not long into starting this course we had a visit from two local police, a policewoman and policeman. They talked about taking photographs in public and the ethics that come with that and also issues, problems and situations regarding public that go alongside taking images outside for all to see. They told us some reason why we might get asked by security, for example, what we're doing and to stop. However they haven't got the authority to stop us as we're allowed to take photographs as long as we aren't on their (company's) private land they can't stop us. They may ask us to stop and fair enough but they haven't got the authority to tell us and make us delete our images, we are allowed to keep them. They also talked about civilians talking to us while we're out and about and that they might ask us what we're doing and if we're allowed, have permission and especially if it involves being around children, even if we aren't actually photographing children but happen to be near and in the area. They said we should just be careful of how we go about but that it isn't against the law to take photographs out in public except images of the army. 

Professional Studies

Here are some of the sites I have been using to try and get some answers to my questions.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LetsTalkPhotography/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/141232682675643/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TeesValleyPhotography/

Professional Studies - Report

With the assignment for professional studies I am finding it difficult as where to start as I have some information which will get me started but I find it hard to even get my head around as I haven't done anything like this before, I can't remember ever writing a report and though I have read the handouts and the booklet I was given it still is quite hard to me to have to piece it all together and the different style of writing as this isn't an essay. Also I have to try and remember the style of writing for the report whether it is passive or active as I will have to stick to only one for the entire report. All this is new to me but will be a good learning curve for the future and definitely for next year.

Professional Studies Interviews

For my report I looked up a few photographers online such as Leigh Rebecca and Peter Watson, I focussed on local and national photographers mainly but will include international as well. I searched for landscape photographers and contacted them via their website pages and asked them a few questions, interview questions. As I didn't receive that many replies I thought of asking Photographers on social media sites such as facebook where they go and share images they have took and talk about photography in general and about their work. With this however I also haven't received too many replies unfortunately.   

Professional Studies - report ideas

For my report I had decided to write it on Landscape Photography, with possibly also Seascape as people include them two together. After first contacting two professional photographers earlier about 2 months ago I ended up leaving it til probably a bit too late to contact other photographer as I haven't heard anything back apart from one or two photographers. Though as I'm doing this at home I am am having trouble with the internet going off every so often and then I have to wait for that again by turning it off at the switch and waiting a few seconds to switch it back on again. Although this is very annoying I am trying to get through and contact people, so after not being very successful with contacting photographers through their pages I decided to use facebook as they have pages for local photographers and national ones and then also international so I thought this would be a great place to ask questions as there would be a vast range of diverse photographers from all over however though I have had some response I haven't had the amount I was hoping for so I am just going to have to use what I can and what I've got. Though this isn't the first time this has happened where I've left it a bit late then things crop up like technology not working for me when I need it most I really have learnt this time and if I do pass this year I am going to do the work on time and though I though I started well by contacting two photographers in time I let the time slip by keep thinking it will be okay and I'll be alright. I want to do well and so having a look at these sites and photographers gives me a good insight into the standards that are set and that I have to work on to become as there is very good competition out there and if I want to focus most on Landscape/Seascape Photography I have to work hard, practice, learn all I can and up my game to be able to call myself a photographer.

Professional Studies

This was the poster for the 2014 Photography Show that I and my group went with to Birmingham at the NEC. This day was a great eye opener not just to all the things relating to photography that were there but just the sheer number of people who either did photography or had something to do in relation to it like creating the books to have your images in. It was a good day and I'm glad I went.

Professional Studies - Info/work sheets

During our lessons we were given information sheets to help us with our reports. One,(the first image), is a booklet on how to actually write the report, it is guidelines to all forms of reports and is easy enough to follow and go through. The second image is various names of some agencies, magazines, websites and photography groups to help us get started and so we could use them. Lastly the final image is a few sheets of professional studies on the syllabus and also our personal development.

Professional Studies NEC in Birmingham trip

On the 3rd of March 2014 I visited the NEC in Birmingham with my class and lecturers. We went to the 'Photography Show' where they had all different kinds of stalls and people their buying, selling, promoting their own stuff. It was amazing to see how many people were there and interested in photography, it was overwhelming to me and we went on the last day and it was on for I think 4 days. It was incredible. I went round with a few people trying to take it all in and get something from it, there was so much going on I couldn't believe it, I didn't know what to expect upon arrival and it was great to see as it was an eye opener for me. All of the various things within photography you can do was there including even costumes for shoots as well as the expected things like lenses, cameras, accessories like soft boxes and also companies that print you images for you in to books. It was a good experience to go and I'm glad I did. The image below is of all the leaflets, books and cards I got of people's businesses and also the big names that were there like Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Panasonic etc. It was also good as well as finding out about all these companies and the new tech out and networking it was also good because there were talks on about certain things.

Professional Studies

A few weeks ago my lecturer brought her camera equipment, everything she fits into a bag, all the essentials that she uses and needs to take on a job. She was saying to pick what you think is best for your own work and the best equipment needed to suite your specialist choice in a photography career or something that can be versatile and what you can use for all jobs that you want to. This gave me a great insight and was an eye opener and made me begin to think what I wanted in camera equipment and set up for jobs that I may do in my future. 

Landscape - Bernd and Hilla Becher

A married team of photographers and artists Bernd and Hilla Becher are most known for creating typography and a series of photographs of structures and industrial buildings. In 2004 they were winners of the Hasselblad award as they were described as being some of the most influential artists of our time. They take photographs from different angles of a building they have picked and put the selected images together as a body of work focussing on one subject. Their images are documentary and keep record of the areas they are in. They have worked like this for over 40 years. Unfortunately Bernhard Becher died on June 22nd 2007 but Hilla still continues with their work and in the same style still by using already existing photographs they have previously shot together.

All images found here;http://poulwebb.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/bernd-and-hilla-becher-photography.html

Landscape

Whilst researching a little on landscapes and more specifically the sea and beach shots (seascapes) I found this Landscape Photography Magazine and thought I would share it so if anyone is interested you can have a look. The link is below;

http://landscapephotographymagazine.com/

It has, what looks to be, a great range delivering various sections to accommodate people's own interests and needs. It has a free download for one of its copies and has competitions monthly.

Landscape

For this project it was advised by one of the lecturers to read Langford's book on Basic Photography' 8th edition for chapter 10 which was on exposures as we were using new types of cameras to us and also shooting outside where we would be using light reader measurements. After looking through this book and reading through the chapter I found it very useful and also the glossary in the back where it tells you absolutely everything about any word relating to photography, cameras, equipment etc I found this hugely helpful as well as it helped me remember words as I could look at the book for reference. 

Landscape - 1st shoot

Today I went out with some people from my course and did my first shoot using the field camera. They helped me to take my images and set up the camera. I took images around and focusing on the sea. I took out 3 slides, for 3 images however I double exposed my first image when I tried to take my second as I realised, due to the system I chose were if the black side of the slide is showing I have used the film and took an image on it. Once I noticed this I put in a new slide took my second image and then went back to retake my first image on my third slide. After each image is taken, as well as Turning the slide to the back side I also put a tick on the masking tape so I can easily tell and identify a slide that has been used. I also write on the Fstop and shutter speed which for both were F11 and at 125.

Landscape - Stephen Shore

Stephen Shore is an American photographer who is known for his quite common, mundane scenes and objects set in the USA and also for his use of colour photography in the 60s, 70s and onwards. He started doing photography at a very early age and even had a little darkroom kit at the tender age of 6. At ten he had a book by Walker Evans and he later presented his photographs to Edward Steichen at age 14 who at the time was working at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) as the curator. When Shore was 17 he was introduced to Andy Warhol and began hanging out at Warhol's studio, famously known as 'the Factory'. Whilst there he photographed the famous people who used to visit the Factory as well as Warhol himself. I have picked the image below as I liked the look of it because of the quite cliched look of it, blue skies, little white cloud, mountains in the background and a clear road, which This type of shot in america for this landscape is always near enough the same however this is different as, in my opinion, and what I think would be normally is the image would be taken from the centre of the road with the white line in the middle going down the frame all the way down and used for perspective whereas here the image is taken to the side of the road and is focused more on the clouds as the centre and focus of the image. In the image further down there are two poles and they are equally on each side with even amounts of each side.

The above image is found on the link below and taken by Stephen Shore.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/photography/genius/gallery/shore.shtml