Research - Ansel Adams

I have chosen to look at Ansel Adams work, via the internet, after hearing that he inspired Joe Cornish.

Ansel Adams lived from 20/2/1902-22/4/1984 and was born in San Francisco, California. At age 4 he obtained a nose injury falling to the ground in The Great Earthquake of 1907 and this gave him his distinctive life long feature.  He felt that he never really fitted in at school, partly due to this injury, and was home taught by his father and aunt before having private education.

"Ansel Adams is the most famous black and white photographer of all time" according to his web site.  He was an only child, had by his mother at age 40, was raised in a Victorian way and had an affluent family history, though in his early years his family fortune collapsed.

                                                              taken by Ansel Adams

This is one of his famous Oak Tree (sunset city) photographs which is great and so atmospheric.  The shape of the tree is lovely, the stillness of the atmosphere comes through, and the way he framed the sun within the arched branches is something I would like to attempt given the opportunity. Though mostly I prefer colour photographs I do think  Black and white look  good and bring out the form.  The scene shows siluette qualities and it makes me want to hunt a similar tree, with light showing from behind the branches.

Ansel Adams had a solitary childhood and found joy in nature, spending hours taking walks, hiking dunes, creeks and beaches in the wilderness of the Golden Gate.

When he was 12 he taught himself to play the piano and read music. He took lessons and it was to be his profession, but then from his first visit to the Yosemite Sierra, he was transformed. He started to use his Kodak No 1 Box Brownie his parents had given him, to photograph scenes there and this was a turning point in his life.

Adams decided he would make more money in photography that being a concert pianist. He hiked, climbed  and explored Yosemite and gained confidence and self esteem in the process.  In 1919 he joined the Sierra club and spent 4 summers as keeper of the clubs memorial lodge in Yosemite Valley.

His life was (in his words) "Coloured and modulated by the great earth gesture of the Yosemite Sierra." and spent time there every year up to his death.
He described himself as a Photographer, lecturer and writer and travelled the country in pursuit of natural beauty to photograph and to promote photography as a fine art.

In 1927 he met friend photographer Edward Weston and later they both became part of the renouned f/64 group ( founded in 1932).  Although this group was short-lived, a San Francisco museum gave them  an exibition and also gave Adams his first one-man museum show in the same year.  The members of the f/64 group believed that everything should be in focus in photography.

Adams tried to portray the emotional side of his images to the viewer. He was a sociable man who liked to entertain and would also work for 18 hours or more a day for weeks or months on end, with no holidays. These times would follow with some days spent in bed with the flu.

He mostly worked as a commercial photographer and struggled with money until later in life.  He was also an activist for the wilderness environment and fought for lots of environmental issues ie. new parks, the Wilderness Act for the preservation of the wilderness,  (in particular Yosemite National Park), Wild Alaska, for the mighty redwoods, endangered sea lions/ otters and for clean air and water...
There is a vast amount of protected wilderness in America due to the efforts of Ansel Adams and his friends.

Adams was master of the technical and developed the famous 'Zone System" of exposure control.  He produced 10 photography manuals, said to be the most influential books ever written on the subject.

I relate to the natural likes he had for natures imagery and find it inspiring that he worked all hours to fulfil his ambitions.

                                                     Trees With Snow On Branches
                                                             taken by Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams took this image in Yosemite California.  I like the way this tree is snow covered with a thickness and the upwardly somewhat irregular branches full of it.  The harsh shadows formed from the brightness are a good contrast bought more to eye because it is all black and white probably. Snow scenes are some of my favourite sort of photography and I also like mountain scenery.

                                                            The Tetons & Snake River
                                                             taken by Ansel Adams

He took this one at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming and is a scene that appealed to me because of its expanse.  A great waterway leads the eye to the snow mountains and broody skies.  I think the image does look cold because of the black and white and wonder, if it had been in colour whether some greenery or light cast would add some warmth.   I still like it however, as the lack of colour does adds to the mood I think.

Here is an Ansel Adams colour photograph:

                                                        Minarets reflected in Lake Ediza
                                                               taken by Ansel Adams

This image does look warmer to me. I like the scene and the way it has some colour and like their reflections in the lake. It is interesting the way the colour cast shows a pink edging in the water reflection.  The patterns created are affective and  I would compare it to my 'Reflections' image (see composition and images section),  only for a patterns point of view, not of image quality, clarity or composition.  I would love to be able to achieve such clarity.

I was eager to go out in the snow to experiment with the camera over the icy period recently.  Armed with a loaded camera and warm clothes;  jumper layers, jeans, trainers, hat, 2 pairs of socks and fingerless gloves I found  helpful.   I didn't take a tripod on this field trip as not only did I consider it too cold to hang around too long, I didn't want any accidents with the equipment.

Health and Safety (what went right and wrong):

 I would say I was considering health and safety issues here, as stated above, when I had the thought of not carrying too much equipment in hazardous conditions, considering the health and safety of the equipment.   However,  the health and safety thought soon left me, once at my destination... I got carried away, staying too long,  and as the light was fading failed to consider my journey home and how a one- way out situation led me to drive on slippery lanes that  had not been gritted.  (Having arrived there by main road).  I ended up feeling quite scared approaching hills,  finding another car stranded and awaiting a recovery vehicle.  I remember thinking how stupid I had been and that the images I had collected better be worth it.  I hate driving in snow conditions as a rule and a journey of approx 10 minutes took me an hour to return, but I was safe.  Although I thoroughly enjoyed taking photographs in the snow on this day,  I would not put myself in the same situation again.

                                                                             Animals
                                                      shutter 1/160 aperture 8.0 iso 200

As I walked this path I looked back thinking I must take a shot of those animals... the wooden tree remains in the centre, reminded me of something out of a Jurassic Park film.  I liked the way the snow had settled on their backs and surrounding ground ferns,  and the snow path contrasting to the autumn coloured trees cascading overhead.  There was a nice blue sky that day too.  To me this is a lively bright image showing sun light reflections on the snow path and Ansel Adams' Minarets image I also find lively and bright with its reflections.  His Tetons image shows more mood and less light, as does my image below in my opinion.

                                                                       Ice Pools
                                                    shutter 1/200 aperture 10.0 iso 200

Not as moody as Adams' Tetons,  Ice Pools felt more moody as the light was falling.  I like that the sun shows to the left and its reflected light paths going up throughout the image.  My favourite part is the slab of wood in the clear ice middle foreground contrasting to the snow ice part and their curvy patterns. I would have liked a closer image of that area,  had there been more time and space to get in closer ( I already had my zoom out to its full length).  I also like the bits of white cloud, matching the snow ice colour, against the blue sky. Whilst the colours appeal to me I am thinking the image may also work in black and white, which I think would make it look colder and possibly give more mood.


The images below were took on a different day, with lesson learned,  I travelled on foot to take these, with a loaded camera (as described on a previous blog):-

                                                                           Ladders
                                                         shutter 1/85 aperture 4.00 iso 200

I think Ladders may also work in black and white, though I am liking the way snow has a blue colour reflected from the sky.  It looks like you could climb the wooden snow ladders here, the branches so horizontal,  I simply liked the way the snow had thickly collected on them.  I realise there is not much composition to it, but then just liked its simplicity.  I think Ice Pools and Ladders would both work in black and white but it would make Ice Pools feel colder.

                                                                           Hidden Depths
                                                              shutter 1/50 aperture 4.5 iso 200

Again I like the thickness of snow collected here but what I loved about this scene was that it contained another small scene beyond...(centre of image);  the open inviting tree trunk displays an attractive scene framed within its core.  I like the criss cross branches above this inner scene,  not too sure about the wooden fence to the left of the full image, and I did move in for a closer shot:-

                                                 shutter 1/85 aperture 4.00 iso 250




I have been out and found light behind a tree.  The light comes from the moon, not the sun, as in Adams's Oak Tree image, and mine is not a full tree shot, but its a start...

                                                                       Branch Light
                                                shutter 0.6 sec aperture 4.00 iso 3200

I like my first attempts at this.  I  went out and took this image at just after 12.00 midnight.  I wanted to capture the light through the tree branches, but I could not get the whole tree in the shot, because there were houses stopping me moving further back (I was nearly in someone's driveway as it is).
 For health and safety reasons I wanted to set up close to the car as possible, I knew that there probably wouldn't be many people around at this time on a freezing cold night, but I wasn't taking any chances and wanted to shoot and pack up to go as soon as I could.  I ran off a few, changing position slightly and height of the tripod.  The moon was hazy coming from back cloud but the colour effects I got on the tree, from a lamp to the left behind me, were a nice surprise... A golden glow, even at this time of night.  Once I had loaded them onto computer for inspection,  I wished I had taken more.
Equipment used:
* Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera with battery
*L series Lens 24-105mm
*SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash card 8 GB
*Tripod

Manipulation- Images

Tonight I saw a nice full moon in the sky driving home and decided if it was still going to be visible when I  arrived home I would set the tripod up and try taking some more shots of it.  I did get some which I quite liked on viewing them, and one in particular gave me an idea for a manipulated image:

                                                                    Rolling Moon
                                                   shutter 1/15 aperture f4.0 iso 3200

To me it looked liked the moon had just rolled down the cloud from the right side, in this image and I thought what if I make some more moons roll down too.  Though the image is quite dark and subdued I liked it, the foreground trees were ok and gave it a frame, but I didn't like the little black circle to the far left of the image, (part of a twig) and set about removing that first:

I first dragged my image over the photoshop icon in the dock of the computer, then clicking on this icon photoshop opened and my image was ready in it to be amended:
 I choose to use the clone tool by clicking on the clone icon in the icons menu to the left of my screen, then I chose a brush from the top icon and selected a number big enough so that the amending circle that appeared was big enough to cover my black circle.  I moved into the image ( command +) to see the black circle easier, then pressed the Alt key and clicked near to it (to give me a similar  colour to cover it with). Then I let go of the Alt and aimed the amending circle over my black circle and started clicking away until it was removed.  Now I had this image:

Now I needed to clone the moon and present it more times up the cloud.  I used the same tecnique as before, taking the cloning tool, using a brush big enough to cover the moon (no 226) and also chose a soft round brush no 5 (again from the top brush box and menu that appears as you select).  I held the clone tool over the moon with the Alt key and placed it further up the cloud, let it go, then clicked onto it again which gave it the brightness.  I decided to add another 3 moons and placed them in little gaps in the cloud, not wanting it to be too straight, but random and tucked in to a spiked up cloud part, as though wedged, but not wedged in, just so that they didn't look too 'sat on top'.
 I think because of the soft brush I chose being so light,  I had to go over them more than once, to gain the brightness I wanted on each one, and because of this it gave a glow effect round the other moons, great I thought I like that;  it looks like they are glowing hot as they roll,  leaving the original one normal.  I was really pleased with the result as I considered it to be my first success with photoshop workings.  The end result is shown below:

                                                                         Moon Balls

Equipment used:
*Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera with battery
*L series Lens 24-105mm
*SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash card 8GB
*Tripod

Research Joe Cornish

  "First, light.  Everything else follows, for light is the language of photography as well as its raw material. As a poet uses words, so a photographer uses light."
                                                                                                          Joe Cornish

Joe Cornish has this written on the back cover of his book entitled First Light, a signed copy I am pleased to have bought at his talk at the college recently. When I found out he was going to be speaking I was very interested to be there as I had already started to research his work from a book I was enjoying, entitled Working The Light. This book was co-written with Charlie Waite, David Ward and Eddie Ephraums,  produced by Charlie Waite's travel photography company, Light & Land ( set up in 1994).

Joe Cornish is one of Britain's most distinguished landscape photographers, with 20 years experience, he is favoured by the National Trust.
I related to how he considers light to be everything in a photograph,  I have recently joined the National Trust and what he said at his talk both inspired and made sense to me.

    "While landscape provides the subject matter, it is light we record and interpret.  Light defines space, reveals texture, sculpts form, controls colour, and above all ignites an emotional response.  The sky is our studio, our theatre, and we must learn to act upon its gifts of light."
                                                                                                           Joe Cornish

His work ranges from images taken from North Yorkshire, where he lives, Scotland, the cornish coast, Colorado, New Zealand and Alaska.  He places much importance on the composition of an image, together with the light and his aim is to get it right in the camera primarily. He likes to use filters where necessary; his ethos being 'looking natural'. He photographs from an upside down view (with the type of camera he uses), saying " that if it looks good upside down it will look great the right way up."

While Joe Cornish likes to have images all in focus, front to back, as most photographers do, he does not believe this is necessary all of the time and quite enjoys some elements being out of focus. He also says he doesn't really follow the rules like the rule of thirds, but tends to go more for what feels and looks right.

 His lens choice range from wide, long, standard and super wide angled, plus a macro; should always be part of a landscape photographers kit, else they miss out on all the finer close details. He believes we should learn to use lenses properly to compress and juxtapose, but to also respond to our internal ideas and what we love.

 When the weather is too difficult for photos, he will use a macro to home in on those detailed images, but he does believe most weather can be photographed, rain, snow and winter is his favourite light time, when he finds the low soft light easier to work with than that of summertime.....he finds green ("the colour of life") hard to photograph.  He loves the snow and states how it still inspires him and the light it brings with it. He takes shots in rain using a filter to darken the sky.  He also uses a hand held spot meter for exposure.

Alot of his work was shot in his own garden, saying " just get out there and practise, practise wherever  and whenever you can and learn the colour of light."  By that he means the way he uses colour casts from the reflection of sunlight  say from cliffs and water pools for instance. He points out how he takes images at all different times of day, not just at sunrise and sunset. Mid afternoon shots are some if his favourites.

The natural world is his main source of inspiration (in keeping with my natural wonders theme), saying how he keeps it simple making the subject do the talking. His work expresses mood, emotion and atmosphere.  He believes human beings and nature are part of the same thing.  He likes to show energy where he can in his images, and likes the vertical (offering more sky and more foreground); for creating a journey through the picture, and states how sky and colour sets the tone and mood of an image.

  John Blakemore was of great inspiration to him and he also mentioned the work of Ansel Adams, his first photographic hero.

Joe Cornish was born in 1958 in Exeter. The Joe Cornish galleries are based in Northallerton, a market town in North Yorkshire, and include Joegraphic, which publishes and distributes his cards and calenders to the retail market.

He studied art at Reading University and that was where he first discovered photography. He is now an experienced workshop leader and has led tours for the past 10 years for Charlie Waite's company. Other photographic companies he works with include Lee Filters, Fujifilm UK, Gatzo and Lowepro.

More Joe Cornish quotes, tips, that I noted at the talk evening:

"Soul: quite simply is a matter of who we are"
"Take time to be with the subject"
"If the foreground isn't a good picture in itself (not interesting), it shouldn't be there"
"See the colour of light, like the borrowed colours from elsewhere"( reflections)
"Good scenes can be found not far from a road" ( we don't always have to carry our kits far)
"Be curious to different viewpoints and new angles. Its part of the photographers job"
"Bad weather is good for photos. The mood of my pictures makes up for the weather loss"
"It is not about finding new landscapes, but seeing the landscape with new eyes" (re-visits)
"Locations: anywhere that inspires you"
"Freeze/thaw icicles are always a unique photo - a once event"

Joe Cornish  has taken risks in pursuit of his passion; he hiked for 2 hours for a high mountain shot in glasgow, got caught in a blizzard and said it was scary.  Another 2 climbers later fell to their deaths at the same place.
 He is fully aware of the dangers of his passion and then at the other end of the scale  I like his lightheartedness (which shows in his titles, or chapters of his work) and the way he still considers landscape photography a recreation or play.

At the end of the evening I got chance to shake his hand and say how I thought him inspirational... which I do,  and his work!

by Joe Cornish

Waterholes Canyon is from his  'Plateauscapes'  section of his website and he describes it as probably his favourite image. Taken with his Ebony 5 x 4in field camera with 72mm lens.   It is vertical too which I now know he likes best. 

 "The cloudy sky reflected in the dark foreground pool help to suggest a hidden world".

This was the first image that struck me in his book.   I like the scene as a whole but the foreground pool looks almost surreal like it has been cut out and placed in afterwards. The depth of field is really good and I love the way it reflects such a broody sky.

 Joe has taken it at a favourite place of his, Zion national park.

by Joe Cornish

     This image is from his ' Local Icons'  section and I love the colour contrasts of the greens and again the sky is just great; lovely cloud formation and colour from the deep blue to the golden sun reflective parts, in keeping with the foreground field. His choice of half and half composition is what he tends to favour over the rule of thirds.  When taking this summer evening shot Joe Cornish was thinking of William Blake's phrase from the hyme Jerusalem... "Englands green and pleasant land" and I couldn't agree with him more.   He took it on his Ebony 5 x 4in field camera with 90mm lens.                                                       

                                                                  by Joe Cornish

His 'Dark Rising Sun' image is taken from his 'Dark Days' section and as he shoots into the sun he is reminded of the allegedly dying words of painter JMW Turner..."The sun is God". As a landscape photographer he thought he had a point. Taken with his Ebony 5 x 4in field camera with 210mm lens.

Though this image is dark I like it for the light reflective parts. To me it looks mysterious and I like  the way the sun is glowing as it breaks through the dark cloud. It is not too obvious where the land ends and the sky starts because it is so dark and again this adds to the interest I think, it makes you want to look closer.

In comparison I have tried to take images of a new moon breaking through dark skies at night as follows:

                                                                        V-moon
                                                    Shutter 0.6 Aperture f4.00 iso 3200

I can see that the clarity is not there in my image and there is not much composition. I was experimenting and because I just happen to be walking outside when I saw the bright moon I grabbed my camera quickly and fired away without any tripod or much thought, just to see if and how the moon would actually show on my camera within the darkness.  As I ran off shots, cloud was covering and uncovering the moon and on alot of images there was the appearance of a double moon, so they were the more blurred ones.  On this you can see it just, within a 'V' lettered expanse of lit cloud. When I cropped in,  I didn't like it,  as it then showed its unclearness more clearly.
 I would like to try more of these in future, hoping for better results.
Equipment used:
*Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera with battery
*L series Lens 24-105mm
*SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash 8GB

                                                                   by Joe Cornish
                                                                                                                          
This is a lovely image too.  It entices me.  'Adventure Bay' taken from his 'Beach Ball' section.  Joe Cornish liked the way a broken tree was there on the beach scene "Its dynamic shape and surface textures made it a compelling subject for me as I explored here at dawn."  He took this image again with his Ebony 5 x 4in field camera and 90mm lens. I like the way some other trees are incorporated in the background, with mountains in the distance, I find it very warm and inviting.
I would like to compare it to my 'Alive' tree image purely from a dynamic shape of tree point of view, though I don't think I dare and the composition of mine is nothing to the grandness of this beautiful scene.

Photograms

In class we had a go in the dark room at producing some Photograms after watching a slide show on the subject.  This is where a machine that acts abit like the aperture of a camera takes an image of an object/objects on special photographic paper.  This paper is then treated in liquid solutions to produce and develop the image so that we can see it.

What we did:
In the room there were items we could use for the images so I chose a soft toy (which for title sake I will call funny bunny) a feather, a wicker type ball, some lace and a 'woman' cut out ( stencil) image.

First we took a sample strip of the photographic paper, placed our object on top ie. funny bunny and put it under the machine making sure that the light that shone down on the paper (when turned on) covered it effectively, amending any controls at the top base unit to ensure that. We set the timer for 3 seconds and placed a piece of card over the object so that just a portion of it showed, and pressed the start button.

The machine lit up the paper, taking an image for 3 seconds then switched off its light. Moving the card to show more of the object we set the timer for 6 seconds and pressed the start button. The machine lit another part of the object too (taking a shot) for this longer time then switched off. We continued to set the timer for 9 and 12 seconds moving the card along respectively. Then we  dipped the sample paper into the developing fluid for 2 minutes and the setting fluid and took it outside the dark room to view in the light.. We judged how we preferred the image ie. developed after 3, 6, 9  or 12 seconds and continued to produce an image of this same object for the selected time period on an A4 size piece of photographic paper:

Once the image had been taken on the machine we dipped the paper into the developing liquid  (tray 1) and swished the tray up and down making sure the paper was fully covered with the liquid for 2 minutes.
We took the paper out using plastic tongs and placed it into tray 2 (the setting liquid) for 1 minute, then taking it out we placed it into tray 3 (the fixing liquid) for 5 minutes. After this stage we removed the paper and placed it into a sink of running cold water which we left for 20 minutes.

We continued this process using different objects and light up times. We used more than one object on the same piece of paper to compare the images with patterns of say lace strips, feathers and different materials. We could also place one object in the base of the machine (acting abit like a filter) at the top, and one on the paper at the bottom and see what effects that achieved.

Another way we developed the picture was by spraying developing solution directly onto the image paper and using a tool to spread it around, bringing out parts of the image more heavier in one part than another. Then the paper would be put into trays 2 and 3 liquids to set and fix, and finally into the sink.

Later we went back into the dark room, removed  all the images from the sink and rolled them between a heated roller machine to dry the pictures.  We found the whole process fun and produced the following:

                                  Funny bunny alone image was taken for  4 seconds
                                  Funny bunny with feather was taken for  6 seconds

                                                  Lady image was taken for 3 second

                                                                  2 sample strips used

                                          The left image shows funny bunny sprayed developed. You tinker with it (spread it around) until you are happy with the results before setting and fixing.  The right image was where I placed a strip of ribbon in the top of the machine (acting like a filter) and a type of wicker ball on the bottom of the machine under the light which I set on a 13 second timer.

Tripod Field Trips and Preparation

 My preparation, prior to first Tripod field trip:
  I had prepared by surveying  the location, on a previous trip, with camera only (as described in a previous blog) on foot, and at that time deciding where I would return to, to use more equipment... I had noted where I would park, in order that I would not be walking too far from the car carrying lots of equipment,  because of the weight, and from a security point of view, going out alone.

 At home I had assembled the tripod and placed the camera on top, so that I would know how to assemble it properly and to give me some idea of its height levels, whilst looking through the viewfinder of the camera. I left the little part of the tripod that attaches to the underneath of the camera (it may be called a bridge, not sure), attached to the camera.  In previous weeks and since starting the college course I had browsed photographic magazines looking for tips on how to use different equipment when taking landscape pictures. During this course we have learned about different  types of lenses and filters available for cameras (see 'Lenses and Filters' blog).

Then, same day preparation for Tripod field trip:
 I took a Cannon EOS 5D Mark II camera with installed battery, and a L series 24-105mm Lens, (my lens has a UV filter which I keep permanently attached for protection), a tripod, a new SanDisk Ultra CompactFlash card 8GB, 30MB/s,  a ND graduating filter, filter holder, and shutter release attachment in my camera bag together with a plastic bag.   I also carried a near full Extreme CompactFlash card 8GB, 60MB/s and a lens cleaning cloth, just in case.
On reaching my destination it wasn't long before I located a dead tree which I had thought worthy of some picture time.

There was a handy bench nearby where I placed the camera bag whilst I took the tripod out its holder and began assembly, ie stretching its legs out and locking them in place at each of its 6 locking positions. I was on a hill so it was fun trying to get the legs steady in accordance with the 2 spirit level indicators on the tripod. (The spirit levels would help the horizon be straight in my images).  When I was happy, taking the camera from its bag, I attached it on top of the tripod, releasing the clip and locking it in place by 'the bridge' attachment. I attached the shutter release chord to the camera and removed the cap off the lens.

I could now experiment looking through the viewfinder, using the camera controls, to achieve the view and composition I liked and reseting the tripod legs individually where necessary. The tripod has a long handle on it so I could turn its head around and up and down at ease, though I found while I liked this aspect, it can also get in the way sometimes.  After taking some images in Program and Aperture Priority modes I also experimented with exposure level compensation in Manual mode just to see the difference. Though I may have adjusted this the wrong way, Im not sure.

Next I tried to take images using an ND filter to see its affect on the bright sky:  I fastened the filter attachment to the front of the camera and put the filter inside it in the middle section.  I played with the movement of the filter while I took some images, looking at the display momentarily, after taking an image, to give me some idea of how they were turning out. I had learned alittle of the effects this type of filter can have on images, and how there may be some distortion at the edges of the image, so I needed to play around with it, and maybe crop in later.

Picking up the tripod by its handle whilst making sure the camera was still steady on top, I would move to different positions to take more images, again after adjusting the tripod feet and camera controls. When I wanted to test the tripod at its lowest height, I removed the camera from the top, placed it in its bag, then lowered the tripod legs so small that I would need to scramble on the floor with my knees to be low enough for the angle, and this is when I used the plastic bag, to kneel on. I placed the camera on top at this low level to take more images.

After some time  I moved onto another tree position (a live one this time) to take shots without the use of the filter and its holder.

Before I had set out I had thought I would probably go to this location for approximately one to one and half hours initially. After 3 hours I packed up and went home.

I was eager to have another attempt at a second tripod field trip and later that same week returned to the same location with the same kit (minus the filter, filter holder and plastic bag).  I parked at a different spot to take different views, at standing level only.

I viewed both lots of  images later on the computer for closer inspection and these 2 were my best, in my opinion.  I had taken both on my first visit, one using the ND filter and one without:

                                                                           Alive
                                                     Shutter 1/250 Aperture 11 iso 200

To me this tree looked alive as it lifts its hat to show its hair to the sun,  looking up to the heavens with arms outstretched to the oncoming cloud. I can almost see its eyes and nose from the side. A minimal amount of colour works well I feel and I like the way its reddish head also reflects in small arm parts. Abstract like with a statue pose shows shape and texture. I am pleased with it on the whole. It was taken with a tripod as stated above, without the filter.

                                                          Shutter 1/160 aperture 8 iso 200

This is a full image shot using the tripod and a graduated ND (neutral density) filter showing more colour and contrast. I know it should not be aperant that a filter has been used and you can obviously see it here, but I liked the arched top colours effect, and the way the ground branches reflect in its sky.  To me it appears more interesting, a different type of picture.  It  also shows more shadows however, though again this adds to making it a more moody.

What I learned:
Later on viewing the images I could see how a ND filter made a difference to the exposure and colour of an image. The filter holder I used (borrowed from a friend) was not the right size for my type of camera (not wide enough) and therefore the image showed the presence of the filter more at the edges.  I  would need to get my own, larger version, when I  bought a filter. I also learned  how I need to allow plenty of time when going out with the tripod/ more equipment.

Manipulation - Initial ideas

Having seen manipulated images of professional photographers in class, my initial thoughts are those of taking animals from an image and placing them in a different setting, though this will depend on any difficulties involved.  Another idea is simply to change the background of images to create something unexpected, and maybe collate a few different images (or parts of) into one, and /or layer them together.

My Preparation

For the photographs that I have taken and shown in my blog so far, my preparation for these was as follows:-

Making Waves:

I took this image whilst on walkabout during college class and walked behind the college in the park grounds onto the bridge where the duck was performing in the river Trent. It was the second time I had used the camera and didn't know how to operate all its controls properly.
Equipment (or kit) I used:
*Canon EOS 5D mark II camera with relevant batter installed inside
*L series Lens 24-105mm
*SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash card 8gb, 60mb
 Later, on a computer I adjusted the exposure and size.

Within weeks of taking Making Waves I was studying the  camera instruction manual and a DVD that told me specifically how to use this camera.  I found the DVD to be of great help rather than just reading the book, though obviously I am still experimenting and learning.

Trunk Body:
Was taken  one evening at dusk when I noticed the light on the tree as the sun was going down. I used the equipment as listed above, now with a UV filter attached to the end of the lens for protection and to prevent flare.  I will continue to use this kit unless otherwise stated. The light had a sort of golden glow which I liked.  I later cropped into the image on the computer.

Droplets:
 These shots were taken in the morning  when the sunlight was spotlighting the lovely pinks. I used the above same equipment.

Home Fingers:
 I was aware that I needed to take different light images and waited for a sunny day to take shots of the same tree at different times of the day. I used the above same equipment.

Mooving and Monster Tree:
I took these shots when I went out to lunch one day with my parents and leaving the eatery spotted the cows in the field.  I had put the camera in the car, just in case, as it was a sunny day. At this same time I went to check a tree out that I had previously seen.  However whilst looking for the original tree,  I came across another tree I liked, where the light was nicely resting on it.  This was Monster Tree, which I now consider to be one of my best shots to date. I used the above same  equipment and later computer cropping (Monster Tree only).

Hurdles and The Eye Road:
I had gone out on a designated 'im going out with my camera' afternoon at the weekend for a drive round country lanes in the hope of seeing some views to capture, and stopping the car at such views to get out and take relevant images.  I used the above same equipment with computer cropping later (The Eye Road only).

Walk With Me:
I had gone out on a camera field trip on a cold day and prepared by wearing 2 pairs of socks, trainers, 2 jumpers, coat and a pair of fingerless gloves. I used the above same equipment.

As I walked around experimenting with different scenes, I felt myself getting carried away, knowing I could delete any shots I didn't want later. But then as I was making my way back to the car and still shooting, my camera showed the 'card full' message.
 Had I really took between 300-400 images? I was surprised that I had and this sadly left me franticly trying to delete some there and then,  in the hope of catching this next particular scene where I was convinced the light was just right.  I felt alittle narked with myself; Surely photographers don't have to delete as they go, I thought, and next time I would be better prepared.
Later I discovered that I had the camera settings to take images in jpeg and raw setting, therefore taking up lots more space than necessary.  I had decided to shoot some  images in raw due to the fact that I had heard that later more can be done, maniuplation wise, using that setting and I wanted to see the difference.  I have since gone back to jpeg images only.

What went Wrong:
The wrong setting taking up too much memory and not having another compact flash disc with me as a spare.

What went right:
The equipment I used did suit my subject matter.  I found the lens to be very versatile and the camera produces some good results.
I thought I had taken some shots I could use in my blog, and later viewing them on the computer, I found I had.

The Light Task

We were set a task to take pictures of an object at different times of the day, morning, midday, tea time and a night shot. I took a favourite tree.

Morning 

                                                                      Home Fingers

                                                     shutter 1/500 aperture 11.0 iso 400

I took this picture  at 8.40am on a  sunny day.

                  

                                                                           Midday                        

                                                        shutter 1/400 aperture10.0 iso 200

                                                                            Night 

                                                          shutter 2"5 aperture 4.0 iso 320
                                                                    (slow shutter)

The night shots were taken at 7.00pm in November.  I do not have a flash on my camera.  Light is coming from a street lamp from the left behind the hedge. I could see the moon in the sky behind me so decided to take the shot again, from the other side of the hedge to include the moon. I am wondering if it played some part  in the lighting set up? And there appears to be a UFO in the frame?

                                                                            Night    

                                                          shutter 2" aperture 4.0 iso 3200

                                                                     (slow shutter)

This is the shot from the other side of the hedge, with the moon showing and a small planet. I like the scene from this angle.  The lamp light now comes from the right and the image is more lit up. The tree  makes me think of 'ET's' finger. It is one that has been cut back, but retained for a reason.

What Went Wrong:-

I forgot to take the tea time shot and it was dark before I knew it. I will come back with one this same month, but it will be a different day.....I am waiting for a sunny one.

What Went Right:-

I like the night scenes improvising with different light to light up the subject.

What I learned:-
The camera chose slow shutter speeds for the night shots (2 and 2.5 seconds) and as I had not used a tripod for these, the details were not as clear as those taken with faster shutter speeds (morning and midday).


                                                                          Tea Time

                                                       shutter 1/30 aperture 4.0 iso 3200

I took this at 4.30 in the afternoon when daylight was fading and the street lamp had already come on (the other side of the hedge from the left). The sun also sets from the left.  I can see that the brightest, clearest image of them all is the one taken at midday.

Manipulation 2

                                                      
We  watched a slide show in class showing manipulated imagery. Then we were set a task to:-

* Divide 2 images into 6 portions and use different filter effects in each portion.
* Layer 2 images on top of each other and cut out part of an image to place ontop of an image.
* Add text onto an image.

This is image 1 I chose of the 2 images for filter effects:-

There wasn't alot happening in the sky so I chose the stronger filters for the top 3 boxes and tried to keep aspects of the image still showing in my chose of filters for the bottom 3 boxes.

                                                
I divided  image 1 into 6 sections (or boxes) using the crop too and rulers:
  First I dragged the image from the desktop and placed it over the photoshop icon in the dock  (set of icons at bottom of computer screen).  Then by pressing cmd 'r' brings the rulers to the top and left side of the image.  By checking the image size from the top icon; image, image size you can get an idea by the width and depth measurements in millimetres where you want to put the ruler lines ie. one horizontal one approx middle of image and 2 vertical ones at approx thirds into the image.  To do this you click the mouse in the white area above the ruler markings at the top and drag down, and a horizontal line appears and you drag and place it where desired.   Similarly by clicking the mouse in the white area on the left of those ruler markings you can drag a vertical line, or more (2 in this case) inwards and place where desired.
I now had the 6 boxes so then in the left box of tool icons I clicked on the top left crop tool,  placed mouse in the top left corner of the image and dragged down to the opposite bottom corner of that top left  box.  It highlights the box by a dotted line shimmering around it.   Then I clicked on the filter  at the top and chose a filter to use for that box.  A sub menu comes up and I then chose a further option.  After this I highlighted the second box in, then filter and chose a different one... and so on until all the boxes were filtered. I then saved the image by closing photoshop, whereupon  a box appears asking if you want to save the image as amended.

The filters I used for each box were:-
top left - filter, stylise, solarise
top middle - filter, render, clouds
top right - filter, stylise, tiles
bottom left - filter, distort, diffuse glow
bottom middle - filter, sketch, torn edges
bottom right - filter, pixelate, crystallise (cell size 72)

This is image 2 of my images for filter effects:-

Again I was using what I consider the heaviest or stronger filters in the top boxes than the bottom ones.

 I used the same method as in image 1 with the following different filter effects:
top left - filter, artistic, neon glow
top middle - filter, sketch, bas relief
top right - filter, texture, patchwork
bottom left - filter, artistic, underpainting
bottom middle - filter, render, lighting effects
bottom right - filter, texture, craquelure


Next I put two images on top of each other by dragging 2 of my images from destop into photoshop. Then I moved the top image off and slightly to the right, by clicking on the tab at the top of both images. Once the images were side by side, I clicked on the second image (the one on the right) and dragged the inside part back over the background image and altered the opacity to show one image through the other:-


I used this wilderness scene as a background image:

and placed this image of Minky, my cat, on top:

To produce Wild Minky:

My idea here was that I had taken a wild look of 'Minky" so I thought I would place him in the wild, or onto a wilderness sort of image.  I like the effect it produced, so I am now thinking I could get into this Photoshop malarky.

Next was to cut out a piece of image and put it onto another image.  I placed 2 images in photoshop by dragging them both off my desktop over the photoshop icon at the bottom.  These were the 2 images  I used:

 I clicked onto the tab of the sheep image to bring that to the front.  I clicked on the lasso tool in the tool box then in the box at the top, double clicked on the magnetic lasso tool. I used the tool to cut round the sheep in the foreground, then double clicked to stop the lasso tool.  Then I clicked on edit and cut, then on the tab at the top to bring up the background image, and edit and paste. The sheep was in the scene high up in the middle so  then I used the move tool to move it where i wanted. I tried to bury his feet in the snow bits to make it look like they were covered by the snow slightly, so as to not make it look as though it had just been placed on top.   Then I flattened the image, by clicking on layer at the top, and  flatten layer.

This was the result.  I had wanted to place some animals in different surroundings to where I had originally taken them, and will do more of this later.

Next was to make an image look like it had a sepia effect:

I took the following image of a moon behind a tree late at night:

I then enhanced the colours and rotated the image:

Following this I added a sepia effect as follows:

›

First I opened the history box to show what I was going to do (my actions would appear in that box) by clicking on 'window' and 'history'.  Then I had to desaturate the image by clicking on image, adjustments, desaturate.  This created a monochrome (black and white) picture. Then I clicked on layer, new adjustment layer, colour balance layer (to bring up the colours box). I increased the cyan/red bar to +38 and decreased the yellow/blue bar to -50 (these are slider bars that move up and down). When I was happy with what I thought resembled a sepia effect, I saved the image as a jpeg file, in maximum so that if it was ever printed out, it would have the best quality applied to it.  I took a screen shot of the image with the history box, by holding down command, shift, and figure 4 buttons together, taking the mouse to the top left corner, and dragging down through the image and the history box together (I had placed the history box next to the image first, by dragging it over).
                                          

Then we had to type some words on an image... a kind sheep had posed for me when I was out in the field:

Blue sheep

shutter 1/500 aperture f9 iso 200

I took the image from my desktop and placed it into photoshop.

Then from the tools box I clicked on T (for type) and when the icon changed, I amended the text size box to 300 (that is how big you want the text to be). I typed the words 'ba ba' just to the right and slightly above the sheep. After that I pressed the T icon in the top box to warp the text and chose the 'rise' style and this waved the text. I then ticked the little box to save it.

Equipment used for above images:

*Canon Eos 5D mark II camera with battery

*L series Lens 24-105mm

*SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash card 8GB

Composition and images

Composition is deciding what to include and what not to include in the frame, when taking a photograph. It is the arrangement of many elements (as follows), all of which I hope to show throughout my images along the way:-

* Lines  *Shape  *Form  *Tone  * Colour  *Texture  *Pattern  *

More than one of the above elements ( most likely) will appear within the same image. The arrangement of  these elements is achieved by the photographers choice of ideas, position and camera set up when taking the shot and there are factors to be considered:-

Shooting angle - high/low/tilted/tripod. Taking below/above/eye level of  the subject.
Reflections  - in water/glass etc.
Light and shadows - the type of light (sun, lamp etc) the direction it comes from and way it falls onto the subject, the time of day and year.
Distance - standing close or away from the subject, foreground/background detail.
Lens control - zooming in or out, what to be in focus/out of focus. What type of lens/filter etc.

Also there are some basic rules of image capture to bear in mind:-

The Rule of  Thirds:
 If you imagine a 'noughts and crosses' matrix box in your viewfinder when looking to take a shot and place your subjects on the lines where they meet  ie. approx. one third up or down, and/or one third in from right or left edge, then that would be following this rule.

Lines to Guide the Eye:
Lines in an image can show perspective or lead the eye towards a chosen element/subject or conclusion ie. the lines of a road or path may lead the eye down to its end.

Frames within Frames:
As a frame surrounds a picture and focuses the eye inward, you can frame your subject with elements of the image to lead the eye inward more. ie taking a shot of a window frame to show the contents within.

Balance of Tone:
This is where dark and light areas of the image balance/ emphasise each other by selected placement ie. lots of light to bit of dark or visa versa.

So there is quite alot to consider with the composition of taking a photograph just as there is in a painting or drawing.
 We were set a task to produce 10 images, and use 3 or 4 of them  to show several elements of compostion:-

Trunk Body

This is a cropped image (see original below) of a trees trunk for a close composition showing a foreground in focus and background out of focus; to highlight, texture, shape, form and balance of tone.

shutter 1/125 aperture 4.00 iso 640

This was my original image showing reflections of the leaves on the trees trunk from the sun light coming from the right. It also highlights shape and pattern. I held the camera at an upwards angle.

Hurdles

shutter 1/4000 aperture 4.00 iso 800

In Hurdles I am trying to show the Rule of Thirds with the sky and grass lines, distance (far), tone (as in the mood of the image), and pattern of the hurdles. I consider the mood to be open and exilarating. I was driving past this scene when I stopped to take a shot and remember thinking "yes I want to take more". I like the rolling hills with the sun light hitting its peaks, coming from the left (for a change). The different shades of greens and lonely tree in the centre appeal to me with the contrast of the white sheep (who add interest). I like the way there are different bands to the image: A pleasing scene to zoom into is how I would describe it. The sky and parts of distance trees may look abit washed out however, though there is plenty other colour to make up. I held the camera at a slightly downwards angle, because I was higher than the scene, on a hill.

               The Eye Road            

The Eye Road shows Frames within Frames with shape and lines. I like it because it is unusual. The mirror is not really a 'natural' object but the scene that it reflects is so still falls within my theme. It was a very sunny day but because the mirror was behind bush trees in the shade the camera wanted a high iso setting. I quite like the contrast of colours from the darkness of the bush to the sparce sun lit leaves... and their contrast to the maturity of the colour contained in the reflection. I like the way the reflection catches some shadows, sky and cloud with a sprinkling of the nearby overhanging tree. I find its inside detail interesting; different portions separated by lines, lines that lead the eye, and a lit up grassy area. 

Not so keen on the clumsy centre obsticle though which looks like a brick something or other and there appears to be bits on the mirror... Maybe I should have wiped it? They could be dirt, though also may be scratches and I hadn't give that any thought at the time.

 Again I have cropped the image from its original (see below) to highlight the inner frame. If I had taken the shot closer I would have got my own image in its reflection which I did not want.

shutter 1/2700 aperture 4.0 iso 800

The original image is leaf busy, but I love the  mass of russet colour. I do not like the bit of gate at the back however.

     Walk With Me

       

    shutter 1/320 aperture 9.0 iso 200

Walk With Me round the bend to see what is beyond please. I have tried to show Lines To Guide The Eye by this shot of autumns colours.  I like the way it shows the light and shadows....by the sun catching different areas of field. The mood of the image to me is relaxed and calming as that is how I felt when I took it (I was out walking alone).  I think it entices you to wonder round the bend.

 I love the natural colours where the warmth comes in from the russet leaves on the foreground floor and on the tree to the far right of the scene. The background centre tree also shows this red in its lower branches lit by the sun. I like the way this light has showcased the sheep too. Texture can be seen in the brick wall and tufty grass. The way the incoming overhanging branches greet the trees in the centre is friendly. 

All in all I really like this shot but that is probably more to do with the fact that I'm relating it to how I felt when I was there (free and great). It would be better if the leaf colours were more vivid.

Droplets 1

shutter speed 1/2700 aperture 4.0 iso 800

This image shows colour which is more vivid, distance (close) and focus where the background is all out of focus and just a centre branch in focus. I think the picture may have been better if I had tried to have the one branch coming in from the corner instead of the centre. I like the light and love the bright pinks.

Droplets 2

shutter speed 1/640 aperture 5.6 iso 800

There is more space in Droplets 2 and more detail in focus (leaves).  A flower coming in from the right side gives better effect than just one in the middle I think, though the colour is not quite so vivid. With this one I like that the right flower holds morning dew drops. 

Light @ The End Of The Tunnel

Shutter 1/200 Aperture f5.6 iso 200

I have included the  image above as another example of a frame within a frame, a more natural one.  The colours have been enhanced slightly on the above image,  to show texture in the bridge wall and a colourful scene within. The bit that Im not keen on is the telegraph pole but besides that I was pleased with the shot. I also shot from a different angle, but preferred this as it showed a kink in the shape of the archway. I thought of a fisheye lens effect as it appears the scene is coming out at you.

Reflections

shutter 1125 aperture 5.6 iso 200

Reflections in the water struck me here and I liked it for the imersing pattern. To me it looked nearly  equal.  I felt it was a peaceful atmosphere as I photographed the scene, indeed I was the only one  there at the time.   A centre line dividing land from water deviates from the rules, but I though it had effect.  I enhanced the exposure using the enhance button in i-photo, but there is still some shadow darkness to the left where details are not so visible.

Watercolours

shutter 1/125 f8.0 iso 200

In the above image I am thinking back to the rules and the rule of thirds.  I particularly like the subtle colours, and have not altered anything.  The depth of field is interesting to me and  I was looking at the darker bark tree in the background, playing king.  I feel the scene has harmony and with the warmth of the soft foreground,  has the appearance of a painting sort of effect in my opinion.  I am pleased with this one,  though the top right park of the sky looks washed out.

Equipment used for all above images:

*Canon EOS 5D mark II camera with battery

*L series Lens 24-105mm

*SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash Card 8GB

Crop or Not

shutter 1/250 f11.00 iso 200

More vibrant colour contrasts in this image with lines to guide the eye;  from grass lines front to back distant trees;  the foreground tree branches guiding me towards the distinctive sky and cloud patterns;  and the deep shadow horizontal ground line guiding me across from one foreground tree to the other.   Whilst I am not a big fan of taking photographs in the vertical position, and find it more fiddly with the tripod at the moment,  I felt it worked well here and have included it because it is one of the few I have taken using a tripod to date. 

 Equipment used: as above, plus Tripod.