Exercise - Primary and Secondary Colours

I am exploring, in this exercise the primary and secondary colours. I have taken a series of 18 photos each with a particular colour dominating the frame. I have taken each shot of the six colours at correct exposure and then one stop higher and lower to see the effect on the colour in each case. I have only uploaded a single to my blog for 'data capacity' sake but as in the previous exercise it has shown me that under exposing one stop helps to add depth and richness to the colour and over exposing tends to 'bleach out' the colour.
I have used exclusively natural colours rather than man-made paint colours which would have been easier to find. A trip to the local fruit and veg shop provided me with all the colours I needed except blue which is a less common colour in nature hence resorting to the sky. I am really pleased with the results generally and used the macro setting on my nikon zoom lens for the close-up work.

Primary Colours (based on the standard colour circle)

Red

Blue

Yellow

Secondary Colours

Purple

 Orange

 Green

Exercise- control the strength of colour

In this exercise I have taken 5 shots of the same red 'T shirt'. With the camera in completely manual mode I have started from a setting of 1/2 stop under exposed and then increased the aperture one stop for each of the following shots. The shutter speed has been kept at 1/125 second.

f18

f16

f14

f13

f11

The under exposed shot seems to have a richer deeper colour apart from just being darker, as the exposure increases the colour gets more 'washed out' looking or less rich. I really like the richness in the under exposed frame and the strong colour. This exercise shows how the intensity of colour varies with exposure not just the brightness varying.

Colour

Life is still manically busy at the moment  but I began taking the photo's for 'assignment 3-Colour' today and have been enjoying the exercises which I will upload shortly. I have been playing with my watercolour paints too as re-examining the colour wheel and the way we perceive colour has been quite inspiring.
These two photo's I took earlier in the year make it hard to believe that such vivid and colourful contrasts exist in the natural environment. I love the way the colours work together.

Assignment 2

Elements of design

Scenes around Stroud 

I have decided to base my second assignment on images I have taken around the Gloucestershire town of Stroud. This is a place which is new to me, I am here for work. My change of job has brought me to this interesting, arty, creative and organically busy place, perfect for my new career running a recording studio. It’s a melting pot of ideas a bit like the town which, to me, is a mix of the best of Bath and Cheltenham with a bit of aging Victorian industrial grit which is reminiscent, on my first impressions, of towns I visited ‘up North’ like Rochdale, Oldham and Macclesfield. On deeper investigation Stroud shares a similar heritage in the mill trade, famous for producing military cloth in the British Red and Billiard table Green. Stroud is bustling with life, busy markets, wealthy people alongside those struggling with life, but overall a rich sense thriving inspiration. I am hooked……

Photograph 1. The post-box.  (A single point dominating the frame) I was drawn to the colour against the Cotswold stone wall, such an English symbol harking back to another time, a golden age, and the same red as Stroud’s famous military cloth.

Photograph 2.   Telephone Pole (2 points in the frame)

I love the rustic aging wood, preserved by tar with its old labels numbering and dating, the 2 points in the frame, and older than me…just!

Photograph 3 

 The Square root of windows (several points in a shape)

The 4 windows, all square and all so different.

They caught my eye and so representative of this town, a jumble of styles, eclectic, characterful and like the sign says Ruff’n’Ready in a comfortable charming way, like the buskers I’ve met in the street. How the white glossed cheap modern frame sits in the old wall alongside the craftsmanship of the leaded glass, key-stoned and cut stone of a Jayne Austin era.

Photograph 4 Blue tiles      (horizontal and vertical lines)

I love the colour of these old tiles on a shops wall and the way they are worn by time. Years of scratching by shopping bags, buttons, bikes and boots have left a mature patina like a great wine or ancient coin. The flare from the flash on my Nikon D80 which unfortunately decided to trigger (the D80 struggles in low light) helps to highlight the imperfections but leaves a glare I don’t like…. I must go back and take these again earlier in the day to capture the beauty of the colours.

Photograph 5 Building works (diagonals)

Calling in to the old brickworks to see how the building work is progressing for the new recording studios in Bath Road, I took the opportunity to get a frame of diagonals which works really well. The geometry of the roof trusses and false ceiling joists from this perspective fan out across the frame.

Photograph 6a Modern Canal Bridge (curves)

Photograph 6b Under the Bridge (curves)

These two photos are put together as they are taken from almost the same position just turning around 180degrees. They are a juxtaposition of two different ages, both bridges over the canal in Stroud. 6a is a 1990’s construction and very clean and modern whereas 6b is the crumbling relic of the early Victorian era. I love the swirl of the foreground, slightly defocused…like a time tunnel and the murky look of the lock gates and water. I like the sense of movement curves add to the frame and lead the eye.

Photograph 7  Stroud Cemetery (distinctive shapes)

My expeditions around Stroud have lead me to the old Victorian cemetery and I noticed the distinctive shape of the cross, scattered throughout the overgrown sea of gravestones, themselves all distinctive in design, but it was the crosses that stood out being a huge icon, an image, a fashion accessory and Christian symbology. The eye almost seeks them out in the frame. Having had a strongly religious upbringing they have always had a presence in my life 

It then struck me how distinctive many shapes connected with religion are, for example the steeple: (photograph 7b)

Photograph 8a Spillmans Pitch      (Implied Triangles)  

The perspective of the road heading off into the distance, exaggerated by the steepness of ‘Spillman’s pitch’ forms a strong implied triangle in the frame. I love the organic jumble of Stroud which is clear in this photo of the steepest road in the area.

Photograph 8b Majestic (implied triangle)

This magnificent old building near the church in the old part of Stroud is quite spectacular. I like the strong triangle implied by the windows and topped by the roof apex. I would love to know more about the history of this building as it stands so majestically.

Photograph 9a Railway Viaduct  (Rhythm)

The huge curved brick spans of the Victorian railway viaduct are incredible, the sheer scale and the manpower that must have been used to construct it can’t fail to impress as you walk beneath. The huge construction splits Stroud in half as the viaduct goes right through the valley where the town nestles.

Photograph 9b workshop & fence (Rhythm)

This workshop caught my eye as the strong rectangular rhythm of the windows was enhanced by the fence and tyres. I even liked the monochrome feel of the colours in the frame. Everything just works by luck even the rusting brackets for the guttering.

Photograph 10a Brickwork Pattern (patterns)

These patterns in the brickwork caught my attention and from what I could work out seemed to be from the 1970s or early 1980s, another era in the jumble of Stroud. The light was a bit overcast when I took the photo and I think it would have definitely improved the shot with some light bringing out the 3dimensional detail with some shadowing perhaps in the evening when the sun was low in the sky.

Photograph 10b Lime green squares (patterns)

This pattern in the wall of a 1960s building is very distinctive and a dated retro chic about it. It works well in the frame as the colour green stands out so well against the orange brown of the brick so I am pleased with this photo.

Self assessment of assignment

I feel I have done quite well with this assignment although it’s not easy to find a shot which represents exactly what you want. I’ve had multiple trips out with my camera around Stroud and have a good collection of photo’s for my library which haven’t been used in this particular work but ones I am really pleased with. It has been a useful exercise in noticing more about street details and also in getting to know more about this town to which I am a newcomer. I also found I got frustrated that I couldn’t necessarily get time when the best light is to be had due to my work. I have an ongoing issue with the fact that my Nikon D80 really struggles in low light.

Exercise; Implied lines

Here are two different shots for the exercise on implied lines;

The first is the eye-lines and how they project an implied line, here being the staring 'up to the heavens' in this stained glass window. I particularly love the bright translucent colours in glass as they have so much more luminosity than printed colour. The happy accident in this shot is the cross formed by the leading between the panes adds to the religious symbology. Interestingly the character 'greyed out' and not staring upward is the 'sinner' or 'non-believer' and is depicted like this by the artist.

The second shot is a line of extension, this row of bins leads the eye down the adjacent path and is helped with it's forward movement by the second bin which appears to be toppling forward threatening to knock the whole line down like dominos

Exercise - Curves

In this exercise I am to produce four photographs containing curve, to emphasise movement and direction. I've selected these from the last 6 months photo's when I have tried to capture 'curves'.

Back in January I took this shot in the woods of the young tree saplings weighed down with the snow forming a tunnel. The initial movement to the eye is the curve from the trunks on the lower right over to the branches on the lower left. This is followed by the perspective of the receding curves drawing you down the tunnel. I like the monochrome look of this shot.

The harbour wall in St Ives Cornwall with the lower and upper curves formed by the perspective from the viewpoint draw the eye along to the horizon on the right of the frame. This is where the details of interest in the distance are; the lighthouse and buildings and the dog on the beach.

Also on the pier in St Ives I liked the aged rusting form of this cast iron winch wheel, long seized by time and saltwater. It's circular form gives the feel of rotation and draws the eye around the frame.

This next shot is of the canal walkway and modern bridge in the centre of Stroud Gloucestershire. The swing of the walkway and canal combined with the curved sweep of the bridge lead the eye firstly from  right to left and then back to the right following the bridge, I find this movement slightly jarring.

Extra pic.....

This fifth extra photo of curves on this BMW give the sense of the aerodynamic sweep from right to left over the rotational movement of the round form of the wheel.

Renewed attack...

Well here I am back to the Art of Photography course, it's been a few months when life has just taken over.
I am in the embryonic beginnings of a new business and my dream career, all very exciting so studying has taken a backseat. Having been panicking internally about dropping off the course I am facing my fears and jumping back to it as it is something I really want to do and achieve for myself.
I have been out with my camera and here are a few of my favourite pics from my recent inactive period




Innes Sibun at Stroud Blues Club, my Nikon D80 struggles in low light levels but I liked this shot.

Loved this tree in the Forest of Dean near the Speech House, I like the way it shelters the ground beneath from the frost in a protective way.

Morning view of Brecon Beacons on recent camping trip, I love the way the clouds are rolling over the hillside and the red tones of the long grass in the foreground.

Tree climbing, my boys doing what boys should do....

And here I am....a very proud dad :)