Photography practical

Brainstorm

Research Notes
I have had previous experience doing photography work. Most of my photos have been a photojournalism style. I have attempted to portray something in the image that people will find interesting rather than just taking something that looks nice.

In this image I have attempted to show the personality of someone. I feel like this picture makes him look interesting and fun which is the positive effect I want it to have.

This image shows a warning sign telling people to be careful they don't fall in to the river. In the background I have had someone recreate the sign. This will show the viewer that this character is care free and reckless.

This picture shows the same person as in the picture above. Once again he is disobeying rules set in place by climbing on a sign that says private land. I am trying to get the same points across in this picture.

I can not use these pictures for this assignment as they do not necessarily represent Teesside. I am going to use a similar photojournalism style in my new photos however covering more areas than individuals.

Response to Brief
The Brief I have received gives me the title, 'Unseen Teesside'. My task is to take photos of the Teesside area that will show things that many haven't seen before. This means I can't take pictures of things like The Transporter Bridge and The Bottle of Notes as these are landmarks in Teesside that everyone will have seen.

My final idea is to take pictures of different Graffiti around Teesside. I find certain Graffiti art interesting if there is something unique about it. For that reason I am not going to take pictures of simple graffiti that has no skill behind it. I am aiming to take pictures of the things that people would stop to look at if they saw it.

Trial shots
I already know of multiple locations with unique graffiti. My next task is to go and take some trial shots. The purpose of these trial shots is so I can get an idea of what my final images will look like. I will be able to look back on the trial shots and see if they will be good enough to submit to the brief. Another purpose of the trial shots is so I know if there will be any problems I might encounter. An example of a possible problem is obstructions in front of the graffiti. The locations I plan on using are on public land, some of which are on main roads and car parks. This could be a problem as it is likely I will have cars and people obstructing my photo. I have planned to do my trial shoot at a time when the roads should not be too busy. My trial shoot will help as I will be able to find out if I can get a clear photo or if I will have to find a new location.


These images below show the result of my trial shoot. No editing has went in to these images as they are just tests. I am happy with the results of the trial as I found no problems and I'm confident when I go ahead with my actual shoot.

Influence
A big influence on my idea was a photographer called Nicholas Goodden. His work consists of street art and graffiti around London. He has captured many interesting pieces of graffiti which seem to carry a message and make his audience think about what the original artist was thinking when they created it.

These are some of the graffiti from his website: http://www.nicholasgooddenphotography.co.uk/

I find he is trying to help the original artists by adding something to their work. He has taken the photos and edited them in a way that will add an atmosphere and emotion to their work and more people will be able to see this and be inspired or moved by it.


Locations
There are multiple locations I am going to visit to take my pictures of graffiti. One of these locations is Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough. This is a main road and I am aware that there is multiple graffiti along this road.

This image shows the area of Linthorpe road that I am planning on visiting. As shown in the image there is graffiti on the left hand side.

Another location I am planning to visit is the Riverside Stadium. I know that there is some graffiti down the back of the stadium which I am planning to get a picture of.

This is the front of the stadium which is recognisable to most in Teesside. I think this is an effective location because I am not taking pictures of the obvious parts of the stadium that everyone has seen, instead I am getting pictures of the other side and the graffiti on it.

Risk Assessment

This is my risk assessment table. I have identified two different hazards that will be present when taking my photos. The first is derelict buildings. This is a risk because some of the graffiti I plan on visiting is on an abandoned building. This is only a slight risk because I will not be entering the building however it is still a risk because there may be glass or other dangerous materials in the vicinity of the building.

The other risk is public crowds. It is likely that there will be people around when I take my photos however it is very unlikely that there will be any risk that comes from the people. I am not taking a picture of any people or there personal belongings so it is unlikely anyone will pose a risk.

Booking equipment

This is a screenshot showing me booking out the equipment I need. I am going out into Teesside so I do not need to book out the studio. All I have booked is a DSLR and it has been confirmed.


Final images
The images below show my final images. I have shot them myself and edited them. Now I have my end product, my next task is to evaluate them.

Visual Language
The ideas and thought behind these images are to capture the artists work and add effect. I feel these pictures make the graffiti stand out more than they would if seen in person and the viewer can now appreciate it more by looking at these. The images of the skull and ballerina are brighter than the others. This is done because it is a bright day and also because the area this graffiti is in is not thought of as a positive place. The space behind them has been torn down and fenced up so there is a fairly negative vibe in the area. I have brightened the images to give a better outlook on the area and the art. I feel that by brightening the images people can then appreciate the effort gone in to the art rather than taking note of how bad the area is. The image of the man is supposed to have a more negative effect which is shown by the colours. The building it is on is clearly a worn structure. The colours and the graffiti seem to add a sad feeling to the image. The viewer could understand that the building has been left to fall apart yet the graffiti of the man makes it look as though he is standing by it despite its worn appearance.

With these images I have tried to capture more than just the graffiti to give the viewer a feel of the area and add effect. For example in the image at the riverside I have showed someone doing the graffiti. The person is dressed how most would imagine graffiti artists look. I have added this as the graffiti itself is colourful and shows that the artist is showing support to this football team. This counteracts the negative outlook that most people have on graffiti artists.

Audiences
My target audience has a wide range as it would attract anyone interested in artwork and a lot of people who live in Teesside. My main target audience would be 13 to 18 years old of both genders. I would try and reach out to this age range as this is when it is easier to be inspired to do things. I feel that at this age you are choosing what you want to do and something like this can help choose. My aim is not to influence people to graffiti but instead to influence creativity. Hopefully they will be inspired by the artists ideas.

Another reason this is my audience is because there is a lot of negativity surrounding the people who live in Teesside. Through these images I am aiming to show that the people who inhabit Teesside have creative mindsets and can make something unattractive look interesting.

Historical and Cultural Context
Theses images show a change in culture over time. This is because people's opinion on graffiti has evolved over time. A while a go people would have thought that graffiti was nothing more than a crime and a way for people to rebel. Now, graffiti is quite common to see and more accepted by society. Whilst it is still a crime to graffiti on private land, more people see graffiti, such as the ones above, as art rather than vandalism. This means that the pictures I have taken are pointing out the skill behind the graffiti rather than the crime committed, which would have been the case years ago.

Finished Product
My intentions with this project was to go out and take pictures of graffiti around the Teesside area. The brief given was Unseen Teesside and I feel that this product hits that brief. This is because most graffiti is hidden away and therefore I am showing people what they have not already seen. I have used graffiti as I feel it is more interesting to look at than, for example, landscapes around Teesside. My final product can be taken in different views. I feel that some people will look and think that Teesside is a bright and creative place whereas some others will think that it is a bad look on Teesside as graffiti is a negative thing. Some might believe that they make Teesside look as though there are criminals who inhabit it as graffiti is against the law however I think that having mixed views on my images is a good thing as then it shows people are thinking when they see my images.

After carrying out this process I have learnt that it is important to capture more than just the subject of the photo. As seen in some of my trial shots I initially went out and took photos of just the graffiti. Looking back on these I then decided it would be more interesting if I showed more than just the graffiti in the image. This can also be seen in some of the trial images and the final images. I found by doing this I am able to add more purpose to the image. For example, one image that shows the skull also shows the empty space where buildings have been torn down behind it. I feel that gives viewers an example of the environment the graffiti is in.

Production Process
To produce these I used a DSLR camera for every shoot, including the trial shots. I then used Adobe photoshop to edit the images. To edit them i altered things such as the brightness, contrast, RGB curves and for one image I turned it black and white. For this task I feel that my time management could have been improved. I had to go on multiple shoots. My trial shots came a week before my first actual shoot which was as planned. On my first shoot I could not get all the pictures I had planned to because the weather was grey and therefore effected the final product. I only managed to get one image on this day and this was the image at the Riverside Stadium. The other images came the week after and all went as planned just later than I had wanted. This meant that all the editing and the evaluation work was pushed too close together. I feel if my schedule had went to plan I could have produced more effectively edited images.

Self evaluation
Overall I am happy with my photos. I have captured what I had set out too and feel that what I have is suitable to hand in to the brief. I think the strong points of my photos are that they are slightly different. I don't think many others have images of graffiti and therefore might make mine stand out more. I especially like the photo on the Riverside Stadium wall as I feel that this especially represents something that is important to a lot of people in Teesside.

To improve these photos I would have liked to edit my photos more. I did not have as much time to edit as I would have liked and think they have lost something that could have potentially made them stand out more. The photos by Nicholas Goodden, which was my main influence, have been quite effectively edited. To improve on my photos I would have liked to experiment more with the editing to get a more attractive image and edit them in a way that would compliment the graffiti art as well.