Aisha Bradford Photography

City of Glasgow College.

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Exhibition Review - Part II

Linda McCartney

Somewhat eclipsed by the fame of her husband, Paul, and the Beatles, Linda McCartney (formerly Eastman) was a successful photographer, musician and entrepreneur in her own right. In 1967 she was named US Female Photographer of the Year, and in 1968 her portrait of Eric Clapton was the first cover of Rolling Stone magazine that was shot by a woman.  

'Retrospective' is a selection of Linda's images, spanning three decades, curated by Paul, Stella and Mary McCartney. The collection was showcased in the UK for the first time at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, here in Glasgow, displaying Linda's photographs of iconic stars and moments in music throughout the 1960s, alongside intimate, candid shots of her young family in and around their home in Argyll.

Sir Paul balancing on a fence, while his son leaps through the air. Mull of Kintyre, 1982 

In a gallery featuring over 250 iconic images by this prolific photographer, choosing just one was quite a challenge. The photograph above is compositionally really intriguing; it reminds me of that famous photograph of a man jumping over a puddle in Paris, by Henri Cartier-Bresson. It also reminds me of Philippe Halsman’s surreal portrait of Salvador Dali. The combination of light and shadow creates depth, and contrasting the pale grey sky with the deep black of the side of the building adds tension as well as leading the eye across the image. The fence that runs perpendicular to the building draws the eye into the centre, keeping the focus on the three main subjects.

Paul with his Daughter Mary. Scotland, 1970.

The tones in this image are what drew me to it initially; there's a warm, soft light illuminating Paul and Mary, most likely coming from the sun as it set. This theme of warmth is consistent in the fur on Paul's coat, as well as the deep browns of his jacket, hair and eyes. The intimate framing highlights the connection between the photographer and her subjects. It's a charming portrait that emits cosy, comforting vibes.

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Illuminate Research

Harold Ross is a photographer based in Pennsylvania. In 1978 he graduated  from the Maryland Institute College of Art, in Baltimore, with a degree in Fine Art Photography. He taught at college level for several  years, after which he opened his commercial studio in 1987. For almost 30 years, light painting has been the only method of lighting he’s employed. He refers to this process as “sculpting with light”.

I believe the phrase “sculpting with light” to be a perfect descriptor of this technique because it’s quite literal. In the same way that a sculptor would mould clay to create depth, photographers can use light sculpting to carve into their images. Having complete control over what the light touches, allows the photographer to manufacture depth with shadows and light.

Harold Ross - Untitled

This technique lends itself to creating a rustic, worn vibe, depending on the subject. The photograph above, which looks like a painting, is the sort of aesthetic I hope to achieve.

Harold Ross - Last Chance Garage

I would ideally like to photograph an old truck. A friend of mine happened to find one that would work well for this brief, however, due to the current lockdown situation I’m not sure if going out to take photographs counts as part of my government sanctioned daily exercise :)

Harold Ross - Anselmo Mine Assayer’s Office

I really love the old apothecary vibe of this photo, as well as the muted colour palette. I’m probably going to try and achieve the same sort of washed out look in my images.

Sonia Nunez - Untitled

A somewhat topical research image (note the Corona typewriter). I really adore this technique, when done well it creates such warm, nostalgic images.

[valentinaperaltahnd1]

Illuminate Research

https://valentinaperaltahnd1.tumblr.com/post/612299412783431680/illuminate-research-reciprocity-law

https://dariuszhn1photography.tumblr.com/post/611672966729711616/painting-with-light-photographer

https://aishasphotos.tumblr.com/post/611671286891069440/digital-noise-avoidance

https://siobhanchalmersphotography.tumblr.com/post/611672958387224576/digital-noise-removal

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Cheap Research

"The most ordinary unassuming objects have a character we can exploit to make unique and surprisingly effective images."

The aim of this brief was to help further our understanding of studio lighting techniques and still life photography, by creating an abstract image of an object costing no more than £1.

Paloma Rincon – Disco Melon

Rincon's use of colour in this shot is loud, flashy and garish...I love it. The relatively soft turquoise clashes beautifully with the bright red of the melon. The little square mirrors stuck to the melon add some texture and hardness to an otherwise simplistic photograph. They also add interest around the bottom of the image by creating little light reflections, personally, I would have been inclined to avoid that or edit it out, but it by no means ruins the picture for me. 

Modern Still Life - Lena Smigunova 

This is a painting I came across some time ago and was immediately drawn to, mostly due to its colour palette. There's something about the shoes that makes me unable to stop looking at them, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. This painting invokes nostalgia, due to a vaguely 80s/90s aesthetic and the blue curtain and wooden floor make me think of a school auditorium/stage. It's a perfect example of something ordinary becoming something beautiful. 

Benjamin Swanson - Rock Reflection

This is actually one of the first photographs I ever used for my NQ research last year, it made such an impact I instantly thought of it when I thought of contemporary still life photography. I love that the sharp lines and angles in this image are in perfect contrast with the round mirror, which is reflecting most of the shapes. Tumblr really doesn't do the sharpness, that makes this image so pleasing, justice. 

Emelie Otterbeck

I can't stop looking at this one. I think that is the prettiest colour there's ever been. Aside from that, I love the concept of monochromatic photography, though it's something I've yet to explore properly. I think the composition of this shot is intriguing in that it appears both staged but also quite undone, all at once, as though someone has doused a breakfast table in teal paint. I particularly like the clock and two picture frames on the back wall, I'm very much into shapes and colours just now apparently. 

Still Life - Ian Barber

This is the most traditional example of still life in my research. I think the simplicity of the shot really enhances it, as well as the soft light and deep shadows. Again, I feel this harks back to school days with the background resembling a blackboard. 

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Digital Noise Avoidance

ISO Reduction (Aisha)

One way to avoid noise in an image is by making sure you're shooting at the lowest ISO possible. The higher the ISO setting the more pixel grouping occurs on the camera sensor, this grouping causes the image to appear grainy. 

ISO can be limited in a couple of ways, using as wide an aperture as possible allows the camera to capture more light, therefore a lower ISO can be used. A tripod can also help keep the ISO low by allowing you to use a longer exposure to capture more light, this does, however, come with its own complications. Using an external flash or light source to illuminate your subject is another way to limit ISO. Finally, knowing the ISO restraints of your camera is useful, for example, when shooting with the Nikon D80 any image taken at an ISO of 500 or over is difficult to noise correct during optimisation without making the image look over-processed. 

Canon EOS 7D ISO Noise Test

https://animoto.com/blog/personal/dslr-photography-iso

In-camera noise reduction (Andrea)

In most cameras, there is a function called high ISO noise reduction or long exposure noise reduction. What this does is after you have taken the shot, the function will look at the image and analyse the image and look for any pixels that are incorrectly rendered, it will then fix the pixels that are not properly rendered. The pixels are not properly rendered because during a long exposure the sensor heats up and leaves different pixels that shouldn’t be there.

Larger/Full-Frame Sensors (Louis)

ISO noise can be reduced by using cameras with larger sensors - known as full-frame (24x36mm in area) the same as 35mm film. This is because having a larger area divided by the number of megapixels means that individual photosites will be larger, thus able to capture more light than that of a crop sensor, allowing a lower ISO setting to be used - hence reducing digital noise. 

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Recycle Research

Still-life, a phrase coined in the 17th century, typically refers to depictions of inanimate objects. However, because it incorporates a wide range of influences from various cultures and periods in time, its definition remains quite fluid. Still-life was traditionally used to communicate allegorical meanings or stories. When making a still-life picture, the choice of props, background and lighting are all crucial components in creating a beautiful image, whether the medium is canvas or film (or a CMOS sensor). 

Raina Stinson Photography - Still life Provence

This is a very traditional composition of fruits and flowers, similar to what one might see in a Francisco de Zurbarán still life painting, for example. The objects are arranged against a black background, which draws focus by minimising distractions. The lighting is soft and warm, possibly achieved with a large softbox, although it looks more like ambient light than studio lighting. I really enjoy the composition and tones in this photograph, and the contrast between the deep black and the bright yellow sunflowers is, aesthetically, very pleasing.

Алена Ш

I really love this photograph. The tones in it are soft and faded, which implies age, the pop of orange, however, adds a focal point and freshness to the image. The lighting appears to be ambient, coming from a large window, based on the reflection in the jug. A flag of some sort may have been used to darken the left side of the image. 

Harold Ross - Sculpting With Light

I’m really intrigued by light painting, and after briefly trying it last year I’ve been looking for an excuse to try it again ever since. I think this brief is precisely the right opportunity to do so because I believe this technique suits the theme. The photograph above looks like a painting, which is a recurring aspect of light painting photography. 

I believe the phrase “sculpting with light” to be a perfect descriptor of this technique because that is literally what is happening. In the same way that a sculptor would mould clay into curves to create depth, photographers can use light sculpting to carve into their images. Having complete control over what the light touches, allows the photographer to manufacture depth with shadows and light. 

Edward Weston - Pepper No. 30

One of the most famous still life images ever created, this photograph of a bell pepper by Edward Weston, widely regarded as one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century, is a 4-6 hour exposure with an aperture of f/240. According to Weston’s grandson, photographer Kim Weston, this extreme exposure and aperture combination was necessary in order to show the relatively small pepper entirely in focus at such short range. The reason for the apparent luminosity of the pepper is the light source being natural light that shifted over its 4-6 hour exposure time.

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180° Shutter Rule

To mimic motion the same way the human eye experiences it in real life, the 180-degree rule states that shutter speed should be set to double your frame rate. On DSLRs and other digital cameras, common 180° shutter angles include 1/50th of a second at 24 fps, or 1/60th of a second at 30 fps.

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Artisan Research

Cinematography is defined as the art of photography and camera-work in filmmaking.

Close-Up Shot

A close-up shot creates a sense of intimacy which I feel is particularly important for an artisan video. Close-ups also make it clear what the focus of the video is and show greater detail than wide shots, again crucial for an artisan video. 

Sergio Leone’s iconic three-way standoff in “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” is an excellent example of combining extreme close-ups with rapid match shots to build tension and suspense in the scene. 

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Sergio Leone, 1966

Tracking Shot

A tracking shot is defined as a shot throughout which the camera follows a particular subject that would otherwise have left the frame, for example, a vehicle in motion or an actor walking somewhere. 

There are a few different ways a tracking shot can be captured. A dolly shot is probably the most straightforward method. This is when the camera moves towards, away from, or alongside the subject to keep it in the frame. The dolly is mounted on rail tracks, allowing for smooth and controlled movement. 

The two main types of dolly shots are dolly in/out, also known as a standard dolly, and dolly zoom, the latter being the more popular method. A standard dolly involves smoothly moving the camera towards or away from the subject, known as “dolly in” and “dolly out”, respectively. Secondary camera movement can be implemented; however, it is usually kept to a minimum, a slight tilt up or down, for example. During movement, the focus may have to be adjusted manually in order to keep the subject in focus. 

Citizen Kane, Orson Welles, 1942

The dolly zoom, sometimes called the vertigo effect, was first seen in Alfred Hitchcock’s film, Vertigo, in 1958. It is achieved by adjusting the zoom during the dolly movement, causing the foreground and subject to stay the same size while the background expands or narrows. This technique can either be done by zooming out while dollying towards the subject or vice versa. 

Diner Scene - Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese, 1990

A tracking shot can also be filmed using a 3-axis gimbal, which is a motorised tool that attaches to a camera to help keep it steady while tracking. Shooting with a motorised gimbal offers enough stabilisation to produce smooth video footage, while also providing the freedom of hand-held shooting. 

Long Take

A long take, not to be confused with a long shot, is a single, seemingly uncut shot that lasts significantly longer than a typical shot would. Long takes usually involve a considerable amount of camera movement and elaborate blocking, which is a way around actually achieving a long take in one go, however, this is not a given. They can be used to authenticate fight scenes, allowing the audience to appreciate the choreography, and making the actors and stunt doubles look more impressive. Long shots are also useful for keeping the audience engaged, they give the impression that the viewer is experiencing everything, the whole story, without interruption.

Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese, 1990

Wide Shot

“Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.”

- Charlie Chaplin*

A wide shot, also known as a full or long shot, is a filming technique which shows the subject within their surrounding environment. A wide shot gives the audience more information about the scene. It can be used as an establishing shot, to emphasise location or to convey isolation or comedy depending on the genre.

The Great Dictator, Charlie Chaplin, 1940

* https://philosiblog.com/2012/04/16/life-is-a-tragedy-when-seen-in-close-up-but-a-comedy-in-long-shot/

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Artisan Research - The Kuleshov Effect

Alfred Hitchock explains the Kuleshov Effect

The Kuleshov Effect is a film editing technique, first used by Soviet filmmaker Lev Kuleshov in the 1910s-20s. It is a psychological phenomenon by which the audience derive more information from the combination of two sequential shots than from a single shot. 

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Exhibition Review - Part I

Francesca Woodman

Francesca Woodman was an American photographer, born in Denver, Colorado to artists George and Betty Woodman. She was best known for her obscure black and white portraits of herself, and sometimes other female models, nude or clothed. These portraits would often contain an element of movement, blurring or distortion. Woodman’s first self-portrait was taken at age thirteen, and she continued to photograph herself until her tragically young death in 1981, aged 22. She used her photographs to examine the relationship between her body and her surrounding environment, issues with gender and representation of ‘the self’. Despite using numerous types of cameras and film formats throughout her career, the majority of Woodman’s photographs were taken using medium format film to produce square 6x6cm negatives. She’s thought to have created at least 10,000 negatives, now kept by her parents, along with over 800 prints, of which only around 120 had been published as of 2006. Woodman’s prints were often 20x25cm or smaller, this “works to produce an intimate experience between viewer and photograph” *

Untitled, Providence, Rhode Island 1975-1980

Materials: Gelatine silver print on paper on ink on paper

Measurements: 10.90 x 10.90 cm (paper 25.30 x 20.20 cm)

I have chosen this image to discuss as I was immediately drawn to it, and despite spending quite a while looking at the other photographs in the exhibition, none stood out to me like this one did. I love the deeply intimate nature of the image, emphasised by its small format. Accompanied by a hand-scrawled note, meant for Woodman’s boyfriend who lived in a different city at the time. This was something Woodman did a lot, she often captioned her images with descriptive or personal notes sometimes just to herself.

The composition appears at first glance to be somewhat chaotic; however, I believe it was deliberate in order to create a sense of demureness despite the suggestive nature of the image. Woodman’s submissive pose is in stark juxtaposition to her almost confrontational stare directly into the camera. In typical Woodman style, her face is slightly obscured by motion, which is particularly apparent if you look closely at her eyes, they almost appear to be vibrating. The dark lines of the mirror act to frame the artist, almost creating the illusion of a 3D painting. 

*Simon, Jane (2010). "An intimate mode of looking: Francesca Woodman's photographs". Emotion, Space and Society. 3: 28–59. 

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Cuts and Transitions

In cinematography, a ‘cut’ or ‘transition’ is a post-production technique by which different scenes are combined. The most common way of doing this is through a standard cut to the next scene; however, there are a few different types of transitions. These can be used alone or in conjunction to separate parts of the story, convey a tone or to denote the passage of time. 

Cut on action/Match shots are when you transition between two shots and match up either the action or composition, to make the cut less jarring and to give the impression of continuous-time. For example, a man kicking a ball out of frame at the end of one scene and a different ball bouncing in from off-screen, matching the screen direction and motive rhythm, beginning the next. 

A brilliant example of cutting on action/match shots, as well as other transition types such as whip panning and invisible cuts, which keep the viewer engaged from start to finish, is Leonardo Dalessandri’s Watchtower of Turkey. 

Cutaways are best described as cutting to an insert shot of something and then back, to add context. The insert shot can be in the same space and time as the scene, or it can be used to show what’s happening inside the head of a character, for example, a flashback. Another common use of cutaway shots is during dialogue sequences, such as phone calls. 

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Cross-Cutting, also known as parallel editing, is a switch between two different scenes that are happening at the same time in different locations. This allows for two separate stories, that are usually linked in some way, to be told simultaneously, 

Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs

Jump cuts are when you cut within the same shot, usually used to show a passing of time, for example, characters moving from one position to another between shots. Montages are an example of multiple jump cuts. They can also add a sense of urgency, depending on the pace. 

Buying Time at Mushnik's 

"Little Shop of Horrors" (1986) Directed by Frank Oz

Fade In/Fade Out, is when a scene dissolves to or from black. A fade to black is the more common of the two types of transition, often used to dramatically signify completion or to move from a tense or emotional scene into another. Fading to white, however, suggests a sense of ambiguity or hope. 

Fade To White by Jacob T. Swinney

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Catch Me If You Can Research

“Sports photography refers to the genre of photography that covers all types of sports. In the majority of cases, professional sports photography is a branch of photojournalism, while amateur sports photography, such as photos of children playing association football, is a branch of vernacular photograph.”*

Equipment:

A Camera (with strap)

A Telephoto Lens

A Fast SD Card (+ spare)

Spare Battery

Lens Cleaner Kit

Monopod

Rain Cover

Telephoto Lens:

Due to the size of most sports fields, a telephoto lens is necessary to capture all the action in great detail. 

Fast SD Card:

Memory cards with a read and write speed of at least 90MB/s are recommended when shooting sports photography in order to keep up with continuous shooting mode. Sports photographers also tend to shoot in JPEG, as this allows for a smaller file and thus faster processing/shooting. Extra cards are something all photographers should have in their kit, but they may be particularly important for sports photographers as you need to shoot as much as possible and don't have time to edit photos to clear space.

Spare Battery:

Another item all photographers should have in their kit, spare batteries are essential to sports photography as most events last between 1-2 hours, throughout which you are continuously shooting.

Lens Cleaner Kit/Rain Cover:

Depending on the sport the photographer may be exposed to various environmental factors, such as rain, dust and mud. These can all affect your lens in such a way that it would hinder its ability to capture images. These kit items help you keep your lens clean and dry in order to capture the highest quality photographs possible. 

Monopod:

A monopod helps relieve some of the weight of a telephoto lens, it also provides versatility where a tripod cannot and enables panning. 

Small Camera Bag:

A small camera bag will help you keep any spare lenses, memory cards and batteries secure and easily accessible during the shoot. 

Kai Pfaffenbach

An excellent example of panning. 

Mark Runnacles

Freezing motion is an effective way to capture dramatic moments.

Einar Otto Stangvik

Another example of motion freezing. 

Tom Jenkins

Wide angle lenses let you capture more of the action/atmosphere in one photograph. 

A telephoto lens allows you to get as close to the action as possible. 

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_photography

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Illusion

Composite images are created by merging multiple images together in order to make them appear as one, often resulting in surreal, seemingly impossible pictures. 

Prianko Biswas

This image is the most similar to the idea I had in my head for this brief. I took some photos of the sea when I was back home in Oman with this brief in mind. I also vaguely remembered someone borrowing an antique chair that someone in the college was restoring last year. I knew I wanted to keep my composite image quite minimalist, as I’m well aware it’s all too easy to go over the top with composite images and make them look tacky and garish. 

Robin S. Romans

In saying that, I do, however, intend to experiment with a couple of different elements, rather than just the background and portrait. I also shot photos of some skies and birds that I could layer over the sea images, as well as some extra shots of waves. I could potentially add the moon, like the image above, if i manage to get a good enough shot of it.

Dariusz Klimczak

I like the fact that it’s not immediately apparent that this is a composite image, because that chair could technically be that tall and could be on that beach. But it’s not. This is what I hope to achieve with my composite image, realism in a genre that thrives on surrealism. 

Anna Valerie

Similar to the image above, this is another realistic composite. These two images helped solidify the vision I had for this project. I’m not sure what it is about a lone chair sitting in the sea, but it’s a pretty melancholic thing to behold. I like the idea of incorporating this vibe into my composite, with the addition of a person sitting on the chair, looking somewhat sullen.

https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/photoshop/how-to/compositing.html

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Seeing The Light

The objective of this brief was to create a series of images illustrating different lighting types. The four I have chosen are window light, diffused daylight, dappled sunlight and hard sunlight with a reflector. I really enjoyed this brief as I love portraiture and working with natural light.

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Illusion Research

James Paterson

Unknown photographer - Composite by DHRUVAL_MODI 

Melissa Niu

'Elephant and Desert' by Zdenka Janaskova

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Clean White - Digital

The objective of this brief was to produce a black and white image with a perfectly clean, white background. In order to achieve this, I first needed to light the background evenly using two lights for an aperture of 11 and shoot a silhouette of my model. Getting this right rook a few attempts but I persevered and managed to get it eventually. Once I had was happy with my background I added my key light with a softbox attachment at a 45-degree angle slightly above the model’s head. Taking the silhouetted photo helped ensure the background was perfectly even when it came time to take the portraits.

I had brought in a white lace tablecloth because I knew I was shooting Valentina and thought it would work well. I wanted to create a haunting image and I think I managed to do that with the help of Val's modelling skills and rad aesthetic.

I know the aim was to only create one digital and one film print, however, I couldn’t choose between the two and I think they work well as a pair. Also, mark told me I could print more than one because it all adds to my portfolio anyway.

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Who Am I? (Updated)

I really struggled with this brief due to having little to no sense of self. I found it particularly difficult to find an object that I felt represented me as I’m not particularly attached to any ‘things’ per se. I decided on my ukulele in part because it’s one of the prettiest things I own, but also because music has always been a big aspect of my life albeit one I mostly keep to myself.

My location shot was the last photo I took because I couldn’t decide on a specific place in Glasgow and I knew I would be back home in Oman soon so I held off until I got there. It’s a photograph I took out the window of my bedroom, I’m lucky enough to have grown up in a place where the capital city is bordered by stunning mountains on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other and I knew the light out there would better suit my other two pictures.

The self-portrait was the part of this project I was dreading the most as I’m far more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it, as I believe most photographers are. However, it somehow ended up being the part I found the easiest and I was left torn between two final images. I chose this image as it complimented the photo of my object nicely with the similar lighting set up, which was the sun coming in low through a crack in my blinds in the late afternoon. I feel this image, despite being relatively unplanned, says a lot about me. I’ve spent a lot of my life hiding, a crippling lack of self-confidence being the catalyst to that. The shadow obscuring everything but my eye illustrates the fact that, despite my shyness, I’ve always made a lot of eye contact, which people can find jarring, however, I think I do it to try and read people more effectively, as a symptom of my anxiety. I didn’t want to make my self-portrait about my mental state because I am so many more things than just anxious, but it’s undeniably a big part of my life at the moment and has been for as long as I can remember so it inevitably ended up playing a part in this portrait.

I’m pretty happy with my final triptych, I think it conveys who I am to an extent but maintains the air of mystery that I crave in a world where oversharing is the norm.