HND1AHectorJamieson

[hnd1ahectorjamieson]

movie poster 

The movie I have chosen for this brief is American History X. I chose this brief for two reasons 1) It has many different concepts for a poster because of the use of black and white, colour and subject matter along with the story too, and 2) I have access to models that can represent the characters in the film.

American History X is about two brothers, who are Neo Nazi’s. The elder Derek, goes to prison for a triple homicide on three black car thieves and the younger Danny, follows in his footsteps, being drawn further into the world that Derek soon realises will eventually kill him.

The look I want to go for is similar to the following examples, models placed above scene with the same lighting conditions and direction of light. This ties them into the scene and combines them together.

A street scene beneath, hard lighting and a blue tint is also reflected on the models which ties the two together.

Same effect here. The models look like they own the city beneath them, which is the message I’m trying to get across in my poster. You can live in a world shaped by your ideology but there will always be people who disagree regardless of right or wrong, and eventually it ends in pain, suffering or loss of life.

Symbolism also play a major role in this film. You are following the life of the Neo Nazi in this case. NAzi propaganda and racist symbolism in always present and become normal and unsurprising after a while which is important. You get drawn into the life of the “enemy” (in relation to views and beliefs of open minded, and accepting people).

As I cannot use weapons or racist symbolism in my poster I have decided to use the American flag as a way of symbolising hate, history and culture. Of course Americas history is full of hate, discrimination and, although these may be negative, they are part of American history and culture regardless.

Black and white theme. And colour can also play a huge part in theme and concept. The black and white almost creates an intimidating vibe and it separates the model from the viewer, much like the belief system that they follow.

Colour brings you in to the image, their life, it’s accepting and relatable.

Poster for editing and colour scheme reference.

[hnd1ahectorjamieson]

almost nothing

This is the brief I am most excited for. I really struggled with it last year because I think I took it too literally in the sense that I purely focussed on minimalist urban shots rather than trying to take the brief in a more conceptual direction.

I will be using Alexander Gronsky for my research/inspiration this time. He is an Estonian photographer who began working as a press photographer in 1998. He moved from this to personal documentary work focussing on the contemporary Russian landscape.

The thing I find intriguing about Gronsky, especially his project called ‘The Edge’, is that, although he is shooting suburban areas of Moscow, he still manages to create a sense of minimalism and solitude in his images. You get a real sense of disconnect from urban life and vastness. Snow covered landscapes, exposing for the details and shadows to blow out the white makes then seem sparse and I feel like they run alongside the brief well.

In terms of location I am wanting to shoot up around the Glencoe area. I shot some reference images at the start of the year using the same technique as Gronsky, exposing for the detail and blowing out the white.

I love this technique and I feel like it will take some practice on film but as the brief requires black and white it will create and even more minimal look.

Here is a link to a Pinterest board with another photographer that I take a lot of inspiration from - Danila Tkachenko

https://pin.it/rwu4to5o3ypywz

[hnd1ahectorjamieson]

catch me if you can

The photographer I chose for this reseqarch is Ross Woodhall. He is a sports and lifestyle photographer who has a great portfolio of ski images.

I found 5 that coincide with each technique that the brief asks for.

Wide angle

Composition technique

Telephoto

Freezing movement

Panning

Plan

I aim to take two lenses with me. One telephot lens, 70-200mm and a 17-40mm. I feel like these will give me a wide range of focal lengths and shooting ability. 

In terms of camera I will most likely take the Canon 6d from college because I have used this last year during my sports brief and it performed really well. The full frame sensor provided great low light performance and the burst mode is really fast.

A tripod is necessary too for capturing frozen movement. You can place it somewhere and wait for the subject to move past. This, paired with the burst mode provides consistent shooting and you can frame the shot up well. 

Sport

I dont think I can specifically shoot just skiing so I am looking for events like drifting, snow sports, court sports like basketball and possibly circuit driving. Motorsport is something I am very interested in and can provide many different shooting techniques like panning and frozen movement.

[hnd1ahectorjamieson]

seeing the light images

Here are my final images for `STL.

Descriptions underneath each image.

I’m extremely happy with this image. The girls that are in the photo were lovely, kind and very open to photos being taken. This was shot in front of the Gallery of Modern Art on Ingram Street. The sun was at its highest point and cast reflections over the buildings behind the subjects. I did use a white sheet of paper held next to the camera to bounce a bit of light form above onto the chest area to bring out more detail.

1/1250

f/1.8

iso100

I met this girl outside Strathclyde University, just up from the student union. She was happy to have a photo taken and I finally got a portrait of someone outside of the service entrance. Benn wanting to shoot there for a while. It has great lines due to the steps and it south facing so at this point In the afternoon the sun was over to the west so there was a brilliant light source. Very soft, cloudy day. I didn't need to do too much modifying of the light but I ended up putting a white flag on the left hand side of the model (right when looking at the image). This provided more detail in on that side of the face. I love how sharp it is.

1/1000

f/1.8

iso100

Dan and I met these girls outside the Radisson next to Central Station. They were visiting from Yorkshire I think and were looking for a good place to eat breakfast. After recommending places to go they agreed to take a picture for us. The light was great, coming from directly behind the model. I used a white reflector to bounce the light onto her face and under her chin to stop shooting a silhouette. I got a brilliant rainbow off the lens and the colours work well together.

1/1250

f/1.8

iso100

This guy was really funny. I was in the financial district with Dan and we were struggling to find people who were willing to get an image taken. I spotted this guy walking behind us so I asked him. He seemed so annoyed and not willing but his body language was so different from the words that were coming out his mouth. He was down for getting a photograph taken but acted like it was an inconvenience. Quite amusing. It was dark on the street that I took this on, the only real source of light was the reflections off the glass windows. The reflector wasn't doing much so I positioned him in a spot where there was a direct light source coming from the reflections. I used this instead of altering the light myself.

1/1250

f/1.8

iso100

My final image, which was the first of the day is of Dan. Right before you go under Buchanan Galleries heading toward the top of Buchanan Street. It was clear at this point and the light was very hard and direct so I used a white reflector to bounce light into the side of his chest/armpit area to bring the detail through. I didn't want too much detail lost but still wanted a lot of contrast. Dan has a great face with heavy brows so I wanted to keep the shadow over his eyes. This, combined with the upward shooting angle creates a powerful composition that I feel compliments Dans build.

1/1600

f/1.8

iso100

[hnd1ahectorjamieson]

Seeing the light

Research

I found it quite difficult to find images that really inspired me by any photographers I know of or could find in the library at college. Instead, I looked to Pinterest, a platform I use a lot to find new photography inspiration and also to create mood boards and concepts for shoots.

The following images are some from my board I created for research and inspiration for this brief. I’ll include the link later.

The main focus for this brief for me, with all things considered, was to create clean, well composed images pairing subject with complimentary backgrounds.

Keeping colours that go well together to create a consistent aesthetic for each individual image.

One of the things I have noticed about my preferred image composition is shooting from slightly below neck height. It creates a feeling of confidence, power and it compliments the model in some cases.

One thing I wanted to achieve was having very linear, architectural backgrounds because it creates great contrast. It is the opposite of human form in a way because it’s not a living entity. But On the other hand it corresponds almost directly because buildings are made by humans. A lifeless non human structure created by humans.

Utilising reflectors, aperture and locations I feel like I can create some really nice images and use the natural light available to me as much as possible.

[hnd1ahectorjamieson]

Who Am I

Concept

Introverted, realisation of the importance of solitude/being alone.

Taken from the current circumstances in my life the realisation of being alone came recently. If your life is hectic or stressful it’s important to take time to yourself and analyse your feelings currently and over the past few days/weeks to understand your own mental health and to tackle some of the hardships being experienced at that moment. Sometimes you can’t do anything about those feelings/circumstances but in a life with these feelings you have to escape.

Ideas

Mirror concept seems like a great example of separation and solitude. The mirror represents looking at yourself with the opportunity to be analytical. If I were to incorporate legs and feet it would give a sense of splitting off from your physical being into the subconscious, leaving part of you physically behind whilst still being present.

Black and white would be a great aesthetic for the set but I really like the red light. High contrast. Creates a world not related to black and white or colour. A world with the same tones.

Red Filter. Anger management. Sometimes you can be on your own and feel anger and it’s only when you’re alone you can truly combat these feelings.

The red tone will also provide a barrier almost. Between the viewer and the content of the photo because it’s hard to adjust to so it’s hard to get past the wall that some people have.

If this idea pulls through the detail must be the key focus and maybe adjust the contrast or highlights/shadows to keep detail coming through the red.

In the brief it states that you should talk about music, belongings and places. No belongs I own have any significance in my life. This is the same problem I had last time I studied here. I ended up using a camera as my object because it was relevant to the course I was studying. This time round I am thinking of using disposable objects that mean nothing to me like cigarettes or food because i genuinely can’t think of any object that is special to me. 

I think I’d like to use my hands as my object because they are something that I am not very comfortable with most of the time. It sounds weird but hands to me are there purely for being able to live a normal comfortable life and enables you to use objects, create things and also most people have them. Maybe they are overlooked as an object or creative tool.

Music is a huge part of my life and I’m not sure how I’d incorporate audio into an image.

Location is slightly easier to incorporate because it's a necessity for photography. Shooting at my parents house is definitely a great idea. I feel uncomfortable there which is weird considering it was my home for years and i grew up there. This is due to the massive contrast in lifestyle between me and my family.

[hnd1ahectorjamieson]

Clean White Research

I’m using two sources of inspiration. First is Richard Avedon’s ‘In The American West’. I chose this series because the concept behind the images is interesting and can be translated through into the brief. Avedon shot this series from 1979-1984 and wanted to portray the American west as a ‘blighted culture that spews out casualties by the bucket.’ The way Avedon viewed these people is interesting because it is a view many people have about the west. Dirty, working class people who survive in their own communities without regard from more affluent societies within America. The term ‘white trash’ is used here. Avedon would take a picture then ask why the subject isn’t smiling, to capture their true expression unaware of the photo being taken. The clean white background creates an amazing contrast between the subjects because the majority of them are in dirty, old clothes or have grime and dirt on their skin. Almost a literal representation of the working class.

‘The blank, seamless background thrusts the figures forward as islands of textures of flesh, certainly, but also of cloth. Nothing competes with the presentation of their poor threads, nothing of the personal environment, nothing that might situate, inform, and support a person in the real world, or even in a photograph.’ –Max Kozloff

Kozloff makes a good point about the subjects being separated. When you look at these images, focus on the subject, then on the background. What relevance is there? There is absolutely nothing to suggest that the people in these images are from anywhere in particular. The contrast between background and subject is so strong that it completely disassociates them from anything. Just faces, clothes and expressions.

This disassociation between these people and real life almost can be translated into the Marcello Arena image I am taking compositional inspiration from. Although the contrast in Avedon’s images may be of a negative respect, the contrast is still present in Arena’s image. All eyes are on the subject and garment. Both Avedon and Arena have/had similar careers shooting fashion and have both worked for Vogue.

Photo For Inspiration

Photographer - Marcello Arena

The image I am using for my inspiration is not a black and white image but the composition and clean white background concept is relevant to the brief.

It is the image on the right hand side of the canvas.

The image was shot for an editorial called Sur Le Fil for NOU Magazine.

The model is sat at a white table/cube with her hands resting on the surface. I want to use a snoot attachment on the face and hands to highlight features. I am also going to incorporate highlighter make up to add some shine and also highlight shape and form of the model.

I am getting my friend to come in and model for me as she has similar hair colour and has a wide variety of clothing to experiment with when shooting.

[hnd1ahectorjamieson]

New Photographer

Francis Wolff 1907-1971

The photographer I found in the library is Francis Wolff. FW was born and lived in Berlin, Germany. In Berlin he was already an accomplished photographer and jazz enthusiast despite the government ban on the music in 1933. After he had a successful commercial photography career in Berlin he moved to New York to meet up with childhood friend ALfred Lion. AL had a record company with friend Marcus Margulis who later dropped out of involvement. FW worked alongside AL at night on the company Blue Note Records and during the day in a photography studio. 

FW went to the recording sessions and took his camera with him, documenting the sessions. The image I selected from his book “Blue Note Photos - Francis Wolff”, is of famous hard bop tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse. This image was taken at Sonny Clarks ‘Leapin and Lopin’ session.

The image depicts Rouse standing in front of a microphone with a cigarette in one hand and his saxophone slung round his neck. He seem to be staring at something, studying sheet music maybe, with smoke pouring out of bis mouth and nostrils. I find the image really nice to look at because its shot on black and white film on a Rolleiflex. This was FW’s kit at the time. He held a flash in one hand, above the subject, and the camera in the other. He stood like “the statue of liberty” holding the flash in the air.

In this image the flash creates a nice reflection in the microphone stand almost like the glowing effect that old Top Of The Pops videos had in the 70′s.

It looks at though it was captured with a slower shutter speed because you can see slight movement around the hand and smoke coming from his mouth. The flash at frozen Rouse in the middle left of the frame leaving a massive amount of black negative space around him. These sessions were recorded mostly in an apartment in New York without a decent source of light. It really helps to put Rouse in the main focal point and really captures a professional at work.

“He was an artist at work, capturing other artists at work.”

- Michael Cuscana on Francis Wolff. 

Eventually FW had a use for all the session photos he took when designer Reid Miles took them and heavily cropped them down and put a blue tint over them which became an integral part of Blue Note’s album covers and is a classic aesthetic recognised by everyone in the jazz community and beyond.

[hnd1ahectorjamieson]

Photography in the 1950′s

Ultrasound

In 1956 ultrasound scanners were developed by Ian Donald who was an Obstetrician and Tom Brown who was an Engineer and was based off of pre-existing technology. The technology was originally used for scanning and detecting industrial flaws in ships. 

It was first used medically/clinically in 1956 in Glasgow.

Jazz

Jazz in the 1950′s was not just about expressing negativity and hardships faced by blacks during segregation in the US but has developed a whole world of false facts about its origin and had black musicians claiming to have been exploited by the white jazz community.

There have been disputes about the origin of jazz but looking at the history from its beginning. Influences coming from Africa and has been expanded into many different subgenres.

Francis Wolff

Francis Wolff was an incredibly pioneering photographer in the 1950′s. Having lived in Berlin he became a jazz fanatic and moved in New York expand his world in jazz.

There he worked in a photography studio by day and by night he worked with childhood friend Alfred Lion creating Blue Note Records. Probably the most influential jazz label of all time.

Wolff took pictures of sessions and designer Reid Miles took interest and began putting the famous blue tint on his images and that became the infamous record covers until this day. 

[hnd1ahectorjamieson]

Panning Shot

This shot/technique was the hardest for me because its a technique i have never used before.

After a few attempts I figured out the most ideal setting for the locations and also the right settings for the technique. I took numerous attempts because I kept subconsciously moving the camera faster than the ball. It was almost as if I was over-assuming the speed that it would go.

We changed location to make it easier to roll the ball at a slower speed. I forgot to change the settings hence the tad bit of overexposure.

This was the best photo out of the set.

f/10

1/125

ISO100

24-70mm

Shot in RAW format with manual White Balance.

Shallow Depth Of Field Shot

I’m happier with this image because I find it very aesthetically pleasing. I took the sphere concept further and picked this railing because it had water droplets on it. They are almost like mini spheres sitting on the sphere itself.

I found this shot easiest because I enjoy shooting on a short DoF. I swapped the 24-70mm for a 50mm prime to get the Bokeh effect from the fairy lights.

f/1.8

1/140

ISO100

50mm

Shot in RAW format with manual White Balance.

Enhanced Movement Shot

For this shot I wanted to put the movement itself as the focal point, rather than the sphere itself.

I found a great location with lots of composition opportunities. This was my favourite from the set.

I put the 24-70mm on the get a wider angle of view. I love the Mitsubishi air conditioning units so I tried to use them in my composition.

I got Jenna to throw the sphere up and used a continuous  exposure setting to catch the movement.

f/11

1/30

ISO320

24-70mm

Shot in RAW format and manual white balance.

Frozen Movement Shot

This didn’t exactly work out work out because the sphere itself has been frozen in the direction of travel but not in terms of it spinning.

I used the 24-70mm to zoom in to achieve a slightly asymmetrical composition whilst still using the linear elements to frame the sphere.

f/5.6

1/250

ISO100

24-70mm

Shot in RAW format and manual white balance.  

Large Depth Of Field SHot

I liked the fact that you could frame the light against the buildings to make it look like a huge balloon or something.

Not my favourite image because I would have liked to get further behind the light but there was a building in the way.

Overall I love the contrast between the very linear building structure and the soft sphere.

f/18

1/100

ISO800

24-70mm

Shot in RAW format and manual white balance.