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HDR
My own example of HDR
No HDR, single shot
Almost no detail in the shadows but good colour in the sky
Nine Bracket HDR at one stop per bracket, merged in Lightroom
More detail in the shadows but maintained the good colour in the sky, much more information in the file so can be edited to bring even more detail out.
Visiting Speaker Report
Malcom Dixon
Malcom is the Gallery Director of Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow’s dedicated photography exhibition space.
He spoke about the work carried out by the gallery, how exhibitors are chosen and spoke about the upcoming Alan Knox exhibition - man on the Moon.
He told us the gallery is 30 years old and works in collaboration with Stills Gallery in Edinburgh.
They have photography residencies, one of which Bertrand Carriere from Montreal, came in to speak to us during his stay in Glasgow.
Arpita Shah
Arpita was born in India but her childhood was spent between India, Ireland and the Middle East and now lives in Edinburgh where she qualified from Napier College in 2006. She works between film and photography.
She spoke about her ongoing work - Nalini, a project featuring her mother, grandmother and herself. The project was driven by curiosity about what her grandmothers life was like when she was young.
She showed portraits of women with Asian, African and Arabic backgrounds who live in Scotland.
The most striking images were a series of portraits taken against hand painted, by Arpia, backgrounds, with flowering trees.
Margaret Mitchell
Margaret is a Glasgow based photographer who showed us a documentary project based on her sisters children, 30 years apart. Her sister had died when the children were very young and had been brought up in a very rough area in Stirling, the Raploch Estate.
I found this series of images quite depressing, the children had a tough life and the eldest was homeless, living on friends couches but now had a very sparsely furnished council flat.
David Boni
David showed us his portraiture work, he has a very distinctive style, a muted colour palette and bright soft lighting for most of his studio work. He spoke of having confidence, learn your own voice. He suggested shooting tethered, practice as much as you can.
He talked about the importance of shooting your own work and this might lead to jobs in the future if an art director likes what you do but has another project it suits in future.
His video work for advertising is very funny, particularly the Ardbeg ones.
He even uses his mother as a model.
Mark Mann
Mark spoke, via Skype, about working hard and evolving as a photographer, his studio style was also very distinctive, very shallow depth of field, close, tight cropping to the head and high key lighting using Rotolights which give a distinct round catch light. He shoots a lot of celebrities which would suggest he is highly regarded in the ultra competitive market of New York where he is based. Taking Barack Obama portrait in the Oval Office must have been a very surreal moment for a Glasgow boy.
David Eustace
David told us the story of travelling across America with his daughter as working on a series of images called Outtakes from “In Search of Eustace” a town in Texas for the large clothing retailer Anthropologist . Not having any of the clothes appear in the images did not initially sit well with the company but their sales in a different age demographic increased but it did take a leap of faith by the art director who knew Davids work from past experience.
David talked about not fearing failure, we will fail far more than we will succeed, he spoke of setting your own standards and how it has never been easier to have your work seen but never been harder to get your work noticed. The biggest part that resonated with me was he said tell a story, a concept that I sometimes struggle with and hope to improve.
Brand Archetype Portrait
Research
The use of branding has been around for a long time and is now a well understood strategy companies use to make their products desirable to certain segments of society. I can be used over many advertising campaigns to develop trust between the consumer and the products they buy from that company. Technology companies and car manufactures use these strategies to good effect, developing brand loyalty over time.
There are 12 recognised types of branding, sown in the illustration below:
For my project I will look at The Hero, using sports equipment manufacturer Adidas who are seen as typical of Jung theory of the 12 archetypes of the human psyche.
In modern society sporting figures are regularly held up as heroes, people to aspire to and look up to, often referred to as role models especially to the younger generation.
The Plan
I have been an admirer of Joel Grimes style of portraiture where he combines location and studio into a complete image.
I have shot a boxing ring at a nearby boxing training club as my background and will add a model with branded boxing equipment who will then be superimposed on top of the background.
Boxing Ring Image
Brand Narrative
Pandora Jewellery
This pair of images were shot with the idea that they would sit together on a full-page advert in a magazine, the landscape one at the bottom of the page and the square above it with space for text either between them or above. I deliberately chose not to include the models face to emphasise that this brand is for everyone, a luxury item with the reach of most people. The three bracelet styles are shown, and the model shows they can be combined to give one unifying look.
Research
“The Strategic Brand Narrative is a tool for creating and attracting people to your product.” (Forbes Magazine) .
According to Forbes the 10 companies with the strongest Brand Narrative are:
Apple
BMW
Toyota
Amazon
Harley Davidson
Walt Disney
Coca-Cola
Whole Foods
GMC
Samsung
Fashion Story
For this brief we are to tell a visual fashion story. As a very inexperienced fashion photographer I found the concept difficult to understand and decided to take a more literal route. I collaborated with many makeup artists and hair stylists studying at the college and built up a stock of images that covered fashion across many eras. I eventually chose two periods in history and my story is to show the difference in fashion between the affluent and the common person.
I chose the 1700s and 1920s as they both have instantly recognisable styles and although there is much less of a difference between the common peoples styles of theses eras.
1700s
Defined as late Baroque/Rococo style, it was a fashion of the wealthy aristocrats and royalty of Europe and countries influenced by Europe. Soft pastels were the dominant colour palette and large frames were used to drape the fabric to give a large wide silhouette, which was the opposite of the typical tall and thin fashion look of the 1600s, asymmetrical design was normally used and tall wigs which were generally white, natural hair was powdered white, remained in style from the 1600s. This style remains synonymous with the French royal court and the ensuing revolution.
The simplistic minimalism of Puritan style can be seen in the common or poor style of the era, the covered head with a bonnet and monochromatic tones were worn for practicality rather than style.
1920s
The 1920s were an decade of vast change in fashion, hemlines gradually rose resulting in the iconic Flapper Girl stlye of the mid 1920s. The Flapper Girl style was defined by sleek short hair, above the knee straight dress and a boyish figure.
The influences of the Art Deco style can be seen in the fashion, structured lines, squares and pyramid shapes can be seen in the short drop shoulder dresses which were popular at the time. Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, later known as the Queen Mother, was married in a wedding dress of this style.
For the less affluent the fashion was again much plainer and less colourful, not that different from that of the 1700s. Practicality and affordability were much more important than style.
Fashion and the story the tell has changed considerably, it was in the past that a century could be defined by a certain style and today that defining period has reduced down to a decade or less, driven by a much more aggressive fashion industry that is estimated at $2.4 trillion.
Something New
Bluetooth Headphones
For this project I wanted something high-tech and ultra modern but also something that had a very recognisable shape that I could possibly shoot from an unusual angle, not the usual product shot image.
Research
When looking for inspiration images there appeared to be very little variance in the way headphones are photographed, most are shot either head on or at a 45 degree angle.
I tried to find a variation of this and shot in two different angles, both using fishing line to hang them in mid air, to give the illusion they were defying gravity.
For this first attempt I used a sheet of black acrylic underneath to give a deep reflection and hung them so they were not symmetrical which I thought gave an impression of movement, almost bouncing. In the end I did not use this as my final image as I thought it might not reach the briefs out lines as the reflection meant it was not a plain background.
Final Image
I chose this image for the final as it has simpler lines and less cluttered than the other and has a slightly more abstract look to it. Both images were shot with a macro lens, Sigma 105mm f2.8, on a tripod to ensure consistency and help with focusing.. It was shot at home using a light table and three camera strobes controlled with a transmitter. The gold accent colour was created with gold reflectors bouncing the light from the flashes back onto the headphones.
Something Old
Research
I looked at a lot of images of old objects and liked the idea of light painting my subject. It seems to add to the older look of the image, more of an antique look.
My inspiration images.
I wanted the object to have an air of mystery, a little abstract so I cropped in close to just the central area of my vintage projector. Initially I had hoped to use the projector beam as part of the image but, unless I added smoke, I could not get it to show in the image. I then decided to use the beam to light the projector, I placed a large gold reflector directly in front of the projector lens and bounced the light back onto the front parts of the projector. This gave a warm glow to the front but very little light was reaching the back so I used a torch to light paint the back, the torch was a cooler tone and gave a cool blue light which contrasts well with the warmer light at the front.
Final Image
This was a six second exposure, to get enough light onto the back, this also blurred out the spinning reel, giving the reel and film a smooth, unusual look.
Documentary
Talbot Terrace 2019
https://spark.adobe.com/page/AGioIk6fvqOt1/
Italian Vogue Story
Research
Prior to this brief I had never opened a copy of Vogue and was unaware there were different styles of the magazine, I just assumed the copies in different languages were translations of the copy and had the same content. I had no interest in fashion and no experience of photographing it.
I purchased a copy of the latest magazine and was pleasantly surprised that the cover was in English but unfortunately the rest of the content was in Italian. The magazine itself is very image strong, the vast majority of the content is photographs with a wide range of styles and a mix of colour and black and white and studio or locations.
These two final images are the ones I have chosen as my inspiration, the autumnal tones will be swapped for spring greens and the studio style image will be shot using flashes within the college building.
Contact Sheets
Final Edits
Photography CV
Joseph Porter
Working Career
August 2017–Present
Student• HND Photography • City of Glasgow College
April 2017–Present
Photographer• Self Employed • Joe Porter Photography
August 1991–April 2017
Nurse• Various Roles • NHS Scotland
August 1977–August 1977
Storeman• Glasgow Bus Garages • Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive
After 25 years in nursing I had the opportunity to retire early. During those 25 years I worked in several hospitals fulfilling many different roles. I worked as a Dialysis Nurse in Stobhill and then a promoted role in the Dialysis Unit at Falkirk Royal. The last position I had in the NHS, and my career highlight, was the hospital lead nurse for manual handling training. I was also a had a leading role in the national organization for manual handling trainers. This involved organizing study days and conferences.
Education
City of Glasgow College
· Working towards a HND in Photography, qualification pending and planning to continue onto the BA Honors course, awaiting interview for a place.
Stobhill General Hospital
· Certificate of General Nursing 1994
Knowledge and Sills
I have been working on improving my photography skills since the early 80s. This hobby transcended into more of a passion over that time and I am now a full-time photography student.
During that time I have become proficient with my camera and lenses, I particularly enjoy landscape photography but I am equally at home with most genres of photography.
Over the years the software associated with digital photography has evolved and I have a good understanding of Lightroom, Photoshop, Camera Raw, Silver Effects Pro ll and Premier Pro. Optomisation of images in post allows me to get the most from my photography.
-Experienced in all different kinds of photography -Strong aesthetic sense -Technical knowledge of multiple camera technologies -Extensive communication, cooperation, and service skills -Critical thinking, analysis, and strong attention to small details
Photography Experience
Being an older photographer means I have a lot of life experiences as well as photographic. I like to think I can combine those experiences and like to think one of my main assets is my patience
Prior to becoming a full time student I attended many evening and Saturday morning classes, which built up my studio knowledge.
Before retiring I was the lead person in the hospital I worked in for eLearning, this involved sourcing many images and due to copyright restrictions, I found it easier to make our own images so my ability to adapt skills and learn new ones with my camera was crucial.
I have been involved in several commissions, predominantly the photography in the rooms of the Beardmore Hotel in Clydebank and the photography in the visitor center in the Dean Castle Country Park in Kilmarnock.
I have completed many weddings and other family events and continue to do so.
My website has a shop feature and I self-print photographs for sale via the site.
I am a beta tester for the Lensbaby Lens Company in Portland USA and have given feedback on their lenses while in development and have had my images featured in their videos and promotional materials when lenses have been launched
References
Available on request
100 Talbot Terrace
Glasgow G13 3RX
07777654540
Joeporter.photography
16 Personalities
My test results
Fashion Photographers
Looking at two fashion photographers work
1. Nick Knight
Nicholas David Gordon Knight OBE was born in London in 195, he studied photography at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design. He produced his first book of photographs ‘Skinheads’ in 1992 while still at college, he was then commissioned by i-D magazine to create a series of portraits for magazine's fifth-anniversary issue. He then caught the attention of art director Marc Ascoli who commissioned him to shoot the 1986 catalogue of Japaneese designer Yohji Yamamoto.
His current website has a range of his photography and video work.
He has a long-standing commitment to experimenting with the latest technologies led to Knight launching his fashion website SHOWstudio in 2000, with an aim, in Knight's own words, of 'showing the entire creative process from conception to completion.' SHOWstudio has pioneered fashion film and is now recognised as the leading force behind this new medium, offering a unique platform to nurture and encourage fashion to engage with moving image in the digital age. Since its inception, SHOWstudio has worked with the world’s most sought-after filmmakers, writers and influential cultural figures to create visionary online content, exploring every facet of fashion through moving image, illustration, photography and the written word.
His photographs are very graphical and stylised, displaying his craft as a photographer and his willingness to incorporate the latest technical innovations into his work.
2. Ellen von Unwerth
a German photographer, she worked as a fashion model for ten years before becoming a photographer working in fashion, editorial, and advertising photography.
She explained her feminist approach to photography in an interview in 2018 "The women in my pictures are always strong, even if they are also sexy. My women always look self-assured. I try to make them look as beautiful as they can because every woman wants to feel beautiful, sexy and powerful. That's what I try to do."
She has been published in Vogue, Vanity Fair, Interview, The Face, Arena, Twill L’Uomo Vogue and i-D.
Tabloid/Broadsheet Research
Glasgow Herald v The National
On the front page the Herald uses the photographs to enhance the story but the National uses photographs in a much more graphic stylised way that is intended to catch the eye when displayed among other papers.
The main story on both is the Brexit votes in parliament, the more right wing had the more harsh headline but much smaller than the headline for a NHS story whereas the National only had one story on the front page and was about how six Scottish MPs are on the brink of halting Brexit.
Looking at the use of photographs the Herald, 115 over 37 pages and in the case of the Brexit story the image take up about half of the double page spread. The National has 83 photographs over 40 pages and the main Brexit double page spread has proportionally more text space than images.
The Herald
The National
Both have a very similar photography style and in fact some are identical, not just the photographs but everything including the adverts which makes me suspicious that the sports content is subcontracted by both papers and they don’t have an exclusive deal. #
The National top, Herald bottom
Environmental Portrait
Portraits in the workplace
I had looked at the work of Roman Jehanno who has made some beautify crafted workplace portraits and drew some inspiration from his series, Beautiful Portraits of People at their Workplace.
Initially I had asked a tattoo artist to pose for me but he turned me down as he was too busy, I had thought of an old style cobber shop but struggled to find one and then, more in hope than expectation, did an online search for blacksmiths and found one at the bottom of my street in a workshop tucked away off the road behind some tenement flats, GM Blacksmiths.
I popped in and asked if he minded having his photograph taken and he was more than happy to sit for me but unfortunately he was about to go out to a job and I would need to comer back the next day.
GM Blacksmiths is a one man business and he is very busy and I didn’t have a lot of time with him as he had to go out again so my time with him was limited but I had a rough plan and managed to get the shoot done in about 30 minutes.
Using a wide aperture and an ISO of 800 I was able to handhold, the workshop was very cluttered and messy so setting up a tripod would have been very difficult.
I tried a few different poses and he looked quite stiff but moving him over to the anvil and letting the hammer rest in his hand looked a lot more relaxed and natural.
The workshop had limited lighting and although there was a large door the natural light was low due to clouds, a typical Scottish November day.
I am quite pleased with the result, the brief was for B&W conversion and this suited the scene well, dark and dingy.
Contact Sheet
Final Image
Photography Competitions
We were given a photo competition to look at and make a short presentation to the class
https://spark.adobe.com/video/kFLaq65JEgBpZ
Stock
Alamy Stock Photography
Elisabeth Hoiberg came along to college from Alamy and gave us a presentation on their stock photography business. They currently have a very good deal for students, 100% commission for the first two years and after the initial quality control check of three images there is no limit to the number of photographs that you can upload, just as long as they follow their guidelines.
There are 100s of millions of images in there library so being found in the crowd is difficult, good tagging is essential as well as a precise and descriptive title.
Click on the link to see what I uploaded for the QC.
https://spark.adobe.com/page/C9nhNprw2sr3x/
Press Event
Teachers Pay Rise March Through Glasgow
For this event we had to photograph a news worth event, after a little research I found out there was a demonstration through Glasgow organised by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), Scotland's largest teachers union. It left Kelvingrove Park and marched down through into the city centre finishing at George Square. It was very well attended and the Square was overflowing by the time the last of the marchers arrived. The photographs below are those I chose to represent the day and show the colour and atmosphere of the event.