James RaY

[jamesraycogc1999]

Evaluation

overall i am very happy with my final 10 images, i believe that i achieved what i set out to do which was to show the side of an athlete that most people do not get to see, i wanted to show the battering that a high level athlete goes through on a daily basis. i think all the images have a powerfull message.

i definitely think the are areas on my project that i had to overcome which i did well, the fact that i had no clue on how the camera i was using worked made it difficult to take quality images, however i was able to overcome that and get used to the operation of it. using only daylight to expose my pictures was a snuggle as in some occasions i had to move the shooting location as the sun had moved creating a completely diffrent look between the before and after. 

there are many things i think i did very well in this project. i think from the start the subject and project idea was a very strong project and related to me on a personal level which motivated me to do a really good job, but it also related to other people who may not no what training at a high level in sport is like. i also think the technical aspects of taking the images was done well, for example the framing of me is each shot brilliant and there is a real distinction between the before and after.

all in all i am really happy with the final aspects of my project and apart from some moments really enjoyed the process and having to overcome the Covid-19 issues. 

[jamesraycogc1999]

Layout of images

The best option for my images when it comes to presenting them for print in an exhibit ect would be very big prints, this would add to the powerfull statment that the project carry. with this being a before and after series i would want each pair being together with the before on the left and after on the right. 

these are some example layouts in a exhbibit 

[jamesraycogc1999]

Final images

I applied the same process to all 10 images and these are the final ones. they look very orange on this but they are cooler.

[jamesraycogc1999]

Editing process of my images

The first thing i done with my images was open them all in bridge and using the batch edit tool add some contrast to all 10

i then chose this image as the base image that i want all the other pictures to look like, this was because out of the 10 this has the most neutral tones and colours. i therefore went through every time on bridge and matched the histogram to this images.

i done this by using the exposure slider and highlights slider. once all the images tones where the same i did the same using the temperature slider to match the same colour balence as some where colder or warmer than the base image i chose.

i then opened all the images in photoshop and created a duplicated layer so that no destructive editing took place and then added a black and white adjustment layer.

using this layer i changed the reds and yellows to bring out the skin tones in my face, using this method to do so is more effective than a hue or saturation layer as you have a-lot more control and adjustment. 

This was the final result 

[jamesraycogc1999]

Review of new images

i am much happier with the new images, as you can see there is no shadow on my face, the light a-lot more spread out and even giving more detail across the whole face. 

[jamesraycogc1999]

Graded unit shoot 2

This was my first shoot in the new location 

[jamesraycogc1999]

New location for GU

From the feedback from my colleges and lecturers i have found another location to take my images. Around the side of my house against a north facing wall. this means there is no direct sunlight which would negatively effect the image. The north facing wall allows for an even spread of light and allows for no shadows on my face. 

[jamesraycogc1999]

Review of first shoot

After my peer to peer review on my images, i had some good feedback on the lighting on my images. 

because of the lighting i was using. all the light was coming from straight above, this means that i was loosing a lot of the detail on my face due to the shadow my head was creating. 

for my next shoot i will need to find a new location. 

[jamesraycogc1999]

GU shoot 1

This was my first shoot for my personal project. i had to use the window light comming through the roof of my house.

[jamesraycogc1999]

Graded unit lighting plan

As i am doing my images in my house i need a new lighting diagram. 

i will be using a speed light on a lighting stand with a soft box attachment on the light. 

New lighting diagram 

Through my research in my plan, i saw that in all the images, the light was almost invisible, meaning that there where no visible shadows or areas on the face that the light wasn't covering. Doing further research i found that the further back the light is from the subject the larger coverage it gives and almost represents day light, which is what i want my images too look like. 

[jamesraycogc1999]

Graded unit camera

A problem i had from the the start is that i do not own a camera, this therefore meant in the current situation i had no way to take the images at home. luckily my dad is a photographer and will be able to use his camera. 

Olympus OM-D-E-MKIII 

This is a completely diffrent kind of camera that i am used to using, it is also a mirrorless camera. i will need to get my dad to guide me through how to change settings ect. 

looking up the specs on the camera i found that the Olympus is a really good portait camera which works well for me.  it has a 20.4 mega pixel sensor which gives amazing sharpness in portraits. The Olympus system also has an app which allows you to see through the camera on your phone wirelessly. This is such a better method of self portait as it allows me to change settings and focus point without needing to go the back of the camera. 

[jamesraycogc1999]

Plan for shots graded unit

During this period of lockdown, I have 4 main training methods,

Cycling - around 300km a week

Physical details would be sweat on face and cycling jersey, helmet hair (hair will be all messy and sticking up), general tired expression.

Erging (rowing machine) - 48km a week

Physical details - Sweat on face and rowing one piece, rowing one pieces is very visual and has diffrent colours and patterns, shoulders will be visible aswell, and again general visible tiredness.

Running - 15 km a week

Physical details - again sweating on face and clothing, headphones in ears and again visible tiredness.

Strength and conditioning - 3-4 sessions a week

Physical details - I use white chalk for grip on bar and weights so will incorporate this into the image. again visual tiredness.

for the additional image, I am going to take an image of my hands at the start of a week and then at the end of the week. rowing creates blisters and cuts on the hands which will make a good visual image. An example of this kind of thing is here:

These are two time Olympic rowing champion Alex Gregory before and after rowing across the artic ocean. my hands will not be that wrinkled and swollen however blisters and calluses will be visual.  

I need to take 10 images, with the format of before and after this means a before and after shot of each method still leaves me with 2 images needed. 

[jamesraycogc1999]

Graded unit research

Because my research in my plan is still relevant to my new idea I am going to spend more time reserching how to take a good self portrait rather than researching images. 

For the self portraits, I will need to change up the equipment that I'm going to use. I will need a couple diffrent things that I stated in my plan. 

I am going to keep the same camera that I was planning and will be keeping the same lighting equipment. 

However I am going to need additional equipment to be able to take the images my self, with no assistants. This will require a few things:

A remote shutter release (wireless) 

One unit of this plugs into the hot shoe adapter on the top of the camera which allows the other unit to release the shutter remotely, this will allow me to stand in the frame of the camera and take the images without being behind the camera. I just need to set the settings before and adjust the focus manually.

My lighting equipment can then plug into the sync lead on the side of the camera, this therefore means once I press the button on the wireless shutter release the lights will go off as-well. 

[jamesraycogc1999]

Further planning on new graded unit plan

My research for my original idea is what I'm still basing my images off. A quick recap of my research was before and after portraits of young boxers by Nicolai Howalt,

These images really capture the mood of the before and after and a boxing match is such a good sports for this type of portait as the bruises and scars, along with the facial expression of the young athletes make an image that really shocks the observer. 

I also researched the master portrait photographer Richard Avadon. His body of work across the American mid west has so many portraits of diffrent subjects. the mood he captures make these portaits so powerful. 

These images have the same mood as the boxer images, they are not before and after however the connection between the subject and camera makes you connect with the person in the image. 

The white background is something else that I will be taking into my images. I Think the plain backdrop makes the subject in the image the main focus and also Makes each portrait very individual and allows a more personal connection between observer and sitter.

These will be the basis of my self portraits. 

[jamesraycogc1999]

New graded unit plan due to Covid 19

My original plan was to take portraits of diffrent types of athletes in 5 diffrent sports, before and after training or an event. However, due to the Covid 19 situation I will be unable to do this as all venues and sports have closed and stopped. 

After a discussion with my lecturer on the phone, we came to a new idea that I would take the same style of image, a portrait of before and after training, but of me. 

My whole original idea, came about as I am an athlete my self. I wanted to capture the effort and exhaustion that training at an elite effort, athletes like my self go through on a daily basis. The facial expressions these feeling create make an amazingly moody image that connects with the observer in many ways. 

I think taking these images of my self will allow me to get across the feel of my images even better as I go thought these emotions every day after training, 

These self portits will turn my project into a very personal project which I am very exited to do as its something that I have wanted to do for a while, it is very hard to describe the feelings of elite training and hopefully an image will describe and show it better. 

[jamesraycogc1999]

Graded unit plan feedback

For my graded unit plan, i was very happy with the feedback and grade that I got for the report. my feedback my lecturer gave me was that my description of lighting the subjects needed a little more too it, this was very fair as after a look back through my plan, it was clear that more detail was needed in that section. 

This was the feedback that I got:

Plan Feedback comments: (As per verbal feedback) James this is a very comprehensive submission which explores a well established genre of photography. It obviously has personal meaning for you and I understand your motivations entirely. Where I think you could have scored full marks would have been in offering more reliable information upon how you intend to light your subjects and some consideration of image tonality and colour retouching in relation to emphasising the physical and mental exhaustion athletes experience, which you refer to in your plan. That said this is a good plan and you have scored well. Please understand that due to Covid19 we can only condone the shooting of projects that are possible within the GOV guidelines for ‘Social Distancing’. You can change your plan to a subject that is possible without penalty. If you are unwell, looking after family or unable to continue with your Personal Project, I would appreciate an Email if possible, explaining your intentions / circumstances, personal details not required, this is only so that we can proceed with estimated grades.

[jamesraycogc1999]

Graded Unit - New plan

Due to the Covid 19 situation I will be unable to go ahead with my original idea of going to diffrent sports venues and taking before and after images of diffrent athletes. 

Having a discussion with my lecturer for this brief, we decided that I would do the same kind of images, however all of them of me as self portraits, again with the before and after concept. 

As an national, hopefully international in the next year, I think this really works for what im trying to get across for this project. The mood and facial expression of what an athlete goes through is the main thing that I wanted to show, going through this my self, I can get across the specific mood better in a self portrait.