27 Nov 2010

Assignment 3: Colour

16 photographs

Click here to view flickr set

This assignment is a long time coming! Work commitments have gotten in the way of completing my submission photographs but I am glad I took the time to really get into the assignment and not add images just for the sake of it. That being said, I found myself getting quite frustrated at times; given my tutors feedback on Assignment 2 I was really working hard to avoid ‘record shots’. I wanted all of the submissions to be my own work and not simply capture someone else’s colours. Painted surfaces have been deliberately avoided and I spent a long time searching out colours occurring naturally and deliberately using colour to achieve quality submissions. I created a table of the colour relationships available to me to help with my planning and I have annotated it with the number of times I used each combination:


The photographs have been divided into x4 series in order to vary the subject matter and also provide separate themes to work to; staged scenes; autumn hues; still life; found scenes. All photographs have been taken with low ISO settings so that I was in control of the colour and, at my tutor’s suggested, RAWs edited in Adobe Lightroom. Also, given my love of experimenting, I have played with using light to affect colour in the way I please. I will discuss Von Goethe’s colour theory and you will see that I have both used it and deliberately ignored it.

Click here to view the photo album and read my notes.

1 Nov 2010

Still overdue.....

Here's a sneak-peek at what's to come!

I'm getting extreamly frustrated that I've still not finished off Assignment 3. I've got maybe 2 more photographs to take but every time I get chance to do it the weather is shit or I've got extra work to take home with me. GRR!

I've got some time off booked next week and I'm visiting a friend in Paris, so I really want to crack on with the next chapter so I can take advantage of some photography in France.

Also, It strikes me that I'm not paying enough attention to anaylsising other artists' work. I'm looking at photography and visiting exhibitions but I'm not writing about it. This was a weak area for me when I studied art at college so I really need to force myself into it.

Working on Assignment 3 - pt 2

I'm nearly two weeks overdue submitting Assignment 3, but I managed to get out over the weekend and take some photos in Didcot with a friend, so I'm getting closer! Maybe just one more week!

Its autumn time and probably the most colourful season of the year! How fortunate that my colour assignment is due in with this opportunity! I have been obsessingly avoiding record shots after my feedback from Assignment 2 and my planning has inspired me to use nature and light rather than painted surfaces. I really hope my tutor likes my next submission because I’m very happy so far! I should be visiting home in the Forest of Dean next week so it’ll be a good time to get out to Puzzle Wood or Speech House to finish my photography for this assignment.

On a technical front I have been using a polarizing filter and slightly underexposing my shots by adjusting the aperture and/or shutter speed to bring out the shadows and make the colours stand out. However, I’ll go into more detail with the assignment notes.

I am also obsessed with Adobe Lightroom now that my tutor recommended RAW manipulation. Great bit of kit.

On the subject of capturing colour in landscape photography, Peter Lik is truly a master. I first encountered his work in a gallery at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. He is an Australian photographer famed for his panoramic images. True, the places he travels to are truly beautiful in their own right but the way he captures the colours is astounding. His planning and patience for the right light conditions is inspiring. Well, let’s see what I can do!