30 DAYS OF MAY - WEEK 1
DAY 1 - 'YOU'
The theme for this shoot was 'YOU' so I decided the best approach was to use myself as the focus. The most defining characteristic of a person is their face. To make the images more intereswting I decided to use an LED projector that allows me to illuminate my face with different colours. Holding the light beneath my face was good as it highlights sections of my face that are overhanging. I experimented with different colours and found blue was most effective. After this, I found it successful blending 2 colours together and give a more direct position for the light. My favourite image is the blue and red as this technique caused my eyes to appear two different colours and the overall image is very mysterious.
DAY 2 - 'OTHER PEOPLE'
The theme for this shoot was 'OTHER PEOPLE.' My sister willingly volunteered to 'model' for me. For this shoot I chose a black and white theme that I think gives the images more of a story to them. Having the lack of colour creates a more solemn tone. With the exception of the first two images where she smiles, this is quite effective. I waited until sunset to do this shoot as the sun is positioned low and comes through the window. I also used portrait mode in order to give the foreground focus and blur the background. The idea was I photographed her daily activities however the shots looking plainly out the window are much more emotive as such feel like more successful photos.
DAY 3 - 'PLACE'
The theme for this shoot was 'PLACE.' I chose a place that I feel is special to me and that feels quite magical. During this tough time of a pandemic the woods is a great place to wander and explore to clear your mind. I chose to photograph some key areas I thought were especially interesting such as the bridge and the bluebells. After taking all these images I felt they were quite lacklustre so I increased the saturation to bring the colours out. This was most effective with the green vegetation and bluebells. My favourite image was of the bridge going into the distance I feel the leading lines are really effective and the trees are all located on the top half of the image created a 50/50 split of colours.
DAY 4 - 'OBJECTS @ HOME'
The theme for this shoot was 'OBJECTS AT HOME.' The best way to make this interesting was to choose something abstract so I chose some small massage balls that are colourful and sit nicely in a white setting. I feel the most successful image was the first singular ball as it is very simple yet abstract. I slightly increased the saturation to really make the colours stand out and gradually added more balls and arranged them in ways I felt interesting. I held the camera as close as I could with a slight down up perspective to make them feel larger than they actually are. I think as soon as I put balls in the background that weren't focused on the image felt too crowded so the images of 1 or 2 balls were best.
DAY 5 - 'DAY'
The theme for this shoot was 'DAY.' For this, I wanted to experiment with an angled mirror to include both the ground and the sky in the same image. I feel the best representation of daytime is a clear blue sky. The most successful image was the first as it is best focused and has the best shade of blue. Some of the other images are not front on to the mirror and have peculiar angles with bad points of focus. I wish the one with the aeroplane had better focus as it would've been a good unique image. Overall this day was not as successful as I'd hoped, I think next time I would've tried to place the mirror in better places.
DAY 6 - 'NIGHT'
The theme for this shoot was 'NIGHT.' My inspiration was an iPhone advert in which they used night mode and captured some interesting shots of a jeep with a orange glow inside. My efforts were not as planned but I created some interesting images that are very gloomy and make my lamp appear like a Chinese lantern in the night sky. My favourite images are the ones with the white garden light. Especially the one with the moon, having the near focus and the blue filter makes the image very cool and icey. The lens flare also makes the the light from the moon stand out so much more and I really like the effect. For the lamp shots I think they're interesting except for the ones where the bulb was in view as they appear less warm.
DAY 7 - 'FOOD'
This shoot was themed with 'FOOD' which I felt taking a picture of a plain meal was not very interesting. I tried to be creative and create a model to shoot with using canned food. I struggled finding ones the right height to stack but I feel the final outcome was quite good. The black and white was more interesting as it sets a gloomier theme. Canned food preserves easily and is most commonly relied on in a time of struggle like now. Cans such as these are a commodity at this point in time as shops everywhere have sold out from panic buying. I felt using these cans is a suitable choice to represent the struggle for food at the moment. I made sure the tower was symmetrical and achieved a variety of successful photos. The images of the tower focus more on whats in the image and is more literal whereas the close ups focus more on the shape and design of the objects and how they appear in the images.
