Friday 22 June 2012


Assignment 208  : Principles of Location Photography
Theme  Two          : Sense of Place
Title                         : Treeve Cottage








Why have you presented your work in this manner?

I decided to present this piece of work in a photograph book. I have rarely printed any of my images and tend to view them on a computer screen. 
Having a printed image in book form is much more tangible and felt appropriate for the theme as I want to portray a sense of the environment. 
I also gave thought to whether the book should be soft or hard back, for some reason i felt hard back would make the presentation more substantial on this occasion.
displaying the images in this way also allowed my to present the images alongside each other and allow the viewer to see a number of images together. 



                                      Describe the process for presenting your work


Having chosen the manufacturer - in this case an online company specialising in printing, I downloaded a programme from their website. There were a number of layouts, themes sizes and colours to choose from. 
I read this an article in the British journal of Photography { article the British Journal of Photography } 


"Over the past few decades, photobook design has become an integral part of telling the story."
BJP


The article considered the importance of design and demonstrated how different presentations work well and I was able to give some thought to what might work for my final shots.


As I had a number of photographs taken with a 'landscape' aspect I chose an appropriate size - 8"/10" this would also allow me to display a couple of photographs together on one page without it appearing too squashed.
I decided to use black from the background colour on the cover and for the pages, this is simply because I felt this would enhance rather that distract away from the images. Some of the pictures are full with texture and detail and I felt a black background would allow this to be seen clearer.
As I have already mentioned I actively decided a hard back book would be preferable to soft and make it easier to view two pages with four images together as the book was laid open and flat.
On reflection i should have payed more attention to framing, I wasn't aware that frames were part of the design and I wouldn't have chosen this. 


I wanted the images to 'speak' for themselves and didn't want to distract the viewer with too much text. 
I also felt it was important not to tell too much of the story but leave it open to interpretation and hopefully achieve the intention of the theme "sense of space" as opposed to an explanation of the space.




Describe other presentation methods considered and give an explanation for deciding against them

I did consider a blog post as a way of presenting this theme, this method could have allowed ease of viewing and also an easier way for me to display. I guess I decided against this method for exactly that reason. I felt the images 'deserved' more. There is something quite impersonal about presenting in this form and I wanted the opportunity to both see and feel the work. 


I could have printed the images as single shots and mounted them on card but I felt again this would mean the images weren't 'together' and i wanted them to be seen alongside each other, staying true to the theme. I felt that the work wouldn't 'flow' as well if the were presented as detached single shots. 
Perhaps if they were hung in a gallery space I might have achieved the look and feel I was after and I would have printed the images to a much larger scale 1:1 life size, thereby contributing to the 'sense of space' but for the purpose of this project and the quality of book printing available it was unnecessary.  





                               What health and safety considerations did you observe?



It's difficult to say what health and safety issues i considered. the work was undertaken at home on my laptop computer. I could have been more familiar with the programme and avoided some of the stress around the decision making. Perhaps i should have worked at a desk as opposed to working on the sofa which could have improved the working environment. I wasn't involved in the actual printing of the materials so I avoided ink glue and general mess etc. 


Final Images 
Theme Two

sense of place

here are the images i have presented in a photobook plus additional ones which i think contribute to the theme but didn't make the final cut



olympus E620
aperture F/7.6
ISO 200
shutter speed 1/400
white balance: fine weather
in camera creative filter : low light 





Olympus E620
ISO 200
aperture f22
shutter speed 1/200
white balance: flash
no post processing







I
Olympus E-620
SO 200
Aperture f7.1
shutter speed 1/400
auto white balance
in camera creative programme low light



this is one of my favourite shots. the chair is in the garage and my aunt sits here to smoke. she is an early riser and most mornings i would wake to find her sitting here in her dressing gown. she tells me she has had "her chair" outside for over 40years for those moments when she needed a place for herself.


olympus E620
ISO 200
aperture f5.6
shutter speed 1/200
auto white balance
post processing aperture






Olympus E-PL2
ISO 200
aperture f/11
shutter speed 1/320
auto white balance
in camera creative art filter




olympus E620
iso 200
aperture f4
white balance fine weather
in camera low light art filter



olympus E620
ISO 200
aperture f5
shutter speed 1/125
white balance fine weather
in camera creative art filter








i think the following images work really well too. they were taken using the dramatic art filter on the Olympus Pen. I like what this filter does to colour as you can see the green looks really bold. i also like how it brings out the texture of the wood and the darkness of the shadow.

olympus E-PL2
ISO 200
aperture f/8
shutter speed 1/320
auto white balance
in-camera creative filter




olympus E-PL2
ISO 200
aperture f/5.6
auto white balance
in-camera creative filter



olympus E-PL2
ISO 250
aperture f/4.1
auto white balance
in-camera creative filter



olympus E-PL2
ISO 200
aperture f/4.5
auto white balance
in-camera creative filter




olympus E-PL2
ISO 200
aperture f4.7
shutter speed 1/20
auto white balance
in camera creative art filter



olympus E620
ISO 200
aperture f7.1
shutter speed 1/400
cloudy weather white balance
in camera low light filter


olympus E620
ISO 200
aperture f5
shutter speed 1/160
auto white balance
in camera low light filter




and then we move inside. 
it feels like so much hasn't changed for years. 
there was never enough money in this house for a family of five. 


Olympus E-PL2
ISO 320
aperture f4.5
shutter speed 1/60
auto white balance
slight crop no post processing



olympus E-PL2
ISO 1250
aperture f4.8
shutter speed 1/60
auto white balance
in camera dramatic art filter











In a recent Guardian article Grayson Perry and Suzanne Moore discuss 'taste' and class.
Suzanne Moore: "For me, a working-class house is one where no matter what your circumstances, you cram in as many things as possible. When I was little we kept moving to smaller places but we had to have a three-piece suite and a table and chairs, however big the room was, and 20 million ornaments."
This is almost my experience in my family home and my aunts. However i believe that in a poor working class environment where there is a 'make-do and mend culture almost nothing is ever thrown away and if there is anything available for free, be it a carpet or a set of used pans, a place will always be found. The ornaments at my aunts weren't new, yes there were lots of them but they have been there for years and years, some made by my cousins as children, others i suspect given to the family as gifts, either way they have become intrinsic in the make-up of the place. Although I didn't ask, i have no doubt that each piece of brass will have a story. 







 olympus E-PL2                                                      
ISO 1250
aperture f4.8
shutter speed 1/60
auto white balance
in camera dramatic art filter



olympus E620
ISO 200
aperture f4
shutter speed 1/160
fine weather white balance
in camera low light filter


                                                     
                                                                      
olympus E-PL2
ISO 1600
aperture f4.6
shutter speed 1/8
auto white balance
no flash slight crop


                                         



olympus E-PL2
ISO 1600
aperture f4.4
shutter speed 1/20
auto white balance
levels adjusted in Aperture



olympus E-PL2
ISO 1600
aperture f4.2
shutter speed 1/50
auto white balance
converted to mono in aperture


Grason Perry also discussed kitchen
"The kitchen is the arena now where a middle-class person shows off their credentials: they have the cooker, the tiles, the pots, the food, everything."
my aunts kitchen has an Arga - not a new one it's probably 50years old and heats the house, everything in the kitchen is well used and plastic containers are saved and recycled. 



olympus E-PL2
ISO 1600
aperture f5
shutter speed 1/6
auto white balance
slight crop




olympus E620
ISO 400
aperture f5.6
shutter speed 1/50
auto white balance
in camera low light filter




olympus E620
ISO 400
aperture f4.9
shutter speed 1/3
auto white balance
in camera low light filter






olympus E-PL2
ISO 200
aperture f4.3
shutter speed 0.8
auto white balance
in camera dramatic art filter

there's a lot of fabric in a house and this house was a mis-mash of colours and textures some of which can be dated because of the pattern.

olympus E-PL2
ISO 1600
aperture f4.4
shutter speed 1/5
auto white balance
levels adjusted in aperture

olympus E-PL2
ISO 200
aperture f4.8
shutter speed 1.3
auto white balance
in camera low light filter




olympus E-PL2
ISO 200
aperture f4.5
shutter speed 1/100
auto white balance
in camera creative art filter



olympus E-PL2
ISO 1600
aperture f4.1
shutter speed 1/25
auto white balance





i-phone 
programme 6x7
ISO 1000
aperture f2.8
shutter speed 1/15




i-phone 
programme 6x7
ISO 320
aperture f2.8
shutter speed 1/15








this next section of images was about lighting, i was looking for where the light shone and found myself looking at the fittings and attachments of the electric lighting. nothing matches.

olympus E-PL2
ISO 1600
aperture f4.1
shutter speed 1/15
auto white balance



olympus E620
ISO 800
aperture f5
shutter speed 1/8
fine weather white balance

olympus E620
ISO 200
aperture f5
shutter speed 1/200
auto white balance
in camera creative programme



olympus E620
ISO 400
aperture f4
shutter speed 1/8
auto white balance
in camera low light filter


olympus E620
ISO 200
aperture f4
shutter speed 1/80
auto white balance
in camera low light filter




this next shot is my favourite image of the series i don't know why i find it so attractive. it is the light switch in the bathroom and was taken whilst sitting on the loo. the wall paper is lining paper and is stuck down with masking tape. it has never been painted. maybe it reminds me that there are better things to spend time doing rather than paint a wall and more useful things to spend money on rather than wall paper.


olympus E620
ISO 400
aperture f4
shutter speed 1/8
auto white balance
in camera low light filter






still looking for light..out of this window is a view of Lands End





olympus E-PL2
ISO 200
aperture f6.3
shutter speed 1/160
auto white balance

olympus E620
ISO 200
aperture f4.6
shutter speed 1/8
auto white balance
in camera low light filter







still looking for light and shadow





olympus E620
ISO 400
aperture f4
shutter speed 1/8
fine weather white balance
in camera low light filter







olympus E620
ISO 200
aperture f4.5
shutter speed 1/100
fine weather white balance
in camera low light filter




i think these next set of images are more personal and a true portrait of the artist herself and are more intimate. she has only been able to create her own space since the family have grown.





olympus E-PL2
ISO 320
aperture f3.5
shutter speed 1/60
auto white balance






i-phone programme 6x7
ISO 1000
Aperture f2.8
shutter speed 1/15


olympus E-PL2
ISO 1250
aperture f4.1
shutter speed 1/60
auto white balance
in camera low light filter





olympus E-PL2
ISO 1600
aperture f5.6
shutter speed 1/13
auto white balance
converted to mono in aperture










olympus E620
ISO 400
aperture f4
shutter speed 1/8
fine weather white balance
in camera low light filter
converted to mono in Aperture










My Aunty Margaret, 79yrs, widow, mother of three boys/men, grandmother of four.
artist, feminist, red, cancer survivor.



olympus E620
ISO 100
aperture f22
shutter speed 1/25
fine weather white balance
slight crop





olympus E620
ISO 400
aperture f5.4
shutter speed 1/180
auto white balance
in camera low light filter




olympus E620
ISO 100
aperture f5.1
shutter speed 1/50
auto white balance
in camera grainy black and white filter




with her best pal, younger sister Maureen



olympus E-PL2
ISO 200
aperture f5.6
shutter speed 1/8
auto white balance
post process silver effex