My chosen theme for my GCSE level photography exam I have chosen is Light And Dark. I will specifically be focusing on cutlery and domino's. I have to to study this theme as I believe it allows me enormous scope to explore and specialize the skills that I have learnt throughout the photography course. In order to produce a successful, creative and unique final piece I intend to carry out a variety of research on my chosen theme of Light And Dark. I will research and interpret a variety of artists and photographers as of Andrew Potter as the work of the spooky cutlery he presents spoons are spooky because of the color of the background and the use of black and white. I intend to capture a variety of different photo shoots to explore my chosen theme. I will take photo shoots in and outside of school environment to progress my ideas, capturing specific photo shoots influenced by certain artists but also take broader photo shoots to indulge in creativity. I hope to include a variety of photographic genres into my work.
Mood Board
The 5 C's - Andrew Potter
Comment The spoon isn't normally spooky but the photographer has made the spoon look spooky. I don't like the bit that the spoons are the same maybe if they weren't the same spoons then there would be more attention towards the spoon.
Connection The theme of this image is still life. It is linked to my work because I am doing still life (spoons,knife,forks,apples etc). I am going to use forks instead of spoons I am going to use forks and instead of eggs I'm using candles.
Content + Composition In this image the photographer has used 3 wooden spoons, 2 eggs, a table, a jar and a black background. I think this idea is new. The photographer has used a black and white effect. The image is made from things you see everyday in a kitchen. The focus point is on the eggs and the spoons as they are made to be spooky even though they are not meant to be scary. It is from a standing perspective which is boring and old.The photographer has used a lighting effect from the bottom left towards the objects.
Context I have use some information from the internet : Food blogger and photographer who shares her carefully-composed food photos with 80,000 followers on Instagram. She shares recipes and additional food photography on her blog, Los Tragaldabas.On CelebsMoneyFact, Raquel's is 1 of the most popular Blogger. He/She is also ranked on the list of those people who were born on May 25. Also a member of the celebs list who are 46 years old old & birth year 1972. Also Read Aniko Villalba, Linh Dao and Jolanta Biography & Net Worth updates! Raquel Carmona was born in Cordoba, Spain on May 25, 1972. She has been married and has children. She grew up in Brazil. Raquel Carmona's age 46 years old. Raquel's birth sign is Gemini & birthday May 25
The 5C's - Raquel Carmona
Composition + Content The main focus that draws the viewers attention is the orange and also the pastries. the lights comes from the top right and shines on the object to create a highlight and makes the objects stand out. She has used rule of third on the orange and the pastries. The orange is on the left in a sweet spot. The pastries are on the right in a sweet spot. The edge of the table has a very strong line. The lighting is used deliberately so that the viewers are attention is drawn to the plate of pastries and orange juice.
Connection The theme is linked to my work because I am inspired by the way she has put the objects in a specific place and very carefully placed. It is making the image look realistic and you just want to reach in and eat everything. She has used these objects to make it look dutch. She has kept the color because she has used contrast between light and dark.
Comment I like the part where they have used the layers to show the different layers. she has put the raisins at the front as foreground, she has used the pastries in the middle and the orange at the back for background. I dislike the part where she has used herbs because I think it doesn't stand out and it won't draw the viewers attention so it is kind of useless but if you look really closely the herbs are made so that it makes a circle which looks mice and she has used it greatly.
Context I have some information from the internet : Food blogger and photographer who shares her carefully-composed food photos with 80,000 followers on Instagram. She shares recipes and additional food photography on her blog, Los Tragaldabas.On CelebsMoneyFact, Raquel's is 1 of the most popular Blogger. He/She is also ranked on the list of those people who were born on May 25. Also a member of the celebs list who are 46 years old old & birth year 1972. Also Read Aniko Villalba, Linh Dao and Jolanta Biography & Net Worth updates! Raquel Carmona was born in Cordoba, Spain on May 25, 1972. She has been married and has children. She grew up in Brazil. Raquel Carmona's age 46 years old. Raquel's birth sign is Gemini & birthday May 25
the 5c
Composition The main focus of this image is the chess pieces shadow as the top ones are the little front ones and the shadow makes it look as if the shadow transforms into horses and kings. The chess pieces are in a straight line and makes it effective because each chess piece has a different shadow even though they are all the same chess pieces. The contrast is clear and perfect and is effective because it catches the eye of the viewer.
Comment I like this image because the lighting is hard to get but this person gets its so perfect and i also like the shadow which makes it stand out more. I dont like the way they have put all the chess pieces in a straight line if it was more spaced out it would create more contrast. I will use this to inspire me because I used the normal chess pieces shadow and didnt create much of a effect as this one as the shadow is standing out more.
Connection The theme of this image is chess pieces with different shadow. It will link to my work as I am doing chess pieces and will help me with my work as I now know what to do for the next time I use chess pieces. In my opinion I think the message behind the image is that the chess piece on the outside is the small but on the inside is more than a small
Shoot 1
Best This is my best picture because I like the way the camera angle and the shadow affect the image to make it look as if the fork is bendy when the original image is straight.
Worst This is my worst picture because it it too yellow and can hardly see the shadow and the fork reflects the light and damages the image
Shoot 2
Best This is my best image because it is really close up and the composition is perfect. What I would do differently though is changing the white balance because it is yellowy.
Worst This is my worst image because the light is too close and is also bright which makes the image bright and the composition is not correct. However I like the shadow of the dominoes.
Shoot 3
photoshop image 1
Photoshop image 2
Photoshop image 3
Photoshop
Shoot 3
Before After I cropped the picture to zoom it in more to male it look more better, makes it more effective and makes it have a better contrast.
Final Gallery
Evaluation
The project title was called Light and Dark and I did some research and decided to focus on the theme of cutlery and and places because I wanted to explore studio photography. I then decided to focus on two photographers Andrew Potter and Raquel Carmona, Andrew Potter based his theme on cutlery and used wooden spoons, eggs, and a jar. He uses the effect of making cutlery look spooky by the way he uses light and shadows which is something I tried on my work. During this project the part I enjoyed the most was developing my skills and images by manipulating my final outcome in Photoshop and using new tools such as cropping and contrasting. The one filter I liked the most was the black and white filter where it would change the brightness of the image. During this project I also learnt one helpful technique by manipulating the lightness in my images. Another technique I experienced was the different effects of black and white and looking at different turn outs. On my next project the technique I would like to develop further is how to improve my images by finding the correct location and a better composition. In order to do this I think I will need to plan in greater detail so that I spend time finding the correct backgrounds and locations which may mean I take a camera home. I have realized to get the best shots I need to be prepared to work in my own time and away from school. By researching photographers who have focused on cutlery and fruits, for their main body of work, I have learnt that using Photoshop affects your work massively and improves it. The main problem I encountered with this project was my photos coming out blurry and having to fix the settings of the camera, However having these issues helped me to develop my skills as I had to practice them to get it right. This has taught me that i need to take different shots, improving them each time. I learnt how to apply different filters in photo shop, not all of them worked but this taught me how to improve my work and what works with my work. For my next project I will ensure that I complete all my work on time.