Assignment 4: Applying Lighting Techniques

Choosing a subject to photograph for this assignment wasn't as simple as I expected it to be. Given a choice of "anything you like" does tend to flummox me a little. In the end I chose something a little challenging. It isn't physically possible to walk around this subject in it's entirety but I knew most of the angles could be covered. The almost due east/west directions of the two facades made it possible to get decent early and late light, given decent weather. I wanted to collect all the shots with the Olympic Rings in situ, but given the times and weather encountered, to say nothing of the effect of tides made this impossible. However I'm quite pleased with the result and I'm hoping it does fit the brief.

Image 1 Sunrise / COLOUR

I wanted to capture the early morning light from the north direction. In Image 1 there is a good light on the front face of the towers but the northern sides are also well lit at this time of day. The shadows add some depth to the architecture. The overall warm glow of the early light is something I find very appealing.

Image 2 Early Morning / FORM

Taken from the same viewpoint as Image 1 but slightly later in the morning. In image 2 the shadows across the north facing walls have added a contrast to the nicely lit facades in the sun. The overall colour, whilst obviously the same in real life, appears much cooler as the sun climbs higher in the sky.

Image 3 Early Morning / TEXTURE

Image 3 has been taken from the opposite direction to Image 2 at a similar time of day. The light has yet to reach the south facing walls and I like the contrast between these and the eastern walls bathed in sunlight.

Image 4 Mid Morning / FORM

I pondered the inclusion of a high contrast black and white image, and have decided to include it. Image 4 isn't a greyscale conversion, I shot the original in mono. Shot a little later in the morning than image 2, I like the mix of shadows and light on the south facing walls.

Image 5 Late Afternoon / TEXTURE

Image 5 was taken late afternoon and is a close up to highlight the fine detail of the bridge towers. The low sun has given the image a warm feel and a nice even light, highlighting the texture and detail of the stonework.

Image 6 Sunset / SHAPE

The sunset Image 6 taken from the Northeast has produced a nice silhouette with sharp edges and a nice highlight on the edges of the rings. On this occasion it was actually TOO clear a day, a few clouds would have been nice.

Image 7 Sunset / COLOUR

Image 7 is the sunset image shot from the west. The bridge was very busy with traffic so I waited a short while until the road was in shadow. This image shows the colours of the rings to best effect.

Image 8 Dusk / COLOUR

Image 8 shows the bridge some time after the sun has set but before the onset of night. A long exposure has blurred the people in the foreground.

Image 9 Night / SHAPE

Image 9 taken at night. The light pollution gives an orange sky as opposed to the expected black. The floodlights are doing an excellent job of lighting the Olympic Rings.




















ASSIGNMENT FEEDBACK


 

Overall Comments

The choice of Tower Bridge as your subject has opened up interesting possibilities for a variety of lighting that changes throughout the day. Due to the scale of the structure, what it doesn’t allow you to do is to experiment with your own lighting ideas: Daylight conditions and the artificial lights that are already there have prescribed the light on the bridge.

The angle of the light (and of the subject) to the camera can be experimented with when using a smaller object. The environment (light, subject, backgrounds etc.) can be controlled, almost at will, allowing greater flexibility and creativity in what can be produced.

I can see the basics of each type of lighting technique in the assignment. For assessment the images should be labelled with the appropriate categories: Shape, Form, Texture and colour (usually two images for each category). In my feedback I’ll suggest which category/categories I think each image illustrates.

The structure chosen is an iconic one that is photographed endlessly by visitors. In this assignment you have gathered together similar images under a variety of lighting conditions. By showing these together, you have revealed the way that a subject can appear markedly different depending on the lighting. Further to this, you show how each type of lighting reveals different aspects of the structure.

There is an appreciation of lighting in this assignment that makes for spectacular rendering of the bridge. This appreciation of light is far better than in previous assignments.

In future, when you are considering taking a photograph, you may well remember this assignment and the effects of the lighting: Your camera position could be influenced by the angle of the light, its direction, its colour, the time of day, as well as by choosing which aspect of the subject is enhanced by the light.

Assessment potential

I understand your aim is to go for the Photography Degree and that you plan to submit your work for assessment at the end of this course. From the work you have shown in this assignment,providing you commit yourself to the course,I believe you have the potential to succeed at assessment. In order to meet all the assessment criteria, there are certain areas you will need to focus on, which I will outline in my feedback.

Feedback on assignment

Technically this is your best assignment so far. Even given the variety of lighting, your exposures are consistently well controlled throughout. Composition and framing will have been difficult as they’re largely determined by where you can gain access. However you have managed to produce carefully considered images that are largely well-balanced and free of clutter or distractions.

When photographing large buildings, they are easier to shoot from slightly further away, with a longer focal length than you have used in the first three images. In these images you are looking up, tilting the verticals, as well as struggling to get the top included. They give the impression of struggling to ‘get it all in’. The rest of the images appear more considered and showmore of the context around the bridge.

I particularly like the inclusion of the narrow-boat in the first image. It shows what the river was once famous for; access to London along the river and as a port connected to the sea. The semi-silhouette against multi-coloured reflections on the water is particularly effective. I suggest it would be worthwhile correcting the right-hand vertical so that it lines up with the frame edge (select all>transform> skew, then crop).

Despite working with a fixed object, there is still variety in your positioning and camera-to-subject distances. The inclusion of the Olympic rings in some images has set a definitive time-period and added to the interest of those images.

I think that the most successful images are the ones that are either the classic post-card shots (such as image 4) or those that include another subject or object, leading the eye into the frame, such as the first image.

What is immediately apparent, even from the first two images, is the difference that the light makes to the colour of the bridge. Image 2 is probably the most ‘accurate’ in showing colour balance, but image 1 shows how early or late sunlight can enhance the natural warmth of the stonework.

Both images also show the form really well: With direct light on two perpendicular sides, they appear clearly three-dimensional. Contrast this with image 3 that has light on only one visible side. Image 4 is again a good example of form. Image 5 has the light directly from behind which doesn’t show form or texture as well as if it had been shot earlier or later with the light coming more from one side.Image 6 is a strong silhouette with colour added by the setting sun. This shows the shape of the bridge’s upper structure.

Image 7 again shows the effect of the colour of low sunlight. It also shows the rings as having strong colours. The colours are enhanced by the direct light in image 8. This is complemented by the blue/magenta sky of dusk. I like this position as it shows the context of the busy embankment, but the wall in the foreground is a bit intrusive. A camera position to the right (placing the end of the wall in the corner of the frame) or to the left to exclude the wall might have been better.

Even though image 9 is at night, the floodlights do show the colours off well, particularly of the rings. Enough of the bridge is highlighted against the dark sky to show the bridge’s shape too.

Learning Logs or Blogs

Don't forget to update your log with any activities, plans and thoughts about your work. Add also your research an thoughts on other photographer's work that you've read about or seen online or in exhibitions. In particular, relate your reflection and developing thoughts about what you see to your own work.

In your blog I can see reflections on your own work: after shoots, after editing and after assignments. There are also some notes referring to images in books.For assessment, it would be good to show more evidence of viewing other photographers’ work; in books, online or at exhibitions.

Suggested reading/viewing

I recommend reading 'On Being a Photographer: a Practical Guide' by David Hurn and Bill Jay. Also, look online at the image sequences in classic photo-led magazines of the 1950s such as Picture Post. See the work of photographers who have produced extended photo essays, such as W. Eugene Smith.

Pointers for the next assignment

More variety of scale would have helped to vary the pace of the images in this assignment. You will need to bear this in mind in assignment 5; narrative and pace are two techniques that allow a sequence to flow, whilst retaining interest.

Assignment 5 will draw on the skills developed during all the previous assignments: Using light, composition, concepts and colour. It is a sequence of images that produce a narrative to tell a story in pictures. The captions provide further information and add to the development of the context. The style used for images and text is similar to what you might expect to find in a magazine.

The initial image should be simple and striking, grabbing attention, persuading the viewer to look further into the sequence; as you would expect in a magazine article. It is good to have some variety of light, perspectives, scale etc. to keep interest in the story. What you leave in the final edit is as important as what you cut out. A photographic ‘story’ is best told directly, through images that contribute to the telling of the story and/or add context to that story.

Tutor name:	Derek Trillo
Date	12 October 2012
Next assignment due	10 December 2012

Image 1 Sunrise / COLOUR

Only one minor adjustment to make for this assignment, apart from the titles. Derek suggested using the Transform>Skew procedure to straighten the verticals in this image. Amazingly that is the first time I have used this technique and I'm very pleased with the result.