Inspiration #1- Shin Noguchi

One of the first photographers I looked at first is Shin Noguchi who is a Japanese photographer. I looked at a collection of images he had taken in 2013 based around Tokyo. The images as a whole focus on colour and irony. Irony is what a lot of street photographers use as a device to show the unexpected. One of the images I found included an image of a woman using her hands to block the sun in front of a billboard which she seems to be mimicking naturally. This I think represents how advertisement and marketing have such an influence on the public. It shows how simple movements like blocking the sun companies have looked closely at and found its an easy way to target specific audience, The shot also uses the movement to engage the audience closely and create a story as to what the woman is looking at/walking to.

One of the last images I looked at was an image of a man taking a nap in the autumn leaves with a shadow overlooking him. Noguchi uses the simplicity of this images to represent such a huge concept. This image gives me the impression that the person can embody the whole population and the autumn leaves and bush behind the man sleeping can personify Mother Nature. This images reflects how as a whole we trust and relies on nature even when we are at the most vulnerable. The man sleeping has a book on his head which signifies he feels safe around nature that a simple past-time can be performed. The shadow on the bush behind him almost looks like it is protecting him and is watching over him. This links with the peacefulness of the man sleeping as he feels very safe in natures hands. It contrast with the place it was taken Japan as its such a busy environment and the energy is so high that maybe Shin Noguchi wanted to send a warning out to not forget how peaceful nature and that technology and business' are taking over the world slowly.
I feel very strongly not only about the message but I like the way Shin has composed the images to not perfectly align the man sleeping with the bush or vice versa.

-STREET PHOTOGRAPHY-

Street photography is one of the projects I am most looking forwards to doing. I love the idea of taking pictures of everyday life and seeing the simple things we sometimes don't notice. When we received this project brief I realized I am excited to get out and shoot with my camera. I was to research different photographers and find their different style through their images by taking inspiration from everyday life. I was to achieve lots of images from all my shoots which can be taken either on purpose or by accident. I am looking forwards to completely submersing myself in these pictures. I cannot wait to create a series of images in which all the images are different yet have the same theme.

Double exposure #3

In order to boost my skills on photoshop I decided to create another double exposure. I used two of my images, one of which being a silhouette of my cat to create this image. I used a layering tool and used the lighten and opacity settings to find a balance between the too. 

Here I have added the image:

double exposure #2

I have previously edited a double exposure photo and found it quite a challenge so I felt I should re-try. This time I used an image I had taken myself: HERE 

I used an outline of a models face from Google images as it was a test I didn't feel like I had taken images that would suit the idea. I found this one slightly easier as it isn't a full double exposure, I have just taken a silhouette from the image and placed mine behind it. Here is the final image:


I use the same idea as before but improved on the aspects I was not too strong on.

 

Kai Z Feng inspired

Today I was looking through a magazine and spotted a spread of Amanda Seyfried taken by the photographer Kai Z Feng who is well-known for this portrait photography. I saw the images taken in the magazine and wanted to recreate something similar.

 I took some pictures above of my model on my IPHONE. These shots are not my best and if I was to re-do them I would change a lot of things such as:

1) Use a different background. In the magazine the shots of the model where against a black screen/wallpaper. I think this looked better as it really showed the quality of the images and gave the photographer a blank canvas to work on. I used a white wall but I personally didn't feel it gave me the effect I wanted.

2) I didn't have a theme. I allowed the model to pull any faces she wanted. If I had stuck with a slight theme I think the images would have linked better. 

3) In the print the images were black and white. This made the images look better as they had a greater quality and higher definition in places needed. 

Due to me using my IPHONE I didn't feel I got the results I wanted and I now know how I would improve them if I could. 

Below I have attached the shots I took inspiration from:

double exposure #1

Double exposures!

The definition of a double exposure/ multiple exposure is: "is the superimposition of two or more exposures to create a single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images" This basically means that two images are merged together to create a final piece. Most double exposures based on my research into it, consists of two images such as nature and a person. These seem to create the most obvious and most attractive images. I decided to try and create one of these images myself and here is how I did it. I looked online at a simple portrait and decided to use one from Google.com. Once I had an image I had to manually edit the images into different exposures to ensure it created the right final piece. I used Adobe Photoshop CC which ensure I had total control over both the images. I then, as he is my favorite photographer, use one of Thomas Joshua Cooper's images. I feel this was the correct choice as he fills the entire screen so his images always draw me in. I then merged them together by selecting sections of each images and adjusting the contrast and brightness of the images. I had to find a balance between the two to make sure the images looked professional and not amateur (even though I am still a beginner) Once both images had the correct  contrast and highlights I then took sections out that were not necessary and had a final piece. Once completed, I added this to my Pinterest and started looking at other double exposures to gain inspiration. 

From looking online at other photographers who create pictures like these, I found many photographers including: Dan Mountford and Florian Imgrund. These photographers used simple images of nature and blend them with a portrait of a person. This creates the effect of two images in one similar to the actual concept of a double exposure with a film camera. 

Here I have attached some inspiration: