Alternative Processes- Multiple Exposures

Test strip #1- 5 second per strip 

 Test Strip #2- 5 seconds per strip

Test Square # 1- Book- 15 seconds Plant- 10 seconds

Final Copy
Book- 14 second exposure Plant- 15 second exposure

I decided that for this project, I wanted to try making a double exposure. For the double exposure, I wanted something coming out of a book, so I took pictures of multiple plants. I chose to use this one in the end because it was the straightest, so it would look like it was growing right out of the book.

In order to make the double exposure, I first used test strips to figure out how much I should expose each photo for individually. Then I started practising the burn-and-dodge technique. Once I thought I had the hang of it, I made a good copy of the photo and showed it to Callie. She thought I should try to crop out the table was sitting on, as it really was just empty space. I agreed with her. This lead to another round of sizing, making test strips, and testing the burning and dodging technique. In the end I got the above product.

I wanted to make a plant coming out of a book because I really love to read, and when I read it is sometimes like the story is coming out of the book and is like a play or a T.V. show playing in my mind. I tried to capture that feeling by using photography to show something actually coming out of a book. It was pretty cool to make something I imagine in my head become real through photography.

Overall I am decently pleased with my end product. I don't think it is my best work and if I had more time I could probably have made it better, but this was my first time using this technique so it's not half-bad for a beginner. I really like that the plant really looks like it is coming out of the book and that I got the exposures to match. If I could go back and change one thing, I think I would simplify the background behind the plant more, to make sure the focus went straight to the subject.

Mixed Lighting

1/50 shutter speed, aperture 7.1

Camera 205 (Nikon D3100), zoom lens.

In this project we were supposed to use both natural and studio lighting. After trying and failing to find a plug close enough to a door to bring the lights outside, I decided a shot at a window would be the best way to go. I chose this door window, which led to an area near the sports field. After setting up a fill light ( I really liked the natural light outside, so I didn't want to overwhelm it with artificial light; I set up the fill light just so there weren't so many deep shadows made by the natural light on the model's (Ally's) face.) I asked Ally to look outside at the field and started taking photos. I got this one because Ally was concerned that it may rain later on, but put into the context of the picture it looks really dramatic.It almost looks to me like she is biting her lip and contemplating the sports players outside, as if she wants to play with them but for some reason cannot. It really was sheer luck that I captures this expression, but it made for a very interesting and dynamic photo.

After taking the photo, I put it into Photoshop for some minor editing. I cropped the photo so that there was no unnecessary blank space, and so that Ally was in a better place in the photo (obeying the rule of thirds a bit more). I then made the photo black and white, because some of the colours in the photo clashed a bit and without them you can really focus on the composition and message of the photograph.

Overall I do like this photo. I feel it captures a scene in an interesting way that conveys a story, and I feel I made good use of both indoor and outdoor light.

Painting with Light

Our assignment was to take flash lights into the darkroom and use a long shutter speed to capture the path of the lights as we drew with them. I first thought this would be easy, but I was definitely wrong! Not only is the darkroom super creepy when you are alone and its totally dark, but its hard to know where to paint with light to get the exact picture you want. But, I did manage to get an end result I am pleased with.

30 second shutter speed, aperture 16

Camera 204 (Nikon D3100), zoom lens.

I liked the concept of incorporating a person with the light elements, because I thought it was more interesting than just a person or a light drawing alone. I then noticed how when you shone a white flash light on people and drew around them it kind of looked like they were glowing. This made me think of angels, so I tried drawing wings and a halo around Sophia. I really liked the effect! Then I tried doing double exposures of people, and thought that it was quite cool how it made people looked like ghosts. so for my photo I combined the two, to make a ghost angel behind a sad-looking girl. I think this photo looks very cool, and I like how dark and simple the background is. This shot took three days of experimentation to get, but I think it was definitely worth it.

Using the angel wings and halo, I tried to make a supernatural side to my photo. I wanted the mythical side because I wanted to create a feeling of wonder in my viewers. I wanted to make the viewers feel this sense of wonder because this is how I feel about light photography. You can use it to alter the reality of your photo and make anything real. Light photography makes me feel like there could be angels or fairies or a number of impossible things, because we can make these impossible things real through photos. I tried to make the viewer feel this by making an angel come out of the darkness, as if she was always there but you have to look harder to see her.

All the shots I tried to take were inspired by the works of The Light Junkies. Check them out!  This particular shot was inspired by their shots where they outlined a person or added elements to them and their surroundings, but I also attempted thinks like the light globes, the flower drawings, and the river-like streams of light.