Lenses
Lenses change the perspective of a shot, but also distort how the subject matter looks and can deeply influence the way in which we perceive a subject matter in an image, . In this investigation I will be researching photography techniques used by named artists/directors, using different lenses and techniques and exploring how they can be used to convey a message to the viewer.
I chose to base my investigation on lenses because I want to experiment and learn more about different lenses and experiment in ways I previously have not.
I chose to base my investigation on lenses because I want to experiment and learn more about different lenses and experiment in ways I previously have not.
Cinematic influence - City of God
City of God (2002, Fernando Meirelles, Katia Lund) is known for its unflinching, shaky-documentary style of cinematography, César Charlone, the cinematographer for City of God, used different equipment to give it an authentic look. It was shot on film using: 'Aaton 35-III Camera, Aaton A-Minima Camera, Aaton XTR Prod Camera and Angenieux HR Zoom Lenses, Zeiss Super Speed Lenses with César Charlone as cinematographer and editing by Daniel Rezende'. The use of zoom lenses particularly in the opening scene adds to the frantic montage effect by zooming into key elements in different points in the scene, this is not only seen in the opening scene however it is a clear example of it. Another way the use of different focal lengths adds to the montage is by cutting to different shots on different focal lengths, although this is not always clear, it challenged conventional filmography rules. Although the choice of framing and positioning in City of God's cinematography is a large contributor, the use of primarily wide lenses allows the film to make scenes lively and busy, without making the scenes seem overwhelming, whilst contrasting zoomed in - telephoto - scenes, e.g. the standoff scene, make scenes feel cramped and stifling.
Experimenting briefly with focal lengths and cropping
Some of these images are taken on a telephoto lens from range to retain environmental elements, whilst some are taken at 35mm and cropped in to avoid compression. This is simply an introductory photoshoot in which I touch on the simple ways in which lenses work and influence a photo.
Abelardo Morell
Abelardo Morell is a contemporary artist widely known for turning rooms into camera obscuras and then capturing the marriage of interior and exterior in large format photographs.
It is visually reminiscent of a double exposure, however taken by blacking out a room and leaving one whole for light outside, this projects the image of the outside world upside down within the room, turning the room into a giant camera.
It is visually reminiscent of a double exposure, however taken by blacking out a room and leaving one whole for light outside, this projects the image of the outside world upside down within the room, turning the room into a giant camera.
I find this image very interesting as it explores the boundary between camera and human vision, as the sharp areas are within the lens of the glasses, whilst the rest is out of focus. This suggests that although camera and human vision is different in the sense that they are binocular and monocular, they can both benefit from glasses.
fisheye
Although this is relatively normal, I chose to shoot simple, everyday scenes and objects at 85mm through an external fisheye lense, this creates an interesting image not seen if only a fisheye is used as it adds a strange zoomed in feel.
Response to Abelardo Morell - changing the lens perspective
Experimenting with lenses and how the distort subjects is interesting as in this case the images were also altered in the colours due to shooting through the viewfinder of a vintage camera.
gallery exhibition
When I present my work, I am aiming to create a physical exhibition, however creating a lens or means to create a distorted view of the images is an interest of mine and I believe it would add depth to the photos.
Ryan McGinley
Ryan McGinley is an American photographer known for his work in street and fashion photography. After looking at his work, I realised that the majority of his photos were shot on a wide lens, and many go against the rules of conventional photography and portraiture, for example, the photo seen below of Timothee Chalamet is a portrait taken landscape on a wide lens, however it works perfectly.
Ryan McGinley is an American photographer, and is known for his portraiture and "casual snapshot" style of photography, focusing on the subject matter which often explores freedom expression. He primarily shoots on wide focal lengths, fitting a lot into every shot whilst keeping focus on the model he is photographing. His honest approach to photography, capturing daily antics, often of intimate moments is what I find most interesting about his work.
Response to Ryan McGinley & Experimenting with Lighting and How it Effects a Photo
During this photo, I used external flash during day time as well as natural light. The flash settings I chose to use made the photo look like it was taken at night, by darkening the area around the photos whilst retaining detail, as I used a very slow aperture to keep all parts of the photo in focus in contrast to the wide open f1.8 I used without the flash. Below is an example of how flash is effected by changing the aperture of my lens.
light refraction and lenses
The google definition for how a lens refracts light is: "A lens produces its focusing effect because light travels more slowly in the lens than in the surrounding air, so that refraction, an abrupt bending, of a light beam occurs both where the beam enters the lens and where it emerges from the lens into the air." This is something I would like to investigate.
Experimenting with distortion
I used a lens extension for a phone to create a distorted image with the model centrally framed to cause his necklace to be multiplied, and it also caused chromatic aberration in the image, I am going to look into distortion.
Double exposure - Partly Inspired by Abelardo Morell's camera obscura
Combining two photos taken at the same time of day, one with flash and one using natural light.
Obstructing the lense by shooting through a magnifying glass and a small phone lense
This is simply a brief experimentation with the use of a magnifying glass to create distortion in an image.
Presentation of my project - Initial ideas
stereoscopic box.
A stereoscope is a device for viewing a stereoscopic pair of separate images, depicting left-eye and right-eye views of the same scene, as a single three-dimensional image. A typical stereoscope provides each eye with a lens that makes the image seen through it appear larger and more distant and usually also shifts its apparent horizontal position, so that for a person with normal binocular depth perception the edges of the two images seemingly fuse into one "stereo window".
Lenticular printing.
Lnticular printing creates a print which moves when looked at from different angles, and is used for many different types of image and printed onto different formats, I am considering creating a lenticular print with photos shot through some kind of lens obstruction.
I find the idea of lenticular printing appealing, and it would pair well with an experimentation of lenses and light by presenting it in a way that interferes with the way light behaves with physical objects in this case the bumps on a lenticular sheet.
I find the idea of lenticular printing appealing, and it would pair well with an experimentation of lenses and light by presenting it in a way that interferes with the way light behaves with physical objects in this case the bumps on a lenticular sheet.
Further experimenting by altering view of my lens, using my watch and a phone lens.
This is a series of photos from a recent photoshoot in which I expanded on my initial experimentation with lenses and I noticed a few things about the photos I took under further reflection.
HUMAN VISION VS CAMERA VISION
Cameras see the world through a monocular view, one lens, whilst humans and most living things view the world through binocular vision, this makes photos very different to how we see the world, and to me the argument that a good photograph is one that shows the world accurate to human vision is problematic although there are focal lengths that see the same focal length as us (a 43mm lens on a 35mm full frame camera) which is 55mm, photos still look very different to how we see. Disrupting and distorting the view of a camera is interesting to me as in this recent photoshoot I did some of the photos stood out as they showed the same scene twice in a distorted manner, making the image actually binocular, however completely different to how we see, as the second lens was in front of the first one rather than two identical parallel lenses as seen in a lens used to create VR images.
Although the human eye has a focal length of approximately 22 mm, this is misleading because the back of our eyes are curved, the periphery of our visual field contains progressively less detail than the centre, and the scene we perceive is the combined result of both eyes.
This makes it very hard to replicate how humans see with a camera, however the concept of a binocular view that I mentioned before is interesting to me as when I look at this image here it feels more immersive than a simple photo taken with one lens of a street.
One style of photography I find to be the most immersive and true to how we see is landscape photography.
This makes it very hard to replicate how humans see with a camera, however the concept of a binocular view that I mentioned before is interesting to me as when I look at this image here it feels more immersive than a simple photo taken with one lens of a street.
One style of photography I find to be the most immersive and true to how we see is landscape photography.
Glasses photoshoot
(not the photoshoot, a simple example at hand)
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I am going to do a full photoshoot using glasses for portraiture, the purpose of this is to explore how people see the world, and how glasses which are designed to make vision clear can also be used to distort view, this is obvious, however linking back to Abelardo Morell's work with glasses and distortion partly with glasses, it is clear that they can be used to make a number of interesting shots. Upon some research I learned a bit more about glasses. Glasses come in a variety of types. This includes a single-vision lens with one power or strength over the entire lens, or a bifocal or trifocal lens with multiple strengths over the entire lens. This is applicable to my shoot with glasses, as I aim to use manual focus set to one distance so that the glasses correct only either long or short sighted depending on the glasses used. This is why I am going to avoid using a trifocal lens, and rather a single vision or bifocal lens.
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Result:
To me, this photoshoot was a success because it made me understand more about how glasses work and how they behave in relation to a binocular lens. Using manual focus, I expected to see a different focus between the glasses lens and the surrounding environment, but the most I got was a slight blurred effect in some cases, however I think this was mostly due to the light refraction rather than the focus. Despite this, I am pleased with how the images turned out as they slightly resemble the glasses photo by Abelardo Morell.
Immersive landscape photography
This is something I would like to explore and experiment with how I can do it before doing an actual photoshoot for it, digital experimentation is the first step for me.
This is a distorted image of a digitally made triple exposure of landscape photos, this is simply done as a framework to see which image out of the three appears the most similar to how you would see the scene in real life, so that I can recreate it non-digitally in real life.
The triple exposure's purpose is 1. to add a an already binocular image underneath to give the illusion of distortion before photographing, and 2. to draw more attention to the distortion, it does this because if i present a clear image of one landscape to you, you will focus more on the content within than the actual distortion, by making it less clear the viewers eyes are drawn around the frame as it is more unfamiliar.
The triple exposure's purpose is 1. to add a an already binocular image underneath to give the illusion of distortion before photographing, and 2. to draw more attention to the distortion, it does this because if i present a clear image of one landscape to you, you will focus more on the content within than the actual distortion, by making it less clear the viewers eyes are drawn around the frame as it is more unfamiliar.
To me, the image on the left feels most like the scene. (it bends the opposite way as a fisheye lens does)
pinhole camera
I took this with a rectangular pinhole camera, it is a self portrait of me, and I took an inverted photo of it to present here.
Making a coffee grounds box into a pinhole camera
I decided to make this pinhole camera to experiment with it and give a distorted feel to my images, however I never got a chance to use it.
Paul Graham end of an age
In End of an Age Paul Graham captures the moments that mark the ending of adolescence the small slice of time between youthful indulgence and the emerging awareness of adult responsibilities.
The photographs alternate between ultra-sharp direct flash images where every detail is minutely recorded and the opposite extreme with loose available-light photographs saturated with colour blurred and sometimes poorly focused. First and foremost these compelling colour images.
"These colour images are portraits in the fullest sense - images that seek to reflect on the inner self through our material presence. The photographs alternate between ultra-sharp direct flash images where every detail is minutely recorded, and the opposite extreme, with loose available-light photographs, saturated with colour, blurred and sometimes poorly focused"
The photographs alternate between ultra-sharp direct flash images where every detail is minutely recorded and the opposite extreme with loose available-light photographs saturated with colour blurred and sometimes poorly focused. First and foremost these compelling colour images.
"These colour images are portraits in the fullest sense - images that seek to reflect on the inner self through our material presence. The photographs alternate between ultra-sharp direct flash images where every detail is minutely recorded, and the opposite extreme, with loose available-light photographs, saturated with colour, blurred and sometimes poorly focused"
BACK IN THE DAYZ
Jamel Shabazz
These are photos taken from Jamel Shabazz's Back in the Dayz book documenting the people and culture of the 80's in New York. I find his book interesting as we view the fashion and pop culture of the 80's as more interesting as they are now so different to current day pop culture, and the images from those times are also seen as more valuable in comparison to modern day images. That is because of the value time holds. Interestingly, a photo taken on the same format film taken in the past and now of different fashion trends and culture entirely will be much less distinguishable, and the viewer would associate the same feeling and value with each photo until closer inspection, even then they would value the photo of the modern time more than if it was taken modern phone camera. I am going to explore the way lenses influence the way we perceive time and how they affect the value of a photograph.
Collage experimentation
How I made it:
I made this in photoshop by layering my images and moving them around, then added effects to them such as drop shadow and outer glows, this gives the collage more depth. Using the guides I places, I cropped the collage into 4 separate images and saved them this way.
I am also going to make a collage out of the images I take on a disposable camera to highlight lenses, nostalgia, and modern young people's culture in London in the form of fashion and activities, this is a shoot to focus on fashion and nostalgia to become more familiar with the 'ideologies' of the next collage so I can focus on the lens and and theme of the disposable camera.
Disposable camera experimentation
Being able to take photographs without thinking about settings and post processing as a result of the simplicity of the disposable camera meant that what I took photos of were very representative of the moment. In some of these photos, I used a form of lens obstruction like a plastic bag filled with water or glasses and phone lens attachment. A sense of nostalgia is often associated with disposable cameras and their lenses in present day, and I decided to make this collage to encapsulate the moment and friendships I have, and inspired by the work of Paul Graham's 'End of an Age' I took photos of my friends on a night out, and in other occasions to encapsulate parts modern culture amongst young people around my age, which has fashion and elements inspired by early grime movements as well as Y2K culture (in the form style of shoes and outfits) and photographing this on a disposable camera widely used during the come up of these movements honours them and draws attention to the things reminiscent of those times. The nature of the lens and flash isolates the subjects from the surroundings and makes the subject apparent.
I structured this collage by having a focus on fashion and the way young people interact in order to portray the culture we do not pay much attention too. To me, some of these images are like photos you would revisit in the future with nostalgia, partly due to the fact they are shot on a funsaver, and therefore it is viewed differently to the way one would view it through an Iphone image.
I made this using the same method as the collage above.
Making a Disposable camera's lens into a digital lens
In order to do this, I have to deconstruct a disposable camera (kodak fun saver) and take out the lens which I will attach into a 16mm hole cut in a camera cover/cap. It is a plastic, focus free lens which will give the photos a vintage feel and I can experiment with the ways I use this lens, by using previous techniques to distort the view of the lens such as using a plastic bag with water or using Vaseline. I am going to shoot a multitude of different types of photo however with a focus to my established theme of 'end of an age' and also the way lenses effect our perception of time for my final piece. I am hoping to have a mix of fitting images which I can put in one piece.
I decided to take a series of photos in a forest to test out the image quality and results, and since it is an infinite focus it was ideal for landscape photography.
Results from forest shoot:
Using this lens, I noticed that there is a purple fringing around the edges of the frame reminiscent of a film photo, as well as dark vignetting. It also gave the highlights a glow and stark contrast with the underexposed shadows. It is notable to mention that the f-stop of this lens is fixed at f/10 and therefore is dark and requires compensation with other settings, this led to some motion blur during shooting.
Second Photoshoot with this lens
This is the second shoot I have done using the lens I made, the film like quality gives the photos a nostalgic feel and glow. During this photoshoot, I focused on documenting the outfit of the model, as she was wearing traditional Eid clothing, and a continuous theme of my investigation has been photographing culture through a different lens, and playing with themes of nostalgia in doing so.
Third photoshoot with my lens
In this photoshoot I chose to use an external flash to add distortion to the images, I used the lens I made for the majority of photos however I also used my 35mm lens to get detailed shots that add depth and specific focus + stillness to the collage. Again, I find that these images have a "retro" feel to them and some resemble a photo taken on a film camera with flash.
Plans for the making day
I want to create a physical exhibition which forces the audience to interact with the images and experience the photos in an unfamiliar way. The implementation of a compact disc with the photos taken on a dated lens is interesting to me as both the way in which we consume photography and music has evolved similarly in the sense that images are now primarily digitalised as well as music in contrast to the prints of images and physical CDs we saw in the past. The value we associate with the weight of time is interesting to me and I want my presentation to reflect that.
CD Covers with a theme of distortion
CD case print dimensions: CD Cover Size Specifications for Printing the finished dimensions for the outside of printed CD covers are 4.724 inches square. Many printed designs include bleed. The “bleed area” is an extra 1/8″ of space for design elements or backgrounds to extend beyond the finished size of your piece.
Compact Discs
Presenting my photography on a compact disc which is now a partly antiquated format to consume music draws parallels to using a 90s, vintage lens to photograph the modern day. The value that time holds in present day is seen in how people generally value a photo taken 20 years ago more than they do a modern Iphone photo, similarly to how people view a CD and Spotify, although this is partly due to them being physical and digital, it is largely due to the time period CD's are associated with, and the weight of time often determines the value of anything. For example, family photos which we are shown by our parents are very often taken on film, and this leads to us immediately associating film photos with important memories and documentations of the past, whilst modern photos are fast and lack character in comparison to film.
Based on my research and experimentation, I have found that although shooting on film cannot be fully replicated by digital photos, it has much less impact on the final image than the lens does. Using the plastic fun-saver lens on my digital camera gave the images a film like quality reminiscent of the photos taken on the disposable film camera.
Based on my research and experimentation, I have found that although shooting on film cannot be fully replicated by digital photos, it has much less impact on the final image than the lens does. Using the plastic fun-saver lens on my digital camera gave the images a film like quality reminiscent of the photos taken on the disposable film camera.
Layout
I have established roughly what my piece is going to be, however the way I present it is important for the experience of the viewer, as I intend to make it an interactive experience, I need to establish a sense of direction so that the viewer is not confused.
A piece of text accompanying the images would help viewers read what the exhibition is about in the first place, so that they understand what my aim is, giving a more complete experience than simply showing what I made with no context. There are two ways I am thinking of doing this: on the back of a CD album case there is usually a list of tracks on the album (see image to the right), I might replicate this design by adding the text on the back briefly explaining the exhibition. A more simple approach to presenting text would be by mounting it on a blank canvas next to the photos. My next decision to make is where I choose to place the disc, as it is a large part of the presentation. Putting the disc in the cover may lead to some confusion, so I might place is next to the case or half in. |
Upon further research and consideration, I realised that a better option to a Lenticular print would be to get a print specifically designed for CDs, and using it on a real CD which reflects the theme of my investigation (culture etc.) and replace the album cover art with my own.
Background of the exhibition
The CD is an important medium I will be using for the exhibition, however I will be accompanying it with a poster to improve the viewing experience.
Projection: To make up for the lack of lenticular print, a moving image projected behind the CD of either a video or photo/photos would add an unusual element to the presentation and keep the viewer intrigued by adding live elements to the presentation.
Post up/poster: I will be using this for the improvement viewing experience as above.
Projection: To make up for the lack of lenticular print, a moving image projected behind the CD of either a video or photo/photos would add an unusual element to the presentation and keep the viewer intrigued by adding live elements to the presentation.
Post up/poster: I will be using this for the improvement viewing experience as above.
FINAL PLAN AND LAYOUT
I am sticking to using CD's, however I have decided to use two discs alongside text and a poster to accompany them in the layout below.
The two images in the centre are the CDs, with the image to the right as the poster. I believe this is the most well rounded way to present my project, as I can only fit so much on the CDs, I am using the poster to show bigger picture of the exhibition, and the text to give context and explain the background of the exhibition.
The two images in the centre are the CDs, with the image to the right as the poster. I believe this is the most well rounded way to present my project, as I can only fit so much on the CDs, I am using the poster to show bigger picture of the exhibition, and the text to give context and explain the background of the exhibition.
I will be using the in school printers to print all of this, and presenting them on a wall.