Photo Shoot Review

Unit 57: Photography and Photographic Practice

Task 4 Selection of final images & review

Ben Holmes

Aim of ShootThe main focus of this Salford Quays photo shoot was to experiment with a number of different techniques and effects with the intention of creating some interesting compositions that could be used to promote the Salford Quays Water-Sports centre. I attempted to capture images of the water and items that would resemble anything to do with water sports and then chose a selected few images to further develop in Adobe Photoshop. Also I experimented with a number of different camera settings such as aperture, depth of field and leading lines. The photo-shoot took place in October 2013 on a college visit to the Quays. Upon arrival I decided to stray away from my original photo-shoot plan and focused more on the water than on the buildings and infrastructure.

Editing effects

Original Un-Edited Image.

This is an image of the old fashioned ladder that leads into the quays. Although it is a rather simple composition it works effectively and features photographic techniques such as leading lines and symmetry. As the original image was poor quality I experimented on Photoshop with the Exposure levels and the brightness / contrast. By Increasing the exposure and lowering the offset, I created an interesting composition with vibrant colours. Although the image quality is not the best the editing managed to bring it to life.

Editing effects

Original Un-Edited Image.

This is a photograph of part of the Manchester Ship canal. I chose to edit this image due to the interesting composition and the symmetrical patterns. Like the first image the lighting is rather unattractive and makes the image look plain. To counteract this I changed the colour balance in Photoshop and made the image black and white. I then experimented with the brightness and contrast to bring out some white highlights in the image. Finally I added a blue colour filter to add an old-fashioned effect.

Editing effects

Original Un-Edited Image.

Following the same style as the other images this is also over-exposed. However I admire the composition of this image due to the depth of field. The bollard in the foreground is clear and in focus, leaving the water and buildings in the background slightly blurred and out of focus. As the colours on the original image are very dull I decided to experiment with the Vibrancy tool on Photoshop, by increasing the vibrancey and saturation I brought this image o life and created a much more interesting image.

Rejected Images

These 3 compositions are my rejected images. Although I do like the compositions of these images they are all over-exposed and the colours look dull. This was due to me using the flash when it wasn’t necessary. All these images are a representation of water/water-sports but are not as interesting as all the other images I took. Due to the colours and compositions of these images I chose to discard them from my contact sheet.

Aims for next projectWhen conducting my next photo shoot there are a number of things I will be keeping in mind. Firstly is to ensure that none of my images are over-exposed and that the lighting is suitable for the shoot, this will be a huge factor towards a successful shoot. As I have learnt from this shoot that using the flash during the day time is not the best method. Also I will explore a lot more camera settings such as Aperture and Shutter Speed, which I did not understand before this project. Another target for my next shoot will be to capture twice as many images as this shoot. The more images I take the easier it will be to find an interesting composition.