Photographer Research - Daniel Nahabedian

Daniel Nahabedian is very good when working with lights and colour. He uses the element of light so manipulate his images, deciding on what he wants the viewer to focus on or not. He also uses a similar technique with colour so that he can distinct between the important parts of his images and the non-important ones. I also enjoy how he turns an ordinary scene into a majestic one just by using light, colour, and sometimes angles. I have noticed that his angles are mostly low or wide ones; this allows him to further emphasise on the importance of a scene or a building.

This image has a very interesting angle - by using a low one, Nahabedian is able to show off the building and include most of it in the image, while making it seem majestic. The size and shape of the temple is both highlighted as well as exaggerated in order to give importance to the building and ensure that the viewers pay their full attention to it. The lights on both side distract the viewers and forces them to focus on the main part of the temple and notice its circular shape at the top. This gives the photographer the ability to manipulate where the viewer focuses on in the image, helping them achieve what they want. The use of colour is also very good; the sky has an ombre effect, almost fading into the same colour as the building. Although the photographer aimed to create contrast here, he also wanted to connect the sky with the building in order to show connotations of size for the temple - he suggests that the temple is immense in size, just like the sky. This adds symbolism to his work and engages the viewer as they have to delve in deeper so that they may work out the context of the image.

It is evident that Daniel Nahabedian has created significant contrast in this picture, proving to be his main aim. By achieving this, he has now structured the rest of the picture - the contrast distincts between the lanterns and the dark sky, allowing the viewer to concentrate on the lights around the image and get an idea on what's going on in the scene. Once again, a low angle was used so that a large part of the scene could be included in the photograph, enabling the viewer to picture the scene better in their mind. This also allows Nahabedian to make good use of the framing and fill it up with the lanterns, making the image exciting and full so that it seems like there's a lot going on. The photographer has also made sure that the viewers can see his subjects, which further allows them to engage with the scene and work with the context of the image. It is unclear what the occasion is, leaving the viewers to use their imagination, which invites them on a journey, highlighting the theme. As they wonder why these lanterns are being lit, they also wonder about the journey of the lanterns and possibly how long they are going to last. This is an indirect way of illustrating this theme, through symbolism and meaning. This produces an exciting and adventurous image, evoking feelings of curiousity and wonder in the viewers.

The use of light here is incredible. The rays of sunlight are guiding the viewers and letting them know where in the image they should focus. It also creates a contrast between the colours as it makes certain colours look more important than others. For example, the green towards the bottom of the picture look more important that the green in the background from the view - this is so that the viewer won't pay much attention to the view but rather the building and the greenery around it. This is further achieved through the technique of blurring; it is evident that the view in the background is very slightly blurred whereas the building is very sharp. Once again, this tells the viewer where to focus and adds symbolism to the image, making the building look majestic and giving importance to it. This is achieved through the light rays as well, which make the viewers wonder about the building and gives out an adventurous atmosphere. 

Like most of his other work, the element of light is being used to a large extent in this particular image. The bright yellow tone from the building creates a huge contrast with the blue colour from the sky, drawing the viewer in and automatically forcing them to focus on the brighter colour, which is the yellow colour of the building. This gives out connotations that the building is of importance and it's the only sign of life in the whole image, further emphasising its importance. From this technique, the viewer can fully engage with the image and it gives them enough clues to work out the context. The angle is very wide, allowing the photographer to capture a big part of the scene, making sure the whole building fits in the photograph, enabling the viewer to build a better image in their mind of the context.

This is my own image from my depth of field shoot - similarly to Nahabedian's work, I have used natural lighting from the sky to make the scene look majestic and give it importance through symbolism. The fact that my subject is dark creates contrast between him and the background, which has a brighter tone of green and blue/grey. By doing this, I was able to ensure that my viewer focuses on my subject first prior to moving around the image.

In conclusion, I picked this photographer for my research because his images are very inspiring. His use of light and colour dramatically changes and manipulates an image in the way he wants it to so that he may achieve his aims and get his viewers to focus on exactly what he wants them to. This keeps his work exciting, inviting viewers to find out more about a certain picture and think about its context. It also invites the viewer to picture the scene in their heads and imagine being there, depicting connotations of adventure.

Photographer Research - Gavin Gough

Gavin Gough is very well know for his travel photography, where he is able to capture the culture and traditions of another country, showing the theme of journey throughout his work. His photographs consists of the technique of motion blur, which allows him to show movement and illustrate the speed of his subjects and create an exciting atmosphere.

This image by Gavin Gough shows the focus on the subject riding the bull rather than the background, this is shown through the motion blur in the image. The motion blur is also used to communicate to the viewer the speed and movement of the bull and the subject. This creates excitement in the image and allows the viewer to understand the theme of journey being depicted from the photograph - the motion blur technique is at a very high level, creating significant movement. If the viewers pay more attention to the image, they can see that the legs of the bull is also blurred as opposed to to the rest of it along with the subject - this further highlights how fast the bull is moving and thus, adding to this theme of journey and movement. The photographer has ensured that the colours contrast so that the bull can stand out from the background; this would have been easy to achieve due to the blurred scene but this was an extra step to ensure the viewers were focusing on what Gough wanted them to.

Gavin Gough uses the technique of depth of field in this image really well, he contrasts the different shades of the statutes, as the sunlight shining onto each different ones creates a different shade of gold, getting brighter as the viewers move their eyes along. As the objects get further away, the less focused each statue becomes, blurring out the end of the path. This inevitably creates a mysterious atmosphere and almost invites the viewer to imagine themselves walking down the path. To further add to this, the photographer has added a distorted figure at the end of the path, this is to show future through the colours of the clothing, which also contrast with the bright white shade of the scene. Moreover, this creates adventure and adds to the mysterious effect that Gough was trying to achieve. The orange/red colour from the top of the picture has been added to prevent the viewers eyes from wondering, acting as a blocker, forcing the viewers to focus only on the statues and the subject at the end of the path.

This image allows the viewers to feel the movement and excitement that is going on in this scene. By using the technique of motion blur once again, Gavin Gough almost allows his viewers to see the speed of the movements, which seem quite fast. He also adds the element of colour throughout the whole image and this shows a significant contrast all over the photograph, which further emphasises on the excitement and highlights the facts that there's a lot going on in the scene. The whole image is blurred - no part of it is sharp and clear. This makes the dance look quite hectic and highlights the journey of the dancers as they perform the whole routine. This could also show connotations of team work and dedication, as the dancers would have had to practice over a long period of time to be able to perfect this particular routine.

This image does not contain the technique of motion blur but it does consist of elements such as shadows, colours and tones as well as shades. The use of colour has been kept to a minimal but because the sky takes up half of the image, it seems like a lot of colour has been added. On the contrary, only two colours are present; blue and yellow, which fade into each other, creating different shades and giving the image more diversity and a more ombre feel. The silhouettes throughout the image add the element of shape as it outlines each subject and portrays the theme of journey through the bicycles and the empty scene. By preventing the viewers from seeing the subjects or what they look like, Gough is able to disconnect them from the subject, which allows them to focus more on the image itself and its context rather than each individual subjects. Overall, this enables the viewer to pay their full attention to the scene and understand what is going on in it, without getting distracted - this may also be why the photographer has limited the colours that are found in this photograph.

This is my image from my shoot of motion blur, where I was able to experiment with the technique of blurring and show journey in such a way. Unlike, Gavin Gough's images, my photograph shows a blurred subject rather than a blurred scene - this allows me to show the movement of the subject without impacting the scene.

Overall, I enjoy Gough's use of motion blur and how he uses this technique to manipulate his images. - this gives him power to show different speeds and influence the viewer in the way he would like to. I also like the way he uses colour along with motion blur to show diversity and create even more excitement in his work, enabling him to show culture as well as the theme of journey. I picked him because he is very inspirational and his techniques could help me with my project on journey. By doing a shoot on motion blur, I was able to experiment with angles, similarly to Gough and I could work with colours too.

Photographer Research - Kirsten Alana

Kirsten Alana is well known for her travel photography, producing images as she travels from city to city. By documenting her travels, she is able to capture journey as a theme in her work, by exploring scenery along with subjects and objects. I picked her because I feel her work allows the viewer to feel as though they were at the scene and in her picture. She achieves this through her use of angles, which is mostly straight on - this lets us see enough of the scene to imagine ourselves there. Furthermore, I have noticed how she frames each of her photographs very carefully, this allows her to show off her use of colour and captures her subjects exactly how she wants to. Another reason why I've picked this photographer is because she is very good at showing the element of shapes in her work, this outlines the scene and gives it more structure. Once again, this is done through the framing of the image, which is something Alana is very good at.

This image immediately catches the viewers' eyes through the use of colour, both from the graffiti on the wall and from the bikes. The angle in which the picture was taken uses a depth of field technique to exaggerate the bikes and making it look as if there are more bikes than there really is. It has the same effect on the graffiti, making it seem as though there are more drawings than there is on the wall. Kirsten Alana has chosen the framing ver carefully, ensuring there is a subject in the scene, so that she may add some life to her image. However, she has made sure that her subject does not restrict the viewer's view of the bicycles, keeping the picture exciting whilst adding another aspect to it. The subject has a backpack, suggesting she is on some sort of journey, maybe taking a walk around the city. This theme of journey is further emphasised through the movement of the subject - Alana captured her walking in order to show that she is travelling and highlight the fact that she is on a journey. By placing her next to the bike, the theme is further emphasised, due to the connotations of journey from the bike. The graffiti creates a contrast between the colours and the bikes, making it obvious to the viewer where they should focus in the picture.

Like most of her other images, this picture was taken at a straight angle, allowing the whole scene to be seen and explored by her viewers. The technique of depth of field has been used once more, to make the path look longer and wider than it really is. Although when this technique is used, a low angle is usually practised, Alana has challenged this and used a straight angle, which has made her image even more exciting. The bright light at the end of the path evokes feelings of curiousity and makes the viewer wonder where this leads to. This has been done deliberately to show the theme of journey, with the path acting as guiding lines, starting at the bottom centre of the image and guiding the viewer through the picture. By placing the light in the middle of the picture, Alana has ensured that the viewer's attention is mostly there, wondering about where it leads to. This has been done purposely so that the image gives out an adventurous atmosphere, further involving and attracting her viewers to the photograph.

Kirsten Alana uses the same techniques in this photograph - her straight angle is used with very careful framing, which allows her to show off the shape elements found in this picture. The use of colour is also very smart, where the green creates a significant contrast with the golden yellow colour of the bricks. The lighting has been used in an interesting way, as it shines directly onto the castle. This emphasises the technique of depth of field as the path leading up to the building is not as lit up as the actual building itself. This gives the building a majestic look, giving out connotations of royalty and importance. The gates further emphasise this and Alana has made sure that the black colour of the gates contrast with the building so the viewers may notice them a bit more. The fact that the main focus is exactly in the middle of the image forces her viewers to pay attention to it and prevents them from giving the surroundings any importance.

The use of colour in this image creates contrast throughout the whole picture. The blue colour found on the building contrasts with the yellow bike, which compliments the warm orange colour from inside the window. There is also a contrast between the lighting, the lights inside the building suggest that it is night time but the natural light outside says otherwise. This confuses the viewer, which forces them to pay more attention to the image and try figure out the context. The way the photograph is framed restricts the viewer to a large extent, only allowing them to see the shop but not the area or street it is based in. This further engages the viewer and encourages them to pay more attention to the details in the image. Alana has also included other elements other than light in this image, such as the element of shapes, tone and lines. This creates patterns and repetition all over the photograph, keeping it exciting and attractive to her viewers. This also makes the image seem like there is a lot going on even though there isn't - once again, this keeps the viewer excited.

This is my image, which I think is very similar to Kirsten Alana's work in terms of techniques. The element of colour has been used to create contrast between the green and the dark brown soil, which compliments the greyish colour of the stairs. The element of shadow has also been shown - I used the sun to my advantage and added shadows to keep my image exciting and creating a mysterious atmosphere.

In summary, Kirsten Alana has great use of colour in her photographs and I have chosen her exactly for that reason. Her framing is well thought of and has given me ideas as well as inspired me within my project - I have also started focusing on my framing in order to produce the best picture possible, allowing me to work on my angles and fitting everything I want from the scene in my picture. He also has great use of colour and emphasises only the important colours, making them stand out from the rest of the photograph - this is a technique I am also hoping to use more and more in my project and it will give more significance and symbolism in my pictures, which is what Alana has achieved with his images. Other techniques such as tones and shapes have also been repetitive in her woek, making her pictures more exciting and have more of a surreal feel, giving her work work diversity and creates unique images.

Photographer Research - Andrew Newson

Andrew Newson is well known for his short-day journey shoot, where he goes on a short journey and captures objects or scenery he comes across. This is a documentary-like shoot, which allowed him to use different techniques in order to illustrate his journey and almost tell a story. His work contains a lot of greenery, which risks his work being repetitive, however the photographer has used different angles and lighting so that each image is unique and shows different elements of journey, highliting the objects he comes across. Additionally, although there's a lot of green colours, it shows a significant contrast between the rest of the images, where dark brown is also shown a lot. This contrast adds tone and diversity in his images.

This image is very ambiguous - it is unclear what the article is about and the viewer may not be sure why the article is in a forest. This creates contrast through connotations as the surroundings give out impressions of an empty countryside setting, whereas the article illustrates a city environment. This confuses the viewer and forces them to pay more to the image and figure out the context. Moreover, it also looks as if the newspaper article has been placed there purposely, implying that the picture is staged - this makes the image even more mysterious and makes the viewer wonder about the context, allowing them to explore the image in more depth. The white colour of the article also creates contrast through colour as it stands out from the dark brown soil; this ensures that the viewer focuses on the article more than the actual background - Newson has done this deliberately. Furthermore, he made sure that some words on the article were unclear or blocked, preventing the viewer from seeing the whole text. By doing this, he has created a mysterious atmosphere and continues to add to it throughout the whole picture, such as with the framing, allowing the viewer to only see the ground and not the surroundings.

Andrew Newson has chosen an interesting angle for this particular image, it is high enough for the viewer to have a restricted view of the river as it is covered by the trees, but the angle is also low enough so that the viewer can see some of the river, not completely ruling out the view. The fact that the river starts at the bottom centre of the picture and continues throughout before being cut off by the trees, the photographer has ensured that feelings of curiousity have been evoked in his viewers as they wonder where the river lead to. The river adds the element of lines to the photograph and acts as a guiding line, leading the viewer's eyes through the picture before they can focus on the rest of the scene. This makes sure that the river is the focus of the picture, and this is further emphasised through the framing of the image, placing the river right in the centre. A technique of depth of field has also been used here, highlighting the theme of journey and exaggerating the river, making it look longer than it really is. This gives out connotations of an adventure and almost invites the viewer to join the image and imagine themselves in the forest.

The use of colour in this image is very smart. The red car is the only colour that is out of place; the green and brown colours belong there but the red seems out of place and looks artificial - this highlights the importance of the car and further emphasises on the fact that it does not belong in the forest. The photographer has deliberately chosen this particular angle so that the car is surrounded by trees, creating a vignette effect, ensuring the car is the focus of the image as it is placed more or less in the centre of the picture. 

This is another image produced by Andrew Newson on his short-day journey. The colours in this image has been used in a smart way, allowing a huge contrast to be created, highliting the doll. The green grass forces the viewer to focus on the dark brown doll and wonder about the context of the image. It suggests that a child has previously been in the forest and has forgotten her toy behind. However, once again, the doll looks as if it was placed there deliberately - this is further emphasised by the use of a straight angle, making the doll look as if it has perfectly been placed there. Moreover, the angle also allows the light to be focused straight on the doll, making the scene bright and making the colours even more attractive, allowing the image to stand out. The white flowers compliment the clothing of the doll, making it seems as if she belongs there and ignoring the fact that she has been left behind by her owner.

I have recreated this shoot and produced image from my own short day journey. Similarly to Newson's work, I have tried to capture objects which look out of place, such as in the image above. The yellow colour of the sunflower enables it to stand out and ensures the viewer's attention is drawn to it so that they may notice the flower. By placing the focus on the very right of the image, I was able to let the viewer see the scene clearly, which further highlights the flower, whilst still showing the theme of journey through the paths in the background.

Overall, I enjoy Newson's work and his techniques are very useful when trying to put certain objects as the main focus of an image. His use of colour is very well planned as the framing allows him to show off the different tones and shades that are available, automatically making his images more appealing and attract viewers. Being inspired by his work, I have also completed a short day journey, which has allowed me to experiment with angles, whether they be close up or wide angles and to work with colours that are found in the countryside. I also enjoy how Newson uses these objects to add meaning to his work, showing signs of life in a deserted forest - by using colours and angles, he suggest connotations that make the viewer wonder and put significance to his images.