LO5: Final Photos

1) Surprise View Long Exposure

This shot was taken in the Peak District above Surprise View. To take this picture I used a Nikon D800. I took this image on the 24th January 2016. I took this photo at evening time so the lights from the cars and bus could be seen in comparison to the background. The intentions that I had when creating this photo was to get the headlights of cars streaking along the whole road so on one side I would have the red lights from behind and on the other I would have the white lights from in front. What's happening in this photo is the bus and cars are on their journeys in and out of the Peak District, and I managed to capture this by using a low shutter speed on my camera, creating a long exposure. The 272 bus that passed through the shot at the time was a great addition to the photo as it gives different streaks of light at different heights, giving the image a variety of lights. The technique I have used in this image is centre of interest as the cars and the bus are in the middle of the photo, drawing your eyes directly to the centre. This image fits the brief as it shows the natural landscape of Sheffield and it is something different which many people living in the city may not be able to experience.

2) Sheffield At Night

This shot was taken above South Street Park, overlooking the town centre in Sheffield. To take this picture I used a Nikon D800. I took this image on the 22nd February 2016. I took this photo at night time so the lights from the city are able to be more vivid and striking. What I wanted to do when taking this photo was to capture Sheffield at night, showing all the bright lights of the city and what goes on when everybody else is normally sleeping. The lights of Sheffield are such a beautiful sight so I wanted to show all the different colours and variety of lights in this image. I used a low shutter speed to make the lights stand out more and have a more 'wavy' effect. The park at the bottom of the picture and the city in the middle part give a contrast of a relaxing area to a busy, exciting part of the City. The sky above also makes the image look calm, but there is no doubt lots of parties and people enjoying themselves in the town centre. I have used the rule of thirds technique in this image as at the bottom of the photo is the grass from the park, in the middle is all the things that relate to the city like the town centre and the train station, and at the top is the sky, providing a backdrop for the buildings of the city. This image fits the brief as it shows Sheffield in its raw format, and what happens in the city at night.

3) The Crucible x The Lyceum

This shot was taken in Sheffield City Centre, next to the Crucible and the Lyceum theatres. To take this picture I used a Nikon D800. I took this photo on the 18th April 2016. I took this photo at night so the lights from the building would easily be able to stand out against the dark background of the sky. What I intended to do in this picture was to show two of Sheffield most iconic and prominent buildings at night. I was also aiming to have the buildings lit up to make them stand out against the floor and the sky. The way the buildings are lit up shows that they are influential buildings in the town centre, this is backed up by the fact that they are historically important and well-known. I used a  slightly longer exposure so that the lights on the buildings would be softer and light up just the building, not the surrounding area too. The photographic technique that I have used here is composition. I tried to arrange the buildings so that the gap between them was in the centre while having both of them either side. This image fits the brief as these theatres are iconic and quintessential in Sheffield.



4) World Championship Snooker 2016

This shot was taken in the Crucible theatre for the World Snooker Championships 2016. To take this picture I used a Nikon D800. I took this photo on the 18th April 2016. I took this photo in the evening time as this was when this session of play was scheduled for. My intentions for this photo were to capture the snooker player (Sam Baird) in action, while he was taking a shot. The way that he is looking down the cue at the ball shows he is really concentrating on how hard he is going to hit the ball, where the ball should end up and how he could use this to his advantage for his next shot. I used a very quick shutter speed and a ... lens to take this photo as I wanted to make sure that the image would be close enough to the player and to the table to fit in all the action. The photographic technique that I have used in this image is narrative, as the photo tells o story of what could be going through the players mind at that stage. This image fits the brief as snooker has always been something that Sheffield is known for as the World Championships is the most important event in the snooker calendar. 

5) Red Lights On The Road

This shot was taken on Ecclesall Road. To take this picture I used a Nikon D800. I took this photo on the 10th March 2016. I took this photo at night so that the lights from the road would be easily visible in the shot. What I was aiming to do with this photo was to capture the lights of the traffic on a busy road, so that there would be lots more streaks of light appearing on the image. I chose Ecclesall Road as the location for this shoot as it is a main road that lots of people use to commute, so there would be more opportunities for me to take pictures of the cars and their lights. I did the shoot at night so the lights would be able to stand out against the dark background of the sky more. I also used a red filter over the top of the lens to give the photo a different look and to make the lights more striking and pleasing to look at. I set the camera to a long shutter speed so that the cars would have time to pass all the way along the road, giving a full length of light from the top to the bottom. The photographic element I used here is repetition.

6) Sheffield Sharks Basketball

This shot was taken at the Sheffield Sharks vs London Lions basketball game at the EIS. To take this picture I used a Nikon D800. I took this photo on the 11th March 2016. I took this photo in the evening time as the tip off was due at 7:30pm. With this photo I was wanting to show the basketball alone on the court, to give the impression that the game had stopped and the teams had gone to their benches for the time out. Once the ball has been finished playing with, it's just left there on the side of the court, ready to be picked up again once play has resumed. I made the ball stand out by changing the background to monochrome and leaving the ball in its original colour. As the ball is in the middle of the image too, it gives the impression that it is the centre of interest. I used a quick shutter speed and focused in directly on the ball to make it stand out more when viewing the photo. The shallow depth-of-field that I also used helps to focus your eyes onto the ball. The photographic element that I have used here is centre of interest. It fits the brief as basketball is something that Sheffield is known for in the sporting world.

7) Alone

This shot was taken on route to Surprise View on the outskirts of Sheffield in the Peak District. To take this picture I used a Nikon D800. I took this photo on the 24th January 2016. I took this photo in the late afternoon as this is the time of day where there is likely to be hardly any light in the sky as it was going to be getting dark soon after this image was taken. In this photo I was aiming to capture the tree and no other form of plant. This is so that it would make the tree look alone and isolated. I changed the gradient of the image to black and white to give the effect of a gloomy and dark setting. As the tree is in the bottom, middle and top parts of the photo, it makes you look all along the trunk and the different branches. I used a fast shutter speed to make sure  that the branches and the tree were sharp and in focus. The main photographic element I tried to use in this photo was centre of interest. This image fits the brief as Sheffield is known for being a very green city, with lots of trees and landscapes. 

8) Sheffield In Motion

This shot was taken on Ecclesall Road. To take this picture I used a Nikon D800. I took this photo on the 10th March 2016. I took this photo at night so that the lights from the road would be easily visible in the shot. In this photo I wasn't aiming for anything specific, I was just experimenting with different techniques of taking photographs. To create this effect I set the camera to a longer shutter speed of 8 seconds, started off by having the lens zoomed in and then as the camera was capturing the image I started to zoom out until the 8 seconds was up. I enhanced this photo by making the lights more prominent, by making the colours brighter and I made the sky and road darker so these colours would stand out even more. The photographic element in this image is repetition. I have used the text and image elements and combined them to create the concept.

9) Snow In The Park

This shot was taken at Endcliffe Park. To take this picture I used a Canon Powershot SX170 IS. I took this photo on the 17th January 2016. For this photo I went down to my local park. I took this photo in the late morning time as this is when there was the most light was available to brighten my image. The snow on the trees made it a great setting for taking photos. On this branch in particular there was some snow hanging off the bottom, which I though was particularly interesting. What I wanted to do was to make the snow hanging off the bottom of the branch stand out the most against the background and the branch. I tried to do this by taking the picture of the snow directly in the centre and at a shallow depth-of-field, making the background more blurry. The photographic technique that I have used in this shot is centre of interest. It fits the brief of the identity of Sheffield as the city is known for its green areas and parks. Endcliffe Park, where this photo was taken, is one of the most popular parks in the city.

10) What Once Was

This shot was taken outside the old Henderson's Relish factory. To take this picture I used a Nikon D800. I took this photo on the 21st February 2016. I took this photo in the daytime at around midday as this is when there was the most natural sunlight available to brighten up my photo. In this photo I was aiming to show the Henderson's building in full while also showing the surrounding area and the pavement. I decided to make the building black and white as production in this factory has ceased and is no longer in progress. I kept the surrounding area in colour to show how the building is placed in the city. I decided to keep the Henderson's sign orange as this is the iconic colour represented with the brand, and even though production at this factory may have stopped, the business is still in existence. The photographic technique I have used here is narrative. This photo tells the story that the factory is now disused and the company have moved on. It fits the brief as the Henderson's brand is an iconic part of Sheffield's history. 

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Something that I could improve on some of the shots is to try and take them at the right angle. Some of the images seem to be slightly slanted which doesn't really take anything away from the photos themselves, it would just make the photos that slight bit better and even more visually pleasing.

My final photos compare to the photographers that I looked at in LO1 as I have looked into sports photography, which is similar to Duncan Philpott and Vladimir Rys and I have taken landscape photos of Sheffield and the Peak District, just like James Grant. These photographers have had an influence on my work by giving me inspiration in terms of location ideas and the techniques they use to frame the parts of an image together.

LO5: Gallery Images Video

LO4: Editing

Photo Edit No.1 - Surprise View Long Exposure

I started my editing of this photo by dragging it into Photoshop so the file was locked in the background. I aimed to make the lights from the cars and bus stand out more and make the rest of the photo darker but crisper.

To create what I was aiming to do I altered the brightness and contrast, levels and curves to achieve the level of darkness I was looking for. To make the overall photo even darker I lowered the exposure slightly. I then used the selective colours tool to change selected colours at a time, like blue, black and red. I decided to make the blues lighter in the sky so that the neon lights could contrast against this in the lower half of the photo.

This is my finished photo, fully edited in Photoshop. This editing has enhanced the meaning of my photo by making it more moody, giving it a darker feel. This photo also shows that there's a lot of traffic in such a secluded location at a late time in the evening. The variety of lights in the picture back up this statement.

Photo Edit No.2 - Sheffield At Night

To edit this photo I have first imported the image into Photoshop so that the background layer was locked. I am aiming to make the light of the city stand out more against the grass and the sky. I plan to darken these parts by adjusting the levels. To make the lights brighter I am planning to increase the vibrance on the photo.

Here are the adjustments that I have made to my photo. As you can see I have changed the vibrance and levels. I increased the vibrance and changed the levels to make certain parts darker.

Here is my finished photo, fully edited in Photoshop. By making the lights in the town brighter, I have enhanced the meaning that there is a very big night life in Sheffield City Centre.

Photo Edit No.3 - The Crucible x The Lyceum

What I am planning to do with this photo is to make the buildings and the floor more vibrant. I am also wanting to remove the over exposed parts of the image (The Crucible entrance and The Lyceum lights).

Here are the steps that I took to edit my photo. To start with I changed the levels to make parts of the image darker. Next I brought up the vibrance to make the buildings stand out more. Then I used the selective colour tool to bring up the yellow in the floor more. Finally I selected certain parts of the image with the magnetic lasso tool and made them less or more brighter to make the photo more visually pleasing. I brought up the contrast too on the 'Crucible' sign so that the brown stood out more.

This is my fully edited image in Photoshop. By making the buildings brighter I have enhanced the meaning that they are centre pieces of Sheffield and are incredible important buildings in Sheffield's history.

Photo Edit No.4 - World Championship Snooker 2016

What I am planning to do with this photo is to make the background and the table darker, to bring make the image more relaxing to look at.

To edit my photo I first changed the brightness and contrast, making the whole image slightly darker. I then adjusted this light change by using the levels and curves tools. I then turned down the exposure slightly to create the darkened effect around the outsides of the image. After this I turned up the vibrance to make the blue in the background stand out more. Finally I turned up the colour balance on the green parts of the image to make the table stand out more.

Here is my final photo, fully edited in Photoshop. I have enhanced the meaning of this photo by focusing the light onto the player's hand, drawing the attention of the photo to the shot he's about to make.

Photo Edit No.5 - Ecclesall Road

What I am planning to do with this photo is only to make the outsides and the centre slightly darker, as it is a bit too bright in those parts of the image.

To make my adjustment I only altered the levels of the photo.

This is my final photo after it has been edited in Photoshop.

Photo Edit No.6 - Sheffield Sharks Basketball

What I am planning to do with this photo is change all of the image to black and white apart form the ball, leaving that coloured and the centre of interest. 

Here are the steps that I took to edit my image. I first changed the original photo to black and white, then layered the coloured original photo over the top of the monochrome image. Next I used the magnetic lasso tool to remove the everything on the coloured image apart from the ball, leaving the orange ball on the black and white background.

Here is my final image, fully edited in Photoshop. I have enhanced the meaning of this photo by focusing the viewers attention to the basketball, by leaving it in colour. As on the court, the players only focus is to retrieve the ball and to make baskets with the ball. It's one of the most important parts of the game.

Photo Edit No.7 - Alone

What I am planning to do with this photo is to make the image more moody by changing it to monochrome, making the sky brighter and the ground and tree darker.

Here are the steps in which I took to edit my photo. Firstly I changed the image to monochrome. Next I changed the brightness and contrast to fit what I was planning to do.

This is my finished image, fully edited in Photoshop. I have enhanced the meaning of this photo by making the tree stand out more against the white background of the clouds in the sky, reinforcing the perspective that it is alone.

Photo Edit No.8 - Sheffield In Lights

What I am planning to do with this photo is to add the text of Sheffield into the photo and make it stand out from the original photo.

I first of all inverted the original photo and saved this as a separate image. I then put this image in a new Photoshop document and added the original photo on top.

Next I wrote some black text over the original image and used the magic wand tool to select each individual letter. I then deleted the selected areas from the original photo and erased the text, leaving the letters cut out showing the inverted image behind.

To finish, I changed the brightness, contrast and levels in the whole image to make the background darker so the text could stand out more. This is my finished image. I have enhanced the meaning of this photo by adding the Sheffield text. Having the text in white against a mainly black background also brings the message across well that this picture was taken in Sheffield.



Photo Edit No.9 - Snow In The Park

What I am planning to do with this photo is to leave the snow hanging from the tree in colour but increase it's vibrance to make it a more visually pleasing light blue colour. This will also make the water in the snow stand out more. I will then change everything else to monochrome so the snow will stand out against the background.

Here are the steps I took to edit this photo. First of all I used the magnetic lasso tool to select the snow, I then increased the vibrance and the saturation to make the snow stand out more. Next I selected the inverse of this selected area, every other part of the image, and changed this to monochrome using the black and white tool.

Here is my finished photo, fully edited in Photoshop. By focusing the viewers attention to the centre of the image, I have enhanced the meaning of this photo. The snow hanging off the tree is the most important part of the photo.

Photo Edit No.10 - What Once Was

What I am planning to do with this photo is to make the Henderson's building black and white, as the building is no longer being used anymore but I will leave the logo orange as this colour is represented with the brand. I will also leave the colour of the surrounding area as it is ti show what's happening in day to day life. 

What I did to edit this photo was to select the certain areas of it by using the magnetic lasso tool, then change each area accordingly. I changed the building to monochrome by using the black and white tool, I made the sign look more orange by increasing the vibrance and I made the surrounding area look sharper and more colourful by increasing the vibrance on that area too.

Here is my finished image, fully edited in Photoshop. I have enhanced the meaning of this photo by changing the building to monochrome, giving the impression that production is no longer in existence here. I made the logo a more stand out orange colour as the brand lives on, despite there being nothing produced here anymore.

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Overall I would say that the editing of my images has enhanced them to bring out extra qualities they have that will not have been seen in their original format. The editing has also given some of them different meanings, such as the Henderson's building being in black and white as it has now closed down. Something I would have done to my 'Snow In The Park' photo is make the background darker so that only the hanging snow was left untouched by the darkness. 



LO3: Evaluating My Tester Shots

1) I took this photo on South Street, overlooking Sheffield city centre. I set the focus to the centre of the image as this is where a viewer generally looks at a photo first. I set the aperture to f/6.3, this is so that I could let a medium amount of light into the lens. I set the ISO level to 100 so the camera was less sensitive to light, as there were lots of bright lights coming from the city centre. I used a 20 second shutter speed so that I could capture the moving lights of Sheffield and so that they would be able to stand out more. I have used the rule of thirds technique in this image as at the bottom of the photo is the grass from the park, in the middle is all the things that relate to the city like the town centre and the train station, and at the top is the sky, providing a backdrop for the buildings of the city. This image fits the brief as it shows Sheffield in its raw format, and what happens in the city at night.

2) I took this photo at the EIS in Sheffield, of the Sheffield Sharks basketball team when they were playing the London Lions. I tried to set the camera focus to the player who was with the ball but this was difficult to maintain as the players were moving so quickly. I had the aperture at f/3.5, this is so that more light was let in as I was taking the photos indoors with only in-natural light to light up the scene. I set the ISO to a high level of 5000 so that more light was able to be let into the lens, making the picture of higher quality. I used a very quick shutter speed of 1/640th of a second so that I could capture the players in motion, without any blurs in the image. The photographic technique that I have used in this photo is narrative, the players tell the story that the Sheffield player is wanting to score a basket but the London player is trying to block him off. This image fits the brief of Sheffield as it is showing something that Sheffield is known for in the sporting world, basketball, in action.

3)  I took this photo at Endcliffe Park, in S11. I tried to focus on the snowman at the front of the image, giving the photo a shallow depth of field. However, this was difficult to accomplish as I was only using a small digital compact camera to take this photo. I didn't set the aperture, ISO or shutter speed for this shot but the image has an aperture of f/3.5, an ISO of 200 and a shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second. The photographic technique I have used in this image is composition. I tried to arrange the different items in the photo so that they were all visible for the viewer to see. The parts I tried to arrange were the snowman, the café in the background, the trees and the grass. This image fits the brief as it shows of Sheffield's most popular parks in a setting that most people wouldn't imagine when thinking of this location.

4) I took this photo outside the old Henderson's Relish factory on Leavygreave Road. I tried to focus on the centre of the building, this is so that the orange sign was able to stand out more against the bricks of the building. I had the aperture set at f/4.0 and the ISO level at 200. The photographic technique I have used in this photo is composition. I can infer this from the fact that I have directly centred the building in the middle of the shot, allowing daily life to pass by around the sides. This image fits my brief as the Henderson's building is one of the most iconic scenes of Sheffield.

5) I took this photo on Ecclesall Road. I used a different technique when taking this photo. To create this effect I set the camera to a longer shutter speed of 8 seconds, started off by having the lens zoomed in and then as the camera was capturing the image I started to zoom out until the 8 seconds was up. I set the aperture to f/16.0 and the ISO level to 50. I didn't use a photographic technique when taking this image, I was only experimenting with a new method of taking pictures. I am vey pleased how it turned out however, it is certainly a unique image. The photo doesn't necessarily fit the brief of Sheffield, but if I were to use this as one of my final photos, I have an idea of how I would be able o enhance it to make it suitable.

6) I took this photo in Sheffield city centre by Hallam University. I tried to focus on the bikes and the rack wen taking this photo, giving it a shallow depth-of-field. I set the shutter speed to a relatively quick shutter speed as I was aiming to create a blurry effect in the background while maintaining the foreground in focus. I set the aperture to f/4.0 and the ISO level to 100. The photographic technique that I have used in this photo is format. I have arranged the parts in this image by using a landscape orientation so that all the parts that I wanted to fit in the foreground and the background I was able to fit in.

LO3: Presenting Photos

Ecclesall Road Night Shoot

Sheffield Night Shoot

Sheffield Sharks Shoot

Sheffield Town Centre Shoot

Surprise View Shoot

Endcliffe Park Winter Shoot

Henderson's Building Shoot