Exercise 1 – Measuring Exposure
The aim of this exercises was to take 4-6 photos which are deliberately under or over exposed. Then to take a series of images and to bracket their exposure to see if there were any surprises. In certain images if they were more successful by being exposed more or less than I would have originally thought.
These images were taken over two days in Miami. The subject which I hoped to portray was Miami life which is a very urban city landscape however with a very outdoor lifestyle. It is fast passed and relaxed at the same time. Here are the Images.
- Deliberately under and over exposed.
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- deliberately underexposed
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- deliberately underexposed
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- deliberately underexposed
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- deliberately overexposed
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- underexposed
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- overexposed
Image one on the ferry in NYC. I wanted to create a frame that reminded us a little of a role of film at the edges. The underexposure was necessary in order to be able to see the statue of liberty and the view from the ferry correctly. I liked the framing and was trying to do something different with a subject that is photographed every day.
Image two a coloured building by underexposing I have increased the saturation and feel the colours are brought more to our attention. With a correctly exposed image the colours could have been washed out.
Image three. Rickys hot dog. I feel like the best way to describe Miami is colourful and this photograph of a street vendor brings it home to me. The bright colour of the cooler box with Rickys name on it the mustard the deep saturation caused by slightly underexposing adds to the image. It was midday sun almost and so the image could have been washed out otherwise.
Image four, under exposed Tree. It was the shape of this image I wanted to bring attention to so by underexposing the ocean becomes almost a white. It is nor a perfect image however I feel the type of pastel look reminds me almost of a painting.
Image 5 The image is a view from a cafe in New York it was the poster face smiling in at me which caught my attention I wanted to use the smoke to emphasise the shape or pose of the two people walking in the image. In order to catch the smoke effectively I needed to underexpose this also works to emphasise the shape of the two figures by not seeing their features we see how they are walking the hunched forward and with intent. They are not taking in their environment but seem to be on a mission to get where they are going. Strangers passing on the street.
Image 6 the surfer. By overexposing we emphasise the level of sun. Implying surfing on a beach in good weather.
Bracketing images to see if the results of under or over exposing produce better results to what I expected.
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Image 1
Miami, USA. I liked this image underexposed as it brings out the white sand and seems to contrast more with the background motorway and buildings this way. I could also see great use of this if I was to convert it to a black and white image. The correct exposure is an adequate image and the underexposed brings out the clouds and the blue of the ocean.
Image 2
Man fishing in ocean. With shot when underexposed there was little detail of anything the ocean was washed out and lacking in details everywhere else. I like this shot underexposed best it brings out the green and blue more efficiently.
Image 3
Man reading on ferry. I like this image with its correct exposure. I note that when it is underexposed the different light coming in through the window contrasts better and this can make certain images more attractive however here I prefered to keep smaller details. When overexposed the detail of the map that this gentleman is reading is is clearest however part of the images start to get washed out. When underexposed I like that I can see the reflections in the window.
Image 4
Seats facing traffic. This unusual position of the seats on the side of a main road caught my attention. I prefer the shot when underexposed as I can see more detail of the peeling paint also I feel it gives more definition to the shape of the benches.
Image 5
I prefer underexposed with the shadows of this man walking with his fishing net. I like that by underexposing it shows the colours better. I do however like the overexposed effect on the net. It almost shows its transparency as a net should and for a different image could be interesting.
Image 6
Seats on a beach. I expected this shot to be better with the initial exposure however by underexposing I liked how it enhanced the shadows which made the image more interesting
Image 7
This image proved to be the most interesting. The people on the ferry and the shape of the windows made an interested everyday shot and this appealed to me. By underexposing I could see more detail of their outlines and activities however by overexposing I could see out the window with the empire estate in the background. Ideally I would like to have both in the shot. This could be done I guess either by using the silhouette of someone standing and so contrasting the exterior light outside or by merging two images.
Exercise 2 Higher and Lower Sensitivity.
With the higher and lower sensitivity I notice that the higher ISO shows more graininess when enlarged. I also note that the areas of less detail and that are neither bright nor dark show less this graininess.
Exercise 3 /4Judging Colour Temperature part one and two.
Image of person taken in the midday sun then around midday in the shade and finally with the sun near the horizon all three images using the daylight setting on my camera.
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- Daylight In Sun
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- Daylight In Shade
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- Daylight in Low Sun
These three images shot at different times. The midday sun with the person in the sun and the camera at daylight setting has a neutral colour however also creates extremes of hard shadows and is not flattering for a person. The image taken in the shade at midday is slightly cooler however I can see more detail in the image. The third image creates a warmth on the skin tone which I like, the light is evenly spread without shadow.
Exercise 4 Judging Colour Temperature 2 .Exposure using colour temperature correction.
Colour Temperature I have posted the images of a person.
Daylight gives a realistic view of what I saw. In the sun it is washed out and harsh with strong shadows and a neutral colour.
Daylight in the shade less harsh light, no shadow, slightly cool colour not particularly flattering still.
Daylight with the sun low on the horizon. I like this light it is warm and flattering with the right amount of shadow to give a sense of depth. This I believe is my favourite type of light for skin tone.
Cloudy in the sun. Using the cloudy setting seems to give a warmer tone to the image. In the case of in the sun it does not change the harsh shadows however darkens the skin tone and appears a warmer image.
Cloudy in the shade gives a more natural skin tone than in daylight. It is warmer.
Cloudy in low sunlight. Here this image appears too warm. What was appealing in daylight now looks like a bad version of a fake tan. The image no longer appears natural.
Auto In all three images the Auto setting has slightly warmed the image. It is not destructive and allows an acceptable skin tone or image in all three images. However in the case of in the sun the skin tone is darker with shadows and is not a pleasant image. In the shade the image still appears cold with a slight warming of the skin tone and in the case of low sun the image is warm and pleasant it has removed some of the colour adding by taking an image this time of day which I particularly liked when taken with the daylight setting.
For my own curiosity I have taken pictures of grass and of a handbag to see the difference of colour on these items. As the handbag is a similar colour I found similar findings that Daylight in sun was my preferred setting as it is warm however cloudy in low sun was acceptable more so than with the skin tone. I found the auto in overcast to be particularly too cold as with the cloudy in shade colder than I noticed with the skin tone. However when it came to the grass the differences were much more noticeable. Green being a cooler colour in daylight for example the shade appeared very cold almost unnatural and the low sun in daylight appeared too yellow this is probably a correct reflection of the light however in an image could appear unnatural to an observer. Auto in shade and sun appeared the most natural green to me not too warm or too cold. The cloudy in shade and the cloudy in sun appeared to yellow and unnatural.
