Assignment One: Contrasts

The brief for the Assignment is to create eight pairs of images demonstrating contrast, plus one additional image demonstrating internal contrast.   The subject is not specified, but specific contrasts are.

As I noted in a post on my Learning Log, my intention was to focus on one subject.  I wanted to create a set of consistent looking images, and as my technical skills are still underdeveloped, limiting subject matter is one way of achieving such. 

I spent three days shooting at the Dubai Fruit and Vegetable Market.  Two visits were in the morning, one in the late afternoon.  During my first visit I shot almost entirely based on whatever presented itself.  My second and third visits consisted of shooting for specific images to fit the contrasts specified in the assignment.  I shot approximately 200 photos, far more than the 17 required of the assignment. 

All images were shot on a Nikon D5100 with a Nikkor 18-55mm.  Most images were taken using Aperture Priority mode.  Post-processing was done in Lightroom.

The Images

01 Continuous / 02 Intermittent

I shot the watermelon on my first visit as the pattern of color and shape made an appealing image.  I searched in vain on subsequent visits for a display of melons with other fruits interspersed, but it couldn’t be found.  The plastic palettes made an equally appealing asymmetric image that I realized would make a suitable contrasting pair. 

03 Black /  04 White

The photo of the melon was taken simply because it presented itself as an interesting subject.  The eggplants were shot on a subsequent visit in order to complete the requirements of the assignment.  The symmetry of round objects in the center of the frames was unintentional. 

05 Many / 06 Few

There were a large number of possible images to choose from for this pair of contrasts.  People proved more interesting than produce.  These men and their wheelbarrows are for-hire shopping baskets.  They stand outside the market waiting for shoppers, follow you around, carry your purchases, and wheel them back to your car.  Both images were taken because they were interesting subjects.  The group shot was taken early morning, the individual late afternoon. 

07 Light / 08 Heavy

The image of the boy was shot on my first visit.  On a follow-up visit I found the old man with the laden wheelbarrow and thought it might make a suitable pair demonstrating the weight of their cargo.  To be fair, the boy might find his load equally heavy. 

09 Pointed / 10 Blunt

The pointed watermelon was shot on my first visit to the market.  I knew I wanted to use this image but had difficulty finding something blunt until I ran across this melon carved down the middle.  It’s so red and raw it looks almost like flesh. 

11 Round / 12 Diagonal

These images were taken on the same visit.  The cart was shot with the idea of using it to present as diagonal but it wasn’t until I saw it on the computer I noticed how well it works, dividing the frame from inner and outer market space.  The pomegranate was taken because it jumped into my mind as it sat there glittering in a beam of afternoon sunlight.  The red pearls present roundness within roundness.   

13 Broad / 14 Narrow

This pair didn’t appear to me until the images were on the computer. It is one of the more appealing sets for demonstrating what may be an atypical interpretation of the adjectives, but also one of the most disappointing technically.  The broad dealer was shot late in the day with flash and try as I might in Lightroom I couldn’t get rid of the whitening effect.

15 Moving / 16 Still

The man with the watermelons was shot in Shutter Priority with the intention of capturing movement.  I actually didn’t know how well I had done until I saw the photo on the computer.  On a bright day, the blurring effects weren’t noticeable on the camera’s LCD.  The man sitting his wheelbarrow was shot shortly afterwards from nearly the same location. 

17 Old / New

When I saw this scene I knew it would be part of this project, but didn’t realize until afterwards that I would have to create a new set of contrasts to do so.  I wish now I had had a ladder from which to shoot from a higher point and reduce some of the nonessential elements, such as the fruit and the crowds.  Graduated filters applied in Lightroom helped reduce the brightness of these distractions and give the subjects a tighter focus.

Observations

I have taken several short photography courses over the past six years, but none of the exercises I did for them was as demanding as this project.  Among the aspects I found new and challenging:

1. Shooting the same subject on multiple days.
2. Developing a group of images around a central theme.
3. Working with a large collection of images (over 200), from which I had to present only 17.
4. Attempting to create a consistent look or feel to the image collection.
5. Writing extensive notes with which to present the collection.

Overall I found shooting for the requirements of the assignment a more challenging approach than what I am used to, which amounts to shooting whatever appears interesting.  “Blunt,” for example, was a rather difficult image to find in a produce market, but perhaps this says more about my lack of imagination than the absence of such subjects.   

In preparation for this assignment I did something similar with a series of photos of my mother’s neighborhood, taken during my visit to the United States this summer.  You can have a look at that collection here.

I must have spent at least 10 hours on this contrast assignment and perhaps as much on the Lora's Place collection.  Together they have helped me appreciate the work photographers do to produce a set of coherent images. 

It has also made me eager to do more such work in the future.  I only hope I can find the time!

Reference

• Part One Exercises
• Lora’s Place project
• Additional photos from this collection

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31 August 2013

Tutor Feedback and Revisions

The tutor writes that the major problems with this assignment are compositional and technical. 

Compositional:  The tutor notes intrusive elements such as:

1. the label in image 03
2. the car in image 06
3. the blue shirt in image 14

I see how little awareness I had of all the elements making up my images and believe I have in the year since doing this assignment become more sensitive to the whole frame and not just my subject. 

Technical:  The tutor notes

1. the reflectivity of the aubergine in image 04
2. the color cast of image 13
3. the overuse of deep depth of field

These are all valid criticisms.  In particular I have been concerned to experiment with depth of field and think I have produced images in the intervening year that show some sensitivity to the use of this technique. 

I intended to revise this assignment in line with the tutor’s observations and suggestions.  When I went back to the images, though, I found there wasn’t much I could do to make them work.  Cropping out the intrusive elements in images 03, 06, and 14 proved impossible without making the subject completely fill the frame.  Correcting for glare and color cast also proved difficult, particularly since this assignment was shot in JPG.  The only possible solution for these problems is a revisit to the market, but since this assignment will not be included as part of the assessment I have decided to concentrate my energy and attention on those that will and leave this assignment as is.  

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