DPP: Exercise 3: Histogram

The brief here is to shoot and present a series of photos in which we display and comment on histograms.  The exercise is intended not "as an in-depth analysis" but to familiarize oneself with "the most basic characteristics of an image."  In preparation I did a bit of research and reading on histograms, which I report on in a separate post here.

The exercise calls specifically for low, average, and high contrast images, each shot at normal exposure, plus one stop up and down for each, for a total of nine exposures.  I decided to shoot these while also shooting for Exercise 2, about which you can read more here.

We are asked to comment on the relationship between the exposure and the data in the histogram, noting especially highlight and shadow clipping.  I used exposure compensation to meet the requirement for multiple exposures (the RX100 does not feature auto-bracketing) which, as you can see, resulted in differing shutter speeds. I may wish to experiment with actual f-stops and see if it produces different results.  My guess is that it will not.

What is a histogram?

I reproduce here the opening paragraphs of Yannis Ioannidis's 2003 The History of Histograms (abridged) for useful information on etymology, early usage, and definition.  The full article is available as a PDF download, but outside the paragraphs here may be of little interest to photographers or a nonspecialist audience.

The word `histogram' is of Greek origin, as it is a composite of the words `isto-s'  (= `mast', also means `web' but this is not relevant to this discussion) and `gram-ma'  (= `something written'). Hence, it should be interpreted as a form of writing consisting of `masts', i.e., long shapes vertically standing, or something similar. It is not, however, a word that was originally used in the Greek language.  The term `histogram' was coined by the famous statistician Karl Pearson to refer to a "common form of graphical representation". In the Oxford English Dictionary quotes from "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London" Series A, Vol. CLXXXVI, (1895) p. 399, it is mentioned that "[The word `histogram' was] introduced by the writer in his lectures on statistics as a term for a common form of graphical representation, i.e., by columns marking as areas the frequency corresponding to the range of their base."  Stigler identifies the lectures as the 1892 lectures on the geometry of statistics [69].

Review: Caruana & Fox, Behind the Image: Research in Photography, Chapter 4: Compiling Your Research, 2012

Research materials need to be compiled in such a way that they are user friendly, so that you, as well as other interested researchers, can make the best use of them. 

Each photographer will have a different method or system for compiling their research. There is no right or wrong way – you need to find the approach that works best for you. The way you choose to store or catalogue your research does not have to look pretty, but it does need to be accessible enough to inform your work; it will require some additional effort to organize and structure your research materials. If your research is in a manageable order it will be easier to create a clear and organized project. p 109

This is a rather thin chapter in which the authors suggest using physical or digital notebooks in which to record research, everything from the odd musing to actual data collection.  For those keeping physical notebooks and other material records, the idea of preservation through long-term storage is to be considered, and for keepers of digital data suitable backups.  (The authors fail to mention digital redundancy.)

Another case study from Caruana’s career is showcased, though no specific information is presented on how the research for her clown project was recorded and collated in journals or blogs.  The chapter concludes with a blogging exercise in which the reader is asked to create a blog and do a one-week research project in order to become familiar with blogging and “how much research you can gather in one week.”  This looks like another exercise created specifically for the book, and not something that a classroom teacher would suggest, nor particularly suited to practicing the chapter contents.  How do you practice compilation and archiving except on an ongoing or completed project?

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DPP: Exercise 2: Your Own Workflow (time unlimited)

Exercise 2 requires developing a workflow for a project unlimited in time. Exercise 3 requires nine specific images intended for examining histograms.  I plan to complete these two exercises in one shoot.

I have since May been photographing within a 2-block / 3-station radius of my home on Sheikh Zayed Road.  The intention has been to capture everyday objects in an everyday documentary / vernacular style. This ongoing project includes over 375 flagged images among a total collection of over 700.  Most have been collected in the area immediately around my residence.  Areas farther away are less well represented.  It is in one of these I shot for my last exercise, and it is to this area I will return for this. The subject will be the Dubai Trade Centre Hotel Apartments.  I have bicycled around the apartments and seen what might make some interesting images.

Review: Caruana & Fox, Behind the Image: Research in Photography, Chapter 3: Practice as Research, 2012

Practising photography – taking photographs – is a primary part of the research process. It is easy to just shoot photographs and not record what you do, yet if you stop for a moment and consider the significance of how you are photographing – when, where, why, with which tools and what assistance – it all starts to become part of an interesting research story.  p61

The main idea here is that image making is not the final act in the process of photography, but an ongoing practice informed by other types of activity, what the authors refer to as research - reading, viewing images, listening to and participating in discussions.  Photographers are encouraged to go out early in the planning stages and start capturing preliminary images.  These become objects on which to reflect and develop.

I was interested to see how they would flesh this out, but the chapter turns into a collection of lists that don’t seem to have much to do with the process of research.

First up is a discussion on the differences in studio and the street shooting, followed by brief descriptions of photographic types (landscape, documentary, fashion, art), as well as paragraphs on editing, post production, and reflection.  An evaluation form covering many of the steps in the Proposal outlined in chapter 1 is included as handy reference and is perhaps the chapter’s best feature, which concludes with another interesting activity only loosely related to the theme or content of the chapter, that of recreating a classic photo.

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Review: Janah, Sunil, Photographing India, Oxford University Press, 2013

One thing that comes through clearly while reading Indian photographer Sunil Janah's autobiography is that he had a great life. He recorded India’s independence and its growth as a new nation state. His circle of friends and acquaintances included some of the country's brightest minds. He traveled widely (especially among many of the non-aligned and socialist nations), and he did all this while supporting himself as a photographer (a job well below the standards of India's aspiring bourgeoisie).

He was by training, and perhaps temperament, an academic, working towards a Master’s degree in English literature at the Presidency College of Calcutta when he was recruited to the Communist Party and became, for lack of any competition, the Party's official photographer. A boyhood pastime turned into several years of passionate practice dedicated to social justice and Indian independence, leading over the course of 40 years to a career and recognition as one of India’s most noted image makers.

Review: Caruana & Fox, Behind the Image: Research in Photography, Chapter 2: Developing Ideas through Research, 2012

The chapter opens with the suggestion that Google and the internet are not the only means of conducting research.  “Libraries are extraordinary places,” the authors enthuse, perhaps for those who have never been to one.  Other suggested real life sources are specialist libraries, archives, museums, galleries, lectures, and meetings of photography clubs/circles/societies.  For those that have never encountered the internet, advice is provided on managing bookmarks and using such tools as blogs and social media.

Two case studies are presented.  Sally Verrall makes art installations which result in photographs of the work.  Her process requires research of the space in which her work will be installed, including measurements of the available space and line drawings to calculate from where to photograph to produce desired effects.

Neeta Madahar made a series of photos exploring female youth and glamour based on a 1935 series.  The newer series required her to work in collaboration with her models, set designers and make-up artists.  All the images were collaborative and negotiated.

The chapter concludes with the kind of exercise I see often in English language textbooks, an activity that in itself looks interesting but is not really tied to the pedagogical aims of the course.  The authors suggest visiting a garage sale or flea market to purchase some old snapshots, then sequence them to tell a story, AFTER WHICH you can do some research on the photos to check the truth against your own story.

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On the way to shoot an exercise...

I found the moon.

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DPP: Exercise 1: Your Own Workflow (time-limited)

Detail from the exercise shoot

The brief for the exercise suggests a portrait session. I've been thinking of whom I might ask to be my subject and feeling uncomfortable about having to do this. I posted to this blog just last week about my lack of interest in shooting people.  

But it's time to get moving on the course, so I decided to go ahead and do what I'm interested in. The course notes seem flexible in terms of being able to build exercises around work in which you're already engaged. I don't think the tutors or assessors are going to care that I've decided to do something other than portraits, as long as I meet the aim of the exercise, which is to create a workflow for a time-limited shoot. (And if I follow the lead of Clarke, I can make an argument for a liberal reading of portrait, “one of the most problematic areas of photographic practice, … fraught with ambiguity.”)

Review: Caruana & Fox, Behind the Image: Research in Photography, Chapter 1: Planning, 2012

Research in Photography is included in the Essential Reading list of OCA’s Digital Photographic Practice course.  I thought I would read it a chapter at a time over several weeks or months, but on actually beginning reading I found the 176 page book is perhaps half images, the text written at a rather elementary level, and the ideas dished out in tiny dollops.  In other words, you can get through it pretty quickly.  I expect I’ll finish it by the end of the weekend.

From the Introduction
Photographic work is developed through knowledge gained in exploring the medium: investigating histories and theories of photography, observing the world, reading and listening, taking part in debate, critical reflection and numerous other activities.  p6

Review: Reem Saeed

I found Reem's work thorough the GPP newsletter, which features her as an upcoming Emirati photographer (who happened to take courses at GPP).  I like her choice of subjects and her compositional style, but the oversaturated colors are too garish, too demanding.  The b&w white images work much better, but in many of these there is too much contrast.  I find I prefer images that look more like what I see with my eye, rather than colorful, high contrast interpretations.  Perhaps that is because after years of exhausting myself fighting to make the world what I wanted it to be, I have been working hard to accept the world as it is.

Reem's Flickr stream can be viewed here.

DPP Outline and Calendar

The box

My approach in my first OCA course was simply to go to Part One and start working on exercises. There were more than a few times along the way I wish I had previewed content, exercises and assignments. I might have saved myself some work if I had.

So this time around I sat down with the folder and the materials and gave them a thorough once over before beginning any photography or processing. And what I have found is that much of the course is similar to what came before in The Art of Photography.

Part One deals with workflow and is perhaps the one area that isn't covered at all in TOAP. Ironically, it is the one assignment that is not counted toward assessment.

Part Two covers white balance, noise, dynamic range – all covered to some degree in TAOP. The assignment for this part looks most challenging and possibly the most rewarding in terms of learning and outcomes, requiring shooting specific types of scenes in jpg with no post processing. The idea here is to think carefully about lighting and how the camera interprets light to maximize in-camera capture. There is a follow-up task requiring a reflection and reshoot.

My current workflow

Part of the new course, Digital Photographic Practice, will be about developing a reliable work flow, a means of efficiently getting the image from the camera into the computer, processing it, outputting it to paper or the web, and finally archiving the files.  I thought it might be best to start out describing what I do now in anticipation of looking at ways I can make this better.

Who would you pay to shoot?

 

This "poster" for a Dubai photography event appeared in my FB newsfeed. I never imaged the existence of an amateur model circuit, in which people hire out their bodies to photographers.  The text accompanying the ad includes a link to the model's FB page, which features many images from model shoots.

I don't plan on attending.  I don't really see the point in making such photos, but I wonder who could take advantage of such an idea.  What kind of people would you be willing to pay to shoot?  Could you organize a gathering of body types?  For myself, I don't have any idols left.  There is no one I can think of I would pay to take photos of.  In fact there is not one person in the world that I desire to photograph.

Vintage Snapshots: Interview w/ collector Robert E. Jackson

I found this at NPR's The Picture Show.  The discussion there led to Project B.  Good stuff - except for the prices - ouch.  

Reflection on "The Art of Photography"

The following was written as an enclosure with my assessment package.

I've just reread My History of Photography, one of my early blog posts outlining my photography experience as well as my interests in joining the OCA.  What strikes me is the naivete.   By taking this course it seems I thought I could produce a portfolio suitable for a graduate program in photography.   While I've produced work on this course that isn't embarrassing, I don’t know if I’m ready yet for a Masters in Fine Art. 

The past year has taught me a number of things.  I've learned to see the whole frame, and not just my subject.  I've learned to think about (thought I can’t say I always know) what I want to capture.   I've learned how to conceptualize and execute a project.  I've developed more respect for light and color.  I've learned Lightroom and some post-processing skills.  I now have a monitor profiling routine and have started wrestling with printing.   Through the process of having to produce assignments, and not through any deliberate planning, I have developed a workflow.  I have engaged with the local photographic community.  I have developed the habit of shooting regularly and as a result have grown more confident in my vision and ability.   And I have begun reading, thinking, and writing about photography. 

Altogether it has been a marvelous experience and I look forward to growing and developing in my skills in my next course, Digital Photographic Practice. 

But before I get started there, I need to clarify something here.