Final Evaluation

Final Evaluation

How my research has influenced my final images

My research has influenced my final series of images in many different ways. The main photographers that I have been influenced by are Ed Ruscha, Andre Kertesz, Mike Golding and Ben Boswell. In particular I have been influenced by Ed Ruscha because of the composition of his images. Ed Ruscha takes photos that are looking straight at the subject of the photo. He also uses a wide depth of field throughout his photos. I think this is because the area in which he has taken the photographs was important to him therefore he wanted to ensure the surrounding area to the gas stations he was photographing was visible. I have incorporated a wide depth of field throughout all of my images during my project. Although I was not photographing gas stations, as Ed Ruscha did, I gained a lot of inspiration from him compositional elements. Below is a comparison of mine and Ed Ruscha's work.

I have been influenced by Andre Kertesz since beginning my project. This is because this photographer is in the exam paper and was the first 'stops and stations' photographer I looked at. This inspired me to take photos of train stations rather than any other type of station. I was very inspired by the harsh contrast that he uses within his work therefore I have incorporated this into my project. This can be clearly seen through my consistent use of black and white. Below is a comparison of mine and Andre Kertesz's work. I think there are a lot of consistencies regarding the use of line.

Furthermore Mike Golding and Ben Boswell have influenced me due to them both being photographers who have focused on the London Underground. This gave me a lot of inspiration as to where I could go to capture photos and also the different compositional elements that I could be using in regards to London tube photography. Below is a comparison of mine and Mike Golding's work. There is also a comparison of mine and Ben Boswell's work. When looking at mt work compared to Mike Golding's work I was very inspired by the use of blue within his photo and I liked the way this popped out of his photo. I then decided to use selective colour to bring out the blue tones within my image.

How my preparatory shoots have influenced my final images

My preparatory shoots have majorly influenced my final series of images. I have used a lot of images from my previous shoots within my final portfolio as I feel a lot of my images produced were very strong. Also all of my images have a very strong connection which allowed me to incorporate them within my final portfolio. As my project progressed I began to focus on the business of London train stations and the movement within them. This had a large impact on my exam shoots because these were the two elements that I focused on. My preparatory shoots allowed me to refine my work before completing the exam. This then resulted in me being able to create a strong response to the exam paper with a clear link between all of my images.

What I have learnt throughout my project

Throughout this project I have learnt a lot about using the correct camera settings in different circumstances. For example I have learnt that when using a long shutter speed you should use a larger aperture. I think that when taking photos in train stations there was a lot of different environments with different amounts of light. I think I struggled with this because when captuing movement in a very light setting it was hard to ensure the images were not over exposed. Also when capturing photos in a very dark setting, like on the tube platform, it was hard to get the photos to be exposed correctly and not be too dark. I feel as though I have also explored new ways of presenting my work. I have not always been the strongest with very complicated editing on photoshop therefore during this project I feel as though I used my strengths and expanded upon them. I enjoy capturing aesthetically pleasing images and then letting the photo itself be eye catching. This is why I have explored the use of multiple techniques that all link together and do not massively alter the photos that I have taken.

My response to the exam paper

I think that I have been successful in responding to the exam paper. Initially the topic that I chose was 'stops and stations'. I then moved on to decide that I wanted the main focus of my work to be on train stations. I decided to focus on this through my research into Andre Kertesz and his ideas of using leading lines within his images to draw the viewer in. I wanted to then focus on train stations myself and explore different ways in which I could capture London's train stations. Train stations are closely linked to the exam paper title and I feel as though my project has been very focused throughout and each shoot that I completed links to one another.

My Strengths and Weaknesses

The areas of my work which I think are very strong are the photos themselves. Specifically I like my images from shoot 5 and 6 which were based on movement. Below is an example of an edited photo from each shoot. I also feel as though these edits are very strong because I did not over complicate the editing. This is an example of how I have used my strengths within this project and built upon them. An area of my project which I feel has been slightly weaker is my use of camera settings. I feel as though during specific shoots I struggled to use the correct camera settings due to the location being very dark or very bright. I do feel as though whilst I was shooting I experimented with the camera settings and found the correct ones that worked. This may be why at the beginning of some of my contact sheets there are photos that are extrememly over or under exposed due to me attempting to get the correct camera settings.

 

Throughout my project I feel as though I have adopted a personal approach to the project title 'stops and stations'. I took inspiration from a range of different photographers and combined each of their ideas to form my own response to the exam paper. An example of this is when I used different parts of photos to create one image. There is an example below. This may not necessarily look like any of the photographers work that I have analysed however it incorporates ideas from many. This image uses line which was inspired by Andre Kertesz and his use of leading lines within his photos. I took this idea and made it into my own rather than just copying the artists work. This image also has a harsh contrast which is something that Andre Kertesz explores within his photos. The photos used within this image also use a wide depth of field which is an idea that Ed Ruscha uses within his photos. This shows how I have taken the photographers work and gone beyond their ideas to make the project my own.

My Physical Portfolio

I decided to complete a physical portfolio aswell as an electronic one. This was because I felt as though due to having a physical final piece it was more effective for me to create a physical portfolio rather than just have the images on a computer screen. I feel as though a physical portfolio works well with a physical final piece. By having the photos together in one place I think it makes each individual image more meaningful as it is on its own  page in a book rather than only on the computer.

My Final Piece

When creating my physical final piece I gathered inspiration from many different parts of the my project. I felt as though a lot of my project involved geometric elements and a lot of my edits incorporated the use of lines. This was mainly inspired by Andre Kertesz and his use of leading lines within his photos. This was the reason I decided to use a cube rather than creating something freehand. I wanted my final piece to reflect the ideas that I have used throughout my project. I also wanted the cube to represent the business of London train stations. This is because this was something that I focused on a lot during my preparatory shoots. I feel as though I successfully did this by incorporating images that explored movement on the cube. I believe that due to the diversity of the people using the London Underground I wanted to show multiple photos within one piece to reflect the diversity of people in London. This is why I felt a cube would be appropriate to display some of my final images. I think that my physical experimentation is a strong response to the project I have created and I feel as though it links very well to the preparatory work that I have produced. Below is a photo of my final piece.

Overall I think that I have produced a strong response to the exam paper that clearly links together as a series of images. I think that my project is a personalised approach to the subject of 'stops and stations'. My series of images represent the business of the London Underground. I think that this has been portrayed successfully through the use of movement, collages, harsh contrast and line. Throughout my project my ideas have been refined and developed in order to produce a series of images that all work together. At the start of my project I was unsure as to what I was going to focus on. I was looking into the ideas of bus stops, train stations and petrol stations. As I completed research into photographers like Andre Kertesz I then refined my ideas and focused specifically on train stations. As my work has further developed I have focused even more on the business within London train stations. Each shoot I have completed has expanded upon my ideas in terms of new experimental editing methods. For example you can see a progression from my first shoot where I only edited my photos to become back and white to my last shoot before the exam where I used guidelines on photoshop to distort parts of the photo.