LIGHT

LIGHT

THROUGH THE USE OF APERTURE AND SHUTTER SPEED

when I thought about this shoot and what I could possibly do to represent light in different ways and through different shutter speeds I thought of where I was and what I could use to use my surroundings well. Because of the time of year and the fact that it gets dark at about 4:00pm I had to plan my shoot to that and also as it is november and all the christmas decorations are starting to go up so I took that into consideration as well. After going on a field trip to look at areas on the centre I could photograph I found that the German Christmas Market was in the centre and it is very bright and colourful full of atmosphere and lights of all different kinds. I took my camera down to there to get some shots in the day as for some reason the lights were on, must have been to give a brighter atmosphere even in the day. There stalls of all different kinds looked really bright and colourful and gave off a christmas feeling even next to the clear blue sky of the day.

I then found a bridge that over looked a main road at a very busy part of the day, around half past 5 so it was really dark already. Setting up the tri-pod to get a longer shutter speed that can not be achieved by holding the camera. I thought at first instead of getting the typical shots of the traffic through long exposure id move the camera to see what effect that would give and so it would obviously not look like the original image of cars on the motorway and a lot more abstract in a way and colourful. I tried to pick different images to get a variety of different forms of light. 

 IMAGES FROM NATURAL LIGHT

ALSO NATURAL LIGHT AGAINST ARTIFICIAL LIGHT

German Market Lights During The Day

German Market Stall Fully Lit

Empty Stalls Still Beautifully Lit

these are the images that I decided on during the day at the German Market. I choose these images as a variety of different parts of the market. In the day although really beautiful you cant really get the full experience that you get at night, all the christmas spirit if you want to put it like that. I like how the stalls are empty get so alive by the lights. 

Favourite image from the light shoot during the day

this is my favourite image out of the four I had selected as my light images during natural light against artificial light I really like how in the background the natural light shines through yet on the stall in the corner looks as if it is light for the night, I really like the contrast between the natural light and the artificial light. I think the image looks really effective and is also cropped and framed well. 

FOUNDATION PROJECT

FINISHED PROJECT
PRESENTED ON ISSUU
http://issuu.com/laurenmyersphotography/docs/foundationfished2

PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNALISM

WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT 

I haven’t posted on my blog in a while but I have decided to go ahead and use it as part of my journal for my university course in Photographic Journalism. I am going to keep this an an online blog full of information and images from projects along with my own photography and things that inspire me, artists that influence my work and my own side projects, work I do for bands and gigs and essays that I have to wrote along ide my own written journal I will have. 

Wednesday 29/10/2010

Looking at Tom Stoddart

Tom Stoddart is one of my favourite Photographic Journalists
i have been using this artists as artist research and influence since i looked in to his work during my foundation year at college. i like his use of black and white imagery as that's what i like to use. i feel it makes the photo more about whats in it than the colour. as much as i like colour photographs as well, i find black and white more effective in most cases, especially documentary photography. One of the collections of Stoddarts work i feel personally is the most gripping and effective is iWitness.
This is a quote from Tom Stoddart's iWitness collection.

'it is sad and unnecessary that any of these photographs exist
most of the events chronicled here can be attributed directly to mankinds greed,
intolerance, prejudice, inhumanity, lust for political power, and sheer stupidity.
the siege of Sarajevo, ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, famine in Sudan, AIDS in Africa,
devastated post 9/11 New Yorkers- generations of lives needlessly wasted.
The people portrayed in the preceded pages are heroes. Real heroes, unlike those
shallow icons from the worlds of cinema, fashion, or football, so carefully
manufactured to sell movies, newspapers, cars and sunglasses.
innocent people trapped and battered by circumstances beyond their control.
Ordinary humans in extraordinary situations, displaying immense courage, sacrifice,
dignity and the determination to survive what has befallen them and their loved ones.
so don't feel sorry when you look at these pictures - feel angry that we need to be
reminded of such folly.
it is sad but necessary that these photos exist.'

TomStoddart
Putting this piece of text before the photographs i thought was a really strong way to introduce these images. Some are very upsetting and more so because they are not staged, the people actually have to live in these harsh conditions or through what goes on in thier country. may it be Famine, natural distasters, war or things such as AIDS.

Mozambique, Floods

This image to me is my favourite from the collection in iWitness about the Floods in Mozambique. Although this is a natural disaster, it effects the lives of the people devistating ways. Loosing personal belongings, homes and lives. This image i particually like, to me it shows alot of what i just said through one woman. (except the loosing lives) Having everything she owns on her with her children.

I will come back to this artists but for now i have to dash.

Lauren xo

Sunday 26/09/2010

Starting My Photography Blog

So for uni i have been asked to start a blog about my work and photography as i am doing photographic journalism. I've never tried anything like this so i thought i would give it a go. Been pretty ill the last few days so kind of been laying around in bed back in home in Nottingham. So as a photographer i am always looking for things to inspire me. The thing that has caught my eye today was when i was watching kerrang! the music channel earlier which also made me remember that i needed to start this. So back to what inspired me today, watching the music video 'Tears Don't Fall' by Bullet for my Valentine i got some great ideas from that video. The idea of being hurt by love and getting your own back in a way is something that has alot of ideas around. i also liked the who dark look to the video, i would probably use black and white or a brownish kind of tint to my photographs to portray this. Although this is a moving image music video i saw alot of different still shots i liked. the video had alot of close up shot that moved from one scene to another very quickly. The story i thought was very Strong and inspired me alot. i would go into this in more detail and come up with my own shoot. I have in the past used music as inspiration for my shots. this song relates alot to the video very well and keeps the viewer interested throughout.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zszz5KsmSz8&ob=av2e

lauren. xo