Flash Photography

The Inverse Square Law

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The inverse square law measures the intensity of the flash in relation to the subject.
It states that for every unit of distance an object is away from the flashgun, the intensity of light it receives is 1/distance2.

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DIRECT FLASH

Essentially, if the model is in very close proximity to the light source and they move a slight step in either direction, they'll be either massively under or overexposed as the light is of a higher intensity and more concentrated.
However if the model is further away from the light then they can move several steps in either direction and still be clearly visible as the light is more spread out because it is of a further distance from the subject.

 These photos show my attempts at using a direct flash. They were taken outside during the daytime, and I used the brick wall as the backdrop to experiment making the background underexposed and overexposed.

I experimented by being close to the model and using a bright flash of 1/4, this made her very exposed.

As shown in the image above, the model and the background are very exposed. You can begin to see around the edges where the light from the flash does not quite fill the whole frame. The flash is very bright and concentrated as it does not have a large amount of distance to allow for the light to spread out.

For this photograph, I kept the camera on the same setting but stood further away from the model. After looking at the Inverse Square Law, I expected the model to be less exposed than she turned out to be. I thought that because the light from the flash spreads out more, it would not be so concentrated on her - however her upper body and a section of the backdrop behind her are still quite exposed. This leads me to believe that perhaps the other camera settings weren't what they should have been.

I think that using a direct flash in photography can be very effective. Being able to change the exposure in such a dramatic way could contribute to the connotations of the photograph and I would like to experiment further with this in my final project.

BOUNCE FLASH
This is used in order to avoid overexposure when using a direct flash. The flash head can be angled in order to reflect the light off of a wall, ceiling, or reflector connected to the flash unit. It gives a softer, diffused light that is flattering for portraits (particularly because it prevents red-eye). 

I experimented this by angling the flashgun so that the light reflected off of the wall, I also used the diffuser attached to the flashgun to soften the light. 
I don't think these pictures turned out particularly well because the wall on the right hand side is just overexposed and therefore only half of my models face is lit up nicely.

Cultural Imaginaries and Landscape photography

Landscape photography captures spaces within the world; some vast and unending, and some microscopic.
These types of photographs typically capture nature, however it can also be used to draw attention to man-made features and the disturbance of natural landscapes.


Esteban Pastorino Diaz

After exploring many different techniques and styles of photography, Diaz found he had a heavy interest in aerial photography.
He used KAP (Kite Aerial Photography) to capture his aerial images early in his career.
As well as aerial, his work also includes landscape, nightscape, and panoramic photography.

'Toy Like World'

At first glance, some of his aerial shots appear toy-like because of the size of the buildings/objects and the high saturation. In addition to this, Diaz uses a shifted blur to create an illusion that from the viewers perspective makes it appear fake.

I feel that his work represents the unimaginable scale of our planet, and that structures such as buildings, aircrafts etc. that seem large to us are relatively microscopic. For me, this reality brings you to realise how small we are as humans, yet we have the power to change the world and disrupt our landscapes with urbanisation.


"My work is most about depicting an open space that we cannot see naturally with our own eyes"

Elevator Pitch - photographic essay

This is the pitch I gave to the class about the topic for my photographic essay.
I feel that it would be an exciting challenge to represent nature in a powerful way, taking over objects and structures constructed and left by mankind - a force that is most often represented as being the most powerful. I think that it would portray the message that as humans we are destroying our planet by not keeping it clean or regenerating abandoned buildings - and nature is fighting back against this.

I received very positive feedback on this idea as the class found it to be an interesting approach - particularly to street photography. It was also suggested that I could capture how graffiti is a kind of decay performed by humans and not nature as there is a large amount of it in our surroundings.

Mind map of ideas/thoughts when exploring the theme.

EXAMPLES OF URBAN DECAY PHOTOGRAPHY

By Julie Shiel, Source: www.darkroastedblend.com

Source: www.obviousmag.org

Source: www.wallcoo.net

By Joe Collver, Source: www.hongkiat.com

Source: www.kateyestudio.com

As shown in these images, as well as those on my mood board in my pitch, it is evident that urban decay photography is of a very wide spectrum. It can range from large buildings in decay, to smaller objects or textures.
To me, these images show objects and buildings that were once of vital everyday use and are now forgotten about and abandoned. They demonstrate the history of these subjects and how it contrasts to the present. This says a lot about our society today. It demonstrates how we do not take care of our environment as how we are always focusing on new, better things. We live in a developing world therefore we leave things behind - regardless of its history or its effect on the environment.
Certain urban decay photographers are extremists - they can also be known as 'urban explorers'. They venture into derelict buildings and abandoned sites that are usually overseen seeking 'beauty in decay'.

TEST SHOOT

I am happy with the first image shown here, as I feel that it is of good quality and demonstrates the type of decay that I was aiming to find. However the second image is slightly off focus and I feel does not portray the theme of my project.

The Spectacle of the 'Other' - Stuart Hall

In this chapter, Hall highlights racial and ethical difference and how they are represented in the media today - however his ideas can be equally applied to other dimensions of difference such as gender, sexuality, class, disability etc. He presents theories about stereotyping and the practice of representing difference in the media - whether it can be transformed to contest negative images and transform them into a more positive representation. Hall additionally analyses how representation of difference can engage feelings, attitudes and emotions, and can also create fear and anxiety in the viewer.

As images are often ambiguous in their meaning, there is no right or wrong in what the viewer takes away from it, and how they feel about the subjects in it. However Hall emphasises that you question - what is the preferred meaning? What is the meaning that the photographer aims to give?
Hall demonstrates that those different from the majority ('them' instead of 'us') are often exposed to representations in binary form through opposed, polarised extremes - one of the other. E.g. good/bad, ugly/attractive, repelling/compelling.
This raises the question as to why, as a society, we do this and why we jump to these extremes. Why is 'otherness' so compelling an object of representation?
When reading this, I began to think that establishing people as 'different' is a selfish act to make oneself feel as if you are more included and have a place in society in comparison to those who do not because they are unique. This begs the question that Hall presents; how is the representation of 'difference' linked with questions of 'power'?

Bakhtin argues that we, as a society, need 'difference' in order to construct meaning. However meaning cannot be fixed and one group cannot be entirely in charge of meaning - it is always changing.
I agree with this when taking into account the change in 'trends' that is constantly happening. Things become fashionable very quickly and everyone follows suit, such as punk rock. However the meaning changes with time as in this example, people who associate themselves with this group by dressing in punk clothes, listening to certain music, having a particular outlook on the world are now seen as outdated. This change cannot be controlled.

Hall explains that the question of 'otherness' and 'difference' has come to play an increasingly significant role as difference is ambivalent - it can be positive or negative. Therefore it could cause danger, hostility and aggression towards the 'other'.

Richard Dyer (1977) raises an important distinction between typing and stereotyping.
He presents that we use types to make sense of the world as we place things in terms of categories. We come to 'know' someone by thinking of the roles they perform, assigning them to a group according to class, gender, age etc and we place them in a personality type. This builds a picture of them by what we gather from 'typing' him/her.
"A type is any simple, vivid, memorable, easily grasped and widely recognised characterisation in which a few traits are foregrounded and change or development is kept to a minimum." - Dyer.

Therefore, stereotyping is getting hold of the 'simple, vivid, memorable, easily grasped and widely recognised' characteristics about someone, reducing everything about them to those traits and exaggerating and simplifying them.
Hall comes to the conclusion that stereotyping is part of the maintenance of social and symbolic order. He also concludes that stereotyping usually occurs where there are large inequalities of power, of which is usually directed against the subordinate or excluded group. It creates boundaries and excludes everything that does not belong - this is the 'other'.