Project 3 - Finals

Here are the finals I have chosen, in the right order:

Project 3 - Possible Finals (Tin Whistle)

The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument commonly associated with Celtic music.  - definition from Wikipedia

The tin whistle was photographed in a grass setting to represent the Irish quality of the instrument. The lack of clarity and blurriness in this picture is very similar to that of Sian Bonnell's photography style but unfortunately this blurriness does not link with the other images and would not fit into the sequence.

The arrangement of the grass blades half obstructing the instrument resembles an image of a windmill structure of some sort among a green countryside background; fitting for representing the country and traditional style of Celtic music. The image has been rotated to be portrait-orientated to convey a sense of height for the 'tower structure' (the whistle). The strong green colour in the image also portrays the Irish quality very well. Influences from Sian Bonnell are evident here through the high contrast in colours and the rather 'magical' sensation.

Project 3 - Possible Finals (Guitar)

The colours were added when the image was edited to create a kind of 'rock concert' lighting. Cellophane sheets were not used because the colours would have been harsher than intended. This kind of abnormality with colouring was influenced by one of the precedents, Sian Bonnell. However, the colours might be a bit offputting as it does not create a balance with the original colouring. Perhaps just increasing the saturation of the beige surface would still communicate the sense of 'loudness' and power that comes from electric guitars. The idea of urban structures is conveyed through the steel knobs and strings. It holds similarities with electrical pylons and has a sense of industrialism often associated with architecture.
The lop-sidedness in the angle of the shot illustrates the rather haywire and informal style of rock music.

The lop-sided angle is still kept in this image and the colour manipulations have been turned down quite a bit. This angle only allows a good view of the side of the headstock of the guitar and not the intricate knobs, resulting in a rather empty picture which is highly unlike the notions associated with the electric guitar. Although the lighting produces an interesting surface on the wood to photograph, the logo that is unfortunately positioned here is quite distracting.
There is not enough architectural quality photographed, as the features that convey these are the knobs and strings which are not clearly visible here.

Project 3 - Possible Finals (Violin)

I have chosen and edited a bunch of pictures that I thought would be suitable to be part of the final sequence.
Just as a reminder, I am aiming to communicate architectural qualities as well as the commonly-perceived attribute of each instrument. The order in the sequence would be based on the decreasing level of 'formality' for the style of music frequently associated with the instrument, which would be Violin > Piano > Electric Guitar > Irish Whistle.

Although this picture seems successful in terms of establishing a rather disoriented shot of the object (which meets the project brief) clarity is not sufficient as this image was shot using the zoom function. The soft lighting and dark shadows creates a romantic feel to the image, which is very fitting for the violin as it is an instrument associated with romance and elegance. However, this image does not convey the intended idea I had for the violin. This image also does not really show the architectural quality that I wanted in my sequence.

This shot was done well as it does not obviously show features of a violin and still keeps the intrigue in macro photography. The picture successfully communicates the slick and elegance of the appearance of the violin through the slender curves and polished wooden surface. The symmetrical composition also shows the propriety often associated with violins and orchestral music. The image achieves the architectural intention by resembling a bridge structure through the use of closeups and angles which is a technique often used by Sven Fennema.

Project 3 - Possible Finals (Piano)



All shots of the piano were done inside the piano...

Although this shot provides a good close up of the keys, there is not enough information from the background to establish a rather architectural scene. It would be better to include the background in this shot as there are lots of details that should be shown, details that would make the image more powerful to convey structural qualities in architecture.

This shot is far more successful than the previous one as it includes the background as well as keeping the keys as the focal point of the picture. The light let in through the opened top, along with the sides, resemble a scene in a city street with tall buildings reaching out into the sky with the keys acting as the street itself. The mechanical appearance of the knobs and steel strings all the more emphasises the modern routine-like lifestyle of the urban environment.

The image orientation has been changed (rotated clockwise) to create a scene similar to the appearance of a kind of futuristic steampunk architectural structure. It resembles a train station of some sort, with the steel strings like railings. Compared to the previous image, this one does not seem very powerful without the sense of dynamics from lighting. The perspective, however, seems to be more interesting in terms of composition.

Project 3 - 4th Shoot

After talking to Jamie the tutor, I was recommended to look at Sian Bonnell's work (Click here to view some). I like the colours and the interesting 'magical' quality these pictures have (a bit like Alice in Wonderland...) and so I decided to user her as one of my precedents. I am still trying to keep the architectural theme from Sven Fennema, however.

These are the pictures from my fourth shoot today. I only shot the violin and guitar because I thought those were the instruments that needed more work on:

Project 3 - Third Shoot