Project 1 - Primary Objectives

Here is an elaboration on the objectives I have decided on during the initial photo shoot.

The place I have chosen is the National War Memorial on Buckle Street. The memorial was built in 1932 for the remembrance of anyone who died in the line of duty for this country and by knowing this and looking around the area, I had the idea of creating a series of photos conveying the concept of soldiers' duties at war on the sea, land and in the air.

Here are just some examples of photos that I think show my intentions well:

Sea - the picture on the left was slightly edited on Photoshop. I wanted to get a shot with a good ratio of water in the picture as well as the sculpture of the lion's head... I also think landscape orientation works much better for the idea of 'sea' as it expresses the vastness and emptiness that past NZ Navymen must have experienced. This is just the initial shoot and I'm hoping to be able to take more improved ones for the final, perhaps with more water in the picture in order to convey the idea more clearly.

Land - Although I find the picture in the centre the most aesthetically pleasing, the one on the left seems to be the best one in terms of effectiveness in conveying the idea of 'land'. The one on the right was edited slightly by incorporating the sepia-tone effect and changing the contrast. I like how it is a straight-on shot and from a significantly different angle than the previous picture of the lion-head fountain. I'm considering making the fountain my focus for the final photographic series.

Sky - Unfortunately I did not get the exact effect that I was looking for when I snapped the left photo...I still have to find out how to reduce the 'barrel' distortion that comes with my camera. However, the compositioning turned out just like I hoped for; with the cabbage tree silhouette and the ratio of sky and the carillon building. The cabbage tree is a New Zealand native tree and therefore I find it acts effectively as an important reference back to the initial idea of the memorial's tribute to New Zealand warriors. The low angle creates a dynamic quality to the picture; almost like the movement of war planes in the sky.

The photo to the right: I feel it works well in terms of capturing attention; the symmetrical compsitioning and the strong contrast of the tower against the light blue sky all works well because the empty space around catches the eye. Although I find this picture more interesting than the left one, it just doesn't seem to convey enough meaning compared to the apparent symbolism and energy from the left one. But perhaps I can still use the same compositioning here for the last image in my series.

Final theme - I have still yet to give a name for the theme of the final image but I wanted to capture the carillon tower with the sky to create an 'uplifting' sense and convey the spirituality that is associated with the concept of heavens and the afterlife. The construction for the war memorial to me has a certain spiritual and emotive basis to it as it was built for retaining the memories of past soldiers and by capturing that subjective quality, I feel that I can effectively convey this idea.

Project 1 - Conceptual Ideas

Similar to the post before, I played around with the contrast in colours just to see if most of the photographs for my final sequence will work with this style. It's basically just a stage to conceptualise my ideas, hopefully I'll be able to do more variations in style and colours in the future.

Project 1 - Edit Testing

I took one of my pictures for 'land' from the initial shoot and edited it; just a bit of cropping and change of levels. I was aiming to achieve the same style as my precedent (stated before in an early post):




In my opinion, the top right one seems to be the most successful in terms of replication of my precedent's style of photography. But the contrast might be a bit too strong and that results in the ambiguity on the tiles in the centre... maybe in the future I could isolate certain areas and only darken the rest or something.
I also like the sepia-like colour in the top two pictures because to me it communicates the idea of an old and historical area, which is a fitting concept for the National War Memorial.
I like the uniformity of the symmetrical format of the picture; I feel it depicts the idea of discipline and lines of soldiers during war. The angle also makes the fountain wall looks a bit like a soldier's trough which is fitting for the war memorial.

Project 1 - Test Shots

I decided to take pictures of the National War Memorial on Buckle Street as my 'place' for Project 1 and I thought I would explore the idea of sea, land and air from a soldier's point of view...as you can see, I tried to take various pictures that depict those elements as well as some other extra ones just for fun (like the walls, or playing around with angles at the tomb).

I waited around to attempt some 'golden hour' shootings but I don't think that went very well hahaha. I still have to find out if the photo finals for the Project will be in black and white or in colour...

I have taken slightly more than these but here are the contact sheets for the initial shoot I did at the war memorial today:

Project 1 - Precedents

The effect and style I am aiming for in Project One is similar to that of Marcin Stawiarz. He tends to add a dark, dramatic effect to his pictures by exaggerating shadows and creating a dark glow from around the edges. The skies in his photos are very defined as well, and if I'm not wrong, mostly edited in digitally (especially with skies that seem to show the 'zoom' effect).

Here are some examples of his works (found from his DeviantArt gallery):

Project 1- Research

I have researched mostly on historical buildings like churches and gothic architecture because I personally have a fondness for old buildings...Here are some examples of modern places:


Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur- The building itself is considered to be a symbol of Malaysia's rapid advancement in the technology world and this concept can be somehow illustrated through the neon-like glow from the lights here because of the association of lights, electronics and technology.
The silhouette of palm trees are a smart and effective use of symbolism in the picture because oil palm trees are abundant in Malaysia and represents the country well.
The low-angle shot communicates the height of the towers well while showing the overall structure clearly.




Petronas Twin Towers (indoors)- The use of one-point perspective in this image effectively communicates the length of the place photographed. It creates a sense of being 'pulled' into the ends of the corridor of the Petronas Skybridge. This portrays the actual distance of the bridge through the photograph.





Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California- The perfect symmetry in the image is extremely effective as it reflects the objective qualities that are associated with the scientific studies that are carried out at the research institute. However, the spiritual, subjective domain is also incorporated through the use of the sunlight glow and the ocean horizon beyond. The image is a very powerful one, symbolising the two dominant realms of humanity; the spiritual and the scientific.

Project 1 - Research

For Project One I am thinking of snapping some pictures of a particular building or structure (instead of just a random corner in town or something). So I have done some research on various long-shot images of buildings and here are some photos I have found on the net:


Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris- A nice angle, especially with sun above creating drama with the lens glare. The sepia-like colours also works well by portraying a sense of peace and timelessness.






Notre Dame Cathedral (indoors)- The long-shot is done well and it follows the rule of thirds. However, it seems like the picture would be more effective if taken in a symmetrical manner instead.
A trivial matter, but perhaps the picture could have been taken without the presence of other people, to enhance the spirituality that comes with the subjected place.
The colours however, are soft and not too saturated, which works nicely with the solemn tone of the picture.


Notre Dame Cathedral (indoors)- The framing and the usage of the rule of thirds greatly increases the effectiveness of the image as it captures the sense of enclosure in the area which makes viewers feel like they are in that area themselves, making it a very successful photograph.
The light dispersion from the windows are not overdone and do not cause a strong glare. The soft glow and colours it creates augments the sense of spirituality that comes with the famous church.








La Sagrada Famillia in Barcelona - The colours in the image are widely-varied and not too striking as a set. The distance between the photographer and the subject is a good one because it causes the church in the background to be of a lighter colour than the foreground. The slight ambiguity with the building, along with the softly glowing source of light then creates a sense of fantasy and wonder; effective for the portrayal of this magnificently crafted architecture.
Although the church is part of the background, the foreground does not obstruct the view and the church still maintains the position of central focus.
The centre of the church is not exactly in the middle of the image and although this does not spoil the overall layout, perhaps a slight change in the image distribution would ensure a sense of....consistency...

1st Exercise- 14 Photos

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Here are the photographs that our group (Dog Group)have taken...We tried to rotate the camera usage around the group so that all of us could have a go taking at least one picture =].

A Significant Photographic Image

TIANANMEN SQUARE (1989) by Stuart Franklin

The event of a single man standing in the way of tanks from the Chinese Communist Regime in Tiananmen Square was captured and the way the photo was shot powerfully depicts the concept of the potential power of a mere individual. This image has been rendered a symbol of hope for the Chinese.

Image from here.