On this page I discuss work outside of the course framework along with some of my own sketches which I would like to also like to present for assessment. They also contextualise some of my investigative and experimental processes undertaken through the course of C&N. I have recently been exploring vector shapes in adobe capture and using photoshop on my MacBook Air and iPad for processing which has come up with some interesting results. I also used the software to create some composite images which are documented below.

I sketched this from an image I had seen, but changed a couple of things to make it my own interpretation. I love the idea of looking out onto the world, that feeling of excitement that uncertainty can bring, the feeling of butterflies in your stomach. I find that this is the how I see my photography developing also, an attempt to capture how I see the world when I look through the lens. The lens is somehow becoming my eyes. When I focus the camera I have the ability to see so much more, perceiving the world with a sense of clarity and purity that appears perfectly individual.

This image was an idea that came to me and is purely original in content. Again I see similarities with this and my photographic work, particularly when shooting in black and white. Minimal content and an odd number of subjects, all slightly off centre, are compositional I regularly use in my photography.

This carbon sketch again seems to be something that I try to recreate in the field when photographing landscape. A sense of space mixed with an air of mystique, always seemingly looking out onto a horizon of some decoration. Fences, trees, foliage and dynamic use of skyline all seem to be details and characteristics I can see frequently appearing in my work.

This sketch was drawn from one of my own images, the bird of prey which is found below in a composite image. Again it links well to my photography seemingly relating to minimal content, form combined with a sense of tonal range, detail and contrast.

This sketck was something I came across on the internet, I then altered the composition slightly, modifying the lines and pencil work. I think it quite aptly links to my use of the human body as form in assignment 3 and also my connection with Sally Manns work in the “Proud Flesh” series.

This image were created in photoshop express on my iPad using the collage tool. Its more an exploration of what aesthetically pleasing rather than what could be deemed a good image in terms of content. There may be sensor dust! I had not realised that my sensor had become so dirty, it is now apparent that using a narrow aperture and bright sunlight will make you very aware of this in process! I took this image whilst walking at Barton On Sea beach, and was purely playing with what it looked like to create a mirror like affect, perfect symmetry.

Above is the original edited image of the collage. I saw a shot which struck me as being slightly dynamic, perhaps a more abstract way of looking at the landscape. The line of the fence drawing the eye down the frame the across the horizon and back again. I shot the image with my d800 paired with the 24-20mm lens and this enable me to capture a nice portion of the skyline aswell. As can be seen the light was high and coming across from the right of the frame which also made for some nice shadows to the left of the frame. I used a narrow aperture of f/16 for detail, my focus point being the first post in the fence. In this instance I like the way wide depth of field which intensifies what is ultimately a fence, some sky and some water. I also edited the image in square format below to eliminate some of the skyline, to see how this changed the look and feel of the complete image.

I actually feel the image here benefits from the square crop, much of the skyline in this photograph is not needed. It is not an image which requires a sense of negative space. It is more concerned with lines and perspective leading the eye and working together to create a feeling of tension in what is juxtaposed with a vast coastal landscape.

Another experiment with the image in photoshop express creates two identical leading lines leading the eye to a crest in the water. If the image of the fence was open at the end, I feel this would be a nice finish to the image and perhaps look more realistic in terms of content.

In the above image it is almost like in blend onto the landscape and almost look like an effigy of myself. An interesting play with an image using a graphic design like aesthetic.

Both these images were created as vector shapes using adobe capture, again purely for experimentation. The above image was a selfie from my phone, and the second was a chopping image I took in poor light and was unusable in terms of quality. The original image need to be cropped and the natural light was not strong enough to enhance contrast and detail. See below for an attempt at editing the image. I quite like this though if very novice like in terms of design.

For me the lighting is not right here, particularly on the onions, personally I don’t like there translucent appearance. I took the image quite hurriedly, set my d800 paired with a 50mm 1.8g lens on the table next to me and used the self timer mode. I have tried to emphasise my fingers in the shot, but personally my eye is drawn to the rather uninviting looking chopped onions. I like the composition of the image and the cropped in perspective. Perhaps though, the camera could and should be closer. It has certainly reiterated the importance of utilising light and shaping it according to how you want the image to look and feel in totality.

This is the unedited image which is clearly over exposed. An iso of 800 could have been dropped to around 640, but the natural light was quite poor. Compositionally perhaps less chopped onion would have been better, to draw the eye to the hand. I used a wide aperture of f/1.8 to achieve a shallow depth of field and isolate my subject. The focus point which should be my hand is a little soft also, perhaps where I was not behind the camera to focus the shot properly. It would have benefitted to either use a stand in or photograph someone elses hand, these type images can be a challenge when working alone. I could have also sat something behind the onion, a bag of sugar for instance, to gain the correct or more accurate focus point, whereas I believe I forced on the piece of half onion.

These two images I also revisited in photoshop express on my iPad, and played with the blur too. Although I like the images I feel they are let down by the background, there seems to be two many distracting objects, which I have struggled to erase or adjust completely. I took this on my d7200 crop sensor dslr paired with a 150-600mm lens. I was at a local zoo and felt it was a good opportunity to experiment with some wild life images. I shot the image through a glass window into the tigers enclosure, I used continuous shutter to capture the tiger at the top of his yawn. I was attempting to take some images that on viewing would not necessarily look like they were taken in a zoo. I wanted to create a feeling go the animal being out in the wild. A more unobstructed background would definitely help the image to my mind.

This is a composite of the two shots again in photoshop express. I wanted the yawning tiger paired with the still tiger and quite like the result. I had to crop the image to remove some unwanted information. I wanted to tell two sides of the tigers personality in one image, almost creating a hallucinogenic aesthetic.

Another composition in photoshop where I merged two images of wild animals. I think these have created something quite nice out of images that perhaps were not as “good” on their own. A monochrome edit here seems to enhance the mystique which gives the affect of a double exposure. I also like the way the eyes are almost level, one looking one direction the other in another. A tale of the power and enigma of these two stunning animals in one composite image.