I’ll Light and darkness are basic natural phenomena as well as symbolic and metaphorical meanings that are often equated with the pairs of Being and Non being, primordial chaos and world order.
Annotation of Light and Dark
Research
I like the photographs which have the use of artificial light, specifically the light bulbs. The light bulbs produce a very strong contrast between light and dark. I also believe the white light is attractive so turing the image black and white will achieve the brightness I'm looking for.
Ideas
Light and Dark keywords
These are some key words that I associate with light and dark.
Light and Dark Photographer: Dan Lavric
Light and Dark photographer: Paul Abrantes
Light and Dark Photographer: Alexander Rodchenko
Contact sheet
Photograph breakdown
What am I going to do next?
My main starting point will be to focus on the artificial light of street lamp or bulb. Once I have done that I will focus on turning the images black and white to bring more emphasis on the contrast between light and dark. I would also like to focus on portrait work with shadows/patterns cast over them by a projector.
Photography GCSE Exam 2018
Response 1: Street
In my research I saw a lot of images which had streetlights on at night time, I liked the creepy feeling it gave off and tried my best to recapture that feeling. So, I went out late at night and photographed roads which were covered by fog and had street lights.
Unedited shots:
My first few were aimed at traffic and a fog were as my second attempt were more focused on street lamps and trees with a moon lit surrounding.
Now that I had taken my pictures I needed to edit them but they are two different types of photos which meant I had to do two different types of editing. (Last image is a filler)
Experimental editing:
For my editing I decided to go with the second editing style but for the second group the black and white editing was used which is why there is two of the same types of editing.
Edited :
Overall I believe my black and white picture are the best as I think the eery mood is perfect to represent light and dark. Although I do like the red light seeping through the fog but it doesn't show the true contrast between light and dark. Maybe different angles of the traffic would produced higher quality photographs.
Response 2: Artificial light
Previously I had came across a lot of light and dark photographs that centred around light bulbs in the dark. I took a liking to the type of images and decided to mimic those pictures. My source of light ranged: light bulbs, lamps and artificial candles. Also, I made sure no other sources of light disrupted the pitch black background. This was a simple task as all the equipment I needed was in my house.
Unedited shots:
Experimental editing:
This was an easy decision to make for my main editing style. Black and white with adjustments to the levels of colour best reflected my research. The ambient now of the second editing style is attractive butI don't believe it would fit in with the rest of my work.
Edited:
I like how this turned out. The black background was easier to achieve than I previously believed. Although, the image quality may be a bit poor but that is easily admissible. Out of all these my favourite type of photos are the ones that focus on the candles because I think it's a unique object to photograph.
Response 3: Portraits
This is my final response which is broken up into three types of portrait work. The first are projections of colourful patterns from a projector to the model. Second, is an overhead projector with a back background which focuses on shadows casted across the subject. Finally, the last section is similar to the second section but with a white background and different angles.
Section 1: Patterns
Unedited shots:
The raw photographs lack an impact that truly reflect light and dark. I think with editing the images can bring a new light towards them and make it more appealing. To get these photographs I had my two models stand on a chair which was situated next to a wall and a projector overhead to print the overcast of patterns/cityscapes.
Experimental editing:
I found simply adjusting the levels was the best option because the darker shadows made the image pop more and make it seem more suited for the theme of life and dark. Black and white wasn't chosen because I don't want my work to seem repetitive and by adding more vibrant colours then the photographs are more diverse.
Edited:
The edited versions are a lot better than previous but perhaps some are a little too over edited. Maybe if I didn't drop the levels so much the subject may not appear so dark. I do take a liking to these photographs though because they're a unique way to represent light and dark without using the black and white filter.
Section 2: Shadows
Unedited shots:
These types of photograph are closer to the kind of light and dark photographs I want to take. Certain images has the model flinching from the brightness of the light which I had previously not accounted for.
Experimental editing:
I found that editing these photographs wasn't as easy as i hoped. I tried not to use black and white but I came to the conclusion that this way of editing was the best way to capture light and dark. Dropping the levels of red was the most noticeable change I found so I lowered the red a somewhat large amount.
Edited:
These picture came out a lot better than I thought they would. Dark background with white shirt and light on skin created a very nice contrast. Something is lacking though, the images aren't too interesting as mostly the model is just sitting their and the angles don't change. Next time ill take a variety of angled photographs.
Section 3
Unedited shots:
These photos have a lot of potential and I think editing these will make these my best work.
Experimental editing:
This was an easy decision to decide which type of editing to stick with. By making the image black and white then increasing the levels of darkness showed shadows in a new light.
Edited:
I am extremely happy about these photographs and out of all my work I think this group is the best representation of light and dark. What makes these so interesting is that the shadows are very dominant and different positions of the model and angle of photograph makes the stand out a lot. The white backdrop also compliments the use of shadows, in contrast to my previous attempt in which the shadows didn't really stand out but this time they're a lot more noticeable.
Sketch:
I printed out the edited photograph (sketch) and added a more artistic flare to the photograph. Using different colours i highlighted the outlines of the model and the shadow making it stand out a lot more.