So why we have time on our hands, we turn to the medium of film or television series to keep us sane and occupied. Whilst watching Clint Eastwoods Gran Tarino film this afternoon, I started to notice how cinema can inspire you with how scenes our lit to produce different kinds of drama or narrative in the scene.

This particular scene is where Walt (Eastwood) is talking to the father about how he going to sort the issue. The picture above is rudely cropped but the scene had great use of negative space and slight lighting onto Walts’s face. That small triangle of light on his left side of the face, where his eyes are slightly closed and face is showing a sense of frustration and anger. Lighting enhanced this scene to complement how angry Walt was feeling with himself.

Whist lock down many are cracking on with finding things to do I’ve looked at how a can produce some worthy self-portraits. Building on Ass three ideas and the images I’ve taken. I’ve invested in a bigger studio light with flash. A few images I’ve been playing with. Seeing how light falls on the face and trying to achieve the classic Rembrandt light on the face.

Research for this will now be key, I’ve got ahead of where I thought id be. Although it’s been suggested that I would be ready for this next assessment date, I feel I now have time to prepare for this final assignment before finishing, Context and Narrative for the November submission date.

To be continued…

Hopefully, this will work and be something to build on, using iMovie and PowerPoint and Vimeo.

This will be something that ill look to keep going. By already using timelapse with my DJI PocketOsmo. I can see now how being experimental is key to building on success.

By seeing how the filmmakers use light and dark (Chiaroscuro) helps you to understand the narrative better. BBC iPlayer recently had a documentary “Cinema through the Eye of Magnum Photos“.

Some really interesting parts in how many Magnum photographers documented films and followed Hollywood actors and actresses. In particular how Robert Capa was influenced by film and the connecting he made during his time photographing the second world war.

After reading the assignment two tutor feedback I’ve found myself in a somewhat strange and unfulfilled mood. I feel that I may have rushed this assignment somewhat from the tutor’s comments, but saying that there are some strong points within the feedback in regards to my technical approach to the photograph, from composition to editing. Yes, there still loads to understand and ultimately art is subjective and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

beholder

A beholder is an observer: someone who gains awareness of things through the senses, especially sight. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then the person who is observing gets to decide what is beautiful.

The learning curve on this course has increased substantially from understanding what makes an image into trying to figure out the narrative within the series of pictures your trying to showcase for assignment is something else.

Suggested reading with Ralph Gibson who I’ve never heard of or would had even looked for him during any research unless seeing one of his images during an internet search. looking through his archive of works and how he achieves the black and white pictures are something I myself are drawn to. By using the light and shadows to play a part within the photo for me is how I like to take pictures. Some I’m not so keen on, but anything that has a shadow, light pools or a mixture of the both I will tend to look at longer. Admiring how the image has been composed, looking at the way the light has fallen onto the subject, where the subject casts a shadow and how that shadow creates pools of darkness.

Assignment five initial ideas will more than likely be a colour composed image for what I will try to put together with a narrative that colour will play a part in. BnW will work and I will place this in my research with images and trails. However, to add complexity to my learning process at this time it probably wise that I show the use of colour in my photography journey and not stick to black and white.

I don’t think it helps when I look for research and see amazing BnW images by the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Alfred Stieglitz, Fan Ho, Sir Don McCullin. Visiting the Tate museum and the McCullin exhibition was for me an inspiring day, looking at his BnW pictures starring at them taking in every last inch of them before moving onto the next. Was something that I think about when looking for images myself.

WHO’s right, who does know what beauty is?