Forest - 10/09/17 (Shoot 1)

Forest - 10/09/17 

Ansel Adams - Research 

      Above are two images I took inspiration from when doing my first forest shoot. The first image I particularly liked due to the composition and shallow depth of field. I think the image is very effective as it appears quite mysterious because of the dark and the fog in the distance. I would like to compose an image similar to this one in my work as Epping Forest (where I am shooting) has a path leading up to it. The second image I found of Ansel Adams is of a tree isolated from all others. It stands alone allowing you to catch every detail of the branches from the sun behind it. I think this image is fascinating because of the abundance of detail you can see within the tree, where it is isolated from the others it makes it appear more beautiful and different to the rest of the forest. I hope to achieve an image like this in my shoot, whereby there is fine detail of branches not necessarily texture. 

Image Bank 



     The above images are ones that have inspired me for my first shoot in Epping Forest, they are ones that I think I can achieve in the area. All of the images are quite detailed and show the strength and size of the trees. This is something I want to achieve in my work, by showing leading lines that draw the viewers eyes into the photograph. 



Contact Sheets

Best Images (Edited)

Images that require improvement 

     I think that this image requires improvement as there isn't a particular subject that makes you concentrate on the photo. It lacks interest and can be easily overlooked due to it being rather plain. The photo isn't very well framed as it seems unbalanced on either side, it doesn't reflect Ansel Adams work in the way that I want it to. I don't think I would shoot this photo again as there isn't a particular subject in the setting that I can make the focus of the image. 

      This is the second image that I think requires improvement due to it being extremely underexposed. This was one of my attempts at taking an Ansel inspired image of tree branches against the sun in order to see every detail. However, when I took the photo my camera setting must have been right due to the branches and leafs appearing black and lacking any fine detail. If I was to retake this photo I would ensure that my ISO was higher and a longer shutter speed so that more light would be let in. 

AO1 - Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding. 

       Before setting out to do my first Epping Forest shoot I research the work of Ansel Adams. I found his work extremely interesting, especially the photos he had taken of the forest which inspired me in my own work. One of the main things I noticed about Ansel's work was the way everything was framed, the composition of his images made them more interesting than a photo that has just been taken straight on. I tried to adopt this in my own work by variating the different angles I took photos from. Another way I have been inspired by Ansel is through his extreme contrast of black and white in most of his work, I think in terms of forest photography this works really well due to the many tones within each image. I have tried this style myself when editing some of my images, although not making them black and white as it won't suit the rest of my project I have increased the contrast to give that harsh effect. 

AO2 - Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops. 

      During my first Epping Forest shoot I used the Nikon D3300. On the 10th of September when I shot the images it was quite a bright, sunny day therefore my camera settings were of around ISO400-800 depending on how far into the forest I was. I kept my shutter speed very low, usually around 1/500s - 1/250s, so that my images were sharp and had no blur from any movement that may occur from the wind. My aperture varied massively throughout the whole shoot as I wanted to get different perspectives throughout, which meant focusing on the foreground or background or in some photos both, so keeping a wide depth of field. Throughout majority of the shoot I kept my lens at 18mm in order to keep the proportion of the landscape accurate and to get as much of the surroundings in as I could. However sometimes I did zoom in slightly, especially when trying to pick up the detail of a tree trunk to get variety in my work (example below). 

      In this photo I tried to do something slightly different by focusing on the tree in order to pick up the texture and minute details it has. Therefore I zoomed into around 48mm with an aperture of F5.3 so that the lens picked up the detail. 

       As I mentioned before about it being a sunny day, I decided to take advantage of this and take a photograph of the sun coming through the trees like one of the photographs in my image bank. My result was slighting to bright when the sun overpowered the detail of the trees therefore I decided to edit it by changed the contrast through curves as shown below. 

AO3 - Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress. 

       The images above are from my first shoot in Epping Forest, the photographs that I took were inspired by Ansel Adams work. Ansel's work was focused around nature therefore some of his images were of the forest, these are the ones that inspired me in this shoot. I tried to adopt some of his style, mostly the composition and detail he has in his images. 

      The first photograph in my best images was inspired by Ansel Adams work. It links to Ansel's photo of the path with a 'forest-like' background. I knew that where I was going to shoot there was a path leading up to the forest therefore this was the perfect opportunity to attempt the style of composition that Ansel does. I wanted to achieve the path as a leading line, whereby you can't see the end making it appear like it goes on forever the same way Ansel's work does. 

       The second photo in my best images links to the other piece of Ansel's work that inspired me. Although the images appear different they still have the same concept behind them, Ansel's photo shows the detail of branches and that is what I tried to do. My image has darker branches that stand out and then lighter ones that add more detail without it looking too complicated. 

AO4 - Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements. 

      Overall I believe I have produced a meaningful response towards the research I done on Ansel Adams work by incorporating his style into my work. I done this by photographing in a similar composition to him by making the trees look extremely grand compared to the rest of the image, I also concentrated on the tonal range my picture would produce. This was especially important as I photographed lots of rich greens that contrasted each other and created a gradient.  This is something that Ansel Adams exploits in his own work. I think this is evident as the shoot progresses as I start to show originality more and more. Looking back on my work I think the compositional and tonal elements I wanted to introduce have been successfully done as evident from my completed and edited work below.