I found this shoot very enjoyable as It was very different to shoots I had previously done. It was interesting and a new experience to shoot moving content as I had been used to shooting still objects. When I first started shooting, the location I had chosen was not very appropriate for the shoot. There was a lot going on in the background which made the smoke harder to see as it got lost in the background. None of the images were turing out the way I had wanted them to at the start of the shoot but It took me a while to realise it was the background that was the problem. I thought about the different smoke photography I had seen online, and how the backgrounds used were very plain in order to make the smoke stand out. I moved around a lot in order to find an appropriate location, and eventually I found a quiet, empty pathway which worked as a good backdrop and at the same time showed depth. This was were most of my successful images were taken. At first I only took one or two pictures for each time the smoke was breathed out. this is because I was focussing on when the smoke looked best and took pictures at these times. I had then decided shortly after to take as many pictures as I could for each time the smoke was breathed out, and this meant that I produced a lot more images and a lot more variation to choose from. When it came to editing I thought about the images I had seen online, and how the majority of them were edited black and white and how effective this was. Because of this I ended up editing my images in this way which allowed the tones and the form in the smoke to be seen, and it also made it contrast more against the background which made it stand out more. Despite this, I wanted to leave one of the images in colour just to produce more varied straight images and also experiment with showing tone in coloured images. Overall I am very happy with the outcome of this shoot and produced some good edits, including a multiple image showing the process of this exhalation of smoke, which is one of my favourite edits I have created.
Problems I've experienced during this shoot include finding a suitable background. I wasted a lot of time taking pictures in front of inappropriate backgrounds which reduced the quality of my images. One of these backgrounds was a stair rail. Because it was very bold, it distracted the eye away from the content in the foreground, but the smoke also became lost in this background detail. One other problem was the wind. Because I went out to shoot on a windy day, the smoke sometimes blew backwards which didn't create very good images. To overcome this I made my model turn to face different ways until I found a position that allowed the smoke to travel forward without interference from the wind.
The image above is one from the shoot which I am quite happy with. I took this picture towards the end of the shoot when I had found a suitable background. Because the pathway is empty there is nothing to distract the eye away from the smoke. Because there is no one in the area, a sense of loneliness is created which is what I wanted to do. The depth shown by the path getting thinner and blurring also does this. The white smoke contrasts well against the dull plain background so the different shapes in it are clear. I also like the way it travels upwards as this shows movement. Looking at other aspects of the image, different tones are clearly shown in the leather jacket which brings out texture, which is something I like about the image. Texture is also apparent in the hair of the model.
This image on the other hand, is one of my least favourite from the shoot. This was one that I had taken at the beginning of the shoot, when I was having trouble with backgrounds. It is easy to see that the bold stair railings draw in the eye and distract focus away from the smoke. I was not able to edit it out like I have been able to do in other situations similar to this because of the size. Another problem with this image is that the smoke is not very clear and is quite spread out rather than thick and bold like in other images. The quality of the image is not very good as the face is slightly blurry. Despite these points, I quite like the composition of the image and the way lines are clearly shown in the background. I also like the texture of the hair.
Progression
After doing this shoot I realised that I need to think a lot about backgrounds, as they can easily change the effectiveness of the image. As well as seeing how plain backgrounds can bring out the foreground, while busy backgrounds can distract attention away from the foreground, I also realised that the background helps to create a certain feel. For example, In some of my images from this shoot I shot in front of a long, empty path. I realised that this worked well to create a sense of loneliness in the picture. This is something I will think about in future shoots in order to create good images which tell a story. Although I did really enjoy this shoot, after looking at some photography online I want to experiment with long exposure as I find it is a very interesting and creative approach to showing movement. Also I have not done any movement photography yet in this movement and would like to have a go. I think that this effect could be easily achievable by adjusting the shutter speed on my camera.
These images are examples of the kind of photos I would like to create in my next shoot. Ones which involve shooting moving cars on the road. After looking at images like I noticed they are all done in the dark in order for the vivd lights to contrast well against the sky and stand out. Also, they are mostly taken on busy roads in order to create ongoing trails of light. I will take this into account when I shoot.
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