Photography Exam ‘Covert & Obscure’

By Amie Mitchell

Idea 2 ‘Barriers & Gates’

My Intention of Idea 2: For my second Idea, I would like to continue to portray the sub-themes of

privacy and secrecy, with in the main project theme of ‘Covert and Obscure’. However, instead of photographing small objects such as locks, I would like to photograph physical barriers that keep thing/places private

and secure from people. Therefore, I am planning on photographing gates and barriers from a range of different locations that portray the barriers as having different purposes. I would like to go visit London and photograph more extravagant and fancy gates, as well as more basic gates that are in

my local area. By doing this I would like to convey the idea that even though they may look different in size, shape and appearance, the main purpose of them remains the same – to protect something. I would also like to edit my set of images in a way that exaggerates their purpose, by

for example; adjusting the brightness and contrast, saturation and clarity of the photographs. I hope that by ensuring my photographs are of the

best quality when photographing, and editing them in the best way that I can, they will be very interesting and aesthetically pleasing to successfully

portray the theme of ‘Covert and Obscure’.

Written Analysis – ‘Heaven’s Gates’ By Rob Cartwright

These are ‘some battered old gates in the East End of Glasgow’. Taken by photographer Rob Cartwright. This image immediately caught my eye when I first saw it and I believe this is because of the the composition as well as the dark editing of the photograph. There is also a juxtaposition between the name of the photograph and the photograph itself. This is because heaven is connoted to be happy and bright. However, this image by Cartwright is quite the opposite. The graffiti on the gates conveys vandalism, and the dark clouds portray a scary and eerie atmosphere. This inspires me to recreate a similar effect of juxtaposition when I photograph my set of images for my second idea. I believe that the location of ‘Heaven’s gate’ is very beneficial, because the viewer is unable to see what is behind the gates, and what it is protecting. I think this conveys the theme of ‘Covert and obscure’ very well, as the subject matter of the gate is keeping something hidden by obscuring the viewers’ view of it. This is a technique that I would like to recreate in my own set of images because I feel that it is very appealing and interesting and would convey the them of ‘Covert and Obscure’ very well.

Written Analysis – Continued

An aspect of the photograph that really inspires me, is the composition of it. I believe that the gate has been purposely composed to be in the centre of the image, in order to illustrate that it is the subject matter. As well as this, the angle that the photograph has been taken on results in the eerie atmosphere being emphasised. The angle also gives the gate a sense of power, because the photograph has been taken from a low angle, portraying the viewer to be a lot smaller than it. This therefore conveys the idea of the gate being able to control people by restricting where they can go or what they can do. This is something that I would like to convey in my photographs too, as I feel it is a very effective and more subtle way of portraying the theme of ‘Covert and Obscure’. What I find interesting about this photograph is that technically it is only a gate. However, because Cartwright has chosen to photograph a gate that looks ‘battered’ and run down, this immediately makes the image a lot more interesting. Another aspect of the image that really interests me is the incapability of being able to see what is behind the gate. This gives the image a sense of mystery, by making the viewer want to know what is behind the gate. This is an idea that I would like my set of photographs to portray because I feel like it would convey the theme of ‘covert & Obscure’ very well. All of the gate is in focus in the image and this is also how I would like to compose some of my images, as I feel that by being able to see the majority of the gate, its power is emphasised, despite the fact that it is technically only a piece of metal. In addition to this, Cartwright has ensured that the image is well exposed in order for details of the gate to be clearly seen. I feel this is an important aspect that I will have to make sure is correct when I take my own set of images, in order to make sure my photos look as professional as possible, in order to convey the theme of ‘Covert and Obscure’ to the best of my ability.

Initial Photos For Idea 2

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Image 6

Image 7

Image 8

Image 9

Image 10

Evaluation of Initial Photos For my second idea, I wanted to continue to portray the theme of privacy as a smaller theme of Covert and Obscure’. I also wanted to photograph objects rather than people. I decided that I wanted to photograph different types of gates and barriers. I thought this would be a more interesting approach to the theme because barriers physically prevent people from seeing things, on a larger scale. Firstly, I photographed barbed wire, (Images 1, 2, 3 & 4), using my set of close up lenses in order to show as much detail as possible of the barbed wire. I decided to photograph the wire because although it is not a heavy or tall form of barrier, it contains a danger of pain if someone was to try and get past it. Therefore, it fulfils the concept of preventing people from entering somewhere, such as private property. When I was taking the photographs I had to ensure that I adjust the shutter speed according to the aperture that I selected that would enable certain parts of the wire to be in focus. I feel that I done this well, as I am very happy with how the initial photos turned out. I then adjusted the clarity and temperature of the images on Photoshop, in order to emphasise the detail of the wire. I feel this enhanced the images, making them look a lot more defined and prominent. Secondly, I visited London, and photographed gates outside the Houses of Parliament/Big Ben, (Images, 5, 6 & 7). I chose these gates for my subject matter because I loved how extravagant they looked, and the importance that they have. I experimented with taking the photographs at different angles in order to create a sense of diversity, as well as conveying different parts of the gate and it’ surroundings. For example for image 7, I composed the photograph in a way that enabled Big Ben to be visible in the background. I thought this would be significant as it illustrates what the gate is protecting, and reinforces its main purpose of security. In addition to this, I also angled the image so that the sun light would shine through gaps in the gate. I really liked how this look as I feel it makes the photograph look more aesthetically pleasing as well as appealing.

Evaluation of Initial Photos Continued

Finally, I decided to photograph the gates surrounding Buckingham Palace (Images 8, 9 & 10) as I also felt that they signified a tremendous amount of importance. Although the gates themselves look a lot more eccentric than the previous images I took , I don’t really like how they turned out as much as I do the others. I feel that the composition of image 9 in particular could have been improved, however I had to take the photo at that angle in order to not photograph tourists that were standing by the gates. On the other hand, I feel that image 10 works a lot better, and this is possibly due to the low angle that I took it on. I feel like the image portrays the gate as having lots of power because it enables the viewer to easily imagine that they are there, looking up at the gate - almost as if they are trapped by it. On the whole, I am quite happy with the outcome of my second set of ideas for my photography exam, as I ffel they look quite professional as I ensured they were all correctly exposed before I took the photographs. However, in order to make the images conform more to the theme of ‘Covert & Obscure’ I will have to develop them in very creative ways to express the meanings of them well.

Developmental Photos For Idea 2

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Image 6

Image 7

Image 8

Image 9

Image 10

Evaluation of Developmental Photographs for Idea 2

After taking and simply editing my initial set of photographs for idea 2 of my photography exam preparation, I discovered that I would have to develop them in interesting and unique ways in order to reinforce the theme of ‘Covert and Obscure’. I brainstormed ways in which I could successfully do this and came up with two techniques that I could use in order to develop my images further to ensure they were as appealing as possible. I wanted to maintain the smaller theme of secrecy in the images, so therefore based the developments on this theme. The first technique that I decided to use when developing the photographs, was to print them out and rephotograph them, with wire wrapped around them. I used this technique to develop images 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9 – the majority of my set of photographs. I felt that this technique worked quite well because my aim was to obscure parts of the image with the wire, which I feel I successfully done. I wanted to achieve this in order to add depth to the image, as well as giving it an almost three-dimensional look. To do this, I bent some parts of the wire to create a curve, and then wrapped the wire around the images. I believe that by doing this it resulted in my photographs becoming a lot more interesting to look at, and would therefore interest my viewers more. I think that the obscuring of some of the images with the wire worked well as a development because it makes it difficult for some parts of the photograph to be seen. Therefore it requires the viewer to look closer at the image – maintaining their interest in the image, as well as portraying the theme ‘Covert and Obscure’. I believe this technique worked really well and in addition to this, it would be a realistic technique that I could use to develop my final outcomes, in the duration of my exam. This is because I would be able to bring the wire into college and easily rephotograph the images in one of the studios, within my allocated exam time.

Evaluation of Developmental Photographs for Idea 2 - Continued

The second technique that I used to develop the remaining photographs was one that I also used in my idea 1 exam preparation developments. First of all I printed images 3, 5 and 10 out, and burned the edges of them in order to portray the idea of destruction. However, I only burnt the edges of the photographs to illustrate the idea that the gates still remain standing due to how strong they are. This portrays the idea that they serve their purpose well, of protecting things/places/people and maintaining a sense of security. I then placed the photos on water and allowed them to float. Next, I re-photographed the images, ensuring that I adjusted the aperture and shutter speed on my camera first of all to make sure the image was correctly exposed and in focus. I also made sure that the flash was not on, in order to prevent any flashbacks/reflections from the water. I really like how the images turned out after being developed in this way because I believe it enhances their prominence. In addition to this they conform to the theme of ‘Covert and Obscure’ because the viewer is unaware as to why the photos have been burned, or the reason why the images are floating on the water. The true meaning is hidden, but I believe I have composed the images in a way that enables my viewers to interpret their own meanings and understandings of the images. Finally, I am very happy with how my developmental photographs for idea 2 have turned out as I feel they have enhanced my images with the theme of ‘Covert and Obscure’. After experimenting with different techniques in idea 2, I think it would be beneficial for me to use the developmental technique of re-photographing images with wire wrapped around them. I think this because not only does the wire obscure some parts of the images, but the wire itself can be used as a form of security, which reinforces the purpose of gates and barriers – to prevent people from entering private property, or to keep someone or something safe and protected.