Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

Photography has been dominant in my life from when I can remember, being inspired by my Grandad to take photos of things I find visually appealing and having my primary school photos filled with landscapes and pieces of art work instead of friends proves this. From the moment I received my first digital camera it was attached to my hand and I was forever taking photographs, some better then others I must admit. Once I bought my first SLR my passion exploded and this is when it all kick started, with my passion to learn more I began to play around with the settings of my camera, pushing its limits and trying to get the most out of it allowing me to create beautiful pieces of art. 

I can not say there isn't an aspect of photography I love, I am always looking for new techniques and ways of photographing but unfortunately I don't have as much access to equipment as I'd like. For me, a photograph should leave you questioning what you have just seen and always draw the viewer in and keep them interested for them to study it long enough. There is that satisfied feeling you get when you've captured a brilliant photograph, especially when its portraying an emotion of some sort. Knowing that photography is the career path I wanted to take from the age of fifteen I began to better myself so I would be of a standard to start receiving jobs, my first serious job was a wedding when I was sixteen years old. There was a lot of pressure on me as a wedding is a big responsibility but my clients loved the photographs and I was pleased with the outcome. I want to reach a professional standard and be able to push myself to my limits. I believe your program would help me progress into the photographer I want to be, allowing me to explore techniques and push boundaries to achieve great outcomes with my photography. I want to have the confidence within my work to approach clients with a business head and being able to say exactly what I'm going to do and know how I want to do it.

Your lips cut a smile on your face.

While exploring studio techniques at college, one of the assignments was to recreate well known fashion images. After watching Rankins documentary 'Seven Photographs That Changed Fashion' it sparked my love for fashion photography, so when I was set this task I felt pretty confident in my knowledge of well known photographers. I decided to recreate images by Rankin and David Bailey as I am inspired and love their work along with their achievements within the industry. In the Bailey photograph the key to this photo was to get the shadows right, after playing around with the strength and positioning of the lighting I managed to get something which resembled the original which I am pleased with as it is a strong photo with lots of contrast. With the Rankin photo, I wanted to capture the 'craziness' within his face and feel I have achieved this. Using the wide angle lens I was able to create a similar effect to the original photo and bring out the detailing when adding more contrast.

Staying out til AM, hanging out with best friends.

My camera goes everywhere with me, which results in me experimenting with techniques with my friends while on outings. This is one image and has not been edited in the slightest, I created it by having a 30 second exposure, I then used a torch and drew the lettering I wanted, I had to write it backwards for it to appear correct onscreen, and then used a burst of light from my flash gun to capture me in the image when I got closer to the lens. I love this photo, simply because its fun and was not taken for any purpose or reason , it shows my passion and love for photography to find new ideas and techniques while allowing me to grow through my eagerness to experiment.

Love and marriage goes together like a horse and carriage.

 

I've been lucky enough to have the opportunity to photograph a few weddings and in my opinion it is one of the most important days in a persons life so the photographs have to be something extra special and exciting! Before I begin to photograph I like to take a look at the areas in which I can take photos, where I consider what would be a nice setting, how the lighting would look, including how the shadows will fall and what I can do with what I'm using such as the bride and groom or maybe the dress. I try to use natural light when possible so you can get the soft highlights and shadows, although I may add a very dull burst of light just to light up the darker areas. I love the shallow depth of field on the hands which has created a slight bokeh effect with her bracelet, there is lots of detailing in this image which makes it stand out more and draw you into the photo.

To dream another sunset with you.

This mesmerising sunset is one of my favourite photographs that I've taken, I spent a great deal of time and effort to create this magical photograph. It was snowing when I took the photo, but I couldn't miss out on the gorgeous sunset. The silhouette could be a few things, it looks like she has mini wings on her back which give a fairytale feel to the photograph, or a 'Mary Poppins' look because of the umbrella and also it looks like she could be a ballerina. I like the fact it leaves you questioning what she is meant to be, which lets your imagination run wild with the possibilities. The colours in the background make the photo stand out, the gradient from blue to orange has worked perfectly creating a very pale purple in the middle.

Black velvet and that little boy's smile.

As part of my project for college, the brief was to create a series of magazine page layouts so I decided to create a spread which had the theme of alternative fashions as I had easy access to similar models that would fit well into my ideas. I wanted a simple and clean layout to help the photographs stand out and draw the attention straight to them, I used a theme throughout the magazine, keeping to the black, white and red fonts with a little detailing to fill out the pages. I created the graphics using a tablet, and having a little help as I am new to using such things, I wanted them to fit in with layouts I'd created so I used a tattoo style and then some lace which compliment each page nicely.

Shadow of the day.

There is something really striking about this photo, the neutral colours contrast with the harsh repetitive shadows which create a sense of perspective drawing you into the subject, from toe to face. The setting seems secluded and mysterious which makes the photo feel as though it is like his own little world where he goes to contemplate life and be on his own. I used only natural lighting because of the power of the sunshine at that time of day, it keeps the photograph subtle and I thought he was lit up beautifully anyway.

Even if it leads nowhere.

One of my projects at college was 'Journey Through Photography' where I learnt about photography from the beginning. For my final piece, I had to explore a range of techniques that I'd been learning and develop a few of them into my own photo. I've always had an interest in experimenting with lighting, which resulted in me playing around with my flash gun in some woodlands. I wanted to create an 'over detailed' photograph by lighting up different areas of the woodland in different ways, creating multiple shadows and highlights. I added the material and person into the photo to add some contrast with the natural colours, I think the bright red has worked well against the green. Parts of the photo are over and under exposed but I like that they're different detailing in the photo as it looks like there are lots of different light sources when it was all created with my flash gun.

See the world in blue and green.

There are a lot of contrasts within theses images, such as the vibrant hair in the main photo on the pastel colours in the background. This helps the photograph stand out and then draws you into the subject. The shallow depth of field makes the subject more dominant and creates a beautiful crisp focus. I got this effect by using a 50mm f1.4 lens, the zoom sometimes restricts your photo as you need room to stand back, but it creates an accurate sharp focus and allows lots of light in. The natural lighting was perfect, it was very strong with clear skies which helped the sunrays shine through.There is a warm and summer feel about theses photos, the bright but subtle lighting source created this gorgeous yellow tint effect on the photos and really brought out the blues in the photo as well. It was winter so the sun began to set a lot earlier which meant it was quite low and created a stunning dusty flare. The low light also allowed me to create sun flares, adding more of a warm feel to the photographs, and also brought some new colours to the photo.

Pretty girls make graves.

There is such elegance within this photo, its beautiful. From the focus on her eyes which capture you and keep your eyes locked on hers, to the perfect skin and bone structure to the glamorous and flowing ginger hair. The innocent feel is contrasted with the green eyes which could represent envy. I like how the focus is quiet shallow but is very soft and compliments the rest of the photo. This was taken in my own time, at home where I don't have as much access to equipment as I do at college, so I experimented with my own light sources, using lamps and positioning them in areas where it would compliment her face, luckily I could move the neck of the lamp allowing a better range of angles. I was very surprised at the quality of my image when I was processing them considering they were done 'D.I.Y' style.

Smiles all round.

The loss of connection with the camera gives a feel of dazed and distracted, as though his mind is elsewhere, but somewhere he'd like to be giving the smile on his face. The feel of the photo co-insides with the 'day dreamer' expression, the flare which high lights his outline adds to the dreamy magical look the photo is giving off. The dark background contrasts with his pearly white smile, and the darkness in the photo suggests something much more sinister compared to his grin. My favourite part of the photo is the shallow depth of field and the outline created, I used a 50mm f1.4 lens to create this effect and think it compliments the photo beautifully. There is no meaning or purpose to this photo, it was a spur of the moment photograph where I saw the opportunity to capture the light flare.

And we headed into the party.

As a student looking for photography work I came across photographing night events such as club nights and birthdays. This usually involves assessing the light situation and keeping track of what my settings on my camera and flash gun are. I try to make the lighting which is already present still in the photo to add life to the photo as I feel a harsh flash gun can sometimes take the life and fullness out of a photograph. Communicating in a loud environment can be difficult but directing them through hand movements works just as well, the photographs on the right where taken on News Years Eve and I feel as though I captured a very ecstatic moment just after midnight!

I can't come home 'till they're singing.

Through this photo you can almost feel with all your senses the electric atmosphere leaping out of the photo. The bright colours, along with the setting allows the viewer to get an insight into the captivating event that was being portrayed. I like the way the picture is an explosion in itself portraying the atomic impact the band have on the crowd, creating a space for people to feel a passion and truly enjoy music. Even though there is noise in the photo due to the low lighting situation, I think the grain it has created fits in because of the repetition with the confetti. The fan in the crowd jumping and holding their arms out, adds extra energy to the photograph and a real sense of fun, showing the interaction between the crowd and the band on stage.