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.