Final Evaluation

Still Life Level 5

Evaluation

To begin this project I worked with a Phase One camera capturing images of food. It was a project I felt much enthusiasm for at first, however the more I learnt about the project the more I realised there is to food photography than what meets the eye. I feel my final outcome was successful for the short amount of the time I was given. The set up and props used create a strong composition in terms of shapes and colours. Along with the relaxed feel of the image I felt natural lighting was most suitable. If I could improve the image or capture it again, I would experiment with preventing the light reflecting so much on the soup. I would also experiment with using a different set up as I feel the colours and ingredients would have also worked well with a white rustic table or lighter coloured objects surrounding as appose to dark woods.

Product photography without a doubt, has been the mini assignment I’ve struggled with most. This mini assignment and the food assignment where I also had to work in the studio have really helped me in choosing what path to go down in my final year of Level 6. For this image I simply used a shiny white surface to stand my product on and a white background. I used white boards either side of the product and a soft light slight left of centre to light the product. I chose to photograph the product in its packaging so the company name was on show. I feel it looks fairly successful however if I had more time to spend on this project I would have experimented with photographing the product out of the packaging, maybe with other props or advertising elements around it, as after all, product photography is about selling the item. 

The nature Morte/Vanitas assignment not only challenged my ability to work within the studio but it also challenged my ability to work within a team. Working within a team is something I found I excelled at. In order to create this image my team formed ideas then each member had a particular role in creating the image, such as Camera man, Capture one, and creating the set up. My role happened to be creating the set up. This was a vital role as we were trying to re-create the scene as similar as we possibly could to a Vanitas painting we had been set the task of re-creating. This was something I enjoyed and I can say I am proud of the outcome of the final image. I felt by this project I felt more comfortable in the studio, as I hadn't really been in the previous studio based assignments of food and product. 

I found my natural interest in our Documentary assignment and found most inspiration from the photographers I researched. My final image was influenced by the work of Stephen Gill who had created a body of work where he photographed betting slips and called it 'A series of disappointment'. Following this I chose to capture old pieces of paper such as receipts or bus tickets I found. For the mini assignment I chose to produce images of different bus tickets however following feed back I received in a group critique, I was told some of the images almost looked like flatbed scans because of the bold black background and the way the tickets were laid flat. As a result, for my final image for this project I’ve chosen to hand an image i took at home of a betting slip. What I like about the image is the way in which it is not laid totally flat. I like the contrast colours in the image and feel the half open fold creates real mystery in which the viewer is left questioning what is on the betting slip. 

Lastly digital archive was a project I thoroughly enjoyed and feel I would have excelled in more had I of had more time to explore the subject. I enjoyed researching contemporary digital montage work and liked the freedom to experiment. Here I have presented two out comes. Both outcomes I produced seemed to follow a creative fashion/advertising route. My preferred outcome is a collage where I have created a digital mood board, however I felt it did not show my photoshop skills as they are simply images taken as they are and layered on top of one another. The second image shows my creative ability to use photoshop and create a digital composition. What I also prefer about my first outcome is the fact I have used some of my own images where as the second composition is images I took from the internet. I definitely feel I would have been able to create something like this using my own images if I had more time. I feel this style of work is really the only time I could allow myself to enjoy capturing 'product' style shots.


I enjoyed writing my own brief for this project, as i chose documentary still life photography. My main inspiration came from the work of Nigel Shafran. I feel my outcomes were successful, i followed very closely to a project Nigel had created himself called suburban garages but made it my own by capturing more interesting and unique garages in the more run down areas of Hartlepool. To expand this project if I had more time I would have liked to have created a contrasting project by capturing images of garages doors of the more ‘well off’ homes of hartlepool as I feel they would have worked well in a series along side the images I have already produced. Although at the very begging of the project I felt I had more enthusiasm and interest in the commercial side, through the mini assignments and practical work I have come to realise my true vocation in this degree is the pathway of fine art. I feel this is also a sensible route to take in relation to the subject I have chosen for my dissertation. I naturally prefer to challenge and address currant day issues or real life situations in my work as appose to working within a studio making advertising images for a consumer market.