Final Pieces & Evaluations

Final Images

The South East

Newhaven

Crane

This image of Newhaven is probably one of my favourites, because it shows how waste is heavily increasing to an unorthodox level. Like all of my other images I utilised the use of HDR to enhance the strength and sharp detail in the photo. I used the 'Exposure Fusion' process on Photomatix for this photograph as I wanted to create a painting like ambiance to it. I designed it like this because I wanted to link a direct correlation between my work and the work of landscape artists that predated the industrial era. I did not see my images as replicas of the beautiful work of these artists, instead I was aiming to show a contrast between the beautiful landscapes that they once painted and the harsh industrial reality of today. A way in which I aimed to differentiate my work from that of landscape artists was by reducing the vibrant colours, choosing a grey overcast day to shoot on and selecting an unattractive, industrial, angular subject. Ideally I would have liked to have been to get closer to this scrap heap or failing that having a range of different focal lengths to capture a variety of different angles. 

   

Sewage Plant

The feeling that I tried to convey within this image was that of the stench that engulfed this entire area due to this sewage plant. I felt that by including the pale green grass in the bottom ⅓ and the enveloping darkness of the aggressive storm clouds in the top ⅓ I would be able to enclose this almost claustrophobic feeling to this open space. I emphasised the darkness of the clouds using the post-production technique of burning in. As in all of my other photographs, I severely reduced the colour saturation to overplay the foul nature of these industrial complexes. The aspect of the photograph that I like the most is composition of the three elements, foreground, mid-ground and sky. Also I feel the way that the centre of the complex stretches back towards the sewage treatment pools, creating a greater sense of depth in the middle of the image. 

I would have preferred to get closer as it would have allowed me to explore different elements of the structure itself as well as different compositions of the subject. Overall, I am relatively satisfied with the outcome of this image. 

Newhaven Industrial Landscape

With this picture I am trying to convey a feeling of lifelessness by combining the still, grey water that reflects the grim, dead polluted sky, with the incinerator in the background belching hazardous chemicals into the atmosphere that is creating the giant cloud of pollution that is suffocating the small port town of Newhaven. I feel that the fishing boats entering and leaving the harbour convey a sense of movement and struggle for life both physically and economically. This is another image that I wanted to give the impression of a painting, to be in keeping with my theme of pictorialist landscape art. In order to keep my images succinct I made sure that the colour vibrancy was toned right down to overplay the bleak lack of beauty that I wanted to depict.

There was a slipway nearby that I would have liked to use for my positioning when taking the picture. However, the weather was poor as a result the slipway looked unsafe to walk on and as I was using college equipment I did not feel that it warranted the risk.

Shoreham

Shoreham

The message that I aimed to express through this image was that of how industrial complexes like this are a real eye-sore to the natural beauty surrounding them. Unlike my images from Newhaven which were intentionally void of all beauty, I wanted to retain an element of splendour to these images as Shoreham has not yet been completely destroyed by the increase of industries along its shoreline. In my opinion this image works well by combining elements of a beauty associated with coastal photography, like, reflections, with the ghastly site of imposing industrial structures pulled together with clever composition and editing techniques. Yet again I enabled the use of HDR during the post-production of this image and like all of my final pieces reduced the colour. However, I did keep the colour around the centre of the picture as I felt it helped to home in on the point of focus. 

Even though I am pleased with the outcome of this image I feel that the industrial complexes in the background and the storm drain in the middle of the photograph could have been more prominent. I reckon had I shot from a lower angle and moved closer in to the my focus point that it would have made it a more dominant feature.   

Shoreham Storm Drain

This is another of my favourite images from my final pieces. The reason behind this is I feel that, like my shot of the crane, it strongly conveys the message that I am trying to get across within my project. The way in which it does this is mainly to do with the composition as I purposefully made sure that the storm drain was the main focus point by placing it directly in the middle and lining it up with the horizon. The effect given by this is of an overpowering dominance pushing the beach and natural beauty to one side, not to mention the emphasis on this drain expanding out into the ocean which I wanted to act as a symbol for the 3.1km sewage pipe that it sits upon.  Just like the pictorialists of the late 19th to early 20th centuries I used an array of techniques in order to add an artistic touch to my work. 

Being one of my favourites there is not much that I would change, yet I do feel that this had the tide been in the dramatic impact of this image would have been heavily increased. By the use of neutral density filters with moving water either side of this drain I would have been able to emphasise the symbolism of it stretching out into the sea. 

Front of the Storm Drain

Out of the three images I chose for my final pieces from the Shoreham shoot I feel this is the weakest. However, it does have its own personal impact and purpose. What I aimed to portray with this picture was the clear inefficiency of Shoreham's sewage disposal. I achieved this by focusing on the mouths of the storm drain and altering the colours to create a thick green slime that covers the foreground. I also used the sidewalls to angle the point of focus along this foreground of ill coloured liquid to the domineering mouths of the drain. Like all of my final pieces I added my own artistic style to make my images concise. 

My main issue with this picture is I do not feel that it is straight and the composition could be improved, were I to shoot this again I would make sure, by use of the grid on the camera display, that my images composition was perfect and well balanced. 

  

The South West

Wembury

Sacrificed Seabird

If I had to choose an overall favourite this would probably be it. My rationale for this is because of all the undertones that I wanted to convey within it. Firstly, I decided to position the bird upon a rock, in this manor, as it symbolises the sacrifice of this bird for our transgressions, just like Jesus was said to have sacrificed himself for our sins. Secondly, I chose these rocks as their colour and texture almost makes the bird blend into the background, which is a metaphor for how the death of this bird will go unnoticed by the vast majority of the population. Finally, I used a shallow depth of field to focus solely on the body and legs, leaving the head out of focus. Why I did this was to represent how the identity and life of this bird is a thing of the past as the face is associated with the identity of a being and now it is just another body to add to death toll of pollution.

Nonetheless, I still would like to change this image if I had the chance to re-shoot. What I would change is the composition as I feel that bird could be a bit more central in the image.

Bantham

Fish Scene

This image was based on one of my first ideas for a shoot towards this project. I wanted to create a dark, scene of fish surrounded by a sea of waste. I attempted to add symbolic connotations by the how I arranged the fish heads. I wanted them to symbolise gravestones as the marine life is the thing that ultimately suffers from the pollution of the ocean. I also intended to placed them with each of their eyes facing toward the lens to add a sense of despair and fear, not to mention adding to the hard-hitting nature I wanted my images to have. I placed rubbish in each of their mouths to enhance the feeling of these marine life suffocating by the vast amount of waste pollutes the oceans.

Like one of my images from Shoreham I feel that the fish need to be a more prominent factor within the picture. For instance, had got hold of more fish and coupled them closer together and/or made more than one row I may have been able to increase their dominance in the frame, not to mention had I taken a angled myself slightly above them I would have been able to reduce the background and foreground, ultimately improving the aesthetics of the image.

Book Front Cover

This is my least favourite image of my final pieces and was only included as a front cover for my book. The reason why I dislike this picture is because it does not say as much in comparison to my other final pieces. There are a number of things wrong with it, one being the focus point is not on the eye and the another being the disorderly fashion of the framing and objects in the shot.

Overall Conclusion

In conclusion, I believe that I had produced some strong images that are succinct with the basis of my project, the development of my ideas and the artistic style that I wanted to add to each image to make them unique to my own work. However, this project has been a big inspiration for me and I plan on undertaking various personal projects throughout holidays to, in essence, re-create an improve upon work that I have created for this project.