a final idea for development

This is a basic idea of what I would like to do in order to present my images.

I think the frame really creates something more interesting but at the same time does not take too much away from the photographs, so it enhances them and really shows them off to the best.

When it comes to the gallery pages then there will be a number of frames on the wall depending on how many are in a collection. Also there will be a photographed wall that these frames and photographs will be hung on. This will give me the crisp and sharp look that I wanted but at the same time it will also have something a little more than a white background to look at.

I am also going to test this concept with darker backgrounds but I do believe that the white is best. I am going to continue trying the Logo and also I am going to keep this Font as I believe that it is legible and still works with the swirly FONT. So this is my final idea starting point and I am going to continue developing from that.

I also think the mirror image will work really well for my image text on the galleresque wall and so I am going to try that.

developed idea

all images from google images

I have been thinking about other ways to present my work that are not too complicated and don't distract from my actual images that I am trying to show, so my idea is to have my gallery page background of a pure white wall, almost like a gallery.

I am going to photograph a selection of frames and then place my images inside them and the put back onto wall.

This is to replicate the idea of images on a gallery on a wall and because I am purely using this as a gallery site, this would work really well.

logo

The reason that I chose this style of writing as my LOGO was because I wanted to keep it very simple and something that most people could read.

The other thing that caught my eye while going through all the different fonts was that the middle letter looks like an "a" and my middle name is Ann. This works and almost spells out the intitals of all three of my names and so I really like this and think it is what I am going to use for the Logo.

I also like the black writing on white and believe that this is clean, sharp and looks very classy in its presentation.

So this is my starting point and I am going to work on it form here, maybe have a play with graphichs just to see if it can be jazzed up in anyway.

another design

I have decided to give puttting something on my background a try to see if that would make it seem a little more interesting. I added one of my photographs to the background and then placed a central box over the top just so I could lay all my pictures out and they wouldn't look too heavy with the background. I do like the added effect to the right hand side of the screen but the only thing is at times I find the eye drawn to that before anything else and so this means the photographs are not getting noticed straight away. I like the font that has been used as it does seem to go with the LOGO but the only thing is not everyone would be able to read that as easy and so that could cause a few problems on a web page. But black, white and grey tones are definitley working for me and so I have just got to play around with those and work something out.

initial web designs

This is my initial design for a web site page, I really like this idea of keeping things really simple and everything laid out so anyone can navigate their way around it.

The only thing that I think with this is, it is far too basic and possibly needs something that will make it stand out a little more.

I like the little logo in the corner and so I think that I am going to keep that and develop upon all the elements slightly.

I am still thinking about keeping the black and white and just tweaking all the little details as I go along.

vector graphics

Unfortunatley due to a loss of hardrive material through a broken hardrive it means that I have no examples of Vector Graphics to show but I did create quite a few designs.
Vector Graphics are created using shapes in illustrator and what I really liked about using this was you could control quite alot about these graphics.
You can do things like change the colours that are within your graphics, you can continuously alter the size of the shapes and a thing that I thought was a really good thing was, if you created things like stars, you can determin how many points are on that. So you can go from 5 points up to as many as you like and this creates some really interesting shapes.
The only negative point that I have about using these is that quite alot is happening with the shapes plus all the factors, which means that once again I am not going to achieve the clean and crisp look that I want within my web pages and so I will not be using these.

symbols

These were created using web2 and these are very good for creating things like buttons and drawing attention to areas.

I like the gradient that falls across them and highlights certain parts of the shape, it creates 3D effects.

The only thing with these are that they are very clumpy and so they look a little heavy for sites that need to be a little delicate.

Quite alot of web 2 is like this and so I do not think that these will work for my site and the design. Again it was something interesting to learn and try.

larger image

This is what one of the images would look like if in theory it was clicked on and then opened as a bigger image.

This is definitley a really good way of displaying images on a web page and this really is a good idea.

images as thumbnails

Another thing that we had a go at trying was taking your images, making them into thumbnails as a way to view all image and then by clicking on them in theory you would be able to view larger versions of the images.

I really like this idea because it gives people a quick bitesize idea of what your work is like and then there is the idea of the interaction and the person sliding the thumbnails across and clicking on them to open the main one.

The other thing that I really like about these is that if they are on a main page it is one less click for the viewer to have to do in order to get to your gallery and normally there is the 3-click rule.

I think also it can work when mixing up your black and white images with your colour images.

So i think this is a possible consideration for my final design and I will play with it a little more as time goes on.

using images as headers, buttons and main focus

This was an image that I shot last year on saltdean beach and I decided that I would use this image for something else. When just playing with the idea of the basic Layouts, I decided to place a section of the image into my header and use it as the background to my name.

Although I think that it is a really nice way of using photographs, I decided that once again the background becomes distracting and so you lose sight of things like names and logos which are really important things.

I believe that I would keep my site to minimal colour and keep the logos and text really clean and crisp. Also keeping along the gallery side that is also another reason to keep sites really sharp.

So I do not think that I would be using this method for my final design, maybe more for a header on a blog or email.

using brushes

This is me using brushes that were downloaded from the internet and these are in the form of Grunge style. I made this page 1600x 1000 pixels becuase this is the best size to fit most monitors and things can be viewed easily.

I really like the use of these and think you can really create some interesting designs. I decided to put an image from my portfolio on the page just to see how they would interact with the images. My personal opinion is that the brushes are slightly distracting from the main image and that is not the best thing to do for your work. Again I think that this is a case of more simple ideas winning and being used just purely because my site is going to be used for gallery purposes. I want all of this to be about my images and not the surrounding area.

WIRE FRAMING

This was a really good way of getting your head around the idea of a basic layout of the website.

There were so many possible things that I could have done and so i sketched a few and annotated them, this really put my mind into thinking about how these should look purely as shells to start with. Key elements within the design is where things like your logos, navigation bars, name and gallery are going to go.

vector backgrounds

These vector backgrounds were downloaded from a site that is full of different designs.

I don't think that I would use Vector backgrounds because I am thinking about keeping my site purely as a gallery because I want to become a forensic photographer and I don't need a site to sell my work just display it.

I think texture in this form may be a little complicated or heavy for what I am doing but I think it is a very interesting thing to play with.

WEB DESIGN

This was one of the first things that we did in our web design lesson and what we did was look at texture and the idea of placing text ontop of texture and linking the two.

Texture in web design:
Volume, depth, patter and colour to evoke different emotions

Evoking surfaces

Promotes emotion
Creates ambience
Adds depth- 3D

We were given a sheet which gave a list of titles and what we had to do was find a picture of texture that we thought would relate to that title and then we had to find a font that worked well with the word and also the textured image it would be placed on.

Also we could change things like opacity and contrast to really make it stand out or blend into the texture.

my first shot

This is for the line when the room is quiet.

I like this idea of dark and dingy, you can just make out what is there and it keeps you there long enough to try and take in the surrounding scene.

The use of a raw bulb I decided upon because, it was incorperating this idea of something that would eventually burn out and fade.

Earlier contact sheet

I decided to just shoot something a few weeks previous, using the same location and outfit.
This was to just give me an idea of what I was working with and to get my model used to the space of shooting.
My initial idea was going to be a panorama of the room and the man progressing around that and so you are seeing the transition. But when we shot a few I soon realised that although the location was perfect, there was an issue with the space to create all these images and not have to stay in the same area too many times. So it got me thinking back to the mirrors I liked using and so I decided to have smashed mirror pieces and by reducing colour and slightly distorting imagery they could go into each of the pieces and it could be representational of all the pieces of his life smashing apart.

more contact sheets

The first contact is half more of the corner shots and the second half is photographs to represent, "when the room is quiet" and i decided to just shoot the hanging light. I shot it in complete darkness and with a little bit of light. Its this idea of something illuminating something but eventually it will burn out (a little bit like the man). Also I took a couple of shoots of it just slightly illuminating the bed, with thrown over sheets to show that someone was in there. It is the first shoot and creates this atmospheric and moody shot to set up the scene and it almost looks like you have just walked into the room.

Just for another idea, using the same light I photographed the model sitting by the light writing in a book. People say writing is a good release and it could be the "ghosts"that are going in that book.

So the first contact sheet is the continuation of the mirror smashing scene.

The second contact is of the man wound up in the corner and this is for the line, now i find myself alone, the simple life is no longer there.

I wanted this idea of you not seeing the identity of the man again and just seeing the tension in his body and its almost as though his "ghosts" are forcing him into a corner he cannot get out of. Again I used the lamp light and a bare bulb to get this harsh colourcast and shadows.

The first contact sheet is a continuation of the mirror smoking scenes as I wanted this to be perfect.

The next contact sheet is lining up my second to last shot.

I had this idea that i wanted a broken mirror with all the images in the shards at the end and so by the model smashing the mirror on the second to last image make the assumption that he was the result of this broken mirror. Especially after you see him trying to smash it with one of his alcohol bottles. All this tension building up and up, he has to let it go in the end.

I decided I wanted this image blurred to really create this sense of fast movement but you could still see what was happening.

further contact sheets

I decided that for my Ghost scenes I was going to use shadows after all my research into the images that I had seen.

So we used the standing figure over the door and the hands reaching out, this is as though another part of him is coming back to get him and this was putting that scare factor into the mans mind.

For the line when my chance came to be king, I decided to show the man smoking a cigarette in the mirror, Mirrors are seen as a vanity item but they are also a self reflective item.

Cigarettes are normally a way of controlling stress and nerves, so although you have this idea of him trying to regain composure by smoking and looking at himself, there is still something looming.

The other shot in this series is the line, when i'm feeling nervous and i decided to represent a tensed hand, this again adds to the fragmented feel but almost makes you feel uncomfortable.

from january 4th 2010 until february 2010

During this period of time I shot my pictures for this project and below are the contact sheets that I have produced from my images.

These images are for the scenes daylight almost gone and the rain it never stops.

I decided to show my male fragmented for most of the scenes until the end as I wanted this tension to build throughout the images.

So for daylight almost gone he is looking out the window and watching it change, the same as the quick transaction of the days of his life pass.

For the rain it never stops I decided the ideas of tears would be really effective, you only see the eye and the tear rolling down the cheek. THe only problem was we couldn't enhance the tear enough without overflooding with light and so I am going to enhance it all in photoshop.

Storyboards

planning for shoot progressing 12th December onwards

After continuing to research all the things that I liked, it was now time to start making decisions about what I was shooting.
I decided I was going to shoot my project on Location and this would be using my digital SLR which is a NIKON D80.
I have decided to go with the idea of someone slowly breaking down with each of the shots as though something is coming back to them and playing on their sanity.
I think it needs to be one man and all the images based in one room.
I like this idea of raw lights and so I think I am going to use a lamp in the room and the harsh bedroom lighting.
I have decided that I am going to use shadows to represent the ghosts as it is another image of oneself.
These will hopefully be cast using raw bulbs in lamps and torches.
I am also going to use mirrors for ones self reflection and also the idea of someone trying to smash it at the end.
You will see the model all over this one room, sitting down, standing up and laying down.
It is this idea of not being in one place and moving all over like his state of mind.
I am chosing a man to model because the lines like when my chance came to be king will be really good for a male character and they are strong lines.
I am hoping the images will make the audience feel a little clostraphobic being in the same room all the time as though there is no escape.
I think we could possibly show the male near the closed door, to give a sense of no escape.

10th December

I really like this idea of playing with mirror and these could definitley represent the idea of reflection and self viewing.
The reflection can always reflect something else to what the eye can see.
I think that this could really be a big factor in my images and it would really make my points strong and understood.
My idea is starting to form the story of someone being in one place and you see their break down and they reveal a true character and actions as they go.

Also mirrors are a thing of vanity, you look in to see if things are good but sometimes they can be bad.

7th December

I have decided that I need much more visual imagry before I make any further decisions on what way I want my images to go.

One persons work that I absolutely love and think is a good reaearch point is John Hilliard.

"Camera Recording its Own Condition" (7 Apertures, 10 Speeds, 2 Mirrors) 1971.

This series consists of photos of Hilliard's own camera, taken using mirrors and different combinations of aperture and shutter speed. Hilliard's fingers can be seen operating the camera. Photography is both the medium and the subject of the work, giving not a picture of 'reality', but different versions of reality. (tate description)

confusion - 1997

The thing I absolutely love about Hilliards work is he uses two things in his images, he uses either mirrors or he uses depth of field fantastically and these give images real powerful views.

The confusion piece above draws you into this sense of connectiuon between the foreground and the background, but with the surrounding areas blurred it means that the characters are isolated and become your centre focus. Using light the billboard highlights the woman and the shape of her stance.

Using the light above the male figure, his main features are hidden in the shadows, which is almost considering the point of something lurking in the shadows but you can just about make outthe form and part of a face. Even though these people aren't standing together using all these techniques, it connects them by highlighting and drawing your eye to the foreground.

4th December

I was looking through the website at images that were really powerful and I came across a site called smashing magazine and i found they had so many beautiful images but there was a section that caught my eye.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/03/01/showcase-of-beautiful-shadow-photography/

Showcase Of Beautiful Shadow Photography

By Daved Brosche and Smashing Editorial Team

Vic Nicholas
I really like this picture because it this beautiful calm and scerene, but there is one man standing alone and by the shadow cast it give this slight errie element because it is almost like someone is standing on his shoulder and watching him.

But to us we can not see the detail of the person, only a black shilouette and so this just become a dark form in the shape of a human rather than an actual human.

Rosie HardyA very creative use of shadows to help portray a powerful feeling and emotion in this picture.

This picture is fantastic, I like the idea of the hands streatching out as thought they are going to grab the person that is curling up in the corner.

The hands are looking more like claws and so there is now this idea of a lingering attack at any moment.

Just using the shadows rather than actual hands makes this image more edgy because they distort and its like you are waiting for the owners of the hands to spring out.

Leley Noronha

I think that this picture is a lovely way of using shadows.

It is the shilouette of people standing together and it looks like fun and interaction of relationships.

This is not the way I would use shadows for mine but I think the picture is lovely.

Ciscophotography

The reason that I chose this image was that i liked the Ideas of Shadows representing these giants, so taking these women and transforming their form to something else due to realtion of the sun to them.

You start going onto the unusal, little people and massive shadows.

I found these amazing photographs and I really like the use of shadows in each of them.

This has got me thinking about my previous ideas, I am now starting to wonder if I can use this idea of shadows to represent my ghosts rather than flashbacks.

The reason that I think this will work well is because A shadow is

noun
1.
a dark figure or image cast on the ground or some surface by a body intercepting light.
2.
shade or comparative darkness, as in an area.
3.
shadows, darkness, esp. that coming after sunset.
4.
shelter; protection: sanctuary in the shadow of the church.
5.
a slight suggestion; trace: beyond the shadow of a doubt.
6.
a specter or ghost: pursued by shadows.
7.
a hint or faint, indistinct image or idea; intimation: shadows of things to come.
8.
a mere semblance: the shadow of power.
9.
a reflected image.
10.
(in painting, drawing, graphics, etc.)
a.
the representation of the absence of light on a form.
b.
the dark part of a picture, esp. as representing the absence of illumination: Rembrandt's figures often emerge gradually from the shadows.

I think its this whole idea of a dark form cast due to light being blocked.

So it is another representation of yourelf and by blocking out light you are blocking out all the good that is coming to you and that is why I am now considering to use Shadows as the representational 'GHOSTS'.

1st December 2009

I have been thinking about 'GHOST OF MY LIFE, BLEW WILDER THAN BEFORE' lyrics and have come up with an idea.

This is a scan of one of the pages in my diary, this idea of almost seeing through someones eyes and getting this glimps of a flashback that pulls you right into the heart of the story and i think that this could be really effective. The only concerns that I have with these images is that some may overlap with the other imagery within this project. Especially the eye that is shot because I am using that one to show, 'The Rain it never stops' which I feel will be really good to show tears running down someones cheek and it is this idea of uncontrolable emotion and someone letting the pain flow outwards.

I am still not 100 percent sure wether these pictures should be shot in black and white or colour and so i am going to shoot everything in colour and I can always make them black and white or sepia toned after in photoshop or lightroom. I will make my mind up once all my ideas are in place.

sat 28th/sun 29th Novemember 2009

This is the first time I have been able to log onto my Blog, so for all entries they will be dated above at when the work was done (I managed this by keeping a diary and it is easier to follow the flow)

My ideas were basic to start with and I really wanted to have more to them than shots line for line.

When people read the worst Ghosts they take it as something like casper, but for this the word ghosts is all about the reflectiveness of somebody and the past coming back.

I am going to have to plan how to achieve this an it be powerful as an image.