The theme of
my project was based around familiar places that are particularly memorable to
me. The first stage was to gather secondary research from various sources I
then began to experiment with different techniques. I then planned a series of
shoots in different locations so that I could gather primary research.
As part of
my secondary research, I decided to explore the concept of Genius Loci which
means spirit of place. To get inspiration for this I researched photographers
such as Michael Kenna and Simon Norfolk, I also looked at the work of the
painter J M W Turner. Their work inspired me to change direction and explore
landscape photography. I produced a timetable of shoots, which involved
visiting separate locations around Blackburn and Darwen, to establish the best
locations.
I decided to
use a tripod, to support my DSLR, which would help me to create steady images.
I shot the original photographs In colour. I then sorted through the images and
selected the shots that I was pleased with. I experimented with the images in Photoshop
and changed them to determine whether black and white or colour worked best. I
preferred the black and white images because it brought out the definition in
the scenery. By cropping the images, altering the tone and removing unwanted
items I was able to improve the images.
The theme of
memorable places inspired me to visit areas that I had not been to for several
years. I would like to further develop my work, by looking at more secondary
research, and by visiting and photographing places which mean something to
other people, to see if this has any impact, on the way that I compose the
photograph.
