In this project I chose to mimic the straight photographer Ansel Adams because of the drastic difference in composition from my typical style - an attempt to push my abilities so to say. I usually begin a photograph by getting as close to the subject as a can, going to the widest angle I can shoot at with the fastest aperture I can possibly use. From viewing the Adams photographs on display at the CCP, I noticed that most have perfectly straight lines, every tone from black to white, and do not rely on subject matter to be outstanding. I also learned that he commonly used colored filters to achieve a desired effect, which helped a lot when developing the pictures. While Adams would have advocated for no manipulation of the images, I do not own a film camera so I had to improvise in order to create images akin to a large format camera at an extremely small aperture. The use of HDR (a composition of two or more images taken at different exposure times to create an image more like that of the human eye (or not)) is usually associated with bright supersaturated and manipulated colors, but I have used it here to create a more natural image than would have been possible with my camera.
The main difference between my Adams-styled images and the real deal is that I still refuse to give up my 16 mm wide angle! I can't do perfectly straight lines and no vignetting it just does not appeal to me, so while I tried to actually use the fancy fancy zoom feature, I still prefer the shortest setting on my lens even for landscapes.
These are really awesome images. I love the usage of stereograph and HDR imaging - it adds extra intensity and really can make any scene pop and look stunning. I love how these scenes are of simple landscape and architecture, but are absolutely astounding in their sharp and vivid contrast and extraordinary detail. Great job and taking straight photography's appealing and making your own unique images.
ReplyDelete--Vicki Ferrary