Levitation
Yowa Yowa
Natsumi Hayashi (photographer name Yowa Yowa) is a Japanese photographer who often takes photos of levitation. She uses a shutter speed of 1/500 or faster to capture still photos of herself hovering in midair and gets a friend to stand in the position she will be in in the photo so she can compose the shot. Then they swap positions and she asks them to press the shutter release button when she stands further than 10 seconds away from the camera and can't use the timer. When she is on her own and uses a timer, it takes her longer to get the right shot because she needs to jump at the right time just before the shutter is released.
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Yowa Yowa's photography is very experimental and is always different, which is why it's so interesting.
I used her work to inspire my own levitation images to help me accurately capture my intentions of the inhuman capabilities of hovering. Include: - a couple of sentences about Yowa Yowa about the type of work she makes and how she makes it - your opinions about her work and why - how you will use her work to inspire yours |
My Photos
The aim of this task was to make someone look like they were floating in midair, linking in with the theme of movement by capturing movement in a way that looks impossible by human nature. Using a fast shutter speed helps freeze the person so they look like they are hovering.
Not all of these photos came out as planned because they don't look completely natural and you can see the way he jumped or the umbrella turned inside out because of the wind. It was a cloudy grey day, so the lighting conditions aren't very ambient. Below are some of my best photos:
WWW: I took original photos incorporating levitation to show movement
EBI: Change camera angle and depth of field to give it more effect
Your depth of field is not a problem. Whilst the compositions are stronger in these images, I actually think you have some better images of levitating from your shoot than these. This is particularly because in both of these images, we can see the movement in his feet, which makes the images look like he is jumping, rather than levitating; a higher shutter speed would have been required. Look again at what you've shot and switch around? Keep one of these to discuss but definitely feature one of your other ones that looks like he's still in mid-air.
EBI: Change camera angle and depth of field to give it more effect
Your depth of field is not a problem. Whilst the compositions are stronger in these images, I actually think you have some better images of levitating from your shoot than these. This is particularly because in both of these images, we can see the movement in his feet, which makes the images look like he is jumping, rather than levitating; a higher shutter speed would have been required. Look again at what you've shot and switch around? Keep one of these to discuss but definitely feature one of your other ones that looks like he's still in mid-air.
Zoom Blur
Dominic Harris
Dominic Harris uses zoom blur to take surreal movement photos around cities. These are some photos from his London series.
My Photos
In this task I wanted to achieve a sense of movement without physical movement of the subject, myself or the camera itself. This effect is made by setting a slow shutter speed and zooming in or out of the subject whilst the shutter is open. To minimise camera shake I used a tripod so the only movement was from the zoom itself. It was relatively dark inside so the photos look slightly gloomy.
- Shutter speed: 1/4
- ISO 200
- f4.5/5.6
- Shutter speed: 1/4
- ISO 200
- f4.5/5.6
WWW: I captured zoom blur effectively
EBI: Take a more diverse range of photos from different angles or with the subject in other positions
Good combination of colours in the background converging into the distance! Try re-shooting to get your subject focused in the centre. You probably need to hold your hands even steadier.
EBI: Take a more diverse range of photos from different angles or with the subject in other positions
Good combination of colours in the background converging into the distance! Try re-shooting to get your subject focused in the centre. You probably need to hold your hands even steadier.
Movement of the Figure
Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman was an American photographer born in 1958. In her images she shows people, often herself, in ethereal settings, and uses long exposure to capture movement. She committed suicide at age 22.
In this photo you can see a self portrait of Francesca Woodman, showing herself as a ghostly figure falling to the floor in an empty room. By capturing this supernatural imagery, Woodman makes you think of her mental state, and how at this point in her life it was deteriorating. This is shown through her movement, without showing her face. Her collapsing to the ground could symbolise how she feels her life is falling apart, and enhances the ideas of death and mental health that she explores through her photography. She made herself vulnerable in her photos, and it shows how the distortion of the image reflects real life and you can't always be sure of what's going on below the surface.
Woodman's use of black and white makes the image more effective as it signifies her life having all the colour removed from it due to her depression. This makes her series of images powerful and moving.
Good analysis!
Woodman's use of black and white makes the image more effective as it signifies her life having all the colour removed from it due to her depression. This makes her series of images powerful and moving.
Good analysis!
My Photos
In this series of photos I wanted to replicate the imagery of Francesca Woodman's photos and create surreal, ghostlike images which I could then edit in Photoshop.
Originals |
Edited |
Editing method
First I took the original photo and edited the size of it in Photoshop to make it easier to manage.
I then changed the contrast of the colours of the original photo in black and white, so the whites are more vibrant and the darker colours appear more black.
Finally I changed the levels of the photo to balance the contrast and make the photo look more effective.
Fantastic image and step-by-step description of how you achieved it. Well done! Describe what the strengths of this image are and why you've selected this one as the best.
Fantastic image and step-by-step description of how you achieved it. Well done! Describe what the strengths of this image are and why you've selected this one as the best.
This image is the most effective because similar to Francesca Woodman's photos, there is no face detail showing. The background looks creepy and deserted, and her hair is moving in a way that looks unnatural. The balance of the black and white colours is also similar to Woodman's style. However, her body is quite transformed and distorted and looks slightly inhuman, whereas in Woodman's photos it is usually clearer that the subject is a person.
GIFs
A GIF is multiple images placed in sequence to make an animated picture, which appears to move like a video. This links to the theme of movement, as the images appear to move when they are placed one after the other.
Romain Laurent
Romain Laurent is a French born photographer who also makes GIFs and cinemagraphs. I like his work as it is creative and illusionary.
My GIFs
In making this GIF I tried to capture Katya so it appeared like only her arm and face were moving, but still coming across as realistic.
The background didn't change in this GIF and she is well centred with the lighting remaining the same. One of my favourite parts of this GIF is the way her eyes stay in almost the same place in all the shots, as if her face is frozen. I could have made sure she was completely in focus for all the shots and incorporated more colour to make the images more vibrant. I then made another GIF using one of my light painting photos. I used more colour when editing, but in some places the image looks a bit grainy, and it isn't completely centred. |
Light Trails
Michael Bosanko
Michael Bosanko does light painting photography, using torches to create designs over ordinary scenery. He uses a slow shutter speed to capture all the light.
Bosanko creates uplifting, beautiful imagery, over plain backgrounds. This makes us consider perspective, and how something that doesn't appear necessarily interesting at first can be transformed. |
My photos
In these pieces I created original ideas for my drawings and they mostly came out clear. Some of them have some of the surroundings or background lit up which could be corrected to make them stand out even more.
Light Trail GIF
Through this GIF I wanted to achieve the theme of movement to make it look like the growth of a flower. I started off with simple shapes which I then overlaid and put in a sequence to make the GIF. I think the images are effective and I combined them well to make the GIF look like the growth of a flower, however on the last image, some of the blue light is dispersed and makes the image look slightly grainy. |
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Movement Developments - Final Piece
Travelling Without Moving
In this GIF, I wanted to make it appear like the distance between the subject and the camera didn't change as she moved, other than when I came closer in to her and span around her.
I wanted to make a short piece of movement coming down the stairs into the street. I like how the photos came out, as I used the flash to create a bright atmosphere which contrasted to the dark background. I wanted the camera to replicate the eyes of someone following her. Near the end I like how the rain fell on the camera as it emphasised more of the movement I was trying to capture. I made it look like we stayed the same distance apart and told a story through the images.
I could have edited the photos separately before putting them into the give because the exposure and brightness isn't the same in all of the photos making it look slightly unbalanced.
I wanted to make a short piece of movement coming down the stairs into the street. I like how the photos came out, as I used the flash to create a bright atmosphere which contrasted to the dark background. I wanted the camera to replicate the eyes of someone following her. Near the end I like how the rain fell on the camera as it emphasised more of the movement I was trying to capture. I made it look like we stayed the same distance apart and told a story through the images.
I could have edited the photos separately before putting them into the give because the exposure and brightness isn't the same in all of the photos making it look slightly unbalanced.