Pattern Work Diary

Pattern Work Diary

Evaluation

The main focus of this series of images was the formal element of Pattern. I like most of the images that I took because I think that they all demonstrate pattern in different and interesting ways. In particular I like the image of the patterns in the art department, and the photograph that I took of the building directly opposite the art department. I like the first image because it demonstrates pattern as you would expect to see it; a repeated image or line or object, which was in this case, a printed rose repeated on a long strip of paper. I liked the image of the building because it demonstrates how pattern is integrated into everyday life; the patterns one may not regularly take notice of.

Progression

If I were to revisit this topic I think that I would perhaps focus more on portraiture and clothing; capturing, perhaps, patterns within peoples eyes, their skin, their hair etc. As for clothing, I find fashion photography also highly interesting, and therefore may photograph people wearing different patterned prints; clashing patterns, patterned two-piece sets, hats, coats etc. I simply find the photography of people highly interesting. 

Texture Work Diary

Texture Work Diary

My main focus when taking these photographs
was the topic of Texture. In general, I rather quite like the images that I took in response to this topic, particularly the image of the wet gravel and the decaying brown flowers.

I think that my pavement image was successful as the observer can distinctly see that the pavement is wet and imagine the texture due to the level of detail captured in this image. As for the flower image, texture is shown due to the lighting which demonstrates the decay and deadness of the flowers, making them appear bristle and hard to the touch.

Progression

If I were to revisit the subject of texture in photography again, I would probably focus more on clothing and portraiture as these are the subjects in photography that I am most interested in. I find portraiture and fashion photography highly interesting, in how different textures and colours and themes can be explored through the subject of a person. 

Texture Straight Images

Texture Straight Images

I think that this is one of my best images for texture as the flowers both look as though they'd be very crusty and decayed and dry, due to the dull browns and the way the light shines on them. They're facing towards the light source in the room, almost as they would if they were living flowers. 

This is another of my favourite pictures that I took for the subject of texture. I like it because of how the dried paint looks against the dull grey colour of the paint palettes. I enjoy both the texture and colour of this image, as it features a range of muted and saturated tones. 

I like this image because of the way in which texture is demonstrated. The way that the light shines on the pavement makes it appear wet, allowing the viewer to decipher that it may have recently been raining. Therefore I believe that this image is very appealing to look at. 

This is one of my favourite images because of the level of texture that is featured. The rope looks so bristly and hard, and the dull lighting helps to emphasise this by accentuating the shadows of the image. The rope is visibly slightly fraying, which could also add to the idea that the rope is rough, difficult to hold. 

This is another of my best images as I like the way in which I have captured the bristles of the paint brush. They appear hard and rigid at the base of the brush, and worn and soft at the end. I like how the focus of the camera was on the bristles and not the brush handle also, as I feel it puts more more emphasis on the texture as a whole, rather than the entire image. 

Pattern Straight Images

Pattern Straight Images

I personally think that this is one of my best images for pattern as I like the level of saturation in the image and the fact that three distinct printed patterns are showcased. I took this photograph in the art department in college, and although I do not know who's art work it actually was, their work greatly inspired me around the subject of pattern. My main focus of this photograph was the pattern in the centre, which featured red roses. 

I felt as though this was another of my best images as I also enjoyed the colour and saturation as well as depth of the image. This image represents pattern through the lattice design that is featured over some other art work. This, like the photograph above, was taken within the art department at college. I found it to be a very inspiring place to capture pattern. I also enjoy how two patterns are demonstrated within this image; the lattice, and beneath it some kind of complicated and artistic pattern. 

I also liked this image for pattern as it demonstrates how pattern can be found in simple every day objects, for example, a light. This light featured a very complicated looking grid style pattern. I like this picture as I think it stands out against the other ones that I have taken as its not quite as colourful.

I chose this image as one of my top five pictures as it features a very simple yet interesting pattern. This composition is made up of horizontal, yellow lines found on the stairs in the art department. The pattern demonstrated here is that of the yellow lines themselves, how the space between them slowly yet regularly becomes smaller and smaller as the steps go down. 

This is possibly my all time favourite image that I captured for the subject of pattern. This is due to the muted, dull colours and how drab and dull the surroundings look. This puts much more emphasis on the blue pattern shown on the building beneath the windows. 

Texture Contact Sheet

Pattern Contact Sheet

Colour Work Diary

Work Diary

Evaluation

When  I went out to take pictures, my main focus was the subject of colour. I personally quite like the pictures that I've taken, although I do feel like some were better than others. my particular favourites are probably the picture of the garage door, as it features a very nice muted blue and neutral white, and also the picture of the sky horizontal to the building as the sky looks really saturated and stands out well against the muted, dull browns of the bricks on the building. 

The picture to the left features a heavily muted blue, combined with neutral white. Therefore this picture features both primary and neutral colours. I particularly like this composition as the blue paint looks quite old, due the fact its cracked and chipping. 

The picture on the right hand side features a modern looking, brick building against a bright blue, somewhat cloudy sky. The building looks slightly slanted yet horizontal against the sky. I particularly like this composition due to the level of natural saturation in the sky, especially when combined with the muted tones present in the brick building. If I had to pick something that I did not so much enjoy about this image, it would be the framing - if I were to retake I would definitely adjust my framing so that the building appeared less slanted and more straight and horizontal.

Progression

When next dealing with this topic, particular ideas that I wish to focus on would probably include more portraiture photography. This is due to the fact that I enjoy photographing people much more than man made images, nature or animals. 

One portrait photographer in particular that I take inspiration from when it comes to the subject of colour is Amy Nelson-Blain. These two images are my favourite works of hers. What I like about this work is probably the use of neon lighting to create colour. I feel that this gives the images a very surreal and interesting look; almost magical, even. I would like to incorporate some of this lighting next time I focus on this area. 

Colour Image Bank

Colour Image Bank

I chose these pictures because they all inspired me around the topic of colour. I liked this particular picture because of how the model is silhouetted against the sky, which puts more emphasis on the colours. The blues in the sky combined with the subtle pink creates a thoughtful atmosphere, and therefore it is a very nice picture to look at.

I liked this picture because it features my favourite colour, purple. I also like the way in which the dark silhouettes of the trees and the white lightening contrast with the purple of the sky. The purple colour gives the image a very mysterious, almost spiritual atmosphere. 

I liked this picture again for its blue and pink combination. However, this image is dominantly much more pink than blue, which makes it seem tainted; thoughtful, yet also somewhat loving - it makes you feel like you're thinking of love. 






The main focus of this image is the colour green, as seen in the line of plants across the centre of the photograph. Green is seen as a very calming, neutral colour, and this is demonstrated in this photograph through nature. 






I liked this image as it featured many more muted colours than the images above. While saturated colours can be nice, sometimes I much prefer images that feature predominantly muted colours. In particular, this image features many muted blue and purple tones, combined with the silhouette with a cat. 

 

 
 
 

Pattern Image Bank

Inspirational Images

I couldn't quite find four patterned images that inspired me, but I managed to find four. I like these four images as they all demonstrate pattern in different ways. The baseballs demonstrate pattern through the odd discoloured  ball in the centre. The photograph of the comfortable seat demonstrates pattern in two ways, both through the white brick wall and the actual pattern on the seat. The image of the pylon demonstrates pattern through the metal structure of the pylon. The cans demonstrate pattern, again, by the one opened can.

Colour Contact Sheet

Psychology of Colour

COLOUR

Definition: the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light.

My own Definition: colour is the reflection  of light that the eye interprets as it bounces of the object that you are looking at.

Colour Definitions

Red

Positive: Physical courage, strength, warmth, energy, basic survival, 'fight or flight', stimulation, masculinity, excitement. 

Negative: Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain.

Being the longest wavelength, red is a powerful colour. Although not technically the most visible, it has the property of appearing to be nearer than it is and therefore it grabs our attention first. Hence its effectiveness in traffic lights the world over. Its effect is physical; it stimulates us and raises the pulse rate, giving the impression that time is passing faster than it is. It relates to the masculine principle and can activate the "fight or flight" instinct. Red is strong, and very basic. Pure red is the simplest colour, with no subtlety. It is stimulating and lively, very friendly. At the same time, it can be perceived as demanding and aggressive.

Blue

Positive: Intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, logic, coolness, reflection, calm.

Negative: Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness.

Blue is the colour of the mind and is essentially soothing; it affects us mentally, rather than the physical reaction we have to red. Strong blues will stimulate clear thought and lighter, soft blues will calm the mind and aid concentration. Consequently it is serene and mentally calming. It is the colour of clear communication. Blue objects do not appear to be as close to us as red ones. Time and again in research, blue is the world's favourite colour. However, it can be perceived as cold, unemotional and unfriendly.

Yellow

Positive: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, emotional strength, friendliness, creativity. 

Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression, anxiety, suicide.

The yellow wavelength is relatively long and essentially stimulating. In this case the stimulus is emotional, therefore yellow is the strongest colour, psychologically. The right yellow will lift our spirits and our self-esteem; it is the colour of confidence and optimism. Too much of it, or the wrong tone in relation to the other tones in a colour scheme, can cause self-esteem to plummet, giving rise to fear and anxiety. Our "yellow streak" can surface.

Green

Positive: Harmony, balance, refreshment, universal love, rest, restoration, reassurance, environmental awareness, equilibrium, peace. 

Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation.

Green strikes the eye in such a way as to require no adjustment whatever and is, therefore, restful. Being in the centre of the spectrum, it is the colour of balance - a more important concept than many people realise. When the world about us contains plenty of green, this indicates the presence of water, and little danger of famine, so we are reassured by green, on a primitive level. Negatively, it can indicate stagnation and, incorrectly used, will be perceived as being too bland.

Violet

Positive: Spiritual awareness, containment, vision, luxury, authenticity, truth, quality. 

Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority.

The shortest wavelength is violet, often described as purple. It takes awareness to a higher level of thought, even into the realms of spiritual values. It is highly introvertive and encourages deep contemplation, or meditation. It has associations with royalty and usually communicates the finest possible quality. Being the last visible wavelength before the ultra-violet ray, it has associations with time and space and the cosmos. Excessive use of purple can bring about too much introspection and the wrong tone of it communicates something cheap and nasty, faster than any other colour.

Orange

Positive: Physical comfort, food, warmth, security, sensuality, passion, abundance, fun. 

Negative: Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity.

Since it is a combination of red and yellow, orange is stimulating and reaction to it is a combination of the physical and the emotional. It focuses our minds on issues of physical comfort - food, warmth, shelter etc. - and sensuality. It is a 'fun' colour. Negatively, it might focus on the exact opposite - deprivation. This is particularly likely when warm orange is used with black. Equally, too much orange suggests frivolity and a lack of serious intellectual values.

Pink

Positive: Physical tranquillity, nurture, warmth, femininity, love, sexuality, survival of the species. 

Negative: Inhibition, emotional claustrophobia, emasculation, physical weakness.

Being a tint of red, pink also affects us physically, but it soothes, rather than stimulates. (Interestingly, red is the only colour that has an entirely separate name for its tints. Tints of blue, green, yellow, etc. are simply called light blue, light greenetc.) Pink is a powerful colour, psychologically. It represents the feminine principle, and survival of the species; it is nurturing and physically soothing. Too much pink is physically draining and can be somewhat emasculating.

Grey

Positive: Psychological neutrality. 

Negative: Lack of confidence, dampness, depression, hibernation, lack of energy.

Pure grey is the only colour that has no direct psychological properties. It is, however, quite suppressive. A virtual absence of colour is depressing and when the world turns grey we are instinctively conditioned to draw in and prepare for hibernation. Unless the precise tone is right, grey has a dampening effect on other colours used with it. Heavy use of grey usually indicates a lack of confidence and fear of exposure.

Black

Positive: Sophistication, glamour, security, emotional safety, efficiency, substance. 

Negative: Oppression, coldness, menace, heaviness.

Black is all colours, totally absorbed. The psychological implications of that are considerable. It creates protective barriers, as it absorbs all the energy coming towards you, and it enshrouds the personality. Black is essentially an absence of light, since no wavelengths are reflected and it can, therefore be menacing; many people are afraid of the dark. Positively, it communicates absolute clarity, with no fine nuances. It communicates sophistication and uncompromising excellence and it works particularly well with white. Black creates a perception of weight and seriousness. 

It is a myth that black clothes are slimming.

This picture features heavily muted colours and blue tones, which creates a very sombre atmosphere for the photograph. This combined with Lily's expression makes for a very atmospheric photograph. It personally makes me feel quite intrigued and calm, and its the sort of photograph you find that you can't stop looking at. For this reason, I think it is a wonderful portrait, and I really like it. It's also seemingly a very different take on Lily Allen as one would expect from her upbeat, bubbly music. 

This picture of Britney Spears is a lot more saturated than the above picture of Lilly Allen. It features predominantly yellows, with some blues and also reds in Britney's outfit. In this photograph someone may derive that Britney is standing very confidently, and this may be due to the contribution of the yellow colours surrounding her. I don't really like this photograph of Britney because I think there's a little bit too much going on and therefore she doesn't stand out as the main subject of the photograph, and personally my eye is more attracted to the yellow umbrella, taxi and ground. 

Analogous are colours that are adjacent to each other on the colour wheel, e.g. yellow and green. Analogous colours next to each other on the colour wheel "get along" and are referred to as being harmonious. Analogous colours are often used in visual design and have a soothing affect.

Complimentary Colours are colours directly opposite each other on the colour wheel.