Task 2 - Point of View

Through the lens of the camera we frame the image, we ‘capture’ what we feel is worthy of communication. We choose the decisive moment to record what is in our sight. We construct the meaning and direct the reading through a myriad of decisions: conscious, learned, intuitive, calculated. Where we find ourselves, where we choose to stand, where and how we direct the camera, what we include and exclude, all impact upon the reception of the final image. For this task you will be considering how the role of your physical point of view affects the intended received point of view. Using your camera investigate your object through consideration of focus, scale, lighting, positioning." - direct quote from our task 2 instructions.

Record your research, experimentation, annotation and reflection on your blog and have your two chosen images on your group padlet ready for your group seminar presentation Wednesday 24 February 2021.

Focus investigation: To gain different views of this object, I used my Nikon D3500 camera settings to change the focus on the wooden man as well as my focus point.

I used f/4.5 for this shot. I couldn't focus on the plain wall behind, so I used a tiny bit of blue tack to focus on to make the wooden man out of focus.

The out of focus man fades into the background of this shot even though he's in the foreground.

Using f/4.5 again, I changed the focus point from the wooden man's torso to it's feet. This changes the focus of the viewer and shows them what I want them to pay attention to. The left hand image, distorts the object very effectively.

I used the same process but focusing on it's hand and then head instead, using f/4.8.

I tried to create some blur to mimick the wooden man "walking". I used f/11 and 1/20 sec ecposure time for the left hand image and f/11 and 1/13 sec exposure time for the brighter shot.

Scale investigation: Through the Landscape module I learned a technique for translating scale through an image. That is to use an ordinary object that the viewer will know the rough size of for example, a tree/a hand.

I took a close up where the wooden man fills the majority of the frame. By just seeing the left hand image, the viewer wouldn't be able to determine the actual size of the wooden man because there's no other context. The right hand image shows the wooden man as being small due to it's distance from my camera. Again, there's purposefully no scale context for this image.

Here I have used my hand as a size reference.

I used this nail varnish as another size guide. I used it also in the right hand shot to change the perceived scale of the wooden man, by having the varnish in the foreground and shooting at a lower angle it's portrayed as being a similar size to the man.

Lighting investigation:

By accident I had my hand in front of the flash and it created these "bars"/ stripes so I played around with it. Blocking parts of the wooden man with the shadows is interesting because it can be used to guide the viewers eyes to what's important in the image. I've highlighted the torso in the left image and the head in the right image.

For these two shots I did not use flash, just the soft orange lighting I had in my room. The lighting and background to these shots surrounds the wooden man with similar colours and textures. Without the sharp lighting he stands out less yet he looks more natural.

I used f/5.3 and focused on his head. The background is purely a similar coloured wood which creates a softness which is added to by the grain of using an ISO of 12800. These both were shot with a shallow depth of field and with an exposure time of 40 sec.

The different tones of wood make this an interesting shot. I also like how the wooden man looks the most alive. With his head tilted, he comes alive.

Positioning Investigation: Through previous experimentation on positioning I have learnt that shooting from a low or high angle will change the presence of the object. For example, shooting from a low angle, looking up at the object, gives the object a larger presence which can be interpreted as foreboding/ powerful. Positioning can also be the simple act of moving the physical object around.

This shot is just the upper half of the wooden man. Shown on it's own, this shot shows only a certain part of the object, removing some of the context for the viewer.

I like how the last two images are displayed as the positioning is off which creates a funky effect of them being attached in reality but not represented that way here on my blog. The scale is almost the same too which helps with the effect. I made the wooden man look as though he's walking off.

Here are more experimentation shots using a low angle to shoot at.

This flat/side angle of the wooden man distorts the object a lot.

Again, but using a high angle to shoot from.

A close up side shot of top section of the object.

High angles again. The angle doesn't allow for context of size amd distorts it noticably more than shooting at a low angle.

For the last image in my positioning investigation I took this shot from directly above its head. I think it's a really striking image. I used f/13 so that the head is the main focus. The sense of scale has completely gone as well as context to what the object is.

These images below are the most effective for each category in my opinion, after reviewing each shot.

Focus:

Scale:

Lighting:

Positioning:

These last three "positioning" images were the ones I chose to upload as my two seperate readings of the object I chose. The comedic first two (presented as one) and an abstract deptiction of the wooden man as the second reading.

This was an interesting and enjoyable experimention task. I got my camera out and simply explored this image in one sitting to produce this study of the object. Looking through my body of shots has helped enforce my understanding and knowledge of the four areas (focus, scale, lighting, positioning) which I explored to understand context of images and this will help with any future shoots I do. Another way to change the context of an image is with different lenses, however I stuck to my 18-55mm lens.