Photo Elements
Photography and Graphic Design
A Part of Graphic Design Education
It is not uncommon for graphic designers to delve into photography, these two mediums are too closely associated to not have a good amount of cross-over. The advent of the digital age has served to further blur the opaque line between the two disciplines; as a result many design students either choose, or are required to attend at least one Photography course. Attending such a course has multiple benefits which serve to advance a graphic designers artistic skills, observation skills/understanding of light, familiarity with software capabilities, and source image self sufficiency.
Cameras and Co-Existance
Similar to many of my Graphic Design peers I attended a course in Photographic Imaging during the course of my academic studies in design. In the course students are strongly encouraged to purchase a Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera. The DSLR camera is preferred as it is the lone type of digital camera which mimics traditional film photography, as it allows the photographer to have a significant amount of control over the image being captured.
The increasingly close relationship between Photography and Graphic Design necessitates the inclusion of Photography within a Designer's portfolio. This page contains both a sample of some photo restoration as well as a small photography portfolio to demonstrate my understanding of this aspect of design.
Photo Restoration
Challenging Repairs
Of all titles and career fields in this world, the Graphic Designer has a wide spectrum as to what their skill and knowledge is applied. Image/photo restoration is one of the skills which Graphic Designers are more synonymously associated with by the general public.
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Instead of including a large number of before and after photos, to demonstrate my knowledge of photo restoration with two series' of images which present more than the average restoration challenge. You will notice that not only have these images been restored but also strategically colorized.
Photo Restoration Gallery Details
- Infant Restoration Series
- Sailor Restoration Series
The first image for both series are the original I faced before doing anything to fix it. The softness of the infant photo requires one to look closely in some areas to find all the damage, however the worst damage is immediately apparent. In cutting across the cheek, eye, and hair the fix becomes much more difficult, the shading of the face is so subtle that mistakes can be made and not seen immediately.
It doesn't take much of an imagination to know the challenges the sailor image posed, restoration was more difficult than it originally appeared as the pieces did not add up to the whole image. The sailor image was deliberately only colorized in the foreground, as a colorized background took away from the focus on the sailor.
Photography Samples
Depth of Field
One of the first concepts that is tackled in capturing images with a DSLR camera is Depth of Field (DoF). The DoF of an image is the range of distance within a subject that is acceptably sharp. A photographer can adjust the aperture (in SLR and DSLR cameras the size of the opening that allows light to hit the film or sensor) and focusing distance to achieve different results. DoF is not an either or element in photos, it creates a gradual focal effect similar to that of the gradual shift of appearance within a gradient.
An image I captured in 2010 using a Canon DSLR Camera. The photo has a shallow DoF as the cat in the foreground is in focus, while the background while immediately behind her has an increasingly blurry appearance.
Exploring DoF is one of the methods a photographer can utilize in capturing images with more of an artistic appearance as opposed to the average everyday snapshot. The everyday snapshot does not greatly distinguish between the subject of a photo and its surroundings, if the subject is in focus so is the background. DoF is frequently utilized as a tool to create emphasis, the important information being sharper and in focus making it discernable from the extemporaneous surrounding it. DoF is one of many techniques available to the photographer with a DSLR camera. This ability to capture various image styles and effects demonstrates the advantages of a designer having access to DSLR equipment.
Shape, Color, Line, and Point
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Just as designers have to understand the foundation of visual art, the most elementary artistic elements, so do photographers. Shape, Color, Line and Point are all basic Design Elements. These four basic design elements are utilized to create unity and emphasis in graphic design and photography. They are effectively the most basic tools of communication. Shape as the word suggests defines the form of an object, shape(s) cannot exist without line(s) combining to define them. Line as well as Point are frequently utilized to demonstrate motion and emphasis in various artistic media. The images in this gallery were all captured to utilize and explify the use of these four basic design elements.
Shape, Color, Line, and Point Gallery Details
- Shape
- Color
- Line
- Point
The top row images on the left were taken to demonstrate shape: as you can see the first utilized billiard balls and a shallow depth of field for emphasis, the second top left image of an old dam mechanism was captured to demonstrate complex shapes.
The top-right photos were both taken to emphasize color, some might argue that these two images aren't very colorful at all. I think my minimalistic tendencies are represented here. Instead of the images containing overwhelming color where there is no hope of focusing on any one aspect, I chose to capture images in which the lack of surrounding vivid color further emphasizes focus on the objects with higher color content.
The bottom left images represent the concept of line, in the left-most "line" image both the bridge path and the shadow demonstrate a more technical straight line. With the aid of snow and pine needles the next image emphasizes an organic line with curves.
The final two images are representations of the concept of point, it is important to recognize the term point here is closer to the geometric definition in that points make up lines. In the first image a black screw within a gold hinge demonstrates point, the final image in the gallery utilizes a shallow depth of field for emphasis place on the endpoints of a bush.
Day-Time Photography
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It does not take the most observant of individuals to realize that lighting plays an important role in the overall appearance of a photograph. But have you ever thought about how the time of day impacts the photo you capture?
The position of the sun as well as other elements related to the time of day can have a profound impact on the appearance of the images captured. The results of the change in conditions is most easily demonstrated in taking pictures that include natural bodies of water. This experience has led me to be more observant and considerate of the potential impact external factors can have in the completion of design work.
Daytime Photography Gallery Details
- Appearance Comparision
- At Bass Lake
- Late Afternoon at Bass Lake
- The Spillway
The first two images within this gallery were taken to demonstrate the effect time of day can have on the image captured. To ensure a clear demonstration of this concept the left-most image was taken at around noon, and the image next to it was taken on the same day at around 5-6 o'clock on a summer evening. You'll notice that the water is calmer in the early evening and the change in lighting conditions has an effect on the appearance of the lake. The changes result in the water having a high reflectivity in which you dont see the shadow of the cypress tree and dam walkway, but the reflection of them.
This photo was captured utilizing a tripod on a raised deck over the dock at Bass Lake. It was about 1 o'clock in the afternoon and the wind was picking up. This distinct lack of any reflections and the water movement is the type of image one would expect to see in photographing around this time of day.
The image of the birds was taken at Bass Lake in Holly Springs, North Carolina. This image was not captured at high noon, nor was that moment in time around dusk. It was mid-afternoon therefore the reflections are visible on the water surface, however it was too early for it to have a glassy appearance.
The final image in this series features the Sunset Lake Spillway located in Holly Springs, North Carolina. The tell-tale signs of an image captured later in the day is present, as reflections are crisp and the pool of water at the bottom has a glass like surface. This image is an interesting example of how time of day impacts an image, as contrary to simple logic the pool at the bottom of falls is calmer at dusk.
The appearance of the falling water captured is also a good example of effects within photography, as the appearance of water will cange according to the shutter speed(amount of time the shutter stays open, thereby exposing the sensor or film to light) settings. In this case I had the shutter open for an extended period of time to create a milky appearance; conversely if the shutter speed was fast, the water would appear to be hanging in mid-air.
Night-Time Photography
Night Photography can lead to some pleasing and surprising results. Night photography is not something that is commonly considered, it requires that the photographer have a greater understanding of composition. Like Day-time photography different timing yields different results. In night-time photogrpahy, the best results are achieved during a specific time-frame in the evening the exact time of course varies depending on the time of year.
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The images in the Night-time photo gallery were all captured during an early Spring evening on the North Carolina State Capitol Block in downtown Raleigh. The Capitol building in Raleigh is symmetrical both vertically and horizontally which makes taking photos of and around it unique if the photographer positions the camera well. Due to the low aperture (a low aperture setting results in a bigger "hole" that exposes the digital sensor) and slow shutter speed required to get enough light to the sensor a tripod was utilized. It would likely be impossible for a photographer even with the most steady of hands to capture quality night images without the use of a tri-pod.
Abstract Photography
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Abstract artwork regardless of media is one of the most difficult concepts to explain. It is equally difficult to categorize whether or not a piece is abstract enough to be truly abstract, as we all have our own thresholds and perceptions as to what we interalize as abstract.
Abstract art pieces depend solely on intrinsic form specific to that piece. Many of the images I have included in my abstract gallery were inspired by how different things look when examined very closely, and not necessary viewed as a whole object. In addition to my extreme close-up approach I utilized Depth-of-Field, various shutter speeds, and image style settings. Graphic Designers more or less work in the abstract/conceptual often, as for the majority of their time the primary goal is to communicate a message/identity in a unique way for each client/project. That being the case I have found it useful to occasionally seek out more abstract ideas for inspiration later on.
Sporting Event Photography
Photos taken at a sporting event vary as much as the colors in a Crayola™ box. Think about it, a sporting event with spectators has it all in the same place...action and inaction, excitement and boredom. The fun thing about photographing a sporting event isn't just the multitude of subjects but also the techinques available when utilizing a DSLR to achieve different results with the same subject.
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The images featured in the sport-event gallery were taken at North Carolina State University's Doak Field at Dial Park on campus, the Wolfpack Baseball team was hosting an in-conference rival, the Virginia Cavaliers. The image collection from this game focus on the experience of attending a sporting event, as a result the subject(s) and content vary from picture to picture. An advantage to taking photos at a sporting event or other similar public venues the photographer has the opportunity of capturing true human nature. The images of the NC State verses Virginia game, include a focus on spectators at the game, spectators are after all a part of the sporting-event experience. There are also images of warm-up drills, an on field team meeting, and of course various elements of the game itself.
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In addition to the pictures from the game at Dial park, being more than the average baseball fan...I have included a second sporting event gallery of photographs which feature a few various Major League Baseball games/venues. In picking the photos for this Major League Gallery, I combined both typical and atypical events of the ballgames as well as some pictures that capture some unique aspects of each venue.
The parks featured are Turner Field in Atlanta, Target Field in Minneapolis, and Tropicana Field in the Tampa Bay area. These pictures contrast the ones taken at Dial Park most in the surroundings and scale. Interestingly, each venue provides its own pros and cons to the percieved atmosphere; one of the most noticeable to me is that the photos taken at the college game are more low-key and 'human."
360 Degree Exploration
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My first and final assignment in my Photography Course was a 360 Degree exploration using up to 50 photos of the same object. I chose an old Railroad tank car that has been sitting on some old tracks off of a rural road in Wake County for as long as I can remember. This assignment allowed the students to see how far their photographic skill had come over the course of the sememster. When I first tackled the assignment at the beginning of the semester I had a difficult time narrowing my selection down to 50 images.
I found it interesting that upon revisiting the tank car I actually had a difficult time taking the minimum number of photographs for the assignment. Upon reviewing the results on my computer screen, I was fascinated by how much my composition had developed. These improvements were the result of a my approach to photography having changed. I was scouting for images that were worth capturing because those same images are those considered worth viewing. I also began looking to capture dynamic images, even of objects that are completely still. For instance you can photograph a city's skyline in the traditional distanced fashion on a sunny day, or you can capture images near the foot of those buildings, or you can capture a skyline in "inclement weather" such as fog or a Thunder/Lightining storm. Using these techniques I saw the benefits in my surroundings such as light, shadow, and varying distances to obtain something more than just pictures of an old tank car. Of course due to this change in my style I have only included the images from the return trip to the location with the long lost tank car.The first time I photographed this train car, I might have taken the 360 aspect of the assignment too literally...I took photos from every which angle possible. Also during that shoot I did not put a lot of consideration of the benefits of utilizing some variances, distance, shot style, Depth of Field etc. Upon visiting the site a second time I made a point in exploring what the car looked like from further down the tracks, I also made a point to take some extreme close-ups that would fall closer into the abstract category. Following the experiences the Photography course had exposed I began to recognize that I was utilizing the photography concepts in my design work as well, so in becoming a better photographer my design skill improved as well.
