Feedback for Assignment 2

Received prompt feedback from Assignment 2. Very thorough and professional critique requiring some points to be addressed.

Three general points first:

1.       Tutor suggested adding technical data. Fine, done as a title to the images. This is something I made a conscious decision not to do originally having reviewed a number of blogs from OCA students and noting that most exclude the details of the shot. Also ask whether shot details really added much given that all images have had some processing adjustments. But instinct says it is better to include the detail, so done now on the blog.

2.      Towards the end there is a gentle reminder not to be “seduced by these [filters, whose initial] impact on an image can be gratifying but it’s essential to use them in moderation and for an appropriate purpose”. This is a thorny one in my view. One of the problems commonly perceived with photography is that many techniques and adjustments that used to be accessible only at the point of shooting can now be incorporated in digital processing. Further, we can now add many filters and adjustments that cameras could never achieve. Freeman puts it well: "It's hard to know where photography fits in the fully liberated world of digital colour..." (The Photographer's Mind, p156). Many folk believe that digital processing is somehow "cheating", ignoring the fact that the human eye is a great deal more adaptable to focus, depth of field and dynamic range than any camera combination.
    
     The mere accessibility of techniques means they will be used. People use the techniques out of a desire to experiment, push the boundaries. Let’s be clear: no computer can help with an uninteresting subject and can help in only a limited way with composition but so much more can be done even compared to the tools available even five years ago. New techniques will inevitably be used by the amateur and professional photographer, often in an attempt to do something different in an activity which “is the easiest medium in which to be competent and the hardest in which to have a personal vision”  (Chuck Close:  The Genius of Photography Episode 1).

So, yes, understand the need to “focus on core approach” as tutor says but don’t lose the creative urge to experiment. It is a question of balance: tutor does not suggest got it wrong here with two images out of fourteen using filters heavily and one subtly, but let’s not overdo it.

3.      This leads on to a third point: that I must not lose must not lose confidence and desire to do pursue photography as I wish – this is a hobby after all, I am not seeking to make a living from photography. I respect the views of tutor and of my one to one mentor as professional photographers but in many respects theirs is a personal opinion as much as a professional one. Their suggestions/comments on images 4 and 6 actually directly contradicted one another – I amended both images on mentor’s suggestion only for tutor to comment, in effect, that they would have been better left as was. I lost some confidence after Assignment 1. Several of the images I included were not particularly good, but I deliberately did not spend much time on the assignment out of a desire to get some initial feedback quickly and, to be honest, because it does not count towards the Assessment (itself a subject of some confusion with OCA). But the implication (possibly unintended and misread by me) of the comments was that I was a lot further from the standard required than I thought. Ironically in view of the above comments on filters, the acquisition of several new software techniques has been prompted by my perceived need to up the standard of the images for Assignments.

A problem with this course is that one gets no feeling of how one is progressing relative to the standard required at this level. As tutor says: “There is a basic technical requirement, it’s my job to make sure that you are able to address this. Further levels will see a considerable increase in this expectation”. Understood but this begs the question of what IS required. TAOP is not all about Assessment, possibly not EVEN about Assessment, but I retain some uneasiness that do not really understand the requirements. Most courses assess each module as you go along and not sure why OCA does not do so too.

Looking at comments on images in turn:

  1.  Tutor says some may think the balloon should be placed on a hot spot; I did try different positions but cropping so as to place the balloon lower on a third resulted in superfluous sky in top third and some loss of lead in effect from the bottom of the shot;

  2.    This clearly worked as the aim was to alternate the eye’s attention between the candelabra and the portrait and tutor commented on this. Tutor asks whether shelf is a distraction; possibly but left in to give a sense of scale – part of the aim of the shot was to show two points close together on an otherwise bare wall;

  3. Good feedback on the children playing; I was pleased with this image. Tutor is not convinced by B&W conversion (although admits to being of “old school” that is more accustomed to shooting in monochrome rather than converting to monochrome. I am not sure anyone now recommends shooting in digital monochrome because of the loss of information). I chose B&W for two reasons:  i) that the course notes (p54) actually encourage one to use B&W images for this section of the course; ii) more important, the aim of this image in the context of this exercise is to explore the geometry of the people and their spatial relationships. Colour distracts from this, distracting the eye towards the players' clothes rather then their positions. 
    Tutor also notices some loss of shadow detail – possibly but every image was closely reviewed for shadow loss and over exposure, and compensating adjustments made in Photoshop RAW which highlights under and over exposed areas. The only loss can be in the actual shadows of the people; hardly significant in the context of the image;

  4. Tutor comments on the conflict of the diagonal and the wood grain being picked up. Good, because that was a leading aim. Agree with tutor that “a touch of detail through the doorway would lift the image”. The as taken image had some detail that was removed on recommendation from mentor who strongly considered the doorway needed to be black. I include the original and submitted images below. The difference is not hugely significant but the top (original) image does have a little depth introduced by the darkened straw (noise was quickly introduced by brightening the area further). Arguably this interferes with the aim of the image, to demonstrate horizontal and vertical lines, but I agree that including some interior adds to the image.

  

  5.    Tutor considers that a consequence of use of a pale vignette is that some of the strength of the line to the focal point is lost. Fair point, I like the vignette as the trunks were too dominant in the original image, but restricting the vignette towards the edges might have been advisable.

  6.   The woman with the rake “works well”. Pleased with this as this was a marginal image – I  nearly excluded it. Tutor suggests cropping out the distracting parts at the top of the image – my first version did exactly that but mentor had suggested including some background to give context of woman within her surroundings. Again, have shown the original and submitted images below. Reiterate that agree with comment, the top image is stronger in my view, and should have left as was.

  7.    Slightly dismissive comment on aircraft wing –“ little to offer except that the image illustrates a curves effect”, although then adds that the shot had good lines and strong graduated sky; I was looking to do no more than that.

 

  8.  Very good comments on Wembley arch shot, particularly the interaction of the arch and the building.  Mentor also thought this a strong image. I have thought about making the image much bolder by significantly darkening the sky and the building whilst maintaining the arch’s brightness by using a complex selection but seems unnecessary in light of these comments;

  9.    Favourable comments too on the Bran castle ‘distinct but irregular images’ shot – “good detail....well balanced”.  Suggestion that a simpler composition might help what is a busy image. I agree, but found it difficult to marry that in practice with the requirements of this image for the Assignment – a simpler composition removes many of the shapes. I found this a difficult topic to shoot and was pleased to find a suitable subject;

 10. Tutor indicates that shot of woman working in her garden works better than the woman with the rake. Agree, there was a lack of foreground detail in the former image;

 
 11. Tutor asks why HDR for the train image. Answer is twofold: 1) the sky was very uninteresting and there was a lot of dynamic range in the wagons and track that was lost without using a merge; 2) it works in my view. HDR is a powerful and often unpredictable tool but really works in this case;

 12. "Captured well”, says tutor of dancers but not convinced by desaturating the grass to produce an “asphalt playground”. On reflection, I agree with this. I attach pre and post saturation images below. The aim of the desaturation was to emphasise the rhythmn of the dancers rather then the pattern of the pitch but it is probably trying too hard;

 13. Likes the strong image of Manchester United supporters. Comments on blown out whites, but the over exposure was dealt with in Photoshop. It is more that the white cards are very bright rather than blown out. They are only cards - there is no detail that can be lost because there is none to start with.

 

 14. Brasov image works “quite well”. This is only comment I am disappointed with as I considered this was an imaginatively caught image, taken well with a fairly long zoom and demonstrating all the facets of the course in one image. There perhaps needs to be some recognition of interpretation of the exercise requirements as well as the merits of the image. Mentor was very complimentary on this image.

Overall, I consider this a successful Assignment.