New shoot

Mrs Clemence gave me the idea of using light as a path or trail through my folio, and as an actual subject instead of just a tool to highlight my other subjects. With this in mind, I took some more photos today in the drama room, and these are some of my favourites that I might use on my folio:

I also want to take more photos next week with some new and different subject matter.

Rule of thirds

Three of my photos so far use the rule of thirds best:

In this photo, each of the four intersecting points is inside the eyes of both the mask and the shadow it casts. These are contrasted focal points, emphasizing the bright white of the inside of the mask and the darkness of the shadow in front of it. These points also draw attention to the difference in the shape of the eyes in the mask and the eyes in the shadow, and how the shadow is extended forwards into a ghostly form. The rule of thirds lines the photo up to be almost perfectly symmetrical, which could look quite dull, but I think the perspective and the contrast makes it more interesting.

With the rule of thirds, this photo looks like three separate parts: the spine of the book and path of light in the middle, and the black space on either side. Because the photo is so simple and has so little subject matter, the path of light and the illuminated spine of the book are automatically the focal points, but being placed in the centre of the photo in the middle of the black space draws you to this even more. One of the intersecting points also falls on the light streaming across the floor, which draws the eye to this extended part of the focal point.

In this photo, two of the intersecting points fall in contrasted areas, the light in front of the mask and the dark shadow below it. This draws attention to the use of bright lights and heavy shadows which I plan to continue for throughout my folio, and helps the photo further connect to this idea. The mask and its shadow are also placed directly on the right vertical line, while the left vertical line falls on the empty floor space beside it, which I think makes the photo more interesting than if the mask was placed in the centre.

Introduction

This year, my painting and photography folios both have the same concept: fantasy existing in the real world. This idea comes from my love of fantasy movies, books and TV shows (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, etc.)

My plan for my folio is to start with simple images of my subject matter, establishing the objects. On my folio already, I have ten photos: two rows of five. These photos are of a carnival mask and some books I own (Harry Potter, The Hobbit and Peter Pan). They all have exaggerated contrast, depicting bright lights and heavy shadows. I've used this contrast to add mystery and intrigue to the objects, immediately alluding to them as magical things.

As my folio continues, I plan to further explore the fantasy elements that exist in my photos by using camera tricks and photoshop to create surrealism, and to introduce more subject matter.