Colour Corrections and Spot Removals

Some examples of my colour corrections and spot removals:

Original - No editing done, it's too yellow and needs the lighting adjusted.

Toned down the yellow by adding blue (temperature).

Using the adjustment brush I highlighted the top part of the image where the light is and brought the exposure of that part down to make it look more evenly lit.

Before and After.

Original - No editing done, I want to remove the random yellow mark.

Using the spot removal tool I am going to clone part of the grey bit and place that over the top of the yellow mark to remove it.

Edited - The mark has been removed, I also added more of a green tint to the image to even out the pink tones.

Before and After.

Before and After - Using the spot removal tool I was able to remove the white mark from the corner of image that was caused by a bend in the negative.

Before and After - I added more blue to even out the yellow tones (temperature) and I added more pink to even out the green tones (tint).

Before and After - I have added more blue to even out the yellow tones (temperature) and I have adjusted the lighting to make the overall image brighter.

Final Photoshoot Contact Sheet

This is my final photoshoot for the project. I had full access to the depot and I was allowed to walk around unaccompanied, however, I chose to have Reece accompany me round the depot so that he could take the light meter readings for me whilst I set up the tripod and changed the camera settings so that I could produce the best photographs of my chosen destinations. I spent quite a lot of time carefully composing each image, this involved setting down the tripod and focusing it, changing angles, moving closer or further away from my subjects and refocusing, some people may see that as being "OCD" but I wanted to make sure that the angles, lighting, framing and composition was exactly how I wanted it before taking the photographs. My next step is for me to go through each image making any colour corrections or removing any dust or marks ready for the final selection process.

Third Photoshoot Contact Sheet (Colour Film)

Again, after another review with my tutor, he felt that this project would be best suited if it was shot in colour and upon reflection of the previous shoot I very much agree with his opinion. It was good for me to be able to try it in black and white first to see if that was the aesthetic that I was aiming for, however, it just felt too dark and it didn't really fit (in my eyes) with my chosen subject matter. I also felt that the vibrancy and warmth of the colours that are displayed in and around the depot alongside the companies iconic colour scheme of green, blue and yellow should be showcased throughout the project. The lighting in the depot is quite dark which caused the light meter readings to have really low f.stops and shutter speeds, I didn't have a tripod so some of the images have become blurry as a result of poor lighting and no tripod. At this point I know exactly what areas of the depot I am going to photograph in my final shoot but I will make sure that I rent out a tripod to overcome these issues.

Second Photoshoot Contact Sheet (B/W Film)

After having a review with my tutor, he suggested that I use a Medium Format film camera for the rest of the project as he felt that it would help with the framing and composition of my photographs. I chose to use the Hasselblad medium format camera as it was the piece of equipment that I was most familiar with, this particular medium format camera shoots in a 6x6 film format (a square format) which is the exact framing that I am looking for, I also really like how the photographs look after they have been developed. I chose to shoot this set of images on a black and white film as I wanted to see the effect that it would give to my photographs and I wanted to test whether it was the right way to continue with the project.

First Photoshoot Contact Sheet (Digital)

This was my first photoshoot at the Arriva bus depot in Maidstone, I was given a guided tour by my partner Reece who is an accident repairer for the company. I wanted to use this time to get to know my way around the depot and I chose to use my DSLR so that I could take some initial shots of some areas that I might want to rephotograph in a later shoot. I was given access to the whole of the depot which was very positive in terms of the project as it meant that I could explore every part of the work place which ensured that I could gain any information that I needed about the company as well as having the access to photograph key areas such as the pits in the work shop or any of the outside equipment.

Project Proposal Form and Timetable

My Starting Point

My starting point for the project was to take an initial visit to the depot with my DSLR camera, I wanted to use this time to have an in depth tour of the working environment so that I could get used to the layout in terms of where everything is and it also gave me a chance to meet some of the staff and get acquainted with the company and its daily runnings.

My partner Reece is an accident body repairer for the company so he was put in charge of giving me the guided tour around the depot, I was told that after the first initial tour I would be allowed to go to the depot anytime I wanted (providing it was a weekend) and that I would then be allowed to walk around the site unaccompanied in order to take photographs for the project.

I wanted to spend the whole day there so that I could have the tour in the morning and then use the afternoon to walk around and play with lighting and angles; I also wanted to use that time to explore the site on my own and photograph things that most people would overlook such as the empty office rooms upstairs or the chassis pit the hardly ever gets used.

When taking photographs I kept in mind the manifesto that we wrote in class and stuck to it for the entire shoot:

Piet Mondrian

The leading lines that are present within my photographs remind me of abstract painter Piet Mondrian's works. He paintings withhold elements of block coloured squares and rectangles in and around solid black lines in which he uses as the framing within his works, the solid lines act as leading lines to gage to viewers attention and also direct it to the block coloured geometric shapes. The colours that he chooses to use within his works are black and the primary colours blue, red and yellow. 

Although Arriva does not really include red within their colour pallet they still have a range of tones with blues and yellows as well as the use of some black objects, much like Mondrian they also use white to convey the idea of negative space.

Information on the artist can be found at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/piet-mondrian-1651
Images can be found at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/piet-mondrian-1651

Composition with Yellow, Blue and Red, 1937-42

Composition with Large Red Plane, Yellow, Black, Grey and Blue, 1921

Edgar Martins

I have chosen to look at Edgar Martins for his uses of simplicity, lighting and the general over aesthetics within his work. To start off this project I went round the depot on a guided tour to get familiar with my surroundings and to also scout out some locations that I wanted to photograph for my initial shoot. After discussing this digital shoot with my tutor he advised that I switch to a Medium Format camera (I chose to use a Hasselblad) as it would help me to frame and compose my images better, he also said it would add a sense of simplicity to the photographs which reminded him of Edgar Martins aesthetics.

I have chosen a few images from his series This is not a House, 2008 and A Metaphysical Survey of British Dwellings, 2010. They are images that appeal to me aesthetically and the framing, composition and the use of leading lines/geometric shapes intrigues me and has started to make me think how I could incorporate that into my own work.

Information on the photographer can be found at: http://www.edgarmartins.com
This is Not a House, 2008 photos can be found at: http://www.edgarmartins.com/work/this-is-not-a-house/
A Metaphysical Survey of British Dwellings, 2010, photos can be found at: http://www.edgarmartins.com/work/a-metaphysical-survey-of-british-dwellings/

This is not a House, 2008, Untitled, Atlanta (Georgia)

A Metaphysical Survey of British Dwellings, 2010, Pizzaland

This is not a House, 2008, Untitled, Phoenix (Arizona)

This is not a House, 2008, Untitled, Donnely (Idaho)

A Metaphysical Survey of British Dwellings, 2010, High Street

Don McCullin

Don McCullin is one of our greatest living photographers. Few have enjoyed a career so long' none one of such varied and critical acclaim. For the past 50 years he has proved himself a photojournalist without equal, whether documenting the poverty of London's East End, of the horrors of wars in Africa, Asia or the Middle East. Simultaneously he has proved an adroit artist capable of beautifully arranged still lives, soulful portraits and moving landscapes.

I have chosen to look at this specific photograph (shown below) for my research as it is the only image that he had produced which toyed with the idea of truth/reality. In his book that I got from his show at the Tate in London it has an explanation as to his reasoning for his actions, it says:

"I've only ever played with the truth once in my life - on the single occasion I moved objects to arrange a picture. I saw two American soldiers hunting for souvenirs from the body of a North Vietnamese soldier. He could only have been eighteen or nineteen."

He then continues to reveal how disgusted he felt to be apart of them, wearing their uniform etc. So he explains how he tried to rectify these soldiers actions by saying:

"They trampled on his possessions, his pictures of his mother, his sister, the little snapshots of seated children... He deserved a voice. He couldn't speak so I was going to do it for him. I shovelled his belongings together and photographed them..."

"...Theres no need to go around arranging still life on the battlefield. But that's the only time, truthfully, I have done that."

By rearranging the young, lifeless soldiers belongings on the battlefield to create a still life it has given both a positive and negative effect on the photographer himself. Although some viewers may feel that his actions were justified after the young soldier had bee wrongfully searched in hope of souvenirs by two American soldiers, others may feel that his actions have ruined his credibility as a photographer due to not being able to trust whether or not he has arranged parts of other photographs to achieve a desired effect.

Information can found at: https://donmccullin.com/don-mccullin/
Book can be purchased at: https://shop.tate.org.uk/don-mccullin-paperback/22514.html?cgid=don-mccullin
Image can be found at: https://www.military-history.org/war-photographers/don-mccullin-behind-the-images.htm

Body of a North Vietnamese soldier, Hue, Vietnam, 1968

Magnum Exhibition (Open for Business. Multistory)

In 2013, Multistory and Magnum Photos commissioned nine of the world's leading photographers to document contemporary British manufacturing. During a period of great economic instability, and where questions are being raised about the strength of western economies within the worldwide market, there has never been a more relevant time to explore the condition of Britain's manufacturing future.

British industry faces several challenges and Open for Business reveals that daily struggle as businesses attempt to cut costs, streamline processes and level up to international competition.

The photographs in Open for Business show what this means at a human level. They reveal the shifting balance between white and blue-collar workers, the physical reality of process automation and of environments in which a growing staff manage activity from a computer screen. The project raises questions about the corporate responsibility of employers to their employees, highlights the significance of migration to our workforce and shows the pride exuded from our workers who make a huge variety of products.

This project included Magnum's UK photographers: Stuart Franklin, David Hurn, Peter Marlow, Martin Parr, Mark Power and Chris Steele-Perkins; they worked alongside three international photographers: Alessandra Sanguinetti (Argentina), Bruce Gilden (America) and Jonas Bendiksen (Norway). They visited over one hundred workplaces across the UK; from on-man businesses to FTSE 100 companies. Their photographs take us from tradition, handmade crafts to modern, intelligent automation; from foundries and assembly lines to research laboratories and high tech cleanrooms, showing and economic sector of extraordinary resistance and diversity.

Link to the magnum site where you can find all the photos: https://pro.magnumphotos.com/Package/2K1HRGWQ9EYW
Link to the exhibition site where you can find all the information: http://openforbusiness.uk.com/stories/