Image Bank - Fine Art

Most fine art photographs are seem as symbolic; they have hidden messages that can be explored if the picture is studied properly. This makes a picture fine art by allowing the viewer to dive deeper into a picture, engaging them in the scene or subjects. An example is in the third picture - it's vey ambiguous. Some viewers can choose to see the picture in a positive way and some might not. The hands could symbolise people who need help, they are drowning and it seems as if no one is helping each other out. On the other hand, some may see it as people helping each other, they may all be trying to grab each other's hands and help each other up, despite the fact that they're getting nowhere. Like many other pictures, the ambiguity of this photograph invites viewers to each see the picture in their own way, allowing them to feel more connected to the picture.

The fourth picture with the young man shows his struggling to walk through what seems like a field. This suggests he has been on that path for a long time and he keeps getting slowed down by the wind; he is struggling to move up and make progress. However, it can be argued that this picture shows the opposite, although he is struggling, it is evident that he has come a long way as the path behind him looks quite long. Once again, there is an ambiguity that is being shown here and this adds excitement to the picture. The last picture is different to most pictures on fine art - it focuses more on showing off the features of the woman and her beauty rather than symbolism. Her closed eyes suggest innocence and gracefulness. 

Image Bank - Society

Society can be viewed in different ways by different people; photography captures these different views and shows them to the viewers. It is evident that most fine art images on society are in black and white; this is so that the viewer doesn't pay attention to the colour as it can be symbolic and ambiguous, instead, the viewer can concentrate on the contents of the photographs and figure out the different symbols that are presented. For example, in the third picture, the different shoes depict different personalities; the ballet shoes represent an innocent, graceful and kind personality, whereas the heels represent a darker personality. This is to show that women act in different ways depending on where they are in society - they could be well-behaved at school or at home but not so well-behaved when they're out at a club.

Over half of photographs on society address the issues found in the community, as shown in the last three pictures. This helps raise awareness towards these issues and portray them in a more interesting way so that people pay attention. In the fourth and sixth picture, it is clear that the issue being portrayed  is of the idea that girls have to look their best in order to be considered beautiful by others. This is shown through the little girl arranging her make up; it illustrates how OCD girls are about their looks and how they think they have to get it right every time. It is also shown through the woman bending herself to make her stomach look flatter; once again, this depicts how women feel they have to be slim and have make up on to look appealing to society.

Image Bank - Blurring

Blurring is another technique used in order to show movement. The movement is blurred whilst the object or subject is kept still, this highlights the movement and the speed of it. In the second picture, the movement is shown on the road; it is evident from this that the skateboard is moving quite fast and the reflection on the skateboard adds the element of repetition, creating some sort of pattern with the wheels. The first picture uses a lot of colour, automatically making the photograph more attractive and appealing to the viewers.

Blurring can be used in a lot of different ways - the fourth and sixth picture both use blurring in different methods. The fourth picture shows an actual trail of the movement, whereas the last picture blurs the background. By using different ways, photographers can show different types of movements and manipulate it in this way.

Image Bank - High Key Lighting

High key lighting is used a lot in beauty, fashion and advertising. This is because the photographer is aiming to make the subject or object look extremely appealing to the viewer. This is achieved through a plain white background and very bright lighting; the object/subject will then stand out from the whole picture, eliminating any distractions. In the first picture, it is clear that the photographer was aiming to show off the eyes of his subjects, which is why he used white feathers to hide the rest of the lady's face - he didn't think a blank background would be enough as it wouldn't get rid of the rest of her face. In the third picture, the colour of the cat and its healthy fur. Its eyes are also a big focus and because the whole scene is white, there is a huge contrast shown between the ginger cat and the white in the background - this causes the animal to really stand out.

In the fifth picture, colour is used in a bold way, the red lipstick matches the red flower and contrasts with the green stem, which contrasts with the woman's fair skin, which then contrasts with the bright white background. Although more than one colour is included in this photograph, the viewer's eyes are most likely to go straight to the red lips; this is because the red is the boldest colour in this picture and is highlighted through the use of the other colours, which all compliment each other and help each other stand out, showing contrast.

Image Bank - Multiple Exposure

Definition: the superimposition of two or more exposures to create single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images. 

Multiple exposure consists of two pictures being combined together in order to create a new one; the new picture is very likely to be of a human being and an object, building, nature, etc. The first picture of the man and the eiffel tower is in black and white, this is very common with multiple exposure; the colours are very pale and light to allow the viewer not to be distracted and focus only on the objects in the photograph. It can be argued that the objects that are combined with the subjects represent the person's personality. For example, in the second picture, viewers can easily conclude that the woman in the picture has quite a girl personality and the pink flowers give out the impression of innocence and youth, suggesting that the subject is quite young as the viewers aren't able to see her face.

The subjects' faces are also cut off or block off from the viewer; this is to stop a bond to create between the subject and the viewer, this is so that the viewer can guess what the subject is like through the picture rather than through their facial expressions or facial features. The fourth picture shows that angles are very important in multiple exposure, without the correct angle, the building would not have been able to fit on top of her head perfectly.

Image Bank - Slow Sync Flash

Slow sync flash is very similar to multiple flash; they both show the element of movement but is slightly different ways. One of the most common themes that slow sync flash is used is when photographing sports - this allows the viewer to see the different types of movement as well as the speed of the movement; the blurrier the photograph is, the quicker the movement. All three of the pictures above are photographs of sports, all using the exact same technique to show the movements; some are sharper than other, for example, the second picture has sharper movements, unlike the third, which shows graceful movements. This is done through the intensity of the blurred movements.

The fourth picture is different from the rest; it contains a still subject and a moving one. This adds diversity and excitement to the picture. It also has an interesting scene rather than a black background; this really engages the reader and makes them think about the picture. In the last two picture, colour is used on a huge scale - the movement is shown clearly and can't be missed.

Image Bank - Wide Angle

Wide angles often include a sort of fish eye effect as shown in the second picture - this type of angle is used to 'show off' a scene. Photographers concentrate more on making the scene look pleasant and attractive rather than on the little details. In order to do this, low and high angles are used, this is shown in all the pictures. By using low angles like in the first and third picture, photographers are able to make an object look majestic and look bigger than it actually is; the train in the first picture is not that big in real life and neither is the bridge. The angles have been chosen wisely so that the best part of the object is shown - only the front bit of the train is shown because it's the most exciting part of it and a wide angle further emphasises this excitement and over exaggerates it.

In the last three pictures, low angles are all used in order to achieve different aims. For example, in the last picture, the low angle makes it seem as if the viewer is being invited to go on an adventure through the woods. Although it doesn't seem like this at first glance, this photograph shows quite a lot; a wide angle ensures that a big part of the scene is shown, allowing the viewer to imagine the full scene easily in their head. This method is used in the fourth picture, where only a part of the field is shown, the viewer can now picture the whole field and it bring excitement to this photographer's work.

Image Bank - Close Up

Close up angles are used in Photography in order to show details. It is used when the photographer wants the viewer to only concentrate on a certain part of an object or a subject; for example, in the first picture, it is obvious that the photographer want his/her viewers to only focus on the insect, hence why everything else in the background is blurred; this is very common when looking at close ups - the background is often plain or blurred so that any distraction is taken away from the picture. The same principles are shown in the second and third picture.

Sometimes, photographers show something happening in the close up, some sort of action. In the fifth picture, it is evident the subject is taking a picture and by excluding the person's face, the photographer is able to make sure that the viewer does not pay interest to the person nor the camera, but rather to the scene and what is happening in the scene, a person capturing something. This adds curiosity to the viewer's mind and gets them to think more about the picture.

Image Bank - Multiple Flash

Definition: Successive flashing of strategically placed flash mechanisms results in shadows along the depths of the scene.

Multiple flash images often contain a dark or plain background with the main focus in bright colours. This is done to force viewers to immediately pay attention to what the photographers want them to look at. In the first and second picture, the colours used are very bright and they seem to compliment themselves; this has been done as it is pleasing to the eye and grabs the viewer's attention.

 Patterns are a big element in this topic. This is evident is all three pictures above; the patterns allow the viewer to guided through the photograph - from one side to the other. It can also show the theme of action, as shown in the fifth picture. The red colour further emphasises this theme as red is normally associated with the idea of danger.