It is the application of photography to the still life artistic style.
Jenny Van Sommers
Sommers duplicates the perfume bottle to create a collage. The same perfume bottle is used and differs by the use of colours she uses. Within the collage, Sommers splits each photo into two sections and uses two separate colours. Most of the colours are eye-catching and bright to instantly create a fun, creative piece. She uses contrasting colours that attract attention towards the initial subject, which is the perfume bottle. As this photo aims to advertise the perfume, the distinguishing colours definitely display this as a distinctive, noticeable piece.
|
Sommers, once again is advertising a perfume bottle. She uses an intense green within her background which creates an impressive piece that will stand out. The contrasting, dark colour of the perfume further enhances the attention on the perfume bottle as the other aspects of the image are brighter and not as contrasted. She also uses a mirror to reflect the perfume- this further adds a creative, unique style to the photo and I will try to combine this style to the photograph in this style.
|
Sommers takes the image of the perfume bottle at an angle. She focuses closer on the object which creates a sharp, high quality photograph. She keeps a dark background which creates a professional finish. I will constantly incorporate the idea of a dark background within my photos as it produces a distinct, high quality image. I will adjust the highlight and shadows in my photos to create the gleam and shine that is visible in this photograph.
|
My photographs in the style of Jenny Van Sommers:
|
|
For my original photographs in the style of Jenny Van Sommers, I captured many images with a perfume bottle as the subject. I opted for different perfumes, as Sommers captures different types of perfumes in her photos. I also did not want to capture the same perfume as it would make my photos uninteresting and repetitive. I used different types of lighting, so that when I edit the images there will be a variety of style I am able to edit with. I edited all pictures using Adobe Photoshop CC 2017.
Photo 1- This is inspired by the Coco Chanel photograph taken by Jenny Van Sommers. I began by cropping the image to clear the unwanted background area that was not necessary so the image was solely focused on the bottle only. I mainly used the adjustments bar to select different edits until I found the most suitable effects. I decreased the contrast so the initial bottle was darkened to display a more defined look. I also adjusted the highlight and shadows, which gave a sleek look which also cleared any harshness. I increased the saturation which added more colour to the original image, additionally when changing the colour to the original colour, this would enhance the colour even further. Once satisfied, I began to duplicate the image four times, to create a similar style to Sommers' collage. I evenly laid them out into four sections. I focused on each section separately, by locking the sections that were not being edited. Within each section, I altered the channel mixer and changed the colour to blue/yellow/purple/red. I finished the edit by using the posterise effect in the adjustments bar, which added a blurry, pixelated effect which further decreased any unwanted imagery displayed in the background by increasing the lightness which faded it away.
Photo 2- I captured the image by placing the perfume bottle on a sheet of A4 paper to create a similar image as to how Sommers has captured her photo. I decreased the contrast and saturation to create a dimmer effect so there is a bigger contrast between the background and the centre of the image. I sharpened the image to add definition to the centre of the image as that is what Sommers' mainly focuses on. I used the quick selection tool and traced around the centre of the image. I used the locking tool so this area was unable to interfere with the rest of the editing. With the rest of the background, I used the paintbrush tool and positioned the colour as the same type of green, Sommers' uses in her photo. I filled in the background until it was evenly filled out. I finalised by running the sharpening tool over the rest of the image to produce a high quality finish.
Photo 3- When I took this image, I purposely added water droplets which added detail to the image. I adjusted the contrast by increasing it to darken out the details on the perfume bottle and then increased the brightness to highlight the lighter sections on the bottle. This helped achieve an even contrast between the background and the subject due to the bottle becoming lighter and the background becoming darker. I increased the saturation so the subject wasn't appearing too dull. I used auto-colour which overall, enhanced my photo substantially. I then began to trace around the perfume bottle using the quick selection tool to completely darken the background (using the paint brush in black) so only the perfume bottle was visible. Finally, I sharpened the centre of the image to create a highly defined logo displayed on the bottle.
Photo 4- I began by cropping out the perfume bottle using the quick selection tool, by outlining around the bottle and therefore removing this from the image by moving it to a different page. I then filled in the background of the initial image in black using the paint brush tool and then re positioned the cut-out perfume bottle back on the black background. I used the locking tool to merge the background and perfume bottle into one image instead of two separate sections. I then edited the bottle by further increasing the contrast and adjusting the image so the contrast was evenly balanced by using the levels tool in the adjustments bar. I duplicated the image by four, once again to create a similar style to Sommers' collage. I evenly laid them out into four sections. By using the same perfume bottle, I focused on differing the background within each of the four sections by using different colours. Using the tools positioned on the left, I opted for the blending tool to achieve the many different colours as my background within the four sections. For the top left image, I used the blending tool to choose two different colours that would have a high contrast between them. I opted for peach and green, purple and black, blue and lime and red and white. Additionally, instead of separating the colour on the image horizontally, I decided to do it diagonally to incorporate my own style and ideas within Sommers' photography.
Photo 5- I captured the image in natural light to achieve a less-staged rather realistic image. I used the quick selection tool to trace around the background excluding the subject, which in this case, is the perfume bottle. Using the paint brush tool, I darkened the background to remove the original background and replacing it with a complete black background equally creating an instant, professional look. I increased the contrast and further darkened certain aspects of the image using the curves tool. I increased the shadows to create a reflection on the bottle against the natural light that I initially used which instantly emphasised the small details on the perfume bottle. Using the adjustments bar, I decreased the saturation so it appeared slightly less vivid as well as decreasing the colour in certain aspects such as the corner and edges of the perfume bottle where there was too much light exposure. Lastly, I increased the highlight (in the adjustments bar) to the top section of the bottle, which ultimately highlighted the writing that is displayed at the top of the bottle. This helped me achieve a similar style to Jenny Van Sommers' style where she purposely increases the highlight on the writing or logo area.
Photo 6- I began by outlining the background that surrounded the perfume bottle using the quick selection tool and finely filled it in using the paint brush to achieve a complete black background. I neatened the edges of the perfume bottle using the paint brush tool, to prevent any harsh lines that appeared. I slightly increased the brightness and followed on with the contrast to evenly darken out areas that needed darkening such as the dark frame around the centre of the bottle as well as the logo. I captured this image in natural lighting and at an angle, which added a reflection onto the bottle exactly how Sommers' does. By further adjusting the shadows and highlights, this enhanced the gleam displayed on the bottle enabling me to incorporate Sommers' style effortlessly within my own work. I further rotated the image so the bottle was at a correct angle.
Photo 2- I captured the image by placing the perfume bottle on a sheet of A4 paper to create a similar image as to how Sommers has captured her photo. I decreased the contrast and saturation to create a dimmer effect so there is a bigger contrast between the background and the centre of the image. I sharpened the image to add definition to the centre of the image as that is what Sommers' mainly focuses on. I used the quick selection tool and traced around the centre of the image. I used the locking tool so this area was unable to interfere with the rest of the editing. With the rest of the background, I used the paintbrush tool and positioned the colour as the same type of green, Sommers' uses in her photo. I filled in the background until it was evenly filled out. I finalised by running the sharpening tool over the rest of the image to produce a high quality finish.
Photo 3- When I took this image, I purposely added water droplets which added detail to the image. I adjusted the contrast by increasing it to darken out the details on the perfume bottle and then increased the brightness to highlight the lighter sections on the bottle. This helped achieve an even contrast between the background and the subject due to the bottle becoming lighter and the background becoming darker. I increased the saturation so the subject wasn't appearing too dull. I used auto-colour which overall, enhanced my photo substantially. I then began to trace around the perfume bottle using the quick selection tool to completely darken the background (using the paint brush in black) so only the perfume bottle was visible. Finally, I sharpened the centre of the image to create a highly defined logo displayed on the bottle.
Photo 4- I began by cropping out the perfume bottle using the quick selection tool, by outlining around the bottle and therefore removing this from the image by moving it to a different page. I then filled in the background of the initial image in black using the paint brush tool and then re positioned the cut-out perfume bottle back on the black background. I used the locking tool to merge the background and perfume bottle into one image instead of two separate sections. I then edited the bottle by further increasing the contrast and adjusting the image so the contrast was evenly balanced by using the levels tool in the adjustments bar. I duplicated the image by four, once again to create a similar style to Sommers' collage. I evenly laid them out into four sections. By using the same perfume bottle, I focused on differing the background within each of the four sections by using different colours. Using the tools positioned on the left, I opted for the blending tool to achieve the many different colours as my background within the four sections. For the top left image, I used the blending tool to choose two different colours that would have a high contrast between them. I opted for peach and green, purple and black, blue and lime and red and white. Additionally, instead of separating the colour on the image horizontally, I decided to do it diagonally to incorporate my own style and ideas within Sommers' photography.
Photo 5- I captured the image in natural light to achieve a less-staged rather realistic image. I used the quick selection tool to trace around the background excluding the subject, which in this case, is the perfume bottle. Using the paint brush tool, I darkened the background to remove the original background and replacing it with a complete black background equally creating an instant, professional look. I increased the contrast and further darkened certain aspects of the image using the curves tool. I increased the shadows to create a reflection on the bottle against the natural light that I initially used which instantly emphasised the small details on the perfume bottle. Using the adjustments bar, I decreased the saturation so it appeared slightly less vivid as well as decreasing the colour in certain aspects such as the corner and edges of the perfume bottle where there was too much light exposure. Lastly, I increased the highlight (in the adjustments bar) to the top section of the bottle, which ultimately highlighted the writing that is displayed at the top of the bottle. This helped me achieve a similar style to Jenny Van Sommers' style where she purposely increases the highlight on the writing or logo area.
Photo 6- I began by outlining the background that surrounded the perfume bottle using the quick selection tool and finely filled it in using the paint brush to achieve a complete black background. I neatened the edges of the perfume bottle using the paint brush tool, to prevent any harsh lines that appeared. I slightly increased the brightness and followed on with the contrast to evenly darken out areas that needed darkening such as the dark frame around the centre of the bottle as well as the logo. I captured this image in natural lighting and at an angle, which added a reflection onto the bottle exactly how Sommers' does. By further adjusting the shadows and highlights, this enhanced the gleam displayed on the bottle enabling me to incorporate Sommers' style effortlessly within my own work. I further rotated the image so the bottle was at a correct angle.
Harold Feinstein
The images are shot by flower photographer, Harold Feinstein. Feinstein focuses on the distance between the subject and camera whilst shooting these images. They are either positioned closer to the camera to enhance the detail of the flower or further away to show the flower as a whole. His use of lighting differentiates between photos which changes the contrast. I will attempt to find different coloured flowers and include them and edit using Adobe Photoshop. This will allow me to edit the my images (in the style of Feinstein) suitably enough by adjusting the different editing tools to create the most ideal image. Feinstein uses a ray of refreshing colours- I will work with his type of colour and further adapt and capture other flowers with bolder colours. Additionally, I will try to capture photos from different distances. Capturing from different distances from the camera will produce different lighting's. This will enable me to edit each image differently without producing the same, repetitive images.
My photographs in the style of Harold Feinstein:
Unedited: |
Edited: |
My favourite images:
I captured all original images in natural lighting as I was unable to capture using artificial lighting which is what Feinstein uses however I have designed the finishing images using Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 to create a "staged" lighting in the style of Feinstein. I purposely used different areas of lighting- darkening the lighting within some images whereas brightening the lighting in some photos. This helped me determine which lighting best suited the style of Feinstein. I decided not to focus on the photographs that had a similar lighting to Feinstein's style but rather experimented with the various images and further developed on the different lighting's to suitably display the style from this photographer.
With all of my images, I began by outlining the background using the quick selection tool. Once I selected all the sections necessary, which was everything except the main subject - in this case the flower, I used the paint brush tool in "black" to completely fill in the background to create a black, "staged" image similar to Feinstein. As I captured all images using natural lighting, darkening the background helped me achieve the look I wanted which was as though my images were really taken using artificial lighting (style of Feinstein's). Although his lighting differs between his images, due to the distance between the camera and the subject, I purposely captured images more closer or at an angle to add some of my own inspiration. This helped me achieve different images each time, instead of the same, constant images. Using a range of different (coloured) flowers created distinctive images each time. Although I edited the images quite similarly, by finding a range of different flowers, it helped create a unique image each time I edited. I the cropped the images until I was satisfied with the areas that I wanted visible and the areas that were not needed. Using the adjustments bar, I began adjusting the levels to attain a balance between the contrasting, dark background and the flower itself. This blended the flower into the background- this gave a professional look instead of a disoriented flower that is placed randomly with an incompatible background. I altered the contrast within the photos by increasing the contrast which further darkened the flower in certain aspects. for Photo 1, I used the channel mixer to create a ray of different colours blended together on the flower. By doing this, I interpreted my own ideas whilst following the style of Feinstein as the channel mixer further darkened the edges around the flower which is what Feinstein constantly does. I either increased/decreased the brightness depending on the natural state of the photo after altering the levels. The images that were slightly darker were increased whereas the images brighter were decreased to obtain a well-balanced finish. I sharpened every image further towards the centre which produced a high quality image and defined areas that were needed. This produced images high in quality which is what I wanted to create.
Derek Payne
These sunset images are shot by Derek Payne. In these photographs he really thinks about the angle and location and uses different edits to further enhance the colour and balance in his photos. The pictures are landscape to give a larger view of the scenery and all of his images are different types of sunsets to give a variety of the type of photos, (sunsets), he has chosen to do. Payne incorporates lots of colour within his images- I will capture a range of different sunsets which will include different colours, rather than capturing the same, repetitive images. My aim is to capture sunsets in different locations too as the sunset may differ in a different location. To enhance the different colours, I will edit the image so the colours will appear contrasting and the initial image, well-defined. Although it will be difficult to capture different types of sunsets, I will capture different aspects of the sunset so different colours will appear within my images. The artist incorporates other types of nature such as trees to add detail- this immediately creates an eye-catching display of the sunsets which further captures the intense, striking colours as the excess details (trees, waves) are almost lost in the background and are simple silhouettes. All focus is solely on the bold, rich sky- I will edit my images so the colours appear as vivid as Payne's.
My photographs in the style of Derek Payne:
Unedited:
I mainly captured all photos in the same scene as it was difficult to capture several different sunsets in several different locations which mean't that this limited my actual desire in taking photos in the style of Payne who constantly changes his location. Although, the majority of my photos are captured in the same location, I changed the position I was taking them at, such as the angles. By changing the angle of the photo, this allowed each of my photos to achieve different, unique styles instead of the same, repetitive look.
Edited:
|
|
My favourite image:
Inspired by the photographer, Derek Payne, these images are edited using Adobe Photoshop CC 2015. I further edited and altered the contrast and initial balance of the images using the adjustments bar. I began by leveling the image (using levels) which darkened the areas necessary such as the trees and other areas I wanted less noticeable. Furthermore, this created a silhouette piece, with just the outline of the particular subjects- the trees and houses. This instantly displayed the colours more dramatic which was ideal as the majority of focus remained on the sunset which is exactly displayed in the style of Derek Payne. I further edited the images by increasing the vibrancy and contrast so the colours would appear bolder. Using the channel mixer further strengthened the pictures by intensifying the small, subtle colours hidden in the original images. The channel mixer also created different types of shades of the core colours that I already captured which was ideal, as I wanted my images in the style of Payne's as much as possible. The colours produce different impressions expressed in the images; the reds connote a feel of warmth, the blues give a feel of coolness, the purples give a contrast to the photo and the yellows add light and brightness. I adjusted the exposure by decreasing it, so the highly saturated areas would lessen, and the images would balance appropriately. To finalise the images, I slightly increased the sharpness which gave the pictures a professional and high-quality finish.