Post 10- Ten weeks into Lockdown

We have now been in lockdown for 10 weeks and it seems we have many more weeks to look forward to. We can now travel further away from home to take our exercise but with no public toilets open we are still bound to stay close to home. The weather has been excellent so we have been able to spend a lot of time outdoors but this week saw a return to the more normal wet and windy weather.

I have taken very few new images recently but have been revisiting ones from my archives and giving them a new treatment. The following set of images is an example of the use of overlays to transform the mood of images.

Original

 

This set shows three different treatments again through the use of overlays.

Most of our exercise walks have been on the roads around our estate but we now have the chance to travel a little further and have discovered some new local footpaths and wooded areas.

I have also been experimenting with close up photography of insects. Surprisingly the damselflies were in our own garden pond and seemed happy to pose for me.

 All in all this has been a very productive period but it will be nice to get out and about a bit more.

Post 9 -Food for thought

I have just read a very thought provoking article by Julia Anna Gospodaru.
In the article she comments upon the significant number of photographers and training companies offering reduced prices on presets that can be used in Lightroom or Photoshop to speed up the process of post processing images. Use these presets, they claim and you can, at the click of a button, create high quality images and some even claim you can create Fine Art Photographs.
Julia argues that there are no shortcuts to the craft of producing creative images and that the process cannot and should not be rushed. The only benefit of presets is to show the user what is possible but using them will unavoidably produce images that look similar to those created by the preset creator not the users original work.
Being truly creative means finding a way of expressing your own unique ideas by producing a piece artwork. If you are successful this activity this will deliver a level of personal satisfaction that makes it worthwhile even though other people may not fully appreciate the merit of what you have produced.
Although I understand Julia's arguments I feel as if my own motivations in becoming visually literate and using that knowledge to produce creative images are not yet based upon the deep felt need that artistic people have to demonstrate their unique view of the World to others. This realisation leaves me with the feeling that I still have a long way to go and that I should not see visual literacy as my final destination but merely a staging post on the route that ends in a place called Creativity.

If you are interested in reading the full article follow this link.
http://blog.juliaannagospodarou.com/about-shortcuts-versus-real-craftsmanship-in-art-and-photography/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=About+Shortcuts+Versus+Real+Craftsmanship+in+Art+and+Photography

Post 8- 30 Days of Photoshop

I now have a lot of time on my hands due to the Coronavirus lockdown. It seems like it might go on for a few months for people of my age group.
I have found a series of 33 videos entitled 30 Days of Photoshop by Aaron Nace of PHLEARN.
I have been using Photoshop for a couple of years to make blended and composite images but have never learned the basics of the programme.
I have spent the last three weeks going through these videos and have the opportunity to build firmer foundations for my creative efforts.
I hope that this will give me more tools to help me deliver my creative visions.

Post 7- Finding the Essence of the technique.

Having followed the advice of Doug Chinnery and produced some really nice images I realised that the essence of the technique was taking two or more images and blending them together. I decided it was not necessary to combine images in camera using multiple exposure techniques .
I started to take single images of interesting domestic subjects and duplicating them in Photoshop using the Free Transform tool to move or adjust the size of one of the pair so they were out of phase.
Having done this it was possible to change the blending modes and select ones that gave pleasing images.  They are very different from basic Chinnnery shots and I have shown a number of these below.

Post 6- Creativity in a crisis

Inspiration at Last!!
I have been looking at You Tube videos and Facebook sites looking for inspiration during the period of self-isolation. One of my friends Mick Govan posted a link to a video by Doug Chinnery called Creativity in a Crisis and I watched it with great interest.
The video was made last week in the context of the coronavirus lockdown and he showed us his approach to being creative with images taken in his home.
Doug is a great exponent of Intentional Camera Movement and Multiple Exposures and has produced many very useful videos on these subjects over the years and this is no exception.
In this video he suggests looking around our homes for decorative objects and combining images of them with multiple exposure techniques. He is a Canon shooter so has the possiblity of combining, in camera, up to five images whereas my Fuji XT-20 will only combine two. His camera also has a number different blending modes whereas mine only has the one.
Undaunted by  these limitations I set about capturing images of three decorative cats against various backgrounds and took four quite interesting shots. I also found a small vase of plastic flowers. Within fifteen minutes I had half a dozen base shots. Some of which are shown below.

Doug's approach was to take his multiple exposure images into Lightroom to select ones with "potential" and then develop them in the normal way. He then took them one at a time into Photoshop for further manipulation. He the duplicated the background layer and used the free transform tool to move and distort this new top layer. He then went through the various blending modes available selecting those that produced an "interesting" effect to save as a new image.
Although his system is quite simple and relies substantially on serendipity the real creativity comes from recognising when a chosen blend mode has produced an image that is both interesting and has real artistic merit. It is at this point that my own insecurities about my abilities comes to the surface again. Do the images that I find interesting have any real artistic merit????


I am now at the stage in my development where I am starting to say. I LIKE IT! and I HOPE YOU, THE VIEWER, DO TOO!
I have posted some of the many images that popped out from this, my first session, of what I will call "The Doug Chinnery Technique". I hope you like them!!!!

Post 5-and then there was Coronavirus!

Last week everything changed as we became aware of the implications of the Corona virus first reported in China. Initially it seemed like it was "another side of the World"problem but then BANG, we are all being asked to avoid all face to face social contact to slow down the spread of the infection.
Moy and I are very lucky as this isolation will not have any impact upon our income but it is clear that everyone who is working will be seriously impacted and many employers will close down. The Governments Powers are limited when faced with a crisis such as this and they will, I am sure, face criticism from many quarters. I sincerely hope it does not result in civil unrest and the break down of society which is entirely possible.
Avoiding contact with the infection, washing our hands and avoiding touching our nose, mouth and eyes are the major things we can do. We will be staying in the house until further notice except for the unavoidable shopping trips.

I intend spend some of my time improving my post processing skills and maybe use them to create some new images.
I also plan to get around to the job of scanning the old family photographs into a digital format.
Hopefully something good will come out of the experience.

I do hope we do not catch the virus and that all our friends and family remain well or recover quickly. Fingers crossed. I hope anyone reading this also keeps safe and stays well.

Good Luck!

Post 4- Going Public

For years now I have only shown my work in a small selection of closed Facebook Groups. These groups were linked to Local Camera Clubs or shared with my Friends and Family. I have decided to take a place at the upcoming Connected 2020 exhibition and open my work up to more public scrutiny. The exhibition takes place at Patchings Art Centre in Nottinghamshire over 5 weeks in April this year culminating in three days of presentations by established photographers. This will be an opportunity to show my work alongside that of other photographers and give me an opportunity to learn from their work. It will also be an opportunity to listen to other photographers sharing their enthusiasm for their chosen craft.
I am really looking forward to this.
I have submitted a composite image taken originally at the  Derby Feste street circus Festival in Derby and further developed in Photoshop. It will be interesting to hear peoples' comments.

I have titled the image "Time Marches On"
As part of the catalogue I have written a short biography, the preparation of which gave me an opportunity to take stock of my journey into photography and my aspiration to steadily increase my  Visual Literacy. I have also constructed a Portfolio Web site to show more of my work and attached a link to my Blog.

This is the text of my biography.

I have been taking photographs all my adult life aiming to record the places I have visited and the people I was with. I was lucky enough to win a competition in 2014 and now see one of my images adorning the inside of Arriva’s Sapphire buses in Derby. I used the prize money to upgrade my equipment.

Being retired and a member of a number of Photography Clubs in and around Derby I have had been to explore new photographic techniques. I have also taken time to learn and take inspiration from the work of other photographers.

In the past three years I have been attempting to create what I like to call “Arresting Images”. These are designed to grab, and hopefully hold, the viewers attention and in doing so generate an emotional reaction.

I hope you will find time to look at some more of my work on my Portfolio Site

https://chriscalverley.myportfolio.com/

I hope you will enjoy the blog of my Photographic Journey so far.

https://visualliteracyjourney.blogspot.com/