writing about Photography
Writing about your work
When you write about your work you need to make sure you cover these 5 BASIC points -
1. What is your photograph? Example > This is my photo of . . . . . . . . . . . . . , taken in . . . . . . . . . . . . . , using . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. Why did you take this photograph? Example > I chose to take this image to show . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. What changes (if any) have you made to the photograph and why have you made those changes? Example > I have post-processed this image by . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. What can you identify as successful in the photograph? Example > I am really pleased with . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5. What would you like to improve in the photograph? Example > I want to shoot this picture once more to . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Full example -
This is my photograph taken of an oak tree in the wintertime. I took this image on a dull wintery morning using a Nikon DSLR with the zoom set to wide angle (18mm). I chose to take this image to show the complicated patterns of the branches against the cloudy and moody sky. The picture is very high contrast with the branches seeming black against the sky. I used Photoshop to increase the contrast because I wanted the photo to appear like spilt ink trails on a piece of paper. I also cropped the picture to emphasise the long thin shape of the tree trunk. I am really pleased with the finished photograph but want to repeat this picture once more with a blue sky as the backdrop and, possibly once more with a really stormy sky. I also look forward to repeating this when the spring arrives and the tree has leaves again. This picture reminds me ink trails on paper as well as some photographs of trees I have seen taken by Bill Brandt whose work I have included in my research pages.
1. What is your photograph? Example > This is my photo of . . . . . . . . . . . . . , taken in . . . . . . . . . . . . . , using . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. Why did you take this photograph? Example > I chose to take this image to show . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. What changes (if any) have you made to the photograph and why have you made those changes? Example > I have post-processed this image by . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. What can you identify as successful in the photograph? Example > I am really pleased with . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5. What would you like to improve in the photograph? Example > I want to shoot this picture once more to . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Full example -
This is my photograph taken of an oak tree in the wintertime. I took this image on a dull wintery morning using a Nikon DSLR with the zoom set to wide angle (18mm). I chose to take this image to show the complicated patterns of the branches against the cloudy and moody sky. The picture is very high contrast with the branches seeming black against the sky. I used Photoshop to increase the contrast because I wanted the photo to appear like spilt ink trails on a piece of paper. I also cropped the picture to emphasise the long thin shape of the tree trunk. I am really pleased with the finished photograph but want to repeat this picture once more with a blue sky as the backdrop and, possibly once more with a really stormy sky. I also look forward to repeating this when the spring arrives and the tree has leaves again. This picture reminds me ink trails on paper as well as some photographs of trees I have seen taken by Bill Brandt whose work I have included in my research pages.
writing about other photographers' work
When writing about other photographers' work here are the 5 points you should always cover in your annotations. Again, these are the BASICS that should be your starting point in your writing -
1. What do you see? Example > In this photograph of . . . . . . . . . . . . . I can see evidence of . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. What does it make you think of, feel, or realise? Example > Looking at this photograph I realise that . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. What would I like to know about it? Example > I am keen to learn more about . . . . . . . . . . . . . in this photo and how . . . . . . . . . . . . . has been achieved
4. What do I like and dislike? Why? Example > I really like . . . . . . . . . . . . . in the photo and will be influenced by this but the . . . . . . . . . . . . . is not so great.
5. What ideas can I take from it?
Full example
This is a photograph taken by Berenice Abbott in New York in the late 1930s. It is a very bold picture looking up at the skyscrapers. It has a lot of drama strong shapes and really shows how exciting and modern New York must have felt at that time. I really like the strong patterns seen in the buildings and the different reflections in the buildings' windows. I want to learn more about the lens she has used as well as the reasons she had for taking such dramatic pictures - in some ways the buildings are like giants looking down in a threatening way. I only see the buildings as exciting and dramatic. I will visit an area with tall buildings and develop ideas around this kind of viewpoint of looking up at tall buildings that almost look like they are falling down.
1. What do you see? Example > In this photograph of . . . . . . . . . . . . . I can see evidence of . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. What does it make you think of, feel, or realise? Example > Looking at this photograph I realise that . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. What would I like to know about it? Example > I am keen to learn more about . . . . . . . . . . . . . in this photo and how . . . . . . . . . . . . . has been achieved
4. What do I like and dislike? Why? Example > I really like . . . . . . . . . . . . . in the photo and will be influenced by this but the . . . . . . . . . . . . . is not so great.
5. What ideas can I take from it?
Full example
This is a photograph taken by Berenice Abbott in New York in the late 1930s. It is a very bold picture looking up at the skyscrapers. It has a lot of drama strong shapes and really shows how exciting and modern New York must have felt at that time. I really like the strong patterns seen in the buildings and the different reflections in the buildings' windows. I want to learn more about the lens she has used as well as the reasons she had for taking such dramatic pictures - in some ways the buildings are like giants looking down in a threatening way. I only see the buildings as exciting and dramatic. I will visit an area with tall buildings and develop ideas around this kind of viewpoint of looking up at tall buildings that almost look like they are falling down.