Natsumi Hayashi, also known as Yowa Yowa, was born and lives in Tokyo, Japan. She is mostly famous for her levitating photographs which she calls 'jump shots'. They are self portraits of her taken around the city where she is jumping. She uses everyday objects so it looks more normal when she jumps so that she's not jumping she's simply levitating. She says "A jump is composed of many movements and those who go up must come down."
Yowa Yowa trains her body in order to get her body into these positions. She uses a shutter speed of 1/500th of a second or faster and a timer of only 10 seconds.
My favourite photo is the one in the centre as there are two people in this shot, one of which is Yowa Yowa, levitating and the other a man that is normally on the ground. There is a red lorry in the background capturing your attention as most of the colours in this image are light. The fact that there are two people instead of one in this image also appeals more especially because one is levitating and the other is on the ground although we don't know which side is the right side. Excellent artist research section! Watch your CAPITAL letters at the beginning of sentences and noun/verb alignment "the fact that there are two people..."
I also like the image on the right as your eyes don't automatically go to Yowa Yowa as she is not in centre frame. Instead your eyes to go the surroundings first, taking in the setting before hand. She is in an everyday environment therefore giving you the impression that levitating is so unusual but is also quite intriguing.
In these images, People are levitating doing a variety of different actions and motions as they are levitating, they stand out from a regular image making the impossible possible. I have improved my technique through these images as some of them look like jumps more than levanting To do this I used a shutter speed of 1/500th of a second or faster in order to capture the image while in motion and also a IOS of 400.
The image of the boy reading is definitely the best of this bunch. Enlarge it and explain why it's the strongest. Spell check
This is my strongest photo as it doesn't look like a jump it looks more like he is levitating whilst reading a book. The book adds the normality to this photograph and his facial expression express how you would be if you were reading.
Dominic Harris
Dominic Harris was born on the 16th of November 1976 in London, Brussel. Harris attended the Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School and trained as an architect. He created a series of zoom blur photos. To get this effect of an blurred image, you activate the zoom feature on your lens while the shutter is open and you can either turn it clockwise or anticlockwise.
I like the photo in the centre as it consists of an underground train station. The main focal point of this image is a moving train moving across the middle of an image. I like the way the purple and pink pop out the image however merging with the shades and colours around them. It gives of the illusion that the train is never ending.
Good!
First response
In these photos I have used an ISO of 400 and a shutter speed on 1/5th. I have experimented in turning the lens clockwise and anticlockwise in order to get the best output. I have used a tripod and taken photos from various distances from the main focus point. I have chosen a background with many different colours adding more interest in theses photographs. I think the one on the centre is my strongest image as although my model isn't in focus my camera is a good distance away from my subject. To improve my images next time I will keep my subject in focus. Good attempts at zoom blur. Explain which is the best and why. Do you need to re-shoot this project? If so, explain why and what you will do differently next time.
Second Response
I have re-shot this projected because my main focus point was not in focus. Instead of people I have chosen Christmas decoration as they are more colourful and there is much more going on in the background. This time I have experimented and played around with the ISO from 400-640. I have also gone in closer to my subject so that there is less error in the balance of the fade to blurriness and focus. My strongest image is the one in the centre. The red stands out the most in this image therefore is perfect for the main focus point. The blue lights also contrast with the dark green tree as the blue shine through the spaces in-between the branches creating little blue lines.
Francesca woodman
Francesca Woodman was an American photographer. she was born in Colorado in the United States in 1958, 3 April. At the age of thirteen she took her first self-portrait up until she sadly took her life at the age of 22 in, 1981.
She was best known for her black and white pictures that included herself and female models.Her photographs showed people merging with their surroundings or a part of the body moving. she carefully picked the objects and props she placed into her images to create discomfit and claustrophobic scenarios that seem unreal. Her messages within her photos explore the issues of gender and self. Woodman creates a sense of horror by partially hiding herself or blur her moving figure into a ghostly spirt. She has a total of 800 images many of which are self portraits. In order to capture this ghostly effect she used a long exposure time.
The image on the left is Francesca Woodman herself. I especially like the photo on the right as its main focus point is the person moving. This photo instantly draws are tension to the floating dark blurred image just right of the centre of the image. This is because the room is empty and therefore nothing to notice or see apart from the fact that the wall looks very rundown. The fact that this image is in black and white creates a spooky and scary atmosphere that grabs your attention.
Good analyses! Francesca Woodman exposure
This process is how I created my images, in order for them to look and feel like Francesca Woodman.
This is my finished product of changing and ultinaton my image on photoshop. In this photo, I have thought about Woodman's techniques in making a discomfiting and an unsettling atmosphere where you wouldn't normally find yourself in everyday life. I have edited this photo on Photoshop, by changing the colour to black and white and playing with the shades. I have also edited the size of the image by changing the levels.In this photo I have used a shutter speed 1/3.5th of a second. Spell check, please! Proof-read your work. Photoshop
I have played around with the shutter speeds in a variety of photos I have taken to get the best possible output. I have also used a variety of different backgrounds however still trying to have a scary atmosphere and mood to the images. Theses aren't the best photo to use as the main model is not in focus. Explain why these are not the best images to use. Do you think you may need to shoot this project again? What can you do differently next time?
Second response
This is my second response to the Francesca woodman project. I have kept the shutter speed and the IOS the same and I have re-shot these as the subject is up close and more in focus, below the neck and blurred from the neck up. Although the background is plain black it contrasts nicely with the white jumper.
Romain Laurent
Romain Laurent is a French photographer. He was born in the French Alps and is currently 27 years old. He lives in Paris and is working as a professional photographer since 2006. He is famous for his tilt images and GIF portraits. He produces unrealistic photographs by using photoshop. The way he uses photoshop is clever as its not something people would neccessarly do. I like his work because its got a sense of uniqueness as well as it is difference. His work is unique as most images we see are single images however Laurent takes multiple images and creates them into a single frame as well as his ideas are so imaginative that anything is possible when he creates his GIF's. Please be specific - what is unique about his work and describe the kinds of GIFs he creates.
My GIF
For this project, we had to take several photos from the same spot (using a tripod) with something moving differnetly each time. We would then take these photos and turn them into a GIF's by using Photoshop.
First Response
Second Response
To improve my work from my first response to my second response I got more creative with backgrounds and ideas. My first response, my lighting was simply daylight and plain backgrounds. My second response has more colours and objects in the background with also blue fairy lights and Christmas decorations. I also took more photos in order for the GIF to by longer and transition more smoothly.
Michael Bossanko
Michael Bossanko is a Welsh photographer who simply uses torches, coloured torches or glo-sticks to create 'light paintings'. Bossanko accidentally discovered how to do light paintings in the summer of 2004 when he was in Greece and he accidentally kicked his tripod. He has been using this a technique that he calls 'light graffiti.' He uses a low shutter speed a long exposer time which varies between 1 minute to an hour. I like Michael Bossankos work as you can see how much time and effort goes into every one of his photos and excellent the result is. I also like his photos as I think that there is a meaning behind each one and I will try and use this as inspiration from my work.
The photo in the centre consists of blue and purple colours and is very busy as theres is a lot of light in every direction. the main focus point of this image is and man just right of the frame, on his knees looking up and streaks of blue light radiating of him. in this image the colours contrast beautifully off one another making you eyes more drawn to it. Bossanko uses a long exposure time as there is so much detail and, a tripod has been used as the image is in focus.
In order to create these "light paintings" you need to be in a pitch black room with a camera, tripod and torch. You then put your shutter speed very low that can varies from, 10 seconds to BULB (BULB is a shutter speed that can be as long or as short as you want by pressing your finger to take a photo and holding it there until the person with the torch has finished there painting and you let go of the button) the person then goes in front of the camera and draws a image, shapes or words.
These images are shown in order of my first attempt to my final attempt. As you can see my images have improved by creativity and by technique. I have experimented with shapes, images and pictures.
Movement developments
For my final project I have been inspired by Phillip Halsman because of his photography of his 'jumpology' series. I have also looked at the artist Yowa Yowa as I have been inspired by her 'jump shot' series. I have incorporated both these artists in my work to create a mixture of the two.The subjects of my shoots will be objects that look like there levitating.To take theses photos I used a fast shutter speed to capture the objects in mid-air. My work will be shoot indoors and they will look like magic.
Final piece
For this shoot, I shot indoors. I used a tripod and turned the flash on. I also used a shutter speed of 1/5th. I found that trying to take the photo whilst the object was in midair was more difficult then a person as the object moved in different directions in the air and was hard to get it in the right positions. I like these images because it almost gives the impression of magic.