A2 PHOTOGRAPHY - EMILY MOORBY
MUSIC CULTURE
BTEC music - selected images
Image One - I have always found it difficult capturing drummers and having a movement free result on the image. Depsite this image not being totally movement free, I really like how I have captured the drummer (Lewis) looking very focused and enthused with his playing. One thing that stood out to me amongst the students, was their passion for Music and Performing, and this made me enjoy the shoot even more. With regards to the composition of this image, I decided to go with the 'Rule of Thirds' in order to achieve a more interesting arrangement. Plus, I wanted the kit to be featured and not just the drummer. I like the ominous effect given from the smoke, and I felt that the image looked better when converted into Black and White, as it enhances the fog like effect, as well as defining the instruments and equipment. I think this image would be a lot stronger if I managed to capture less movement than I have, however I feel that this is something that I will get better at over time. Also, I do not use professional kit, as I can't afford it, so working with what I've got is something that I have had to get used to.
This is the raw image from the shoot, and I felt that editing it was not necessary, as I really liked the vibrancy caused by the lighting at the venue. With the composition, I felt that I had no choice but to follow the rule of thirds, due to the fact I think the image would look odd if the whole of the bass guitar wasn't in the shoot. There's a tiny section of the instrument cut off across the bottom of the image, and this personally weakens the image for me. However, Napper (the subject matter/bass player) would have had a section of his head cut off if the whole of the guitar body was in, so in a sense, I'm glad it was the bottom that got cut off and not the top. Another shallow focus shot, resulting in the prominence of the subject matter strengthening and standing out more against the background of the image.
I especially like the shallow focus effect on this image, whcih results in the front man of the band standing out more. I also like the composition of this shot, as compared to the first image, the performer is more centrally positioned; resulting in the image being less identical to the rule of thirds. I decided on this composition to enable me to capture more of the guitar, very similar to the image above of Napper. The same thing also happened with part of the guitar body being cut off, but this is just one of those things that I feel will improve with practice and experience with shooting live bands on stage.
I especially like the glowing effect created by the lights around the subject matter on this image, as I feel it looks very theatrical and enhances the performance element of the shoot. The medium long shot composition also is another factor I really like about the image, as this kind of shot enables the audience focus to be set on the key parts of the performer (in this case, it being the fact the guitar playing and vocals) as well as the fact the surrounding background can be seen, and displaying the fact the band were on stage when the shoot took place. The contrast created by the shining light also makes the image I feel more interesting to look at. In terms of conceptualism, this could be really symbolic with illustrating the idea that many performers only feel comfortable when on stage. Having the area where they are stood lit up and the darkness around the image could represent how people come alive whilst on stage, and use their talents to block out any negative emotion. Anyway diverting away rapidly from inner meaning, the shallow focus again enhances the attention on the subject matter from the rest of the image. And compared to my other images, this one breaks 'the rule of thirds' as the performer is practically centrally framed. This is a rare time where I actually don't mind breaking the rule, as I like how the image turned out. This shot was taken from the side of the stage, as most of my images were taken from the front where the audience were. I decided to try standing at the side to ensure that I collected a range of images that were not all similar in terms of composition, and as a result, strenghtening the shoot overall.