Task 1a; Statement of Intent; Theme 1

Task 1a: Produce a folio of images.

Theme 1:
Close Up in the Garden of Church Farm, Anslow Gate


Purpose of the photography:
To discover and record the nature at Church Farm by producing close up images of all aspects of the garden.

Reason for selection of theme:
Interest in close up photography of nature.
Ease of access (my own garden).
To discover aspects of the garden I have never considered before.
To capture images which will be special to me as a memento of the garden I have enjoyed for over 20 years.
To develop my skill & knowledge in close up work, allowing me to apply these improvements in other locations.

Photo imaging equipment and medium to be used:

Olympus E520 digital SLR camera:

Lenses:

ZUIKO DIGITAL 17.5-45mm 1:3.5-5.6

2.5x standard zoom

Equivalent to 35-90mm wide angle standard zoom on a 35mm Film Camera
Closest focal distance of 28cm

ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm 1:4.0-5.6

3.8x zoom - Telephoto zoom lens

Equivalent to 80-300mm wide angle standard zoom on a 35mm Film Camera
Closest focal distance of 90cm

ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 70-300mm 1:4.0-5.6

4.3x super-telephoto zoom lens
Equivalent to 140-600mm on a 35mm film camera

Closest focusing distance of 120cm

HAMA Digital Camera Connecting System Connecting Cable OLY-1 (for Olympus Cameras) 00005210

HAMA Wireless Remote Shutter Release Digital Camera Connecting System Base 00005202

Velbon Sherpa 550R Tripod

This tripod has expandable legs in 3 sections which extend to give a camera height of approximately 5 feet; with the legs collapsed the height is approximately 2 feet, both of which are perfectly suitable for my use. The head is a swivel ball and socket.


Media to be used.
Initially all my images will be saved into Photoshop Elements 8 on my own computer where I shall review them, and delete any unsatisfactory images. From there I shall upload images onto my blog. I shall review these images further at Burton College and amend them as necessary using Photoshop CS5 on the college's computers. I shall save my final images onto a DVD.

My final aim will be to produce a book as final memento for myself and my family, However I would like images through the entire seasons of the year which is outside the time scale of this course, so will not be available for this module.

There is a possibility that 2 of my images will be displayed alongside those of my class members at a local civic centre. If so they will be printed as 16 x 12 inch photographs, and framed suitably. This will be an exciting step as I have never printed photos larger than 6 x 4 inches before.

Stimulus Material.

The major stimulus for this work is to record as many aspects as possible of the nature of the garden as a permanent record before I move from the house.

Prior to this course I have observed close up photographs in magazines and books, and whilst out and about I have noticed miscellaneous flora and fauna which warranted closer observation. Close up photography enables you to really study small and seemingly inconsequential items of nature, be they flowers or leaves, insects or spider webs, dead or alive, and appreciate the beauty and wonder that might normally be missed. Often close up photographs bring out features that cannot be observed easily with the naked eye - especially if long sighted!

The references I intend to use initially are those known to me - Steve Young and David Tipling, but I intend to extend this to discover artists new to me - which I shall record in my blog aided by using internet search engines, library books, names within magazine articles and other sources during the course. All the references will be labelled within a future blog.
 
Techniques to be used.
 
I intend to investigate the possible techniques I can use with the equipment listed above to produce close up images. All the photographs will be taken on the 'manual' setting of the camera so initially I shall investigate the effect of varying the 3 basic parameters available i.e. ISO setting, aperture width and shutter speed.
 
I have 3 main lenses available; I hope to vary my use of them to discover the best use of each lens for close up photography. Depth of field will be important in this to enhance the images and effect they produce.
 
Study of composition will also be important to improve the images taken. Research will be needed as will analysis of images of other photographers to evaluate what does and does not work - remembering that the final perception is totally personal.

Lighting Conditions.
The period of this assignment is September 2011 through to the end of January 2012 i.e. through autumn and early winter. During this period of some 4 months I can expect the quality and quantity of light available to decrease as we move through the vernal equinox and midwinter solstice (shortest day). Hopefully in autumn there will be days with bright sunrises and sunsets which will produce vivid reds and yellows; in winter light quality will become poorer partly because of the reduced light time, but also because of possible 'grey' or wet days with low levels of light. It will be necessary to take advantage of any sunny days there are, and to shoot throughout the limited daylight. Winter sunrises and sunsets may be colourful, but they have low level light which means that it will be difficult to capture close up images.

Safety Considerations.
Since these photographs will be taken on my own land there are no issues about access. If photos need to be taken from the roadside I obviously need to be aware of oncoming traffic - keep eyes and ears open and do not stand in the middle of the road.
Within the garden the hazards are minimal - steps upon which I could trip, mossy paths on which I could slip. I don't intend to climb any trees to fall from. There is no pond. Care will be taken if photographing from upstairs windows.
If I need to hang feeders from trees care will be needed if branches are to be cut, or nails attached. I normally feed birds all the year round, so this should be continued for their benefit. Nothing should be done in the composition of an image that will compromise the safety of any of the wildlife.