Slow Shutter Speed

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Many of the more successful images captured at the pier were of its more kinetic elements. There’s a liveliness in the blurring of the light, and the outcomes are really unpredictable. The patterns created by this technique would make great backgrounds for illustrations.

Some of the members of our groups experimented with the use of a slower shutter speed at the pier. Looking at the results today they have produced some very aesthetically pleasing photos. I really love the colour palette in the images above, I am particularly drawn to the pink, blue and yellow combination and fell it has created an image really different to the outcomes we were presented in our briefing. It’s contrasting in how bright and abstract the use of light is and looks almost like a textiles print rather than a photograph.

This would be a great technique to explore further as a group and I may look into using these images as the backgrounds for my final solo exploration.

Monoprinting

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The little experience I’ve had with printmaking prior to starting my studies here has been pretty disastrous. 17 year old me sabotaged my first attempts at lino and the mandatory etching that I hadn’t completed for assessment hung over me for so long that it just pissed me off. But since starting the processed rotations I’ve begun to develop a real love for all things printmaking.

We were told at the beginning of the workshop that we would be using cyan, magenta and yellow for our printing. The tutor had premixed our inks with a translucent medium, meaning that where colours overlapped they would mix ie. yellow over blue would make green and so on. There weren’t many worries to be had on this occasion regarding the order in which I printed them, but it was tricky ensuring that the correct areas were removed and it was the first time I’d worked with more than one layer in a print.

I decided to translate a doodle I’d done the other day of a pair playing a game of poker. There were a few mistakes that were part of the learning curve, for example the ashtray in the doodle was accidentally rubbed out and I didn’t leave enough ink to give a significant impression of the smoke the cigarette is emitting. I’ve found with Monoprinting a real liveliness is created in the image by overlapping layers of ink. My favourite section of the image is where the gent is holding his cards and there’s a slight disconformity where the colours spill out the edges. Overall I’m really pleased with the outcome! It’s definitely a technique I’d like to revisit in the future.

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Brighton Pier Arcade Visit

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Having referred to the brief we noticed as a group that we hadn’t explored external light factors at all. On the back of this we decided to go down to the pier to take some photos. The sun was shining but it was a particularly bitter day so, after taking a few images of the way that the sun reflected off the sea, we took shelter inside the pier arcade.

The arcade proved to be a far more interesting subject for photography than the great expanse of blue that surrounds it. The colourful, tacky lights proved to very effective in producing a stark contrast with the dark environment. I am particularly proud of the photo I took at the top of this post.

We experimented with all of the techniques we’d learned the day before in the photography workshop. Testing out how the slow shutter speed drew out the movement being created by all of the different attractions. It will be brilliant to collate our photos tomorrow and see how everyone’s interpreted the same location.

Liv Siddall

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Liv Siddall is currently editor of the Rough Trade publication. A Graphic Design graduate from Kingson, Siddall has spent most of her career working for the design blog ‘It’s Nice That.’ Liv took the stage with an almost nervous charisma. She talked of her experience in the world of blogs with a real passion, but in a way that felt like she didn’t feel she deserved to be talking about it. She was definitely the most engaging speaker I feel we’ve had so far.

She presented us with tips on how to tackle small budgeting in publication making. She gave us tips from her friends in the business and a massive selection of examples of their work. It was great to hear from someone who was surviving in the industry and had a good knowledge of how to use the internet to their advantage- something that has been severely lacking from the other speakers.

“Don’t get mad, get drawing.”

Let There Be Light

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After the brief had been set a few of us wandered down to snoopers paradise to explore its wares. We sneakily avoided the various ‘no photography’ signs and proceeded to take some preliminary photos on our phones of different ways that light refracted through the glass objects. Some of the images we got were really effective and I’m looking forward to really getting my teeth into this project as a result.

There’s an almost spacey feel to the images that I’ve used here. I’m not sure if thats my personal interpretation from my prior knowledge of light, or if it’s an association with the colour palette they are producing. The purple and orange reflections combined with the sporadic use of white really makes me think of the photos of galaxies and black holes produced by the /Hubble Space Telescope. I think it would be interesting to look into these for referencing in my solo exploration of the project.

I’ve included the photo of the neon sign of the shop sign because that in itself is really interesting. I saw a documentary a few years about the work that goes into making neon signs and the use of different gases to create the vibrant colours you see in these lights. I’m going to look into the science behind light and the light spectrum to give my project more validity.