Layering

For my final project for University I produced a series of images of my home town, Litherland. However, I tried a number of techniques to get the best of my images, one of which called layering. This method involved chosing my positioning and taking several photographs of the same scene, metering for the highlights (e.g. the sky), and the shadows (e.g. the road), in the frame.

For example, below I have outlined which sections of each image I used as a layer, and then brought into the image by deleting a section of the over lapping layer:



I used the image above as my background layer as it included many of the desired details of the scene.
In the image below I used the bottom left hand side of the image below; the section with the walk way, grass and gate.


I decided to use the sky from the image below.



To finish editing this image, I adjusted the perspective on the building on the right hand side of the image, and cropped the image so that it is similar to the archive photograph that I was comparing it to.
These two images, the archive image and my own are below.

Rimrose Valley, Litherland, Liverpool

Whilst walking our labrador dog, Bella, with my dad on our local field in Litherland, Liverpool; I was able to take my camera along and document some of the beautiful flowers that are on and around the field. The Leeds to Liverpool Canal cuts goes through Litherland, on which I spotted a number of baby ducklings which I also photographed.
These images are displayed on my Flickr account, again due to the size of the files, here:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarah_smiff/sets/72157626903643554/

Street Photography in Manchester

'Street photography as a genre sits between both documentary and journalist approaches in representing the urban everyday. On this blog we will practically explore a range of ideas and techniques central to the street photographer. In this we will question what the ‘street’ can tell us about the political and social realities of contemporary life. We will explpore how different ways of working can open up an array of visual realms often undetected by conventional ways of walking.'

Taken from the Uclan street photography blog, this paragraph explains the idea behind the ever growing practice of street photography, and what their blog sets out to discuss and illustrates. Link below:

http://uclanstreetphotography.blogspot.com/

This blog was originally made to host the images that a number of us, who went on a University day trip to Manchester, had taken. However, I have decided to post the images that I took on my own personal blog, as the work closely relates to the my own photography practice.

During this trip to Manchester we were asked to focus upon some photographing methods, such as; shooting from the hip (holding the camera at waist height and simply taking an image when it feels right), and a method for which we had to ask members of the public that if we could take a straight on photograph of them.
Some of the images that I took are only available on my link Flickr account due to the size of the image files. The images are in a set titled, 'Street Photography', linked below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarah_smiff/sets/72157626892949714/

Documenting Litherland Changes Photography Exhibition

In this post I will be displaying the link to a video walk through of the Litherland Changes Photography exhibition; and a number of images of the layout and my chosen method of displaying the prints.

The link below is a link to a video walk through of my exhibition, from the gate and entrance to the building through the exhibition and finishing at the refreshements and comment book table; I also had a table that had a book I project on the same subject in my second year of the course.

Please excuse the noises in the background of the video, I was not able to shoot this video at a quiet time as the park ranges and members of the bowls club were in the next room, having meetings.
You may want to watch the video without sound, as a member of the public who knows me says, 'hello Sarah' at the end quite loudly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xkk1MK4uMR4


These are the flyers that I produced and handed out before the exhibition, I posted around 300 flyers, giving a number of them to Crosby Library and two nursing homes in the area; Queen Elizabeth Court, and Delph Court in Litherland.


Below are images of my exhibition space, and then the way in which I decided to layout the partition boards that my prints were to be displayed on.




layout:

These images show how I hung my exhibition prints; I decided to use dress makers pin to support the images to the partition boards.



Here are some photographs of the signage and publicity that was used for my exhibiton. These posters and signs were placed around the park on railings and also on one partition board that was facing the entrance to the building.



I took a selection of photographs of the details of my layout, including a table that featured a book that I produced around the subject of Litherland and Bootle, another of Liverpools suburbs, in the second year in the documentary city module.



Lastly, below are some images of my exhibition in its entirety, with all of my images hung. I have also put the link to the images that I chose to exhibit, these images were edited and were the exact images that I sent to print.







Final Image Links:
(The images qere too big to upload them straight onto this blog)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarah_smiff/5569436996/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarah_smiff/5568849877/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarah_smiff/5569441740/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarah_smiff/5568854739/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarah_smiff/5568854885/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarah_smiff/5568855037/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarah_smiff/5569442406/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarah_smiff/5569442686/


I am very happy with the outcome and execution of my exhibition, I received a lot of encouraging and supportive feedback which is present in what people have writen in the comments book that I provided.
I managed to take some photographs of the people that came to my exhibition viewing the work; I would like to thank those who came to the exhibition.

Litherland Changes Photography Exhibition

On the 19th and 20th of March 2011, I displayed a selection of images that I was kindly given by Crosby Library local history archive, along side my own work in which I have taken a photograph of the same scenes that appear in the archives images as they are today.
I feel that this exhibition went very well and recieved a lot of constructive and encouraging feedback from the people who came and viewed the exhibition. There was a good turn out and and I am very thankful to anyone who came and gave their support.
Within the next few days I intend to upload the images that were displayed in the exhibition, images of the layout of the space used, and also a walk through video of the exhibition.

Litherland Exhibition...

For my final major project I decided to continue with and develop my Litherland project. I have produced a series of 8 of my own images, and was kindly given another 8 by Andrew Lee-Hart, the Sefton Councils local history archavist; the archive is situated within Crosby Library, Liverpool. Within my 8 images I have gone to the same places that are photographed within the archives images, and I have photographed these places as they are today.

To get the widest range of exposure for my images, I approached the rangers of Hatton Hill Park and asked if it would be possible for me to hold an exhibition in which I would show both the archives images, and my own.

The exhibiton will be help in Hatton Hill Park's Pavilion in Litherland, Liverpool. On Saturday the 19th and 20th of March 2011 between 10 am and 4 pm.

Collaborative Photo Shoot To Come...

This is going to be a slightly different post from the normal post that I do, although it is still about photography and myself, but again in a different way.

My friend Teresa-Adele Roberts (Teri), a fellow student at the University of Central Lancashire has her own freelance photography company, Cunningham Photography, whose work you can see here: http://www.cunninghamphotographyonline.com/Cunningham_Photography_Online/Home_Page.html ...she is keen to produce a series of images illustrating 'Teen lifestyle' / 'Early twenties lifestyle', and she has asked me to be her model! (Eek.)

I am quite nervous, but even being asked to do this is a big confidence boost for me. I believe that as a photographer it is important to know exactly how your models are feeling when they are being photographer, and what better what to get to know that than being a model yourself? I have had a profession shoot done before, at Double Take studios in Manchester; I went with my sister for a pamper day and a shoot, after receiving an offer at a discounted price. It was a brilliant day, really fun and I do think that everyone should go to a professional for a photoshoot at least once, it really boosted my confidence seeing the photographs after they were touched up a little and shown to us on a big screen in a viewing room.

We will also be working with another friend of mine, Ellie Harvie-August, who will be the make-up artist for the shoot. She and Amy Wright created a very helpful blog, all to do with make-up and fashion; the do's and don'ts, the must haves and the hot trends to give a go! Check out the blog at: http://beautychic.net/blog/. They also produce vlogs, make-up tutorials, reviews, and haul videos on the blog and their youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/BeautyChicGirls?feature=mhum which you can also access through the blog.

As I have said, I am very excited about doing this photoshoot, and kindly Teri has agreed to furnish me with a copy of the images. This is a great opportunity, for both Teri, Ellie and myself and I am looking forward to it. I will update this blog with the outcome of the shoot, and perhaps a few of the images to further show the skills of Teri and Ellie both of whom I believe to be greatly talented people within their chosen career and passions.