The Environment- Digital Test Photo's

Location test photographs

I decided to take some test shots of the location where I’m going to be taking my photo to pastiche Robert Adams. The location is ideal as the hill is full of nature but overlooks an urban area. I wanted to find a bare tree as tree’s symbolise hope so by having a bare one it will show how the hope is fading as industrialized areas are ruining nature. However there was no bare tree’s because of the time of the year, so instead I found this small dead plant that resembled a tree that was in a location where it overlooked buildings similar to ‘On Signal Hill, Overlooking Long Beach, California’ by Robert Adams. I edited the images using Lightroom to black and white to get an idea of how my final image will look, from my test photos I decided I would have to make sure I take the photos on a overcast day as I don’t want any detail in the sky like there is in the test photos. I also used a large aperture in the test photos to get a similar effect to Adams’s image so everything is in focus, I choose to use a large aperture as it allows you to see all the buildings in the background as well as the tree in the foreground. From the test images I decided I prefer the landscape in portrait as it makes the tree the main focal point of the image but still allows you to see the buildings in the background. From doing the test photos it has made me realise where I want to photograph, and what techniques I want to use such as composition and the aperture. 

I liked the grass in the foreground with the industrial area in the background as it shows how humans have ruined the environment. However, I felt the grass doesn't represent nature as well as tree's do in Adams image. To improve the image it would be better to include a tree as they symbolise hope for the nature and it would make a better pastiche image. 

 

I included a thee in this image however I felt the location wasn't right as there was too much nature in the foreground so you couldn't see all the buildings clearly in the background. I also felt it didn't pastiche Robert Adam's image enough as there isn't a tree composed in the centre of the photo to show its importance compared to the industrial area around it.

I then found a small dead plant that resembled a tree, I felt it represents the tree's in Robert Adams image as it looks very bare and neglected which shows how humans are ruining the landscape as you can see the industrial area in the background. To get a feel for how my final film image will look I decided to turn the image to black and white. By turning the image to black and white it made me realise I wanted to take the image in portrait instead of landscape as there is a lot of grass in the foreground which distracts from the tree and the town in the background.