The Body- Paolo Roversi

Photographer Research

Paolo Roversi’s portraits have inspired for my project ‘The Body’ with the lighting he uses for his images. In an interview called ‘Paolo Roversi On The Mysteries of Light’ Roversi talks about how he uses window light as his main light source and then adds other lights if he needs them. Paolo Roversi’s lighting preference is soft and indirect diffused light this is shown in his portraits as they have very soft lighting. His images have a very tender and ethereal feel because of the lighting and because of the long exposures Roversi uses. By using a long exposure makes you feel more connected to the model as the images feel more deeper as it feels your having a longer time to get to know the model. The slight blur caused by the long exposures adds a softness to the photo and gives the photo a very intimate and beautiful feel. In the interview Roversi also said that ‘the eyes are very important in every portrait’ this is something I believe in and want to represent in my portrait for the body, I decided to analyse some of Roversi’s work to see how he highlights the eyes in his images. 

These two images (above and below) show the model in a very vulnerable way because of the lighting and the models pose. In one of the images the model is photographed peering over her shoulder which makes her look as if she is scared especially because of her wide eyes and they way they are staring into the camera. The second image shows the model hugging herself this pose also makes her look vulnerable especially as Roversi has chosen an high camera angle so you are looking down at her. The models eyes pierce through the image this is because of the lighting used, the highlights in the photo contrast against the shadowed areas. 

I found this image to be very inspiring for my own portraits because of the lighting Roversi has used. His lighting technique has made the images look really soft because of how equal the lighting is on the photo. The background also gives a soft feel to the image with how its a similar colour to the models skin this makes the model blend in with the background and makes her look very vulnerable. The pose the model is in makes her look very timid as she’s facing away from the camera and hiding behind her hands. 

Paolo Roversi’s use of lighting give these images a very soft feel. The lighting is very diffused and equal throughout the image, this gives them a very intimate and fragile feel. The way the model is looking into the camera adds to the intimate feel of the images as it makes you feel as if you know her by the way she is staring straight into the camera. By revealing parts of the models body such as her arms also adds to the intimate feel to the image, however her pose’s indicate that she is hiding something as she is crossing her arms and is pointed away from the camera which makes her look as if she is shielding herself from us. 

The first two images has inspired me for poses I could have my model in as the main focal point of them is the subjects eyes. To get the same effect in my own images I’m going to have the model look slightly over her shoulder and straight into the camera. By doing this I feel will add a intimate feel to my portraits as it will feel as if the model is staring straight at you. The second set of images, where the lighting is vey soft and diffused, inspired me on lighting I should use in my own pictures. The lighting looks very equal throughout the image and is very low in contrast which adds a soft feel to the image. I also like how diffused the lighting is as it gives the image a very fragile and intimate feel. The poses in all of the images add to the intimate atmosphere because of the way the models are staring straight into the lens, to get this effect in my own images I'm going to have the models do the same pose.

The Environment- Final Three Images

Three Images

For my final three Environment images I choose locations were humans intervention upon nature is shown. The locations have paths running through natural surroundings, this shows the way humans have cut through the environment and changed it. When I took all of the images I positioned myself in the centre of the paths similarly to the photographer Richard Misrach to represent the fact that we are the ones who have changed the landscape.

Path through tree's
For my first environment picture I photographed a path leading through a forest area. By photographing   the path cutting through a forest shows the huge effect humans have had on nature because you can see the way the path is breaking up the natural environment. I used a large aperture for this image as I only wanted a small part of the foreground to be in focus so you can't see where the path ends. This effect symbolises the vastness of the effect humans have had on the landscape as you can't see the end of the path which makes it feel as if it doesn't end.

For my first test strip I set the aperture at F16, I used a grade two filter to add contrast to the image. For each section of the test strip I exposed it for five seconds.

From the last test strip I decided to expose my next one for thirty seconds. I kept the same graded filter to keep the same contrast in the image. 

This is my final image, I exposed the paper for thirty seconds with a grade two filter. I also added another exposure, this time I used a grade three filter for five seconds. By using a grade three filter it has added more contrast to the image which makes it stand out.

Path through field
I choose to photograph this location because of how the path leads up to the top of the hill and look as if it disappears from the landscape. The composition I chose makes the path the main focal point of the image, I arranged the photo this way to show the way man made areas are controlling the natural landscape. I included the surrounding natural landscape to contrast against the path cutting through it. By showing the natural landscape shows its beauty and how the grey, bleak path cuts through it and ruins it.

For my first test strip I used a grade two filter and used the enlarger aperture at F4.5. I sectioned of the image four times and exposed each part of the photograph for five seconds. 

With my second test strip I changed the aperture on the enlarger as I felt the first test strip was too dark, I changed the aperture to F8. I decided to keep the grade two filter and exposed each section of the image for five seconds. 

I decided to expose the whole of this test strip for twenty seconds using a grade two filter to add more contrast to the image.

Next I decided to add a grade four filter for five seconds, to add even more contrast to the image. I still kept the same twenty second exposure with a grade two filter as well. 

I then made a whole print of the image so I can see if I need to make any adjustments. The sky in the image looks too white, so I decided on my next test strip I'll try and bring it back. 

For this test strip I exposed the whole of the image for twenty seconds with a grade two filter, as well as a five seconds exposure with a grade four filter to add contrast. To add more tone to the sky I sectioned of the foreground so just the sky was being exposed, and used a grade zero filter for thirteen seconds. I used my hand to cover the foreground by placing it beneath the lens to stop light from hitting the foreground. 

For my final print I used the same printing exposures as the last test strip. However this time when I covered the foreground I made sure I kept moving my hand slightly and I left some of the top of the hill uncovered so it looks natural. This technique makes the sky look natural as it blends in with the foreground. By using a grade four filter added a nice contrast to the image which makes areas which are in the foreground stand out and catch your attention. 

Grass path

I choose to photograph this location as I liked how there was a slight path amongst a natural landscape. I wanted to show different stages of human intervention upon nature, so I photographed a path that is just starting to appear in the landscape. The position of the camera is important in the image, I choose to stand in the centre of the path to show the way the man made paths are dominating the natural landscape.

For my third environmental picture I set the enlargers aperture to F8. I exposed each of the section for five seconds, to add contrast to the image I used a grade two filter.

From my first test strip I decided to use a 25 second exposure with a grade two filter too increase the contrast in the image. The sky in the image looks to white so for the next image I'm going to add tone to it by using a grade zero filter. I also felt the image needed more contrast so I'm going to expose the image using a grade 4 filter as well.

This is my final print for my third environmental image. I exposed the whole of the image for 25 seconds using a grade two filter, I then used a grade four filter for five seconds to add even more contrast to my photo. The sky looked over exposed in my last test strip so I covered the the foreground of the image so the sky was only visible and then exposed it for thirteen seconds using a grade zero exposure. Whilst I was exposing the sky I used my hand to cover the foreground, I made sure I kept moving my hand slightly to make sure the tone from the grade zero filter look natural. 

The Environment- Final Pastiche

Contact sheet

This is my contact sheet for my final Pastiche and Environment images. I choose to print two of the pastiche images to see which one turns out the best and to see which one is the most similar to Robert Adams image. For my final pastiche I went to the location where I did some test shots as the area looks out over a town. I thought the location is ideal as it has tree's in the foreground which is similar to Adam's images. When I took the image's I used a small aperture to capture everything in focus, I also used a tripod and a shutter release to make sure everything was focused. I chose to shoot on a day where  it was very over cast and foggy, as in the image I had to pastiche by Robert Adam's the sky is completely white. 

1st Print

I decided to print this image first, I choose this image as the composition was very similar to Robert Adams image. 

For the test strip I used an aperture at F5.6 , I chose to use a grade two filter too add contrast to the image so it was similar to Robert Adam's picture. I exposed each section of the test strip 

for five sections so I could see how long I want my image to be exposed for.

 On the second test strip I choose to use two different graded filters. On the right side of the image I exposed the image for 25 seconds, whilst covering the left side. I then repeated the step but on the opposite side with a grade two filter instead whilst covering the right side this time. This allows me to see which grade I prefer.

I choose the grade two filter as I felt the grade three was far too dark, I also felt the grade two was looking to dark so I exposed the whole of the test strip for twenty seconds this time. To bring some more tone in to the image I choose a grade 0 filter and exposed it over the image for five seconds.

This was my final image for my first print, I feel it looks far too dark so I decided to do another print. For the image I used a grade two filter for twenty seconds. I then exposed the whole of the image again for five seconds but with a grade 0 filter.

Final Print

From my last print I learnt to make the aperture smaller so the image won't look as dark, I decided to use F8 for this image. I exposed each section of the test strip for five seconds each using a grade two filter to add contrast to the image.

For the next test strip I exposed the whole of the image for forty seconds as I felt my last test strip was over exposed. I used a grade two filter to add contrast to the image so it looks similar to Adams image.

To make my image look more similar to Robert Adam's image I choose to add more contrast to it, to do this I added another exposure of ten seconds with a grade four filter. Before the second exposure I used a grade two filter at forty seconds.

For my final image I repeated the same steps as the last test strip. I feel my image looks very similar to Robert Adam's as I have used the same composition as him as well as the same subjects. I used printing to get the image more similar to Adams' by adding more contrast to the photo by using a grade four filter.

The City- Night time photographers

Night time photographers


Bill Brandt

Bill Brandt night time photography work inspired me for my three images. Brandt was commissioned by the same publisher as Brassai’s, ‘Paris at night’ book to photograph ‘A Night in London’. His images have a very dramatic atmosphere because of the extreme contrasts between the light and the shadow. In most of his images he focuses on the architecture of the buildings by using light to illuminate all the detail in areas of it. Brandt uses silhouettes in some of his pictures which make some areas of the image stand out because of how contrasty it is. The silhouettes in his image have inspired me to use silhouettes in my own work so you can see the outline of the building, I also feel it gives the images a very dark and mysterious feel. Brandt uses natural elements in his work such as mist which softens his images as it diffuses the light so the lights not as harsh. The camera angle of the first image is similar to the style of images I want to take for my project, by using a low camera angle Brandt has made the building look very big which is how I want to capture the buildings in my own images. The way Brandt has photographed the city shows the vastness of it, he has done this by showing the scale of buildings and by showing large areas of the city.

O. Winston Link

Link was a night photographer interested in steam trains, he often traveled to small towns in America to photograph different trains of the Western and Norfolk Railway. His series of images were taken between 1955 and 1960, to capture his night scenes Link used flashes wired together along the tracks. This lighting technique illuminates the trains and makes them stand out against the dark night sky. Link’s image’s are very high in contrast because of the amount of flash bulbs used which adds highlights to the images and contrasts against the deep black shadows. Modernisation of the city is represented in Link’s images with how he captures the trains when they are moving, the trains symbolise the way the city is always moving and changing. Link composes his pictures so you can see the trains amongst the rest of the city, by including other elements of the city such as buildings and bridges captures the vastness of it and shows you how much it has changed and modernised over the years. In the images everything is in focus this is because O Winston Link’s would have used a small aperture so there is a large depth of field. Link has included citizens in this image which emphasises the relationship between humans and the city and how they have impacted on the modernisation of it which is also shown in Link’s photo’s. 

Steve Fitch
Steve Fitch photographs the American West, he is fascinated with how humans have modernised it and photographs the way in which it’s been changed. Fitch photographs man made areas of the American West in a way which makes them look like iconic landmarks as he singles the buildings out from the rest of the landscape which makes them appear iconic. In some of his images he centre’s the building so it is in the middle of the photo this also makes the building appear very iconic as it is the main focal point. I was inspired by the way he only captures one building and doesn’t include anything around it apart from the night sky which helps to frame the picture and make the building stand out. Fitch uses a slightly low camera angle for many of his pictures which make the buildings appear very important. This technique could also symbolise the modernisation that is happening in the American West. As the photographer has only chosen to have the buildings in the picture and nothing else only they are lit up which makes them look as if they are emerging out of the darkness. I also found this idea really inspiring as I like the way they are surrounded by darkness and look as if they are appearing out of the darkness, I’m going to use a similar technique in my own work as I feel it represents the idea of the city modernising and growing.  

Robert Vizinni

Vizinni photographs urban landscapes at night time. He images captures large buildings illuminating in the darkness. The scale of the city is represented by the camera angle the photographer has chosen. By using a low camera angle he has made the buildings appear very large as it makes you look up at them, this is a technique I’m going to use in my own images to show the scale of the buildings to represent modernisation. Vizinni’s has photographed buildings that have lights illuminating from there windows, this makes the buildings look as if they are emerging from the darkness. The lights in the building make the buildings stand out against the dark night sky. Robert Vizinni has used a long shutter speed in his images as he has captured detail in the night sky, some of the sky’s in his images have light trails running through them from when a plane has travelled through the sky. These night time images have a very structured feel because of the repetition and symmetry of the windows in the buildings, they could represent the structure of the city and how it is controlled. Some of the windows are not illuminated which disrupts the repetition of the windows which could symbolise how there is cracks in the way the city is being controlled and how it is structured. 

Lynn Saville

When talking about her photography Lynn Saville say’s she ‘works the night shift’. By photographing at night gives you a different perspective of the city and allows you to see it in a different light to one you are use to seeing it in. Saville says that the locations she chooses ‘reveal the city’s dis-location’, the locations she chooses show hidden areas of the city that would usually go by unnoticed such as photographing areas above street level to show the top of large buildings. Her images are only lit by either moon light, advertisement lights, street lights or window lights because of this she has to use long exposures to allow enough light in to the camera to expose the film. Some of her images have a slight blurred effect because of the long shutter speeds she uses which gives her photographs a surreal and dream like feel. The dream like feel her images have is also achieved by photographing at night as you are viewing it in a different way to what you are use to it which makes it have a surreal feel as it’s something you are not use to seeing. In her work she often uses a low camera angle to capture what’s above street level in the city, the camera angle she uses makes the buildings appear very large in scale. By making the viewer look up at the buildings Saville emphasises the way they are towering over the rest of the city which makes them appear very daunting because of there scale in comparison to everything else.

Helen K Garber

Helen K Garber photographs urban landscapes at night. She photographs cities such as Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Italy and Venice. Garber photographs famous landmarks in the city, by capturing them the viewer  will automatically recognise them as they are well known and will begin to think of the city they are in. By photographing famous landmarks Garber is in essence taking a photo of the whole city because of how recognisable they are to the city they are in. The famous landmarks are photographed in a way to make them look very important because of how Garber has used a camera angle where it makes you look up at the subject.  This technique symbolises the importance of them in there city and how they play an important part in the culture and in how others picture the city. To capture the detail in all of the landmarks a small aperture has been used to show all of there detail. Garber’s photographs almost look like they are documenting the subjects because of how she captures all the detail and only focuses on one building at a time. Helen K Garber also uses close up camera angles to capture different sections of the building, her close up image of the Eiffel tower looks almost abstract because it hards to make out what the subject is. By photographing the landmarks at night makes them appear different to how they look during the day because they are being illuminated in a different way. During the day the subjects are illuminated by natural lighting whereas at night they are being lit up by street lamps this means certain area’s are more highlighted then others. I was inspired by the way buildings are lit up differently at night and it made me want to photograph the city at night as well. 

Katherine Moxhet

When night time photographer, Katherine Moxhet was asked why does she photograph at night? she said ‘Perhaps it’s the adventure of exploring new places or seeing familiar places in darkness.Perhaps it’s the visual interest of shapes, shadows, reflections, or a purple sky that makes it cool.’ This is represented through her work , she photographs area’s of the city that have unusual shapes which add interest to her photography. She also photographs areas that are usually overlooked in the city such as the ground and what’s above street level. One of the main focal points in Moxhet’s work is the shadows that she captures, the shadows make the images more relatable as it gives them a realistic feel. When taking the photo’s Moxhet uses a slow shutter speed because she is taking the images in low light conditions, by using a slow shutter speed adds detail to the sky and in some of her images it gives the sky an eerie purple colour. The strange colour of the sky gives the city a haunted feel and makes us look at it in a different way as it appears different from how we normally see it. Katherine Moxhet often uses low camera angle which emphasize the scale of the subjects she is taking. By showing the scale of the buildings make you feel very vulnerable as a viewer because of how it feels as if the tower is towering over you.

Andy Frazer

Photographer Andy Frazer believes that something which has very little appeal during the day comes alive at night. This is represented in his night time photography as he often photographs abandoned and derelict areas in the city. By capturing these area’s at night illuminates them in a different way which makes them stand out. The images were taken at night because of this a long shutter speed would have been used which has created unusual colour’s in the sky this gives the locations a completely different view to how it would look during the day. In some of Frazer’s image’s he has captured movement from subjects such as trains, and stars in the night sky this is caused by the slow shutter speed that has been used. In most of his images Frazer uses a low camera angle which shows of the building’s height. This camera angle also makes you feel vulnerable as a viewer as it feels as if the buildings are towering over you.