Shoot Eight - Work Diary

This shoot was progression from my previous shoot number 4, whereby I also shot the organic object of a pepper; however in shoot 4 my images were taken in a higher key lighting in comparison to this shoot, where by I focused on low key lighting within the studio. Moreover, another progression of this shoot is that I got 'inside' the object for this shoot, whereas in my shoot 4 I shot the object from the outside- I believe that by shooting my objects from within it links more with Nadege Meriau (the inspiration for both shoots.) Additionally, I photographed this shoot in colour, whereas my previous shoot (number 4) was in black and white. In my shoot I used a tripod, a snoot, boxes to hold the pepper up on, a dark cloth to place the pepper on, a macro camera, three different coloured peppers, a light meter, and lastly one studio light.
I wanted to create ambiguity in my images, and create cavern-like environments by using different coloured organic objects which were peppers- the peppers were a mixture of yellow, red and green. I created vignettes in photoshop, in order to highlight the sections of the image I wanted to be in light and in darkness, Meriau also did this to her images- to create a vignette in photoshop you must select the gradient tool, then you must ensure that the pattern selected at the top of the screen is the following-

 then you must select the curves tool, and drag this down quite low so the image goes darker, you much ensure the box at the bottom left hand corner of the screen looks like this-   

after this you must drag your curser from the centre of the image to the outside to create the effect. 

Overall, I am pleased with my shoot, and I do feel as though I have progressed from my previous shoot number 4. 

Best image from this shoot:

My aim for this shoot was to create cave-like spaces inside the organic object of a pepper, I believe this image meets my aim for the shoot, as the shadowing within the image creates a contrast of light which visually indicates to the viewer that there's depth within the image; likewise to a cave, which obtains depth also. I cut my pepper down the front, in order to expose all of the various textures and juices of the fruit, I then cut it flat at the bottom so I could stand it upright, and really get my macro camera into the fruit. I used a light meter in order to perfect my camera settings to the specific lighting needed, I use the following camera settings: ISO 200, F 9 and a shutter speed of 1/125. The holes within the pepper indicate to the viewer that visually there's different pathways and tunnels in this cave-like structure; due to the red colour of the pepper this creates a hellish feeling, as a result of the colour red representing blood. Moreover, the seeds which hang from the roof of the pepper could represent the animals bats, which hang from the ceilings of caves, upside-down. Overall, I believe my image creates mystery and ambiguity in the viewers mind, this image also represents a cavern/cave-like structure which was my aim of the whole shoot. 

Worst image from this shoot:

This image is my worst photograph from my shoot as there is not an awful lot of texture, or depth within this photograph; I also do not like how there's a direct contrast with half of the inside of the pepper being in light, whilst the other half is in darkness, this doesn't appear like it's a natural contrast, it appears staged and fake. Moreover, the outside of the pepper is on show, which is again not my aim for this shoot, as I wanted to be inside the pepper itself, not outside the structure. The right-hand side of the pepper is slightly blurred, whilst also being slightly over-exposed and brighter than I'd wish it to be. The angle which this image is photographed is not ideal, as the viewer doesn't feel as though they are inside the pepper/cave, it's evident they're outside this. I used a light meter to judge my camera settings, this image was shot on the following camera settings: ISO 200, F 9 and a shutter speed of 1/125. Overall, this image is my worst as it doesn't meet my aims of the shoot, also it doesn't follow my inspiration from Nadege Meriau as it's not ambiguous, or imaginative as it's evident what the object is.