Project 4: Reality and Intervention - Preamble

The next section of the course is about the manipulation of images to in some way change ‘reality’. Before embarking on this section, I thought that I might set down my current views so that I could see whether they change as a result of studying the course material.

I am not one of those people who believe that ‘the camera doesn’t lie’. Even if once I may have thought so, my study of photography (and attendance at Camera Clubs!) would have disabused me of this notion. The choice, framing and composition of images and the use of a wide variety of digital software available make it clear that final images may bear little resemblance to reality.

Does this matter? It is possible to manipulate images in many ways but, for me, the only unethical use of manipulation occurs where an image, which purports to be factual, has been manipulated in such a way that the viewer is misled for mischievous purposes. I am thinking here of published ‘news’ photographs which aim to indicate something which hasn’t happened rather than (say) cloning a threatening sky from one photograph onto another to make a more striking image. In the latter case, although the photographer wants to mislead the viewer into thinking that the image shown was ‘reality’, it is not done for mischievous purposes but as a way of improving an image by computer-aided manipulation rather than photographic skills.


Some touching up can be unethical, however, as in the recent furore about a cosmetic company digitally enhancing a portrait of a woman's face while claiming that the 'improvement' was as a result of their face-cream!

There is another class of image, which I will call ‘photographic art’, where the purpose is to use an image, or set of images, and combine them in such a way that something new and striking is produced by juxtaposition of images, colour effects etc. The viewer is in no way misled as the manipulation is so obvious and, indeed, the very purpose of the exercise.

The last section of this course was about ‘Monochrome’ and how colour images could be processed to convey the photographers’ vision when he/she took  the shot in the first place. Before the advent of colour film – when there was no choice but to take images in black and white and the viewing public were more likely to accept this as ‘reality’ - the final black and white image was still affected by the photographers’ control of the developing process and, therefore, manipulated to his or her vision. I suspect, however, that there was an aim to produce images as realistically as possible (and before the advent of digital it was much harder to manipulate images in any case).

So why bother with producing black and white images? After the advent of colour, and certainly today, anyone choosing to take images in black and white must be doing so, in my view, in order to show their version of reality (because reality is in colour, not black and white). Furthermore, as ‘reality’ is in colour – and images can be produced these days in colour- the viewing public nowadays are likely to be less convinced of the reality of a black and white image compared to the days when colour photography was not available. This is because they are used to seeing colour images as ‘the norm’ and, indeed, many people fail to understand the reason for taking black and white photographs at all, now that colour image production is available. I have seen discussions (on the OCA forum amongst other places) about whether black and white photography is dead.

The course material in section 3 shows many ways of manipulating a colour  image (using the various software available, be it Photoshop, Lightroom, Silver Effex Pro 2 etc) in order to enhance, emphasise or subdue etc parts of the image to achieve, in black and white, what the photographer wants to convey. Indeed, there can be several different interpretations of the same colour image to produce different effects. In my view, all these types of ‘manipulation of reality’ are acceptable as the very fact of producing a black and white image in the first place, implies that the viewer should be wary of treating what he/she sees as ‘reality’. However, there are some types of manipulation e.g. removing or adding items etc, which can be unacceptable, even in a black and white image, where truth is being compromised.

Manipulation of colour images to be shown as colour images is a more difficult area as many people automatically perceive a colour image as being ‘realistic’. There are certain manipulations which I find acceptable, like use of the basic exposure/white balance/contrast/saturation type settings and also some tidying up of an image to remove an unwanted object - as long as the removal does not compromise the fundamental reality of the photograph e.g. removing a figure from a group shot. Examples of ‘tidying up’ might include removing dust spots, small items which take the eye away from the main subject, figures from an architectural scene in order to produce a clean image.

What is not acceptable, in my opinion, is the adding of items to an image e.g. figures or objects. This may be done for reasons of composition (rather that something more devious like changing a news photograph) but I don’t like it. It seems to cross the line between manipulating what is captured by the camera and producing a new version of reality. The exception to this, of course, is the 'photographic art' type images mentioned above which require obvious manipulation to produce new and (hopefully) interesting effects.

So; some initial thoughts. On with the course……………………….

Tutors Comments on Assignment 3 and my observations

Below are my tutors comments on Assignment 3. Within his comments, I have made some observations on the points made etc. These are shown in italics.

"Overall Comments


It’s good to see you trying out for the first time the use of sliders in lightroom
to convert the images to black and white. You have been effective in
producing a set of images that successfully convert colour images into black
and white ones.

Do bear in mind that using Lightroom sliders affects the whole image - you
may want to consider selecting a portion of the image to affect ( I tend to use
a combination of software including photoshop for this).

You have concentrated on bring out or holding back certain colours and how
they are converted into the black and white image and have done this well.
However, I do think that you could have experimented a little more with
different treatments - for example give the image a low or high key effect. In
you image 7 I think that you could have tried a low key effect to bring out the
light banding of the brickwork.

I do think that you need to watch your verticals - in a couple of the images
they aren’t quite vertical and when you have such a concentration on
architectural imagery this is quite important. (Damn! I am aware of this issue and did make adjustments to some of the images but ignored some others.)

You mention that you have taken the images all on one day that had total
cloud cover. While this is fine as far as it goes, I do think that you may have
limited yourself by doing this. On different days at different times you could
have taken advantage of different light/cloud/sky conditions and this may have
been beneficial with some of the images that have a large expanse of sky in
the scene - either reflected in the water or in the sky.(Point taken)

I also get the impression you are using techniques for the sake of using them
rather than as tools to create images of a particular type and feel. (This is probably true in as much as I am still getting used to the various software techniques for converting to b&w). For
example in image 8 you mention increasing the contrast but don’t elaborate
why. Are you looking to achieve a hard, gritty “northern feel” to the image? (As a hard(?) gritty northerner myself, perhaps I was. I do seem to prefer this type of shot.)
give you an alternative image which softens down the contrast and gives a
much more ethereal view of the scene as if on a misty morning. Neither one is
better than the other, it’s just you don’t appear (through your lack of
discussion in your log) to have a clear rationale for doing what you have done. (I was certainly not looking for this more ethereal view, which probably says a lot about my imagination - or lack of it!).

The assignment asks (or at least my version of the course material) for some
prints to accompany your submission and these are lacking. (I have written to my tutor about this and we have agreed that we have different versions of the course material. Why are there different versions? Why would a course with an emphasis on digital practice require prints?).

In your conclusion you mention considering using sliver effex pro - this is
definitely worth while but I do think that you need to consider that this is just
another tool and you need to be clear about what you are wanting to achieve
and why by converting to B&W.

Feedback on assignment


Image 1

OK, good Contrasting tones on bridge - what colour were they to start with? -
increasing the red slider would suggest that the areas now near white were
red and so good use to enhance the contrast here - What about the effects of
the blue - you need to log this. (Actually, the bridge was originally black and white. The blue slider affects the roof of the building). Sky is weak, tower is not straight and tones in
the brick work of the building could be strengthened. Perhaps use photoshop
to apply selective treatment to these areas. See my version. (NOT SHOWN). (I agree with all these comments and have provided a revised image below, along with the original colour version. I'm afraid it is a gritty northern conversion but the brick work is much more defined as are the reflections. The sky is weak but the skyline is more defined. A better attempt, I think.)

Image 2


OK I can see you were interested in the sky reflected in the water and the
conversion to B&W has assisted this - but you have rendered the sky almost
white and as the day was overcast there is no variation in tone here. A clear
deep blue sky could have resulted in a light grey that could have been
reproduced as quite dark depending on use of sliders.

Your image has the sky making a good high contrast with the dark shadow
area of the reflection of the underside of the tunnel roof In this it displays good
graphical shapes. But I think it might have been better with a slightly darker
grey. An alternative treatment you could have gone for was the a deep
brooding atmosphere and this could have been created using a low key effect.
Use of blue changes to lighten the jacket is good other wise would have
blended into the brickwork. Could you have made more of the banding in the
brickwork by selective filtering?

Its a bit low on the interpretation scale. But got good geometry. Could you
have concentrated on this more? Cut out figures? see my suggested
possibility.(NOT SHOWN).

(I do prefer my tutor's cropped version and I have made my own as shown below, together with the original colour version. I tried to bring out the patterns in the brickwork using the orange, red and yellow sliders, to some success).

Image 3


Yes done well to use the filters to highlight the contrast between the bricks.
The lighting seems to have been quite even - how do you think that different
conditions would have effected the scene - yellow/red sunlight at the start/end
of the day falling on the bricks at an angle could have helped bring out the
texture?

 (Again, a good point about the angle of light striking the bricks to show even more texture).

Image 4


Another good image showing good geometrical shapes the arch repeated in
the wake of the duck. But how do you think converting it to B&W has helped
the impression /interpretation of the colour and tonality of the brickwork.
I can see that lightening the blue of the boat has helped pick it out from the
background. However, this is very much a repeat of some of your other
images and I would have thought that you could have tried a different
treatment to show more variety. Low/high key treatment, shooting the scene
on a different day - a misty day with mist rising off the water?

(Below are the original colour version of this shot plus two different interpretations of mono conversions, one low key and much less contrasty. I do prefer the low key version over the one posted for the assignment.)

Image 5


You have done well with the sliders to tone down the reflection of the sky in
the water and contrast the snow against the ground. The sky is a bit
something and nothing with little interest. You might get quite a different effect
by choosing a day with a deep blue sky or perhaps a mackerel sky in the
evening with low light.

Image 6


I think this is another good image. You have done well to darken the green
fence and have it more in keeping with this style of shot. The black and white
treatment has really worked to give a “sixties” feel to the image which I would
imagine is very different from the colour version. You mention your dilemma
over the red filter - I think it would have been useful to go into more detail
about the reasons for your choice in relation to the alternative.

The wall is quite muddy with little tonal separation - how could you have used
the filters to affect this? I have just used a curves layer in photoshop to
increase the tonal separation to give you
an idea of an alternative. (NOT SHOWN) Also darkened
the wet roadway to emphasise the
reflections.

( Above, is the original colour image and my revised version following my tutor's comments. I have darkened the shadows/reflections  using the Targeted Adjustment tool in Lightroom. I much prefer this to the original mono version)

Image 7


You have brought out the different tones
of the bricks really well in this image.
Also you have cropped and framed the
image to concentrate on the graphic
shapes really well. Did you consider
making it a low key image and
concentrate on the lighter banding of the
bricks and how this chimes with the
highlights on the steps and the metal
bars of the fence? See a possibility. (NOT SHOWN).  How
do you think this affects the
representation of the scene?

( Again, I am in agreement with the comments made and have made a low key image as suggested. This certainly makes the original colour (and assignment mono conversion) more interesting).

Image 8


Again a good use of the blue slider which has resulted in a darken of the roof
tops and reflections in the water. But I do wonder how you feel that converting
this image from colour to black and white has improved it and or given it a
different interpretation. You don’t mention this or discuss it in your blog. For
example has it given a greater impression of tone, texture or geometric
shape? Another way of looking at this image is soften it down and create a
misty feel to it ( I have also rotated it a little to straighten up the verticals.) This
gives quite a different feel to the image and which treatment you decide on
needs to be governed by what it is you are wanting to create. It is this aspect
that I feel you haven’t got clear in your mind.

( Another case where I neglected to straighten the verticals! I think that for this image, I had in mind a number of things when I was taking it. I like the shape of the bridge but also the reflections in the canal and the buildings on either side. The canal boat was colourful and I waited until there were figures crossing the bridge. Perhaps the original mono conversion (apart from the verticals) didn't add much by being converted but I have revised this in order to bring out more of the texture in the brickwork and to give a stronger contrast. Also, following on from my tutors suggestion, I have tried for a more 'misty' look by softening via the Clarity key (to the left) and using less contrast. It is a different feel but I still prefer the more 'gritty' feel of the revised mono conversion. The original colour version together with the revised 'gritty' conversion, together with the 'misty' one, are shown below.)

Learning Logs/Critical essays


Your log explains what you have done clearly and well. What it does lack is
more explanation/discussion as to why you have done it. This is particularly
important as the assignment ask for a discussion as to why you have chosen
your particular theme, what you set out to achieve from the point of view of
using black and white imagery in this instance and how well you feel you have
succeeded.

It’s good to see you commentating on your exercises - your exercise 14 was a
useful preparation for the assignment. I do think that you could do more
research as part of your preparation for the assignment such as looking at
various other black and white work and record your reaction - both good and
bad - to what the photographer has achieved and how.

Suggested reading/viewing


You are already looking at John Batdorff’s book. Jane Bown worked
predominantly in Black and White and gave a lot of consideration to texture
and tone in both her renown portrait work and her lesser well known material.

(I have looked at some of the work of Jane Bown and some of the online videos discussing her work. I like her photographs (- particularly her portraits -  very much and it was interesting that she used the available light rather than any form of artificial light (apart from the odd use of an angle-poise lamp which she used to 'borrow' from her newspapers office!). Another marked feature of her work was the plain backgrounds that she used to avoid detracting from the impact of her portraits and also her attention to ensuring 'good eyes'. She favoured a two and a quarter inch format for her prints.)

Pointers for the next assignment


I think that you need to concentrate on making sure that you can use the
various tools of manipulation well as a means to an end rather than an end in
themselves. It’s important to reflect on and decide for yourself where you think
the boundaries lie in terms of the extent you feel manipulation is justifiable.
Then using this next assignment to demonstrate this stance.

Tutor name: Simon Barber
Date 14 February 2012"

DPP Assignment 3 - Monochrome

For this, the third assignment, we were asked to produce between 5 and 10 photographs , in black-and-white,  on a theme chosen by ourselves. Considering the requirements "to bring out the monochrome image qualities of form, tonal contrast and texture", I decided on a set of images around the theme of 'Canal Bridges' which I could take within 200 metres of where I live. This appealed to me because of the opportunity to explore the different shapes of the various structures as well as their composition. The day on which I took the photographs had total cloud cover but I was able to use reflections off the water in many of the compositions.

All shots were taken in Raw with the camera LCD screen set to Monochrome so that I was able to check the image and histogram before moving to the next location. In post-production (using Lightroom 3), I first set the white and black points and adjusted the white balance of each image before making my b and w conversion. After the Lightroom adjustments, I opened the images in Photoshop to set sRGB via 'Convert to Profile' and saved the images as jpegs.



1. Malt House (f/5.6, 1/200sec, ISO 400 @ 73mm. Canon 70 - 200mm f/4 L lens).

The first shot was taken towards the Malt House pub. I waited for some figures to walk across the bridge and along the tow path. I felt that the contrast in the ironwork of the bridge would work well in black and white. The histogram has a very large tonal range with a strong spike on the right. I used the black and white mix sliders in Lightroom to increase the contrast, with the main changes being in the red (to plus 93) and the blue (to minus 36). I made a slight increase with the Contrast slider also.

2. Broad Street Bridge and Tunnel (f/5.6, 1/640 sec, ISO 1000 @ 145mm. Canon 70 - 200mm f/4 L lens)

The image of the Broad St tunnel is another with a large tonal range but here there are spikes at both the dark and light ends of the histogram. Here, I was attracted to the reflection of the sky under the bridge which I felt would give me strong contrast with the dark brickwork and bridge reflection. I adjusted the Raw image using the black and white mix sliders - principally orange (plus 36) for the brickwork, green (plus 48) to increase contrast along the sides of the canal and blue (plus 48) to lighten the clothing of the figure on the left. There was a slight tweaking of the Contrast slider also.

3. Sheepcote Street Brickwork (f/5.6, 1/60secs, ISO 400 @15mm. Tamron 11-16mm lens)

I wanted to take at least one close-up image giving detail of the brickwork found in the construction of these old canal bridges. Here, using a wide angle lens almost parallel to the face of the bricks, I have tried to capture the texture of the different bricks (and all seemed different from each other). The histogram shows Again, this image has a wide tonal range but strong mid-tones rather than spikes at each end so that I could not rely on blacks and whites within the image to give me the impact I sought. Instead, the texture was emphasised using the B&W sliders with the orange (minus 68) and yellow (minus 68) bringing out the dark and light tones respectively and then using the Contrast slider to plus 79.

4. Miniature Boat through bridge (f/5.6, 1/60secs, ISO 400 @70mm. Canon 70 - 200mm f/4 L lens)

This miniature boat is permanently moored and can be seem through the archway of this footbridge. I was attracted by the almost perfect reflection of the bridge and boat and, as the boat is blue, I knew I would be able to choose between a bright and dark tone using the b&w mix blue slider in Lightroom. The water trail left by the duck was a bonus but has added to the image both by adding some interesting light shape but as a lead into the bridge/boat. In the event, I lightened the tone of the boat by pushing the blue slider to plus 32 although, clearly, it could have been lightened further but this would have been too much, in my view. The orange slider (to plus 66) lightened the brickwork on the wall through the bridge, behind the boat, and this helps the contrast.

5. 'Paddington' towards Sheepcote Street Bridge (f/5.6, 1/125secs, ISO 400 @ 15mm. Tamron 11 - 16mm lens)

Another wide-angle lens shot towards Sheepcote St bridge with the working canal boat 'Paddington' in the foreground. I wanted to include the boat both to anchor the shot and because the red paintwork would give me some flexibility in deciding on the tone to use when converting it to black and white. The histogram shows a wide tonal range but with a spike on the right. In post-processing, I decided to use a dark tone (red at minus 34) to give contrast when compared to the sky and the patches of snow. I used the blue slider at minus 55 to tone down some of the brightness in the water.

6. Crossing from the NIA (f/5.6, 1/1000secs, ISO 400 @ 16mm. Tamron 11-16mm lens)

This wide-angle shot was taken at the junction of two footbridges and I liked the reflections in the wet surface as I was walking up the slope. As I didn't have a tripod, I set my camera on the ground with a 10 second delay. I was aware of two people approaching from the right and hoped that I had timed the exposure so that they would be in the shot. I was delighted with the result above. The main adjustments were aqua to minus 91, to darken the light green fence, and red (to plus 61) to slightly lighten the brickwork and the young woman's shopping bag. I was in two minds with the red slider; a minus setting giving a stronger contrast. I had to make some 'noise' adjustment to the final image.

7. Brewmasters Bridge Staircase (f/5.6, 1/40secs, ISO 1000 @ 70mm. Canon 70 - 200mm f/4 L lens)

.
The appeal of this image was the staircase but also the different colour bricks which, I hoped, would show up well in black and white. The histogram showed a wide tonal range with a concentration of high tonal contrast towards the dark end. I was able to bring out the pattern of the brickwork with a mixture of red (plus 61) and orange (minus 73).

8. Looking North (f/5.6, 1/250secs, ISO 400 @ 70mm. Canon 70 - 200mm f/4 L lens)

This final image looks towards the north from the junction of three canals. To the left is the National Indoor Arena and, to the right, the Malt House pub. In this image, as well as the footbridge, I liked the various reflections and the different shapes and tones of the buildings on either side of the canal. I waited until there were some figures using the bridge. I accentuated the reflections, and darkened the roof-tops, using the blue slider at minus 95 and then added contrast.




Conclusions


Overall, I am pleased with the results of this assignment and the fact that I was able to find a variety of suitable subjects close at hand. I had never used the black and white mix sliders before this module and they certainly provide a way of giving different possibilities for each image. For example, the brickwork texture really benefited from conversion to black and white.

I will certainly study the use of black and white in greater detail, using both Lightroom techniques and through wider study (I recently bought 'Black and White - from Snapshots to Great Shots' by John Batdorff  - Peachpitt Press 2012 which I find very informative, so far). Perhaps I will consider additional sofware (e.g. Silver Effex Pro 2 - which seems to be well recommended) but only after more practice taking photographs, in different lighting conditions and with different types of subjects. This is certainly another of those areas where the truism "the more you know, the more you realise you don't know" applies!