Reflections in Mirrors
Sebastian Magnani
Born 1985 in a small village in Canton Valais, Switzerland, surrounded by mountains, Sebastian Magnani discovered photography whilst training as a media designer in 2006. After 5 years as a creative in an advertising agency, he decided 2011 to turn his passion into a profession. Since then he has been making a living as a photographer, based in Zurich Switzerland. He currently works on various subjects and several free projects, like the “Underdogs” and “Undercats”, where got a lot of media attention and been published on many newspapers, magazines, websites and tv-shows around the globe.
Photographer Sebastian Magnani has been working on a project called "Reflections." In this series he doesn't photograph the subject of his shot directly, instead he takes pictures of their reflections in a round mirror. Not only are these photos striking, they also make us think about the way that we look at the things above us.
Photographer Sebastian Magnani has been working on a project called "Reflections." In this series he doesn't photograph the subject of his shot directly, instead he takes pictures of their reflections in a round mirror. Not only are these photos striking, they also make us think about the way that we look at the things above us.
My Response
In the task I was required to take photos similar to Magnani, we were given mirrors in class and had to go out into the environment. The idea was to shoot through the mirror and capture the contrast between the foreground and the background through the mirror. The reason I like Magnani's photos is due to the nice depth of field between the mirror and the reflection.
WWW: I really like how the foreground contrasts with the background in my photos. I also love the depth of field in these specific edits rather than the whole frame being in focus the background is in focus and the foreground isn't .
EBI: If I did this shoot again, I would probably go into a more urban environment such as the city centre to get some more varied shots. I would probably also use cleaner mirrors and switch up the angles a bit.
EBI: If I did this shoot again, I would probably go into a more urban environment such as the city centre to get some more varied shots. I would probably also use cleaner mirrors and switch up the angles a bit.
Reflection in shape and colour
Tamara Lorenz is a German artist who creates pieces by hand, and after photographs them to emphasise certain aspects of the piece. Unlike the other artists, Lorenz focuses much more on the paper side of the construction rather than the light to enhance her work. She uses bold strong complementary colours to show the sharp contrast with the line and shape of her work.
In this task I had to use mirrors and coloured paper to create different reflection patterns and shapes. I tried to be more creative and started to use more mirrors to get a bunch of different angles in my shots.
This task links to the theme, reflection in colour as it shows the different the patterns intertwining and reflecting in the mirror.
My intention was to respond to the artist because I wanted to explore the way patterns reflect in mirrors to create a symetrical type of image.
This task links to the theme, reflection in colour as it shows the different the patterns intertwining and reflecting in the mirror.
My intention was to respond to the artist because I wanted to explore the way patterns reflect in mirrors to create a symetrical type of image.
WWW: I really like the different patterns that came out of this piece of work and how the mirrors reflect everything at different angles.
EBI: I think the shoot would be better if I used bigger mirrors and different shapes.
EBI: I think the shoot would be better if I used bigger mirrors and different shapes.
Distorted Reflection
Antonio Gutierrez
Antonio Gutierrez
In this shoot I was required to take photos inspired by the artist Antonio Gutierrez with his distorted reflections series. He often has models to put their face by a glass objects and capture the distortion created by the water and close up subjects. He creates very interesting images with these shoots.
In the task I was required to recreate these photos in class. I used transparent plastic bowls in order to get the same effect as Gutierrez. I think the shoot went well although I could definitely improve it .
In the task I was required to recreate these photos in class. I used transparent plastic bowls in order to get the same effect as Gutierrez. I think the shoot went well although I could definitely improve it .
Tim Walker- Wonderful Thing's Review
I went to Wonderful Things by Tim Walker, personally I didn't like the photography so much due to it's style. However a lot of his photos weren't just fashion but also had unusual backgrounds and locations. I think it was good how he used these different locations and also uses a range of models so it doesn't raise any issues about stereotypical skinny models. The layout of the exhibition was really good as in a walkthrough with a few films talking about how he did the shoot and what he did. The set in one of the rooms was really creative too where he has a staircase stuck against a wall which was really narrow but set up the composition of a house.
Walker's photography captures the model in a range of outfits and locations some of which were for the magasine vogue. I think it's really good how Walker uses models of different races and body shapes which make his work seem to convey a message of acceptance although that could be my interpretation. I wouldn't go to the exhibition again but would recommend to anyone who's into fashion photography and modelling.
Walker's photography captures the model in a range of outfits and locations some of which were for the magasine vogue. I think it's really good how Walker uses models of different races and body shapes which make his work seem to convey a message of acceptance although that could be my interpretation. I wouldn't go to the exhibition again but would recommend to anyone who's into fashion photography and modelling.
Patterns and Reflections in Buildings
For this task I was asked to go out and shoot reflections and patterns in buildings. The point of this task was to be able to widen my perspective about the types perspective. I tried to find ordinary buildings around school but capture them at unusual angles which change the perspective of how I look at these everyday objects.
Half Term Shoot
Over half term I was given the chance to go out and shoot some reflection images. I was lucky enough to be in France for some of it too because it meant I could get out of my comfort zone and try something different. I came across a waterfall in the country in a pitch black environment. I thought it would be cool to try and capture the reflection of the last tiny bit of light on the water. I had to set my camera to a shutter speed of 15" which meant I used a tripod as well. I also used a 35mm to try and get everything in shot.
In contrast to this I was also in Central London for a bit whilst it was raining so decided to take advantage and try and get some photos of headlights reflection off the wet ground. This was a more dangerous shoot because I had to run into the road on a few of them to try and get the right shot. I think it also resembles city life though which is what I liked about doing urban shoots and capturing people in everyday situations.
In contrast to this I was also in Central London for a bit whilst it was raining so decided to take advantage and try and get some photos of headlights reflection off the wet ground. This was a more dangerous shoot because I had to run into the road on a few of them to try and get the right shot. I think it also resembles city life though which is what I liked about doing urban shoots and capturing people in everyday situations.
Three Strands - Reflection
Reflecting Ambient Light - Andrew Curtis
Andrew Curtis was born in Melbourne in 1966. He works primarily in the medium of photography, and his works have been exhibited in Australia and internationally since the late ‘80s. He has received numerous grants from Australia Council (2004 and 2006) and Arts Victoria (2002). In 2000, Curtis won a Photography Commendation Award from AGDA (Australian Graphic Design Association) and in 1990 he was shortlisted for ‘ESSO Young Artist Project’. Curtis won ‘Student of the Year’ at the Australian Institute of Professional Photography in 1988. Curtis currently lives and works in Melbourne.
In this shoot I was taking Curtis's work and using it as inspiration to make a similar project. I went into London at night and went to different locations and took photos of objects that give off light. The idea was to use the bokeh of the unfocused shots to reflect the light and make it more abstract. I made sure it was raining as well so I could go out and shoot with reflections on the floor as well. I thought this would be quite an interesting shoot because the subjects are quite ominous and it's cool to see how much the subject stands out with the unfocused lens. For all the photos I used a 1/20 exposure for all of the photos to keep the quality in the low light whilst keeping a lower ISO as well to make sure the photos aren't grainy.
I really liked how this shoot came out with the bokeh at night, I went to different locations in London to get these shots and I think they worked really well. I shot most of them on 50mm and a lower shutter speed to capture the light in the dark. I think it would be better if I went to more contrasty places to get different backgrounds and types of shots. The bokeh works really well with cars and buses due to them having a lot of light to reflect off the pavement and roads.
SECOND RESPONSE
I
These long exposure shots worked really well, I think that the transparency of the light to make patterns in the air, do think I need to switch up the locations and get some more varied shots and will do a 3rd development on this.
Immersed in Technology - Anthony Cassell
My shoot
I really like the idea of capturing people using technology because I think that with all these new inventions and updated phones and other technologies coming out that people don't appreciate where they are enough. It's important to go somewhere and actually enjoy the feeling of being there. I think social media traps people within a bubble where people feel threatened and don't know how to get out. Even on holidays people are looking at their phones all the time.
My shoot was to convey that people need to get out of this fake reality that people are living better lives than them. I went to different locations and captured either myself or others on their phones ignoring the beauty of a landscape or environment around them. I went to places at night to capture the ambient light of the phones and other devices. I think it's important to be somewhere and mentally be present and not just a body ignoring what's around them so here is what I captured:
My shoot was to convey that people need to get out of this fake reality that people are living better lives than them. I went to different locations and captured either myself or others on their phones ignoring the beauty of a landscape or environment around them. I went to places at night to capture the ambient light of the phones and other devices. I think it's important to be somewhere and mentally be present and not just a body ignoring what's around them so here is what I captured:
Reflection in water
Elena Kalis
Elena Kalis lives in The Bahamas and takes photos of people underwater capturing a symmetrical view. She uses a Canon and an underwater case to capture these photos. She tends to shoot on sunny days to capture the natural light rather than using strobe lights. After each shoot she proceeds to give each photo some editing. Sometimes it's a little bit of colour correction and other times it's more. Kalis also did a shoot called "wonderland" where she recreated scenes from Alice in Wonderland with her daughter. The photos really capture emotion and how much it resembles the film
My shoot
Obviously due to it being winter and living in London I couldn't go and do an underwater shoot with models so I decided to think about what I could do. Eventually I thought about doing something at home with some water. I didn't want to make the shoot complex but still wanted to make it good and effective. My idea was to use the black surface to contrast with the white of the window ledge and then the object to reflect from the water. I got some ordinary objects and put them beside and in the water to make these reflection shots. I knew it would only work due to the black surface and the light of the flash of the camera to keep a low ISO.
CONCLUSION: Over all I like how the photo's turned out. I think the reflection worked really well considering it was such a simplistic shoot. I also like how the reflection is so clear and clean. However next time I think I would spend more time on the shoot and perhaps take these objects to a more interesting environment so you get a greater contrast with the reflection, subjects and the background. I would also try using different types of reflection surfaces and different places such as a canal or a river. Now I think the shoot was a success for the limited material used and the time taken.