Statement of Intent, Theme 2, Canine Companions

Pro forma for task 1a           Statement Of Intent

Candidate Name : Roger Bone                Theme: People and Pet photography

Title of the theme: Canine Companions

Intentions/purpose of the photography undertaken:
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For my second theme my intention is to capture the special bond that is built between people and their pets.  I will be concentrating on people who own dogs as I believe these are one of the most loyal pets you will come across.

I will be spending time with several friends and family members who own dogs and capturing them in their usual, day to day surroundings.

From the images taken I will be selecting a minimum of 15 images which will be displayed using photo mounts.  I will also be displaying my final images on this blog with a small description for each image.
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Reasons for selection of theme (including inspiration from the work of others):

I have chosen this theme as I have grown up in a family where we had numerous pets, these would range from cats, chickens, goats, fish, frogs, budgie's, parrots and throughout all of these we always had a pet dog.

Altghough the other animals came and went there was always a family dog and still to this day my parents own a dog.

I have 4 brothers and sisters and as children we would spend a lot of time playing with our pets and showing them off to our friends.  However, the dog was the only one that no matter how much we pushed and pulled it, dropped and dragged it, it would be by our side, following us round the yard and barking if a stranger came by.

As I said above my parents still have a dog and as we have grown up it is now our children that spend hours in the garden running round with the dog.

I noticed a few weeks back when playing with my camera in the garden that no matter how rough they were with the dog, sitting on him, tying things to him and in general just annoying him that he never flinched once and was just happy following them around and doing what he was told.

Likewise my niece's and nephew's were simply having fun and it seemed that whilst dragging the dog and jumping on his back that they didnt have a care in the world.

These are memories that they will have when they are older as do me and my family and moments that should be caught on a camera.

Whilst getting into this theme I have come accross several pet photographers and have found many usefull tutrials on shooting people and pets.

I especially liked the website "yellow mutt pet photography" owned by Debra Ducotey, her images are really sharp,  and very beautifully taken.

Christopher Ameruso is another who's work I really like, photographing celebrities and their pets, again his work is sharp, crystal clear and very beautifully shot.
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The Photo imaging equipment that I will be using:

I will be using a Sony Alpha 230 DSLR along with three lenses,

1. 18-55 mm, 75mm
2. 300mm telephoto zoom lens
3. 50mm F/1.8 portait lens

I hope to caprture my subjects personalities whilst out walking and for this will use my zoom lens so that I am not on top of them causing the dog to behave differently and with caution.

I will also shoot my subjects in their own homes so that whilst they are relaxed and in an enviroment they know I will hopefully be able to get up close to them, for these images I will use either to 18-55 mm lens or the F/1.8 portait lens if the lighting conditions are poor.

A tripod will be used when needed to avoid camera shake and blurred images and a neck strap will be used with the camera when not using the tripod.

Images will be taken using RAW files and any editing of the images will be done in Lightroom and Photoshop CS5 if needed.  I hope to use full colour images for the final selection and therefor may enhance the colours if needed, adding light where required in the hope of achieving sharp, clear, colourful images.
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Techniques that will be used and how they will convey the visual message:

I will capturing my subjects from variuos angles and wont always capture the owners face, showing only parts of the owners body, e.g. legs, hands, back of head. 

Whilst out walking the dogs I intend to follow the subjects from behind so they can forget I am there and also from in front, when being in front I will be quite far ahead and will use a zoom lens.  I will use a large Aperture to capture a shallow depth of filed in order to focus on the subjects.

Whilst in the subjects homes I intend to get some good close up shots of the dogs using a portrait lens.  I intend to have the owners in the shots but keep them in the background using a shallow depth of field and focusing only on the dog.

I will also capture images of both the dog and owner in full focus using shutter priority when lighting allows this as well as capturing the dog alone.

I will not be using a flash as I dont want to alert the dogs scaring them and making them behave unsually.  Not using the flash will also avoid any red eye which can occur quite often when shooting pets.

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How light quality can be used to help convey the visual message:

I do not intend to add any additional/flash lighting to my images and will be using only natural light provided.

To ensure I have the best possible lighting when shooting outdoors I will be checking the wetaher forecast and will be planning my sessions when the weather is dry and bright.

When shooting indoors I will be doing this mid afternoon and using the natural light coming through the windows.  I will open blinds completely to let as much light in the rooms.
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Safety Conditions:

Whilst shooting outdoors caution will be taken to ensure the safety of my subjects, myself and others in the area.  I will do this by keeping my camera bag strapped to my back at all times and that when using a tripod caution will be taken to avaoid any incidents.

Whilst shooting in the subjects home I will respect their homes ensuring that I do not enter a room without permission and will take extra caution not to damage anything during the session.

Whilst in the homes I will let them know my intentions and ask for permission before moving items such as furniture, opening blinds etc.  If furniture is to be moved safety will be considered here first to ensure there are no accidents or injuries.

Statement Of Intent, Theme 1, Old Moor

Pro forma for task 1a)                        Statement of intent

Candidate Name: Roger Bone       Theme: Nature

Title of the theme: Old Moor

Intentions/purpose of the photography to be undertaken

I have decided to select Nature as one of my two themes and will prepare a portfolio of images to submit at the end of my course.  I will need to select a minimum of 10 images for each portfolio that follow a theme which will be published on my internet blog.  I will also present hard copies of the images in a Black Leaf, landscape, photo album.My intention is to visit the reserve on a number of occasions and hopefully in my final image selection be able to show all aspects of the reserve. I hope that the images will tell a story about the reserve, capturing the scenery and birdlife as well as the people that visit Old Moor.

 

Reasons for selection of theme (including inspiration from the work of others)

I have chosen Nature as my first theme as I have a genuine interest in nature and being a keen ornithologist I am a member of the RSPB.  The RSPB have a number of nature reserves all over the UK and one that I visit on a regular basis is called OLD MOOR.  The reserve is located in South Yorkshire and was originally one of the 32 coal mines in the Yorkshire area , this particular mine (Wath Main Colliery) was closed on the 25th March 1988.

The reserve is a not only a great place to see a wide selection of birdlife and a lovely landscape but is also a great day out for people of all ages including families.  There are several footpaths at the reserve making it very easy to get around from each of the bird hides on the reserve which all offer great vantage points and perfect photo opportunities.

During my research into Wildlife Photography I came across a couple of people who's work I really liked, one of these being Pavel Zoharec.  Pavel has a collection of images where he has managed to capture some amazing birdlife, the images are really sharp and freeze the movement of the birds.  I think capturing birdlife is a very challenging form of photography as birds do not sit waiting to have their photo taken which means you do have to go out and look for them dedicating a lot of time to this.  It's clear from Pavel's pictures that he has done just this, he has manged to capture several birds of prey which are extremely difficult to get close to in the wild.   Pavel would have needed to research into these birds knowing their hunting grounds,  favourite roosting spots and breeding grounds.

Philip Price is another who's images are crsytal clear, sharp and freeze the movement brilliantly.  Philip is an award winning photographer with a range of awards and has also done a 3 part mini series for the BBC.  Looking at his images its clear that he has dedicated a lot of time in capturing these birds and from the images you can see that Philip likes to capture the birds during flight and does this brilliantly.

The photo imaging equipment and medium that will be used and why

I will be using my Sony A230 DSLR camera and will be shooting RAW files, some of these may be edited if needed using Lightroom and Photoshop CS5. 

I will be using an 18mm to 50mm lens which will be used when taking landscape shots of the reserve and also a telephoto 70mm to 300mm which will be used to get close up shots of the birds on the reserve.

In order to experiment with shutter speeds and aperture I will also use a tripod to avoid any blur where possible.

Techniques that will be used and how they will help convey the visual message

Whilst capturing images of the birds on the reserve I will be using a fast Shutter speed in order to freeze the movement of the birds.  I will be using various shutter speeds ranging from 1/200 upto 1/400 all pending on the light conditions at the time.  I will also use slight slower shutter speeds of approximately 1/60 to 1/80 to capture some of the movement in the birds wings.  I will be capturing the birds using a zoom lens in order to get as close as possible.

As well as capturing images of the birds I will also be taking pictures of the reserve in order to show all aspects of Old Moor.  I will do this by using a large aperture of approximately F/22 and a tripod to avoid any blur/shake.

I will be using photomerge in Photoshop CS5 to produce a panoramic view of the reserve.

How light quality can be used to help convey the visual message

I do not intend to add any additional flash lighting to my images using only natural light to convey a more realistic image.  I will need to be aware of the weather conditions and will need to adapt the camera settings to compliment these using ISO, Aperture and Shutter.

Safety considerations

I will ensure that the correct footwear and outdoor clothing are worn each time I visit the reserve along with a packed lunch and a flask of tea.  I will respect the surroundings and the wildlife that live on the reserve by walking only on the footpaths that have been created by the reserve staff and volunteers.

As the reserve can be quite busy with other visitors I will also ensure that the equipment I will be using does not cause any accidents.  Keeping this stored away when not in use and when in use ensuring I do not block any entrances or leave equipment or bags on the floor where people could trip and fall over these,