Work Record 3: Normal Sight and hearing

Plans for shoot

In this shoot, I will be focusing on the normal/everyday sensory experiences involving sight and hearing.

The techniques I plan on using are firstly for focusing on sight I will use a macro lens and take extreme close up images of individual eyes. I will crop these images to really focus in on the eye or part of the eye. The images will capture the detail and beauty of our eyes that we would not be able to see with our normal vision. They will, therefore, grab the viewers attention as this will be a visually novel image for them and will get the viewer thinking about the function of the eye and how important it is to them.

For the images relating to sensory experiences involving hearing, I will first use an alarm clock as a prop and choreograph me waking up to the ringing of the alarm. To make this more dramatic and to emphasise the loudness and anticipation of the noise I will incorporate movement into the image. I will do this by creating animated Gifs so will take several images in a burst of the scene. Then create the Gif using Photoshop.

I have arranged for an assistant to be present to hold down the camera button as I will be the subject in the alarm clock Gif. This is because I know the various poses that I will choreograph and can set the composition of the frame up beforehand. The assistant can also act as a model for the macro image of the eye.

I will also use photograph someone playing musical instruments, the flute and an electric guitar. These should both create distinctive sounds that people are familiar and as I play both instruments I have them available as props for me to use. I will use techniques to focus attention on various parts of the instruments/amplifier to see which I feel are most effective in conveying the perception of the sound of the music created.

I have obtained the props I need for the shoot. The main one was a bell alarm clock with a relatively large face on it, this I have borrowed from my sister.


Research influence

From my research, I found that incorporating the perception of sound into an image is generally considered harder to achieve than the other senses. However one way to do this is to include the idea of movement into an image. For example, if capturing an image of someone walking and you want to suggest the sound of the footstep, then ensure the image captures the foot raised in the air and about to come down onto the pavement. Avoid having the foot already connected with the ground in the image. This is because the viewer's mind will automatically connect the visual image of someone walking and their foot descending towards the ground with the noise of a footstep as the foot hits the ground. The mind will fill in the missing component that it anticipates to hear.  This information has encouraged me to incorporate movement into my images when aiming to convey sound to the viewer. I will do this by using the technique of animated Gifs.

One of the photographers whose work I researched to gain an understanding of how they incorporated the perception of sound into images was Robert Adams. In his ‘Summer Nights Walking’ series of images, I was particularly fascinated by a number of his images where I felt I could perceive the sounds associated with the images. One of these was the image taken in Longmont Colorado in 1981 of an amusement park at night with a large brightly lit up Ferris wheel positioned near the front of the frame. Adams selection of a scene where the viewer's mind will automatically associate it with particular sounds that their mind connects with through memories makes his visual image more impactful. By doing this he provides the viewer with a richer experience when viewing his images. When I look at Adams image of an amusement park at night it automatically creates the perception of the anticipated sounds the music, the laughter and the shrieks of excitement you would expect to hear associated with the scene,

I have taken inspiration from my research when considering what to choose to photograph that would have a strong association with sound. I also wanted to choose something that many people, in general, would have memories of to connect with the image to make the image as impactful as possible for most people. This way why I selected the image showing an alarm clock waking someone up early in the morning. The sound of an alarm going off in the morning is something that most people will be familiar with. 

In this shoot, I have used a number of compositional techniques to focus attention on particular parts of the frame. These include leading lines, narrow depth of field and different perspectives. While many photographers have used these techniques in their work I have been particularly inspired by the way the photographer Fan Ho makes use of these techniques to capture the viewer's attention and lead them around his compositions to where he wants them to be. Researching his work has influenced the way I have composed images in this shoot.

Other photographers whose use of particular techniques has influenced me to also make use of them are, Muhammad Roem and Clay Bolt and their use of wide angle close up which I have used in my images of the musical instruments.


Contact sheet

Image bank

I have composed images to capture the sensory experience of abruptly waking up in the morning to the sound of an alarm clock ringing loudly. I have choreographed the scene placed the clock in a dominant eye-catching position and have experimented with my facial expression as well as the movement of my head and arm to see how effective and realistic the various poses are in conveying the spaced out disappointment/annoyance of realising that it is time to get up.

I have used close cropping to focus intently on the source of the noise and the motion blur of my hand caught in freeze frame motion highlight how annoying the noise is as I quickly react to it by trying to stop the noise by grabbing the alarm.

I have then choreographed the scene so that a pillow has been placed over my head as if I am trying to block my ears from hearing the sound.

 
I have used the technique of animated Gifs to incorporate motion into the images and highlight the perception of the sound of the alarm.





I have taken close up images of two people's eyes using my macro lens.

I have taken images of people playing musical instruments, the flute and an electric guitar. For each, I have used the technique of a narrow depth of field to focus attention on various parts of the instrument and person to experiment with what image conveys the best perception of sound.

 My Best images







 

Images that require improvement

I feel that this image is not as powerful as the others I have taken of the guitars in trying to convey sound in the image. It does have a narrow depth of field focusing on the hand and plectrum strumming the strings which does suggest movement but the main problem is that I have not focused attention closely enough on the subject and therefore have lost a lot of the impact. I will redo this image but crop the image so much closer. Also, I think by switching the perspective to focus more on the strumming hand coming from behind it rather than in front of it as I have done here I may be able to emphasise the perception of sound more.

AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.

The aim of this shoot was to capture images that convey sensory experiences involving normal everyday experiences relating to hearing and sight.

I have used motion in several images to enhance the perception of sound by connecting it with the movement of a person. Firstly of a person reacting to a sudden noise, that of an alarm clock waking them up. I chose the activity around waking up suddenly to a loud noise as I felt this would be an experience that most people would be able to relate to and have associated sound memories of. The sound of an alarm clock, particularly a loud bell one is an awful sound that  I hate to hear in the morning so I think it will have a strong association for others too. Also, I have read that sound is one of the more difficult senses to incorporate into an image and through my research, I have learnt that by including motion into an image this will enhance the perception of sound. In this way, the movement will help to stimulate memories associated with the visual image. Additionally, the alarm will add drama and action to the image making it more captivating.

I have also used two musical instruments the flute and an electric guitar, these have very different sounds with the flute being quite high pitched individual notes and the guitar being lower and louder with chords of notes. This will give a range of sounds for viewers to recollect. Both instruments, however, are long, so allow me to vary the perspective and use leading lines to direct viewers attention and create interest in the image. They also allow me to use the technique of a narrow depth of field to focus on the position of the hand forming the chords/notes, the strumming hand, the mouth or the amplifier. In this way, I can experiment with the composition of the frame and determine which is best at conveying the experience of hearing the sound of the musical instrument.

The techniques I have chosen to capture motion with are motion blur/freeze frame and animated Gif. I chose these as I believe they are effective and I also really like the animated Gif technique. I think it brings the image alive more and makes it more personal and interesting to the viewer.

For the sight images, I have used a close up macro image of the eye that focuses on the functional part of the eye for sight which is the pupil and iris. By using a macro lens I have captured an image that many viewers will not have seen in such detail as it captures detail not visible to the naked eye, this should make the image intriguing.  Human eyes are stunning and beautiful to see close up but as you see with your eyes you cannot gaze at them without the aid of a mirror, and few people take the time to really look at them in detail and witness the beauty there. By showing the detail in the eyes structural components this will highlight the beauty to be found there and remind viewers of the way it allows us to visually experience the beauty in the world around us. People use sight more than any other sense to experience the world about them, as is shown in that a much larger part of our brain is devoted to processing visual information than with other senses data. I would have liked to have dwelt further on the sense of sight more but felt that as all my images incorporate visual experiences then it seemed fairer to focus a little more on them and less on sight as it would through necessity have considerable time spent on it.


Reference to my Best Images

I have composed images to capture the sensory experience of abruptly waking up in the morning to the sound of an alarm clock ringing loudly. In the image, I have used an alarm clock with two bells on the top and a hammer that takes turns hitting them to create a loud noise to wake you up. To highlight that the alarm and its bells are the focus of the image I have chosen one with a large face and placed it near the camera according to the rule of thirds so that it occupies a large part of the frame in a dominant position. I have also set the time on the clock to 6am so that this increases the association with not wanting to get out of bed at such an early time. In the image, I have suggested movement by reaching forward to switch the alarm off to indicate to the viewer that it is ringing. I then made the room slightly darker so that it would appear that the sun had not risen yet. By including the soft texture of the fluffy throw and pillow on the bed I have tried to add to the perception of being in a warm cosy place and so making the alarms demand that I leave it more annoying.  I have also experimented with facial expressions and gestures to see what effect works best with the image (see image bank). I have tried to look sleepy, then a bit spaced out, then in denial and hiding under the pillow to dampen the noise down. My dog Hades jumped up on the bed during the shoot so I included him and his reaction to the alarm going off. He just looked a bit annoyed then went to sleep.

I think the most effective image I created was the one above as I look half asleep and am staring at the alarm with confused annoyance and am reaching towards the alarm to stop its noise. This is a realistic pose that people will connect with about how you feel when you are woken from a nice sleep by a loud bell telling you to get up. I do however feel that if the alarm was a different colour it would have made the image more effective. A red colour would have been best as this would be more eye-catching and provide an association with activity and danger and so emphasising the contrast between the sleepy happy state I was in and the sudden confusion of the loud frightening alarm. I also think the room should have been a bit brighter, I had wanted to make it seem as if it was early morning and the sun had not yet risen but now think this detracts from the image as the quality of the image is not so clear and this reduces its impact.

I have used musical instruments to create the perception of sound in a number of my images. In this image, I have taken the image from a perspective along the length of the flute. In this way, it creates a leading line for the viewer to follow that focused their attention on the instrument being played. I have also included the technique of a narrow depth of field and focused this around the fingering of the flutes keys being pressed down, which will focus attention on the sound of notes being played to accompany this visual element.






With the guitar playing, I have again used a perspective to add interest to the image and also to create a leading line using the length of the guitar. In this image, the line leads towards the persons right hand where they are holding a plectrum and strumming the guitar's strings with it. I have used a narrow depth of field to focus on the hand in this position to draw the viewers eye towards it and the associated sound the strumming will make

The front of the image is blurred in order to prevent it distracting attention away from the strumming. I have also left the amplifier in sharp focus to magnify the perception of sounds being produced. One aspect I would change in the image would be to raise the arm of the guitar a bit so that the leading line leads to the amplifier as well as the guitar players right hand. I could also crop the image on the left and the bottom of the frame to make the image more personal and intensify the feelings associated with it.

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

The camera I used is my Nikon D5300 DSLR, and I have set it up on my tripod to take the shots in as many images as was possible. For shots where I am the model, I have used my camera timer or my remote control to allow me to position myself correctly for the shot I want. For the animated Gif images with me as the subject, I asked my assistant to hold down the button continuously after I had input the camera settings and arranged the frame set up.

As these photographs were taken far apart over a period of time the exposure on each one is different, as they were taken at various times of day with different light etc. For all images I set the ISO as low as possible in order to prevent noise and in order to capture details in sharp focus I chose a smaller aperture and a wider depth of field setting

The techniques I have used are motion blur/freeze frame and animated Gif to incorporate motion into my images and enhance the perception of associated sounds. I have also used the rule of thirds, a narrow depth of field and leading lines and varied the perspective in the shots with the flute and guitar playing. These techniques I used to direct the viewer's attention to where I wanted it to be on the image and so enhance the message it was sending them as well as to focus attention and highlight the perception of sound. I have also used the technique of using macro lens close up to capture a detailed interesting unusual view of an eye to highlight the sensory experiences that our sight provides us with.

I have used the location of my bedroom and acquired props which I needed from various places to set the scene up there. One of the props I particularly needed was an alarm clock with a large face and bells on the top to provide a visual image to emphasise the loud noise it would make. The only one I could borrow was coloured black and ideally, I would have preferred a brighter colour to catch attention and highlight its intensity. I already had musical instruments, the flute and guitar available to me as I play these myself.

In the images below I illustrate how I have used the technique of an animated Gif to enhance the perception of sound in the image by incorporating motion. When a loud alarm goes off in the morning and wakes you up, the first thing you want to do is stop the noise as it is really annoying. I have created two animated Gifs of the likely ways I would do this.

This is a screenshot from Photoshop as I created the animated Gif

The first Gif shows me flicking the alarm across the floor with my hand as I sleep without even waking properly then continue to sleep on regardless. The second shows me waking up sharply and trying to stop the noise by grabbing the alarm to try to turn it off, then as this is obviously not successful I start to bash it about to try to silence it. The first image is more amusing while the second has a more dramatic aggressive component. I think for conveying the noise of the alarm and the sensory experience of hearing it in the morning the second image is more effective and more accurate of how I feel when it wakes me up.





When I had taken the series of images of the waking up to the alarm clock I felt that the room should be darker to convey that it was early morning and the sun had yet to rise. This is indicated by the clock being set to 6am. However afterwards when looking at the images I felt that they were too shadowed and drab and lacking in colour and I felt this detracted from the fun of the images.  I, therefore, enhanced the brightness of one of the images in Photoshop to see if I could refine and improve it. The image below is the brighter version of the previous one and I think this is an improvement. The clock face of the alarm is brighter and this draws your attention to it more, so highlighting the fact that an alarm is about to go off.  Also, my face is also more high-lit and this too draws attention to my peaceful state of sleep that is about to be interrupted by a loud noise. Therefore by simply increasing the brightness, I have improved the images ability to convey the perception of sound and I have also made it more interesting by removing the drabness and enhancing the quality of what can be seen.





AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.

In order to best convey sound in an image my research into other photographers work including that of Robert Adams has illustrated to me the importance of capturing a scene what has a strong association with sounds and that will connect with viewers and trigger memories of the anticipated sounds. I have illustrated this in the research section above using Adams image of an amusement park in Longmont Colorado published in his ‘Summer Nights Walking’ series.

My research also revealed to me the importance of including movement in the images as this aids the perception of any associated sounds. This was why I decided that I would use the technique of animated Gifs and motion blur in this shoot. As the motion will be connected and trigger memories of the associated sounds in the viewer's minds.

This research, therefore, encouraged me to investigate and find suitable scenes that would connect with viewers. After careful consideration, I decided upon using an alarm clock waking you up in the morning and also the sounds of two very different musical instruments being played.

I have illustrated above how I have incorporated motion using the animated Gif and now illustrate my understanding using a more close up image of the alarm clock and using the technique of motion blur.

In this image, I have tried a slightly different arrangement by placed the alarm in the centre of the frame and focused quite closely in on it so it fills a large part of the frame. Then I have very quickly grabbed the top of it with my hand as if trying to stop the noise. I have included a small bit of the bed in the frame and with the position of my arm, it is obvious that I am in bed sleeping when it goes off. The slight motion blur of my hand caught in the image adds the perception of motion to the image giving it a sense of urgency and helping to convey the loudness of its bells and the need to silence it.

I think to improve this image I would need to introduce some colour, the perception of noise would be better if the alarm was bright red in colour. This would add to the sense of urgency and activity and give the image more energy. I would also like to increase the brightness to focus attention on the alarms clocks face and also add a greater motion blur to the image to enhance the level of urgency. I also think I could crop the image a bit tighter so that it intensifies the activity of the alarm and focuses attention on the action of silencing it.





AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements. 

My intention in this shoot was to create images that focus on the sensory experiences of sight and hearing. 

I have gained knowledge and understanding through my research of how to best capture the perception of sound in my image. This includes:

1) Incorporating motion into the images
2) Using experiences that  people will have  a strong association of sound with
3) Using techniques to direct attention onto particular parts of the image to enhance the perception of sound.

For incorporating motion associated with the sound I used the techniques of motion blur and a animated gifs. Using both these techniques I feel I have effectively incorporated motion into the image that enhances the perception of the sound associated with the motion of my hand and arm quickly going out to shut the noise of the alarm off. The motion adds a sense of urgency to the image and this enhances the loudness of the perceived sound. In this way, it has been an effective technique to use and so I achieved what I intended. It also adds a bit of drama to the image to grab the viewers attention.

I choose to choreograph two particular scenes that have a strong connection with sounds:

1) A bell alarm clock abruptly waking someone up in the morning from a peaceful sleep
2) Musical instruments being played: a flute and an electric guitar with an amplifier

These are situations that most people will be familiar with and have memories to recall the possible sounds and notes being created. For the alarm clock images, most people will have been abruptly woken up in the morning by a sudden sound either from a clock or phone alarms or someone shouting to them to get up. This was why I chose to choreograph this scene as it provides a visual image with a strong association with sound. Viewer's minds will, therefore, be able to fill in the associated sounds in their minds creating this sensory experience. I have also tried to create contrast in the image by having me adopting a pose and facial expression that looks like I am peacefully asleep and also surrounding me with fluffy pillows and blankets. Then next to me there is a loud alarm clock that is about to abruptly wake me from my sleep. I think this adds to the anticipation of a sudden sound being heard.


For the images involving sight, I have taken close up macro image of individual eyes of both a young and an older person. I feel that as photography is primarily a visual art then all the images I have taken incorporate the use of sight. Therefore it was unnecessary to focus extensively on sensory experiences involving this rather it would be better to spend longer on the other elements of sensory experiences instead.



The macro lens image of the eye captures both the beauty of the structure and as you look into the pupil you feel as if you can see right into the person's mind as it processes what they are looking at. In this image, I used a narrow depth of field so that the front of the eyeball where the iris and pupil are is sharply in focus, while the rest of the eye and eyelid was slightly blurred. The region in sharp focus is the important part as regard seeing, so this focuses attention onto the action of sight. You start to wonder what the eye is gazing at so intently and so look deeper into the image and particularly the black circle of the pupil. The framing effect of the eyelids also naturally leads you there. Then your gaze shifts to the blue colour of the iris around it and the concentric pattern of circular uneven lines that fan outwards from it. The macro lens image is very detailed and captures all this detail as well as the smooth moist texture of the eyeball and the way it reflects light. This is particularly seen on the right of the pupil where the reflection of the room's window can be seen.

There is so much to see in this image that you would not normally be aware of as people generally do not spend time staring at their own eyes in such detail, and the image is extended beyond what you would normally be able to see. By focusing on part of the eye, the pupil and the iris, by using a narrow depth of field I have encouraged viewers to think about eyes, their function of seeing and the beauty in the structure itself which the eye enables them to see. Also by using a macro lens and increasing the size and detail in the image compared to what they normally see I have highlighted that there is a lot of beautiful visually sensory experiences that you can miss in the world by not looking closely enough at it.


Progression

When I next retake some of the images in this shoot there are a number of improvement which I will incorporate or change, these are summarised below:

1) Try to find a brighter coloured alarm clock or see if I can change this in Photoshop
2) Crop the alarm clock image more tightly
3) Adjust camera settings to enhance the motion blur in the hand reaching for the alarm's movement
4) Ensure lighting is better in the room for the alarm clock images
5) Change the perspective of and closely crop the guitar playing image

I have also been spending time planning the shoots I still have to do. I wanted to ensure that there is enough time to complete my entire project so that I do not run out of time and then have to cut some images. I have therefore drawn up a table of the different shoots and what I will focus on so that I can better organise how I will divide up the remaining work amongst the number of shoots I have left.

	Normal	Diminished	Extreme
Smell/Taste	Shoot 1	Shoot 4	Shoot 6
Touch/Temp	Shoot 2	x	Shoot 6
Hearing	Shoot 3	Shoot 4	Shoot 7
Sight	Shoot 3	Shoot 5	Shoot 7

This plan of work will allow me to split the 3 types of images I am focusing on (normal/diminished/extreme)so that I spend a similar number of shoots on each and that I cover all the different sensory experiences I want to. At the moment I will not cover diminished touch/temp but will focus more on diminished sight instead. 

In the next shoot, I will be going on to capture images that reflect the sensory experiences of those who have a diminished hearing capacity or those that have a diminished ability for taste/smell. I will also highlight the use of technologies such as hearing aids in order to regain the sensory experiences. My intention is to use the musical instruments in this shoot too and in this way illustrate how a hearing aid can restore a person's sensory experience involving hearing.