Exam Shoot Three - Work Record

What I plan to do: Within this shoot I will again be focusing on a single individual with their pet dog, this shoot is progression from my preparatory shoot number seven, and exam shoot numbers one and two. When creating my final series of images I want comparisons to be draw between the different way individual's live, with their different dogs; therefore, I have photographed the same objects in each shoot (e.g. dog bed, treats, toys...) in order for the viewer to explore these differences- this is significant as although people may own the same pet (dog), their treatment and set up for the animal is very different. Moreover, the dog's personalities too differ, and I hope to explore this within the shoot, as well as exploring the different personalities of the owner's too. 
When editing my images in photoshop I used vignettes in order to progress on from my exam shoot number two, by using various editing techniques to better my images, instead of just using curves and levels all the time. I believe the use of a vignette brings the viewers attention into the image, and that I can control where I want the focus to be. 

Inspiration: Elliott Erwitt's photographs of dogs are the inspiration behind my project and this shoot, as his images of dogs and their owners are captivating, and interesting- something which I hope my images will also be. Erwitt's images may not explore differences in the way owner's live with their dogs, but they do explore differences in how different dogs can be. Sebastian Magnani is also another inspiration behind this shoot, as his photographs of owner's and their dogs create links between us and our canine companions being similar, therefore within my shoots I too hope I will explore this. 

Best image:

This image is one of my best from my shoot number three, the endearing action of the dog holding his paw up is captured in this image creates emotion in the viewer. Moreover, within this image the viewer can deduce a substantial amount of information, from both the dog and the settings around it. The dog isn't jumping and running around the garden, suggesting that it is not as active as some of the other dogs which I have photographed, therefore this allows the viewer to estimate at what type of personality this dog may have, corresponding with the questioning of what type of personality the owner may also have. This link follows my inspiration from this shoot, as Sebastian Magnani also compares how owner's and their dogs are similar through their appearance, whereas I am exploring this through their personalities- whilst also comparing these traits with other dog owners. 

When editing this image in photoshop I cropped the photograph slightly, in order to bring the viewer closer to the dog, furthermore I also changed the levels in order to slightly lighten the image. In order to also create a slight vignette I used the curves tool, and then the gradient tool in order to darken the edges of the image slightly. 

I photographed this image on the camera settings of ISO 200, F 9 and a shutter speed of 1/320, if I wanted to create a shallower depth of field I should have got closer to the dog, whilst also making my F setting higher. 

Worst image:

I believe this photograph is the worst from this shoot, due to the cluttered background confusing the viewer about what it is they're meant to be focusing on. The lead and the harness which are on the door handle are the main subjects of this image; however, other objects around this detract attention away and confuse the viewer- meaning my aims for this shoot are not clear. If I was to reshoot this photograph I would get closer to the object's I wanted to focus on, and use a shallower depth of field in order to blur any other objects in the background, unlike the wide depth of field explored within this image. 

The lack of connotation which is also attached to this image is negative, as this image alone doesn't allow the viewer to clearly know what I am photographing, or what my aims for the entire shoot are, therefore this makes the image confusing as a whole.

The camera settings which I photographed this image on are the following: ISO 400, F 4, and a shutter speed of 1/60, my low aperture setting of 4 should have allowed me to obtain a shallower depth of field- however, as I was far away from the object this wasn't maximised, therefore if I was to photograph this again I would ensure I was closer to the object, in order to maximise the effects of a shallow depth of field. 

What I have learned:  From this project I have learned how vast the differences are between the way people live, moreover despite all the owner's featured in my shoot sharing the same pet (dogs), they all live and treat them extremely differently from one another, whilst also having varying personalities. I have enjoyed exploring the different lifestyles people live throughout the entirety of my project.