Assignment 2 - Exposure

Assignment two was basically something to help us get used to the camera, as explained in my earlier posts, I actually liked simple zen-like compositions, where there's not too much going on (and of course a white background always makes things even nicer.)

After playing around with a few shots I came up with these two.

Commodification of Faith
(ISO 200, 5600K, Shutter 1/80, Aperture F5.6)

This work is basically a set of keys, representing of course our material needs and desires today. Sometimes it comes to a point where even faith (represented by the cross) is commodified and no longer taken to be what it is. This photo represents a sad reality, where materialism is ever increasing.

I took this picture also because of the play between the extreme black of the casing and the silver of the keys, my goal was also to create an illusion of depth on a small object which is why I chose the angle of the shot. At the same time, the whiteness of the table helps with the illusion too.

Gold Coins
(ISO 320, 5000K, Shutter 1/60, Aperture F5.6)

There was no specific meaning behind this. The photo was basically playing with the exposure and aperture to create a sense of depth. This was also and outdoor shot so its all natural lightning. Whats more interesting was that the shot was controlled such that some coins seemed dull and some shiny, this was to firstly create some form of contrast. Also truth be told, all the coins were dull which is why I tried to take the shot so that some looked shiny.

If I really had to relate this to something, it would be the gold coins from Chaucers Pardoners Tale.

Here were some other alternatives to the assignment.

Black Party
(ISO 320, "Cloudy", Shutter 1/6, Aperture F6.3)

This one I thought was interesting because of the extreme colours, but the photo lacked depth in the end. Also conveyed a very strong sense of sadness (to me).

Dusty Mirror
(ISO 320, 5000K, Shutter 1/1.6, Aperture F5)

I honestly loved this one a great deal, it sort of speaks of a duality its also rich in colour and has plenty of texture. The reason why I did not use it in the end was the composition and the lack of depth. But apparently many people like it...oh and I had to use a tripod for this one.


The rest of the photos I took were not really that fantastic, these were the main candidates.