Independent Shoot 1 - (Horses - up close)

Independent Shoot 1 

In this shoot, I have tried to focus on the smaller details of horses, such as their eyes. Whilst also looking at the Texture of their Coats and Hair. I will mainly be using my Macro Lens in order to get close to the horses especially when photographing the eye. However, I will be swapping between my other two lenses as well.  When taking my photos it is possible for many of the pictures to be out of focus and only a few ending up the way that I am hoping to get them due to the fact that some horses are scared of the big lenses and the sound of the camera. 

Image bank

The following images were added as part of my visual research.

The above collection of photographs (pictures by other photographers/artists) represent some images that I felt I could capture myself. They represent a variety of lines and most of the images are closely cropped, an approach I thought I would adopt for my work.

Research (Artists and Techniques)

The artist that I have chosen to research is Tim Flach. Tim is an animal photographer from London. he has an interest in the way humans shape animals and shape their meaning while exploring the role of imaginary in fostering an emotional connection. Flach is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from University of the Arts London in 2013. He lives and works in London with his wife and son.

He has four major bodies of work concerning different subjects: Equus (2008) focusing on the horse, Dogs Gods (2010) on canines, More Than Human (2012) a broad exploration of the world’s species, and Endangered (2017) a powerful document of species on the edge of extinction.

Contact Sheet

Best images

Images that require Editing

I feel that this photo could have been set up better. The camera could have been positioned slightly more to the right of the pony's face in order to create a more focused and interesting picture. the photo was also taken in poor light, which caused the flash to be activate, this caused flash back on her eyes and for their to be an unnatural look to the photo.

Both of the two photos above were taken at the same time, on a rainy day. this meant that the lighting was poor. However, if edited and put into photoshop, I think that the photos could be adjusted and improved upon.

Here, this photo is too dark. the horse was also moving a lot as well as my hand. if I were to re shoot this, I would use a tripod to stabilise my hand.

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

For this shoot I feel that the artist research was helpful as it made me think about how I was setting up my images, looking at the different textures on the horses eye lashes compared to that of the coats or whiskers, like Tim Flach has done in his photos.

I feel that the research inspired me to photograph these specific elements of the horses and helped me to overcome so issues with the setting and has helped me to find my own style in this sort of photography.

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

One major part of Tim's photography style is the distinctive black backgrounds behind the horses. but, I do not have the availability of a studio to take my horse to, nor do I have any movable studio set up items. This means that a lot of my photos have backgrounds. I have tried my hardest to place the horse in a plain setting where I can try to take photos using the natural light to automatically make a dark background. Although this method doesn't produce the same images as Tim's, the photos I have produced, I feel are good.

With reference to my best selected images: I feel that these images link to the topic and to the artist that I studied. I also feel like the work in which I have shown, focuses on the formal elements we have studied. 

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

With regards to my best selected images, I used a Canon E10 1000D, with multiple lenses.

Photo 1 - 

• lens - Tamron 70-300 mm
• focal length - 180.00 mm
• exposure - 1/200 sec; f 5.0; ISO 400

Photo 2 -

• lens - Tamron 70-300 mm
• focal length - 180.00 mm
• exposure - 1/125; f 5.6; ISO 1600

Photo 3 -

• lens - Tamron 70-300 mm
• focal length - 180.00 mm
• exposure - 1/125; f 5.6; ISO 1600

Photo 4 -

• lens - Tamron 70-300 mm
• focal length - 300.00 mm
• exposure - 1/200; f 5.6; ISO 400

Photo 5 - 

• lens - Tamron 70-300 mm
• focal length - 200.00 mm 
• exposure - 1/400; f 7.1; ISO 200

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

I believe that I have produced a strong series of images inspired by my research and the images of Tim Flach.  The final images produced were refined by developing the photo in photoshop using a range of techniques.