Visual Exercise 3 – Completed Project

For Visual Exercise 3, I have chosen to photograph Mark – a talented working artist and illustrator based in Edinburgh known mainly for his unique paintings of koi carp.

I have known Mark for over 15 years and I immediately thought of him when I was presented with the brief for this exercise. Mark has a long history of mental health problems, something we share and have bonded over, and I wanted to capture something of that in my images. By his own admission, Mark is incredibly shy and introverted however he agreed to be photographed on the grounds that he trusted me.

I took the images in three separate locations in three different qualities of light – in his own studio under overhead lights and supplementary on-camera flash, outside his studio in natural daylight and in the university studio using LED lamps. I used two cameras – my own Nikon D7200 and a loaned Canon 6D. I used 50mm lenses on each.

Image 1 – Napier Studio

Canon 6D – 50mm prime lens – 1/80 second @ f/3.5 – ISO 200

This image was taken towards the end of our shoot and is probably my favourite of all the photographs we took. It shows Mark’s introversion as well as his curios and playful side. I like how the button hole makes the shape of an eye and how his eye appears to be in the wrong position on his head. I used front lighting (two LED lamps) and a blue paper backdrop to match his clothes.

Image 2 – Mark’s Studio

Nikon D7200 – 50mm prime lens – 1/100 second @ f/5 – ISO 800

I feel that this photograph, taken in Mark’s studio, expresses his identity as a painter. Taken under artificial strip lighting, I used an on-camera flash bounced off the ceiling to brighten up the shot. One of his finished paintings sits in the background.

 

Image 3 – Outside Mark’s Studio

Nikon D7200 – 50mm prime lens – 1/250 second @ f/3.2 – ISO 200

This image was shot in the lane outside Mark’s studio in daylight. I like the intensity of his expression and I felt that it was better in black and white with a strong contrast.