Overlay Work Diary

Evaluation

When I started photographing profiles and patterns for the overlay shoot, I thought that it would be interesting to experiment with both profile and straight on shots for the portraits so that I could try different methods of overlapping the two images.  Overall, taking the images themselves were fairly simple, it was the editing that was the hard part.  In photoshop I thought that it would be a good idea to change the type of the second layer to overlay or screen or sometimes even lighten.  This meant that the top image would blend itself into the background image.  I then would lower the opacity to make it blend more and then I erased the areas that I didn't want covered by the pattern.

Overlay Technique Page

In order to achieve this technique in an image, firstly you must have two seperate images that you can put over one another.  This tends to work best if you have a portrait and then some form of texture or pattern that you can put over the top.

Here are the steps to achieving an interesting looking overlay picture:

1. Take two pictures and edit them to how you want both of them to look.  Don't edit them too much because when you overlap them, some of the colours will change and it won't look as professional.
2. You then need to use the portrait as the background and put the textured or patterned layer over the top.
3. You can then change the type of layer that it is to either lighten, screen or overlay depending on what you prefer, you can try lots of different types to get the one that you prefer.  Overlay or screen will tend to be the best one. 
4. You can then change the opacity of the layer to make it suitable to how you want it to look.
5. You can then erase particular areas that you don't want of the pattern to put emphasis on particular areas such as the eyes, nose and mouth, or even the outline of the face.  
6. You should then have your final image and you can alter features such as the levels and curves in order to get a photo that looks as good as it can.

Here is a couple of the photos that I made from the shoot that I did on overlay.

Multiple Flash Work Diary

Evaluation

I really enjoyed shooting this multiple flash technique because it gives the photos I take more of an edge.  It makes a lot of the photos look quite ghostly and eery which I think is really effective, especially if this is the look that you are going for.  The overall effect that it gives off is really unique and you can create some really dynamic photographs using this technique.  We experimented throughout the shoot using two different backgrounds, one being black and the other being white, as they give off different looks when the photos are taken.  I thought that the black background was better because you can really see each of the individual shots whereas with the white background you can only slightly see the detail in the different images.  The white background would probably be better to use if you wanted a more elegant looking photo and the black would work better if you were trying to make more of a statement with the images that you're creating.  I personally had more fun using the black background because I got a lot more variation within the images that I took.  Maybe if I had more time to experiment with the white background, I would've been able to work out different ways to get good shots but after what I have seen I definitely prefer the black background for multiple flash.

Both of these coloured photos I took using the black background and I couldn't choose my favourite between them because I liked them both so much.  The first image worked out just as I had planned when shooting it because of the way all of the heads are overlapped.  I think it works really well that in the middle she is smiling and then either side it is as though she has turned into some sort of zombie.  I made the image purple to make it look a little more psychedelic which I think has worked really well.  I also think that it works well that the emphasis kind of fades out the further to the right it gets.  A lot of the attention is mainly on the left hand side.

The second image also looks quite psychedelic due to the purple colouring and the lens flare in the top right hand corner.  I added this effect in photoshop after taking the image because I think that it added some dimension to the picture.  I like the way that the two bodies are overlapping each other but the two emotions that each of them are depicting are completely opposite.  It gives off a really intriguing effect between happy and somewhat sad which is why I really like this image. 

This was my favourite image from the white background photos because I like the gradual darkening that is in the image.  I also like how the same pose is used throughout the image so it looks even more repetitive.  I decided to make it black and white because I thought that it would make it look more dramatic and interesting.  It also adds a more ghostly feel to the image which gives more depth to the image which I really like.  I think that in order to appreciate the white background multiple flash images, I would need to experiment more with the feature.


How I Could Use This Technique In My Personal Project

I could quite easily interpret this idea in my personal project because I am doing multiple imagery and this perfectly demonstrates the concept of that as there is more than 1 of one person in the image.  I will probably use this technique quite a lot as not only does it show multiple imagery really well, it also is a very unique and interesting way to develop my images to make them look more professional.  

Multiple Flash Technique Page

The shutter speed on the camera must be set to 'bulb' in order for the multiple flash technique to work.

Set up the lights so that they only flash when you instigate them to do so.

Make sure there is a light source that you can easily turn on and off in order to focus on your subject. 

Turn off the light.

Hold down the shutter.

Press the flash button whenever you want to get a different image.  REMEMBER DO NOT TAKE YOUR FINGER OFF OF THE SHUTTER.

Release the shutter button when you are happy with the result. 

Multiple Flash Image Bank

I really think that this multiple flash photograph shows how the technique can be used to its full potential.  I like the way that the photographer has been able to demonstrate the movement of the stars through using multiple flash and I think that is has worked really well.  I also think that it is really effective how the tree line is still perfectly the same even though there is clearly movement in everything around it.  It is also very effective how the photographer has managed to keep a centre point in the top left of the image making it look as though all of the stars are pivoting around one main area.  

When I saw this image, I automatically found it very eery and ghostly, which is what I think that the photographer was aiming for when they shot this photograph.  The overall look of this photo is very eye catching due to the various subjects that you can see within the image.  When you first look at this image, you only really see the taller girl, but when you look closer at the image, you can see a smaller girl, somewhat interwoven with the other girl.  This effect makes this image look a lot more professional and like I said before, a lot more ghostly.  To me it looks like the photographer has tried to represent the girl growing older and developing a more confident personality as the smaller girl has her arms facing downwards whereas the taller girl has them facing upwards showing more confidence.  Whether or not this is what the photographer was actually going for, I don't know, but this is how I am going to interpret this image. 

The overall effect of this image, shows multiple flash almost as well as the first image.  It seems as though multiple flash is a good way to capture the stages of movement, much like this image of the stages of a golfer swinging the club.  It's highly effective and the way that they are all perfectly spaced apart adds to the end result of this image, making it look eye catching and a lot more interesting than if you were to just see the golfer in one frame with the club at one particular position.  This way indicates to whoever is looking at the image where you should start and finish which works extremely well.  

This image is probably one of my favourite ones that I found.  The photo seems to be capturing a dance and by using multiple flash the photographer has been able to replicate the fast past dance movements that match the bright colours on the black background.  Everything put together in this image, portrays a clear representation of the style of dance and the energy that it involves. The amount of movement that is present in this image intrigues me a lot and I think that it would be interesting to try and create this type of image in my personal project.

I'm not entirely sure how the photographer has managed to create this image because it isn't clear who is creating the light or whether it is a light that can be moved without the help of a person.  It's really effective how the photographer has managed to make it look like the light is spilling out of the main light.  This effect adds to the overall look of the photograph and I think that without the effect, it would either look a lot more effective or it take away from the overall look of the image.  

The effect on this image is quite mesmerising, due to the majority of the image being a still frame but then the scarf or skirt that the subject is waving, is clearly showing movement.  The effect of this is really interesting and it gives a much larger dimension to the image than if it were to be a simple picture of just the girl waving the scarf without the multiple flash option.  If the image didn't have the multiple flash feature, I don't think that the photo would have appealed to me as much as it did when I first saw it. 

Multiple Exposure Work Diary

Evaluation

I really enjoyed going outside and shooting some multiple exposure images.  I think that this technique in photography is really interesting and intriguing and you can create some really unique and different images using the technique.  When I first started shooting I thought that it was going to be a lot easier than it was.  After researching lots of different multiple exposure images, I thought that it wouldn't be that hard to create a good looking image.  Turns out it is a lot harder than it looks.  After being outside for not even 5 minutes I knew that it was going to be a lot harder than I first thought.  I found it really hard to blend two different images together effectively, with most of the images that I produced being very basic.  I tried to change the way that I was shooting with the subjects on a white background, or with the back to the sky to that the brightness would make the subject a more prominent part of the photograph.  This ended up working well but I still wasn't able to create the images that I was hoping for.  Despite this slight setback, I still think that I was able to get some good shots and when I came back to edit, I found that Iw as able to get rid of some of the areas that I didn't want anyways, using the levels and curves on photoshop.  I think that if I were to re-do this shoot then I would try and think of ways that I could make each of the images turn out more effective and also maybe experiment using different background rather than just white. 

This is my favourite photo that I got from the shoot.  I think that this is definitely the best photo because of the way that the edges all blend out using the leaves photograph in the background.  For the image I wanted to make sure that I could make the edges blend into the background which I have managed to achieve.  This type of multiple exposure images is a lot more effective than if you were able to see a lot of noise in the background.  It is better that the background is simply white because it draws in more, if not all of the attention to the main subject in the image.

This is another one of my favourite images because of the vibrancy.  The leaves that are in the image are really prominent and I think that it actually works really well against the rest of the image.  I like how you can still see the outline of her face and also how the leaves frame it.  In the original image you could see the rest of the leaves in the background which I wanted to get rid of.  By changing the levels, curves and the exposure, I managed to erase them from the image and I think that the overall effect turned out really well. 






How I Would Use This In My Personal Shoot

I think that multiple exposure would be a great way to showcase multiple imagery because multiple exposure is basically lots of different images placed over one another.  If I was to do multiple exposure for my project then I would try to develop the skill that I have already learned to make my images look more professional and also so that I can gain a better understanding of the technique so that I can interpret into normal shoots. 

Multiple Exposure Technique Page

In order to create multiple exposure shots, using just the camera, there are a few things that you need to set up on your camera before you begin.  First of all, find the multiple exposure feature on the camera (this is in the menu bar).  You then need to make the exposure as low as it can possibly go, in order to make the seperate images lay over each other nicely, this is necessary.  If the exposure is too high the the images will not sit right so this is important.  You can then expose two photos so that they overlay each other.  If you want to create a more complex photograph then you can put take more than two images and combine all of them so that you can get more features within the image. 

Another way that you can create multiple exposure images, would be to take the different layers in the image seperately without using the multiple exposure feature on the camera.  In order to create a multiple exposure using this technique you would lower the opacity of the images in the editing process or you could set the type of layer to overlay so that photoshop automatically blends the two photos together, creating a multiple exposure image.  You can then play around with levels and curves in order to give the right amount of brightness for each image and you can also change the contrast and brightness in order to make some aspects more prominent or less prominent than others.  This is a good feature to use because it will make the photo look a lot more professional. 

Multiple Exposure Images

Multiple Exposure Image Bank

This image demonstrates how simple multiple exposure can be and how you don't have to do anything overly developed in order to produce a really good image.  The way that the photographer has made it look like the edge of the photo has been worn away using what seems to be a tree is a really useful effect that is mainly used in multiple exposure in order to capture an interesting looking image.  The simplicity of this image really works in its favour because I feel like if there was more to this image then it wouldn't be as striking as it is now.

This is another interesting way of looking at multiple imagery using colours in order to create a good photo.  By blending the two images together and being able to frame the face with the second image works really well.  Especially with all of the colours in this photo, it adds to the effect that is being created through the models expression. The way that the model is leaning her head out to the side, along with the natural image of the flowers, works really well.  I think that if the flowers in this image were black and white then the effect would not be as unique. 

This image shows a different way of photographing multiple exposure.  Rather than overlaying two seperate subjects, this photographer has demonstrated how you can take many different photos and put them all on top of each in order to show a type of sequence within an image.  This way of showing multiple exposure is really intriguing and I think it is a much better way of showing a type of story if that is the look that you are going for.

This image shows how you can create a dramatic photograph using multiple exposure.  The photographer for this image looks like he has used around 4 different images and blended them all together.  There may even be 5 if you look deep enough.  The background photograph looks as though it is of the forest with the next being of the woman and then another picture of the forest over the top to make it more prominent.  Then the final part being the man in front of the beam of light to add emphasis.  I think that this image would show a really good story as you could create this in many different ways in order to get the image that you are trying to achieve, using the same techniques. 

This was definitely my favourite of multiple exposure that I found.  The way that the photographer has managed to make all of the different images blend together really well has made this photo effortlessly elegant.  I especially like the way that the tree's branch out from the bottom of he pair of arms.  It adds to the drama in this photo due to the fact that it is acting as the root of the arms.  This effect adds to the overall look of the image.  The face at the top of the image also works really well because of the way that the hands are positioned in a kind of floating way.  All of the combined images make a really beautiful multiple exposure image and I would hope that at some stage I would be able to create an image that is somewhat similar as I think that it would be interesting and unique if I could create my own version of this image. 

As soon as I saw this image I thought that it was really different and intriguing.  The way that the photographer has put the image of the sunset over the camera almost seamlessly, makes it seem as though the sunset is actually on the camera, rather than it having been manipulated over the top of it to make the image.  I think that this image may have been more effective if the photographer was to take the two images seperately rather than together on the camera and then when it comes to editing, put it together like this but then erase some of the sunset areas, such as over the buttons on the top of the camera and in the lens.  Other that these things, this photo is highly effective and I still think that is a really interesting approach to multiple imagery.