DS - PP

preliminary photographic studies

what I want to achieve in this photographic study is I wanted to focus more on the emotions of individuals and I wanted to show this through the camera. I have used various options on the camera for example lowering the shutter speed to slow down the effects on the different light trails and has worked very well. This type of photography doesn’t focus on the emotion side of anything so it was something that I experimented on then moved on. Secondly I wanted to focus on more of the sport side of photography and capture emotion through this. Expressing how the individual or teams are feeling through the use of a camera. The different effects that I used was blur on some photographs but also editing the photographs to have black and white to show a darker side of emotion. However, to sharpen the photograph, lastly I wanted to capture the environments around places and the simplicity and originality of the environment. capturing the natural side of photography can relate to emotions of the environment and the difference between the urban feel vs the natural feel of places around the world the effects I used on some of these photographs was adding blur to capture just the natural light and the simplicity of the light trails but also added black and white for a natural effect. As I am interested in athletics and running I want to focus on more the emotions of the individual and how they think before and after races and the reaction of team performances and individual performances for example a win or a loss or the nervous feel of waiting in the call room of an athletics track. Mostly before a race is where we capture the real emotion of an individual as they are thinking about so many different things at once which is great for that I want to be capturing. Overall I want to show the negative and positive effects of stress and anxiety on a performer through the use of a camera.

concept 1 athletics and emotion

track contact sheet

DURING THE RACE What this is showing is the emotional side of the runners when they are in competition. There are many emotions that athletes express when I competition.

For example, the pain the athletes feel when coming to the end of a race or a large amount of focus within the individual athlete. As shown from the photo on the left I have made the photo black and white to make the emotion of the individual athletes stand out. The emotions that these two individual people are showing are very emotionless and focused on what they are doing. As I took this at the end of the race I have expressed their emotion as black and white to show the pain they are in. the other photos I have done express colour to show the little pain the individuals are showing as it is the start of the race. The effects I have used on Photoshop is vignette and curves to make the photo darker and create more emotion within the photograph.

BEFORE THE RACE Before the race is a big part of preparation for athletes. Prepping before the race and getting your head in the zone can determine whether an individual is mentally prepared for a big run or out of focus. The photography that I tried to capture was the emotional side of the photograph before a big race. This photograph on the left was taken just before the Eastbourne marathon where athletes are getting mentally prepared for a big 26 mile run. What I have tried to capture in this photography shoot is the emotions they are expressing and how focused or not before a race situation. In all of these photographs this emotion is expressed through the camera lens.

The photograph on the left next to this text is a good example as this individual is on his own and focused for the race just about to be run. The ways I have enhanced this photograph is curves and black and white to express the tone of the image and what the scene is being set as.

The individual comes across as emotionless and very focused the only care he has at that current time is getting his mind mentally prepared. I feel I have expressed this type of emotion through my photograph. The other photography that had taken was the national cross country championships, this shows all of the athletes on the line ready for the gun too go off. At this current point from experience. Everyone is extremely focused which comes across through there emotion on their faces. The way I have edited these photographs is black and white due the suspense and tension shown within the photo. Overall I feel that in this shoot I have shown a number of expressions and focus which was the idea of all the photographs All of the other photographs that I have photographed show a great deal of focus and anxiety. For example, the photograph with the individual with headphones expresses a huge amount of anxiety/focus before the race.

I captured this photograph 5 minutes before the gun went off. Overall this individual expresses

a great deal of emotion.

concept 2 athletics and inspiration

Steve Bonini Research 1

Steve Bonini Research 2

Steve bonini expresses a different type of photography within sports situation, he tries to capture not only the actions being shown by the individual athletes but capturing sports whilst in motion. He states that “capturing sports while in motion involves a lot of nuanced effort: ranging right from capturing the emotions as raw as they come” one of the main reasons why I have looked at this photographer as they focus a lot more on the raw emotions the athletes express which is the topic I am focusing on overall in my project. What I like about boninis work is the different light tones and light effects that he has used on his photography. Steve bonini typically photographs these people either in urban environments or natural environments which is good as it is different to the typically running photography which is in stadiums. The main effect that I prefer on his work is the wide angle views that he uses on his photographs which allows the background to be viewed greater than the individual people. The expressions on the individual’s faces are shown to be focused. Overall I feel that I have taken inspiration from the individuals work due the simplicity but complexity that the idea behind his photography expresses

Nike Print Research 1

Nike Print Research 3

Chuck rogers is famous for many of his photographs over the time he has been in action but is particularly well known for the photograph that I am analysing, the photograph shown here is a poster from CHUCK ROGERS 1978 in Atlanta. It shows multiple athletes finishing the marathon looking tired and fatigued, especially the couple athletes at the front of the photograph on their hands and knees. Essentially this photograph from Nike is showing the sheer passion and hard work these people put into what they love most and pushing themselves to the limit of breaking point. There have been many different views on whether the individual lying down is dead due the amount of effort he has made. This photograph relates to my work greatly as it is shows a large amount of emotion within the photograph itself, as I am looking at emotions within athletes this has a good representation of what athletes should be feeling after a race and is what I should be capturing after races. What I like most overall about chuck Rodgers work especially this photograph is the simplicity of the work and what feelings and emotions are expressed through the photography this work definitely links to what I want to do in the future of my piece and something I want to relate my work too overall for my final piece

Robert mars edits

ROBERT MARS ATHLETICS The use of Robert mars works over the top of my running photography is very positive as it makes the photography look more interesting. The use of English and American flags can maybe show where the individuals are from as their nationality is important. the style used for this type of photography is from American culture. Mars explores the momentous of the past, present and future, with a background in graphic design, mars uses iconic images of celebrities or tokens as the focal point. I have used the basic work from mars to go over the top of my photography as the England flag represents where these athletes come from. This will link more into poster work for future development for my final ideas.

cross country road running contact

Steve Bonini Edits

Steve Bonini Edits

Nike Edits

Nike Edits

Nike Edits

Nike Edits

INSPIRATIONAL POSTERS The inspirational poster ideas have come from experience in running and athletics. I wanted to focus on the emotional side and physical side of athletics and tried to express this through poster edits, one of the biggest influences I had during this deign period was Nike and how they lay their typography out and how the typography links with the photograph behind it. The idea behind these posters is to get people inspired from what these individuals have achieved and have done and make people believe if they put their own mind too it they can achieve what these people have done over time. The posters are also there to inspire the younger generation of athletes to see these people being successful and feel that if they put enough hard work in the can get to the same level as their favourite athletes. The effects that I have used on all of the poster edits is pretty simple things. Typography is a big part of the poster as that’s what makes a poster up. However, there are simple edits like black and white and brightness and contrast I have added to enhance the photographs. However, the main focal point I like most within the photographs is the black and white mixed with the orange typography which I feel stands out very well which is key to a good posters people have to be able to read it easily.

Overall I feel that these posters express a great deal of emotion and have a sense of professionalism through the way they have been laid out. And will essentially help people stay motivated.

Athletics and inspiration has been a big part of my coursework and is very personal to me as it is the sport I do pretty much every day. These poster edits have been a big success in my work and has had a big influence on what my final piece will be about. I have taken inspiration from the Nike posters and the layout of how they do it however these are my photos and work well with the layout. I have added NIKE quotes into the posters but however added my own quotes into the posters as well which works very well. Some of the editing methods I have used has been sometimes simple but sometimes complex. Some of the tools I use is the blur tool around the athletes but also use black and white in my photos as well to give it more depth overall the prodject i have done has exspressed the emotional side of my work but also the physical side and i exspressed that through through the poster edits i had completed.

Concept 3 athletics and identity

Adde Adesokan Research 2

Keven Meredith Research

In October 2008 his first solo book Hot Shots was released in the UK, it sold out its UK and US print runs in under a year. It is an instructional book for everyday people and is intended to help them up their photography, without being too bogged down in technical jargon. This book goes more in depth in to 52 different photo graphic techniques. these portraits allow people to see the diffrent designs and diffrent personalitys of people. the way people dress exspress who they are and there personalitys. the slit up sections of the photos add. you learn more about a person through a body portrait. the way he has arranged the photos is very important as it gives his photography more depth instead of keeping it plain and simple. all of his work is set in brighton england, the people in brighton are very diverse and show a good sense of style. as you can see you can tell from what the individuals are wearing what they like and what typeof people they have become. overall i feel that having this style of messyness within the photos make his work les generic and more intresting to look at. the colour scheme is kept simple with very little editing techniques used, this helps focus in more on the individual than the actuall photography.

adesokan/Meredith althletics photoshoot

ADDE ADESOKAN RESPONSE The Adde Adesokan images I have done shows a split up person and the different areas of the person’s body. What I like most about this is that the photograph is that you can really focus on the different areas of the individuals features. The features allow to see who the individual is and what they do for a living. This can also be linked to my running project I have been looking at as I can do some portraits of the different types of athletes and what the individuals are wearing. This can be used either from different events such as the Paralympics or either people with prostatic legs. the effects that they use on the image can be variated to what they desire. diffrent effects can added such as curves and brightness to add more effect on the image, the main effect that i like is black and white. black and white can mean alot of things within a photograph, whilst keeping the photograph simple itcan enhance the photgraph and make the person stand out more.

KAWS ATHLETICS Brian Donnelly- known as kaws- is a pop artist and designer. His work includes repeated use of a cast of figurative characters and motifs. The use of his work mixed in with my running photography has worked very well creating a sense of identity through the athletic theme I have made. What I have produced from this is a mixture between my work and KAWS to make the individuals running look like cartoon characters which also links into the theme of identity. This means that we do not know who and what is behind the individual characters but can guess due to the outline what they are doing. KAWS uses a range of different techniques when editing his work. Due to the expressive tones and patterns shown in his art work. The work is particularly colourful and have a range of different patterns and shapes which make the work easy to identify. Overall I feel that the KAWS effect on the individual athletes expresses a sense of identity. However makes the photographers more interesting too view and look at.

jjJulian Opie expresses a number of different variables in her work that make it successful, firstly the use of cartoon effect on images make it simple but also unique to what she wants in her photography. I have used this in my photography during the running photography shoot and has worked very well. This also expresses the emotion of the runners more. The main focus of the photographs is to simplify the complexity of the person but also keeping the features of the individual. This links well with identity of the individual. The colours that I use links with the individual and I try to replicate what the individual is wearing but just in a more simpler form, using bold colours and strong black lines.

ATHLETIC CLOTHING The idea behind the athletic clothing was to show what an athlete wears before during and after an event. Showing this will give the individual personal sense of what an athlete has to mentally and physically prepare for before during and after an event. The clothing just on the right of this typography is the before as you can tell there is more clothing as athletes have to prepare when warming up however have to wear me layers to keep muscles warm. This also helps when traveling to events ext. the next version of the during a race this type of clothing will be more lightweight with a vest and lightweight skins which is tight shorts. As you can see the clothing has dramatically changed with less clothing being warn. I have used the effect of black and white to keep everything the same colour and simple. Then lastly it comes to after the race, however in a big event where you get medals at the end the athlete can either win or lose, as you can see in the last shot of what I will be wearing is the medal that they individual has won, the numbers that the officials have given and the athletes identification tags. Overall I feel this gives a good representation of what athletes have to prepare for. Also the other thing I could have looked at next was the nutrition athletes have to take on for example hydration drinks or food.

Analysis... The dark room photography journal was an interesting concept. What I did was kept to the running theme but used different techniques such as the dark room to have different variations of what my photography is about. What I focused on at first was the magazine ideas mixed with the athletic posters. The designs that I was hoping for in my journal was simple layouts and clean finishes, one of the main thing I added to the finish of the dark room edits was black tape round the edges to give it more of a grungy look. All of the edits I have done related to the theme of athletics which will be linked to emotion. The next idea that I looked at was running and athletic success in the book. Which focussed on what success brings in athletics. For example, one of the dark room idea that I did was a see through glass trophy that I had won through running races, and how it came out was very interesting. The see through element of the trophy really worked well and was put together as a 3d model and showing all the different angles of the individuals inside the trophy. The poster ideas from these developments will be something that I want to focus on in the future of this book and I would want to focus more about poster edits. The last thing that I focused more on was the stencil look inside the book. I used stencils to focus more on the inspirational quotes which is something else what I want to focus on later on which relates to Nike posters

work evaluation

Action Plan Action Plan Now consider what you will do next, Presentation – 1 double page spread, again use images where necessary to illustrate ideas and plans. Consider the graphic design and layout of the page, make sure it fits in with your book

1.What ideas do you have to personally respond to the theme? you could use a new mind map or list the favorite themes from your original written mind map.

2. What are your favorite types of photography, portraits, landscapes, montage, etc.?

What subject matter do you like photographing, people, rural areas, textures, patterns, objects, etc.

3. What photo shoots will you do? explain your thinking, list simple photo shoot plans, (3 minimum) 4. How will you edit and develop these shoots 5. What photographers will inspire your edits?

6. What work will combine well together?

7. Have you any ideas for final responses, style, size, shape, materials etc 8. Do you need you carry out any more photographer research? why?

9. Do you need to research any specific photographic techniques or editing techniques? why?

10, Create a summary statement that lists concisely your intent

Sports poster Research don’t research Nike ones, Try ADIDAS and other sports brands

Nike Company Research

List slogans, inspiration quotes you might what to use explain why

POSTER IDEAS Overall what I like about all of the posters is the simplicity and colour used. Firstly, the black and white posters I produced was simple however I wanted to add more to them to make it more prominent. I added Nike images from the internet to add more variety. I used different effects on the images for example blur and changed the contrast and to give the photo more of a brighter look. the other thing I looked at was adding quotes onto the photos to add more depth which would be helping people but showing people that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. i have taken diffrent colours out of the image and added this to the typography side of the photographs to have links within the poster. mixing the quote with the typography gives a nice link.

These photos show my final piece exhibition Maquette, what I used to make these was foam board and stuck the images on top of the board, this is showing what it would look like mounted up on the boards. The two individuals that I have included in my final piece is spilt up into sections to give it a honey comb look. I will create a stand at the front of the two boards to hold the apple mac showing all my work on my digital book. This will link with my final piece ideas on the two boards. Most if the main ideas behind these ideas I have done with the poster edits is to motivate people to take part in physical exercise and stay motivated on something they love. The quotes are large on the background and have a large amount of meaning to get people inspired

FINAL EXHIBITION BOARD 1

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FINAL EXHIBITION BOARD 2

FINAL POSTER DESIGN 1

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FINAL POSTER DESIGN 2

Final Evaluation

ESSAY 3

SURVIVAL

RELIEF

EXHAUSTION FATIGUE

Can photographers capture the range of emotions and feelings felt by athletes in competition?

In this personal study I intend to find out if photographers can capture the wide range of emotions and feelings that sportsman and women experience during competition. If they can communicate these feelings how do, they achieve this goal. I hope to find out if sports photographers just point and shoot with a fast shutter to capture competitive moments or is there a structure and formula to apply to help improve the chances of documenting something really special. The feeling and emotions I am looking to explore are the elation of winning, the disappoints in losing, passion and competitive spirit, focus, determination and the feeling of exhaustion when trying to achieve your sporting goal.

Chuck Solomon is an American sports photographer based in New Jersey. He has spent the last 30 years taking iconic sports photographs that have focussed on covers of over 40 magazines. In the photograph I have selected on the right Solomon has managed to convey a narrative through a still image that combines many key feelings felt by competitive sportsmen and women. The photograph captures two rowing teams that have just finished a race, the range of emotions that this one image shows are very interesting, the teams are obviously fatigued after the race, and it can be hard to show if they are happy or sad after the event. However, in this photograph shows very clearly that the emotions on either teams are very different, and can tell which team has won and lost, for the team that won you can see very clearly that they are happy due to one of the crew members raising both fingers in the air as he won, this elated crew member becomes the focal point for the photograph. In contrast and in the foreground are the runners up. There are a number of feeling communicated in this part of the photograph. The team that lost is feels desperation, tiredness and sadness. This is shown by their posture, and the greater depth of field used by Solomon. By photographing both teams in one shot Solomon has manage to create real contrast and drama my telling two sides to this competition when inevitably ends with a winner and loser. The composition of the photograph uses a strong horizontal line of the winners, who are in sharp focus and stronger contrast. I feel this photographs is very successful in communicating two of the main emotions felt in competitive sport, the joy of winning and the disappointment of losing.

Bob Martin is a multi-award winning sports photographer who was the photo chief at the 2012 London Olympic games. This photograph was taken at a Toronto Blue Jays vs the New York Yankees baseball game held in the Yankee’s stadium in the Bronx. The photograph is in contrast to Solomon’s image as its focal point is a single player. Unlike Solomon’s photograph above the narrative in this image is harder to understand. The body language of the player could suggest that he is crouching in feeling disappointment or maybe this is the moment when he has just made a play that has won the game? The composition of the

photograph is unbalanced using large space of the playing field above the player almost making him seem insignificant especially next to the New York Yankee’s logo. Martin has chosen to use black and white and high contrast which gives the photograph a darker mood which could suggest the player is experiencing disappointment. The sense of scale also makes the player seem alone and this has been planned by the photographer as isolating a team player could again suggest he is distraught from loss. Baseball is a game of action and reaction. Often the reaction is harder to anticipate and capture since it happens so quickly, unexpectedly and sometimes where you don’t expect it. whether it’s a key strikeout or inning ending double play. The picture is taken from a high advantage point to give the audience a better chance to see the emotion within the image. I believe the idea of the photograph is to capture the emotion of the player and to show how much it means to a sportsperson to win or lose. The photograph communicates this in a different way compared to Solomon’s rowing photograph. Martin was quoted as saying ‘I have

often tried to step back at times to allow the viewer of the photo to experience a sense of place.’

In contrast Martin’s other image from the game shows the sheer joy and satisfaction the winning team feel. This is a more classic shot to describe the emotions of a winning team, but what can be witnessed is the team spirit as the whole team are gathered around a specific player who is likely to have made the winning play. There is also a feeling of released tension, and months of hard work paying off in a single moment. The faces of some individual players can be seen which communicate excitement and elation. The composition is dominated by the players as a focal point and the team colours are repeated in the uniforms of each player confirming the strength of the team. These two images tell similar stories to Solomon’s where he managed to combine the feelings in one shot.

Chuck Rogers gained overnight success by taking the photograph on the left that was taken for a Nike running campaign. The poster was named ‘Battle of Atlanta’ and created in 1978. This photograph and poster helped to define the style and mood of many future Nike sports advertising campaigns. It shows multiple athletes finishing the Atlanta marathon in the torrential rain. Many runners looking tired and fatigued, they have passed the finish line as they are facing different directions and recovering from the race. The focal points are the two runners in the foreground of the shot, the closest runner has his head up and mouth open drinking the rain that is falling.

He is missing his t-shirt which suggests even though there is rain the race must have been hot. The second runner has collapsed through exhaustion, so tired that he willing to lie on the rain saturated floor. Essentially this photograph from Rogers is showing the sheer passion and hard work these people put into what they love most and pushing themselves to the limit of breaking point. There have been many different views on whether the individual lying down is died due the amount of effort he has made, almost becoming an urban myth. This is a good representation of what athletes are feeling after a race , the mixture first of exhaustion and fatigue moving onto pride for finishing something which is testing to physical and psychological limits. The colours and tones are desaturated which is typical of photographs taken in the 1970’s, the era also being defined by the runners clothing. This photograph doesn’t really communicate joy or disappointment like Solomon’s and

Martin’s image the feeling communicated here is almost purely survival. As the title suggests the photograph look like a battlefield, meaning that people have fallen and some people have been victorious.

As previously discussed Bob Martin’s work he expresses a lot of emotion through the camera lens. This last photograph that I have chosen is different to the other photographs I have analysed as it expresses feelings of focus and determination. This photograph is taken at the end of the swimming stage of a triathlon event. This is a pivotal moment in the race as the athlete’s transition to bikes.

The photograph has a focus on five of the leading competitors this is the stage where the athletes are most focused as this is where everyone is bunched together. At this event any loss of focus can cost you valuable time especially in the latter stages of the event such as the cycling. The subject matter of this photography work is the emotions they are showing when coming out of the water in the race. The focus and the determination shown by the individuals is striking. They are all looking for any advantage to gain extra time on the other. The athletes and the splashing water are extremely sharp which has been created by a fast shutter speed and excellent natural light. The other important details to mention within the photography is the building in the background that Martin has captured. This can indicate the location and culture of the country of where the athletes are running. The mood and style of the photograph is positive using strong, saturated colours. The photograph reminds me of the race situations that I have experienced when I race in cross country. As I am an athlete myself I can relate to how these individuals are feeling. This photograph also reminds me of the close proximity you are sharing with other athletes which can be daunting. However, these athletes seem to be experienced, confident, focused and in control. The viewpoint or angle of the photograph is like from a spectator’s point of view which can really show how a spectator would be experiencing the race. The background shows competitors that are further behind represented by arms swimming out of the water. Martin understands the key moments in a triathlon, which has helped him to document specific moments when the athletes are at their highest levels of concentration and commitment. There are no emotions of joy or disappointment as it is a midpoint in the race, feeling communicated are apprehension and anticipation for the next stage in the competition.

In conclusion to this personal study, I feel that the emotions that these photographers have captured is a great representation and expression on how these individuals feel when competing in such events. The variety of emotions shown from all of the photographers that I have looked at express different variations of emotion for example sadness or happiness, focus and determination these small amounts of emotion can be captured very clearly through photography and shows and tells a story of how these individuals and teams feel when either winning, losing and competing. Sports photography is about being in the right place at the right time but the photographer also needs to have an understanding of the sport he or she is photographing, by really understanding the sport and its competitors the photographer understands where there will be opportunities to capture a defining moment. This study has provided me with a greater understanding of how to help engineer a stronger sports photograph, helping me to capture a broader range of competitive emotions for my personal investigation.

Bibliography

Chuck Solomon Photography – [10th January 2017] http://www.chucksolomonphotography.com/about Chuck Solomon Capturing Emotion – [10th January 2017] https://www.adorama.com/alc/meet-a-pro-chuck-solomon-on-the-emotion-and-grandeur-of-the-sportsexperience Bob Martin Photography – [16th January] http://www.bobmartin.com/profile/ Meeting Bob Martin – [17th January] https://www.adorama.com/alc/meet-a-pro-elite-sports-photographer-bob-martin Bob Martin - 1/1000th: The Sports Photography of Bob Martin - Vision Sports Publishing Ltd (9 Nov. 2015) Marc Aspland - The Art of Sports Photography - Prestel; 01 edition (1 Sept. 2014) Panini UK LTD / Marvel - Visions of Sport - Vision Sports Publishing (1 Oct. 2011) Retro Running: Nike’s Epic ‘Battle of Atlanta’ Poster – [21st January] http://running.competitor.com/2016/07/news/retro-running-nikes-epic-battle-of-atlantaposter_152482 Phil Knight – Shoe Dog - Simon & Schuster UK (26 April 2016)