wales trip faves | photo analysis

 Thought id kinda review some of the photos i took when i went camping..
Started by picking some of my faves of the bunch that i took. 
i like taking photos, but been grappling with my intentions with the format/medium and also struggling to see 'the point' in a way if that makes any sense.

I remember i was trying to play with taking portrait vs landscape photos, and had a weird pull to shooting in portrait ? Also struggled with the exposure at times with the extremely bright sky.

I think i need to learn what I like. What photos i take that i like, and go from there etc.

Im going to try start doing stuff like this again, as i think ive been kinda doing it in note form, but need to start analysing my own work again and additionally want to watch n read more art, so might start writing more on that too. Think ive just been very vacant with the trudge of life and need to start hammering in signposts to the long drawn out trudge of time/life (not to get too existential) <3

36mm | f 6.3 | 1/200sec | 800ISO
7th June, 21:04

Taken on the first camp side of the distant hills.
I like the three sections of this.

 focal point is the horizon/Hill. The trees push the gaze up, and the white highlight above the skyline outlines the shape of the hill cutting into the sky.
Additionally, i think the hill has a slight pinkier tone compared to the coolness of the sky and trees.

Gradient in terms of lighting. Bottom trees are quite dark, the sky almost white.

I also like the balance of the texture of the three different textures. The middle has more going on with the hillside and trees, grass and colours, and then theres the top (the sky) and the bottom (the trees) that are almost blocked in terms of colour i think.

The portrait mode i think i like as it feels more abstract... like blocks of colours and textures rather than a scene like it usually feels with landscape mode.

I also think the texture of the overall image looks somewhat paper-y? maybe im just imagining it? Some of the marks on the hills look like folds or imprints.

46mm | f 6.3 | 1/200sec | 800ISO
7th June, 21:04

I like the almost geometric aspect of this image. The horizontal line of the grass/campsite of the car vs the directional cuts of the trees/sky/horizon.

No clue why this image came out so thin? Its quite skinny and long.
Also, in terms of the focal point, my eyes i think are drawn again to the middle section as the bright sky and the highlight on top of the trees brings my gaze to the middle mid tone chunk.

I think what I like about this image, is that it somewhat captures the vastness of the nature that surrounded us. The car is so small and the tent even smaller, and then the trees tower above.

The tone palette is cool and calm. The colours strong and rich, but not bold.

36mm | f 6.3 | 1/125 sec | 800 ISO
7th June, 21:03

Not sure if i fully love this image, as there are a lot of things that would make it look better, but thought it was best of the three or so i took at this moment.

I think i was trying to capture the same thing with the car, and trying to show the vastness of the surroundings, however it didn't come out as well. Its slightly over exposed, the sky maybe a bit too bleached out.
Like the juxtaposition of humanity/casual wear and the nonchalant-ness of nature.?

36mm | f 22 | 1/100sec | 6400 ISO
8th June, 14:10

This photo is by no means perfect, but the dingy-ness captures the essence of the bookshop. The yellow colours of the shelves stand out, you can almost hear the buzz of the strip lights and smell the dust.

The direct lines from the bookshelf push the gaze to the 'back' of the image and i especially like the push of the strip light.

This is another moment i was struggling with exposure as didn't want to push it to much further and have the light from the window blow out half the image and ruin the softer vibe that was there.

28mm | f 22 | 1/40sec | 6400 ISO
8th June, 14:40

maybe I'm just biased as i love books and thats why I chose this img.

Softness,
Bright orange covers create a right angle, compared to the cooler covered ones in the bottom right corner.
Maybe could have/could chop some of the top off, however I can't decide whether the sort of intro it gives to the light source, if that makes any sense?

Think im sensing a pattern.. i do like a high ISO not going to lie...

The lines of the shelves split the image into a grid, and i also like the deep blocks of shadow that comes above the books/of the back of the shelves.

I think this is an interesting POV type of shot, except usually when looking in a shop like this, you look at the covers and not the shelf as a whole.. Could be interesting to go into like the art of bookshelves in the aesthetic sense.

35mm | f 18 | 1/125 | 200 ISO
8th June, 15:41

Another pattern that Ive noticed I tend to like is the use of lines within an image to create some sort of directionality.
The vertical line of the building down the right handside, the lines of the road and houses going down the street, and then also the zigzagging of the bunting. Also the sunlight striking out the alleyway.

I took two shots of this, the other one was quite a lot more exposed so I picked this one. I know for sure I personally tend to prefer images I've taken that are underexposed compared to overexposed. Perhaps its the dampening it does to the colours, not in a de-saturation way, but they look sort of rounder?

In terms of focal point, the first thing i look at is the white door and then they kinda wander to the road.

Neutral colour palette. Blue and white is very summer-y

The glint of sunlight off the back of the car is pretty cool.

I think in terms of my intention with these images is either documentation or purely aesthetic. For example this photo isnt documenting anything and is just trying to capture the atmosphere of the town/roads.

18mm | f 9 | 1/125sec | 800 ISO
8th June, 21:11

Focal point for me is the book in the middle. Not only is it in the centre of the image, but the red with the white border is framed with green. 

I also like how desiree is sat diagonally across the image.

190mm | f 9 | 1/125 | 800 ISO
8th June, 21:12

I love the way the hillside consumes this entire image and by using a larger lens, was able to capture some details i wouldnt notice otherwise from far away.

My gaze directs to the big tree in the bottom third to the slight right. It looks almost warped and slanted. When looking closely, I like how the highlights from the setting sun, shows the shape of the trunk and branches.
Additionally, the pathways stray about giving the image more depth and perspective. 
While zooming in to look at the tree, I noticed the grass looks almost painted, no details just slight strokes... 

I also like to pink hue this image has to it. No clue if that was just my colour balance couldve been a bit off.

300mm | f 9 | 1/125 | 800 ISO
8th june | 21:13

Not obsessed with this image as a whole, but i am obsessed with the dusky look of the hills, which i think having the tree branches in the foreground helped to capture.
Like the yellow touches of sunlight, especially on the big tree in the middle who's having a main character moment in this image. I think the yellow aspects also creates a split with the bluer green tones in the foreground.
The cascading hills/bank that the grass creates vs the tree tops at the bottom.
Could be more in focus? 

70mm | f 9 | 1/125 | 800ISO
8th June, 21:13

Chose this image because I liked how centric the cluster of trees are.

The peak of the horizon matches the peak of the roof in the bottom right. 

70mm | f 9 | 1/125 | 800 ISO
8th June, 21:14

again, 3 sections. Drawn first to the middle one with the yellow on top of the trees underlining it and pushing the gaze up. The sky has less of a gradient and is more of a flat light blue block.
I like how you can see the difference the sun makes to the colour perception, with the top of the bank being a lot yellow that the bottom which is a lot blue-er.

70mm | f/9 | 1/125 | 800ISO
8th june, 21:14

Gaze drawn to the pointy roof behind the front buildings.

Like how the buildings are almost dull but have some sort of light blue hue. Especially the metal wall thats slightly hidden by the dangling leaves to the right hand side.

30mm | f 13 | 1/200 | ISO200
9th june, 11:42

the lines all over i think is what makes me like this img. the diagonal wall, the horizontal wall, the trees, the skyline.
the wall really is snaking about...

the hills in the background look like a funnel. kinda like one of them 2p/change charity things that used to be in supermarkets/mcdonalds haha.

This image is so crisp compared to the others, which makes sense as the weather was different (morning rather than the settling of an evening).

18mm | f 13 | 1/200sec | 200 ISO
9th june, 11:43

building/ruins cupping the background, the horseshoe shaped outline of the ruins.
The green grass that is abruptly halted by the wall and then continues up the hills.

Warp of the ruins and then the warp of the trees. Arent in a straight line, it curves.
Focal point for me is the little 'doorway' in the bottom middle.

24mm | f 13 | 1/200 | 200 ISO
9th june, 11:43

nice exposure. was finding it hard this day as there was very large contrast and sharp shadows.

My eyes are def first drawn to the grass, channeling down to the arch, but then the jagged piece of rock thats facing the camera on the leftside almost cuts into my vision.

I like the funky shadow shapes on the floor.

55mm | f 13 | 1/200 | 200 ISO
9th june, 11:43

the blurred foreground and the path into the middle of the image towards the nice line / row of trees.
Think i like the little slither of sky at the top...

2 big horizontal strips - the tree row, and the wall

55mm | f 13 | 1/200sec | 200 ISO
9th june, 11:43

Good balance of ground at the front/bottom and sky at the top/back.

The green back at the bottom give a perspective that allows the green to grow up into the vast hill at the back/top.

The light green feels continuous, despite the blocks of grey from the wall and dark green from the trees.

The portrait aspect is interesting. I have another photo v similar thats landscape, and now looking i think the landscape one definitely looks better or just creates a bigger contrast between the figure/desiree and the surrounding hills etc. Ill add it below actually..

55mm | f 5.6 | 1/160sec | 100ISO
10th june | 12:04

I think after having a few higher ISO images in contrast with the past few low ISO, its interesting to see its function on its effect on the images.
I think I do think of ISO a lot, and know i tend to like a higher ISO, but i think when I'm shooting I tend to go more with what the lighting will let me. Perhaps it would be interesting to try different ISO on the same image and tweak the other settings and compare...

Like the different colours that come our in the ocean. more green in the foreground and the blue-er and gray-er further back

The sea and sky almost act as a gradient abstract background for the strip of land that comes out.

Also like the yellow truck and metal building fences and the metal stairs that disappear into the sea.

23mm | f 4.5 | 1/160sec | 100 ISO
10th june | 12:05

like the angle that's slightly canted and from above. The head being a big focus.

light green of the jacket/shirt sits nicely with the dusty yellow background and the almost redish wood of the bench.

Also like desiree is playing with a strand off the tote bag.. nice.
desiree is also looking out of frame. Think i cut this shot nicely?? idk.

48mm | f 5.6 | 1/160sec | 100 ISO
10th june, 12:05 

Weirdly love this image!
the wall carries a line up and around the chairs that are the focal point.
love the contrast between the natural surroundings and the silvery metal chairs. 

I think a reason why i like this image is its something that seems like nothing and is nothing but also kinda can lead to suggest a lot?
 a small detail, something you may no pay attention to/appreciate . for example i think one reason why taking photos is weird to me lately is bc nothing seems 'worthy' or not special... like we all take photos everyday, with however many taken of the sea, or of a view, but this photo feels different than the other ones?

kinda like desire paths in the sense that its a little quirk of human existence that we can tend to not think about/appreciate.

Also only just realised there's a bird there???? what the hell! Literally looked at this photo so many times.

27mm | f 4 | 1/160 | 100 ISO
10th june | 12:12

dont think ill ever not feel like a creep when taking photos with strangers in..
I like the peeking vibe u get from the foreground buildings although they do kinda get in the way of the image a bit. and also like the boxes being kinda squeezed into the alleyway and the guy pulling them who is the focal point.

33mm | f 4.5 | 1/160 | 100 ISO
10th june, 12:12

nearly didn't choose this image, but i liked the contrast between the lighter painted buildings and the brown bricked buildings. 
Perhaps a tad overexposed, but get a bit of a glowy misty effect from it.

There are a lot of people in this image, which i didnt realise til zooming in, which i quite nice. I also like the contrast between the coloured houses and then the sea side beach shops on the left.

Most of what's going on is contained to the middle third, like how the wall along the bottom cuts across the image for the buildings to sot of seemingly grow from...

55mm | f 9 | 1/160 | 100 ISO
10th june, 15:22

Again, chose this image purely because i like the church pointing out the top of all the stacked up newer looking buildings.

Image is quite murky, underexposed a tad, but was finding it hard to expose as i was shooting as the sky was blowing everything out at times..

In this image and the one, I think there are lots of interesting details. Would maybe be interesting to go to a large view with my big lens n see what little scenes i can capture.

55mm | f 5.6 | 1/160 | 100 ISO
10th june, 15:24

love the colour palette and the way the horizon dusts off into the sky.

I like the jaggedy stairs up the rock. Reminds me of that scene from mamma mia. (the winner takes it alllll)

My eye is first drawn to the jaggedy outline of the rock with has an overall darker tone that silhouettes it against the lighter tone of the sea.

36mm | f 10 | 1/100sec | 100 ISO
10th june, 15:37

The focal point is either the guy or the buildings.

I like the way the bushes in the foreground direct up into the image, the them and the person clearer and the sky and buildings in the background have a dusty tone, creating a depth to the image.

Everything in this image happens in the bottom half, but i think the open space at the top gives it a kind of balance.

55mm | f 13 | 1/100sec | 100 ISO
10th june | 15:37

I like the cut of this image; the hill and house spawn from the left corner. The angling of the roof gives a nice chop across the sky/backdrop. 
My eye is drawn straight to the birds, all sat together on one side of the roof. With the sky acting as a background, it drives all attention to the building which is crisp and rigid in contrast with the smooth slope of the hills.

53mm | 1/16 | 1/100 | 100 ISO
10th june, 15:38

focal point is drawn to desiree and then the little white house wedged between the trees.
Bit underexposed.

55mm | f 10 | 1/100 | 100 ISO
10th june, 15:40

main character is the boat. I like the line that is drawn across with the trail and the contrast between the green in the foreground and misty horizon.
Good placement for boat in middleish.

55mm | f10 | 1/100 | 100 ISO
10th june, 15:40

like the angle of this with the looking down at the scene. Rather than some previous photos the subject(s) in this are the people, my gaze goes to the one on the far right with pink trousers, whereas i think the others were more landscapes with people in them.

I think also the bench is kinda funny, as it suggests a place to see the view/people watch, but we are stood behind that.

I additionlly like the steps disappear off the photo in the top left, and also like the little marks from the footsteps on the sand.

48mm | f 10 | 1/100 | 100 ISO
10th june, 15:41

Theres a sandwich of colour in this image. top and bottom have green and then theres the blue seeping in through the middle. 

My eye is first drawn to the roof.
More stuff i noticed about this image the longer i looked at it were:
the stripey layers of the cliffs,
the orange road work barriers not in use
the stripe of wet sand.
the cliff kinda looks like a dormant dragon curled up.

55mm | f 13 | 1/100 | 100 ISO
10th june, 15:41

The right side of the image is almost fully blocked by the out of focus canon. kinda like it? not sure.. DOnt think this image is one of my top faves, but thought the layering was interesting and worth talking about a bit.

The dip in the rock is in the middle of the image and also the bridge, with the little door hole (?) slightly to the left.

Lots of curves. curve of canon, curve over the rocks, curve of rocks spilling out the door way and the curve of the ocean and wet sand.

55mm | f 9 | 1/100 | 100 ISO
10th june, 15:42

incredibly crisp!
the constrast of white/light blue with the dark clothes and the orange sainsburys bag.

I like the coast guard sign at the top left of the image as i think it helps balance the image as a whole with desiree being in the bottom right. 

Also, with most of the image being a crisp white, it makes the blue gate and orange bag pop.

55mm | f 9 | 1/100 | 100 ISO
10th june, 15:42

I also like this image thats similar to the one above. Desiree being surrounded by white, makes her stand out as well as the door. and then the birds flailing in the top right.

I think this creates quite a tall image in the sense of 3 Staples of the image are stacked upon each other in 3 sections, and creates a depth of height.

44mm | f 7.1 | 1/100 | 100 ISO
10th june, 15:49

thought this image was different to the rest. .. 
like the staggered plants that drift up to the little square hole window at the top.

45mm |  f 9 | 1/100 | 100 ISO
10th june, 15:50

like how simple this image. It looks quite abstract in a way, with the two straight horizontal lines whipping across.
There's also a surprising amount of detail thats on there, with the texture of the paint and the dirt.

When taking it, i liked the colour of the wall and the crack going across it.

I think i really want to take more photos of interesting textures... 

18mm | f 9 | 1/100 | 100 ISO
10th june, 1:28

I took this image for the series i have been doing now n then/as i find them on table tops.
love love the glow of the table enhanced by the dark shadows around it and the effect the water is giving, also the sauce one being open and one not.

I also guess theres a juxtaposition with eating chips by the sea when its rainy.

55mm | f 14 | 1/125 | 100 ISO
10th june, 17:34

picked this one as i love the shadows on the buildings.
Has good direction, with the buildings pushing up, the hill and sky pushing across and then the trees on the hill pushing up too.
Half sky, half building and hill chunk. 
The deep green of the grass is nice against the paler buildings and sky.

55m | f 13 | 1/125 | 100 ISO
10th june, 17:51

Top two thirds are consumed by sky, the bottom third is the sea. 

I like the comparison between the boldness of the focal point, the subject of the image; the boat and 2 people, and the misty background/horizon.

The colours are very cool and calm, but it still looks warm with the blue sky and sun crawling across the person in the boat. The person stood in the ocean also tells us that they aren't really far out into the ocean, despite the fact we cant see the shore line in the image.

55mm | f 13 | 1/125 | 100 ISO
10th june, 17:52

Like with the image above, I like this as people watching is interesting, and it captures humans existing in their own worlds.

The image is split into the top third of the sky, the buildings and cliff in the middle, and then the people and dog in the bottom/foreground.

I like how their are 3 different subjects, but they are in a way one, with their interaction and the dog waiting patiently.
Additionally, the long drawn out shadows give a sense of what time it is, a summer evening.

55mm | f 13 | 1/125

I like the ambiguity of this image. Also for some weird reason like the horizon is just above the head and the sea is kind of like a backdrop for the figure.

noticed ive taken a lot with the back of peoples heads. Dont know why i stray to this, but Im guessing its because its easier to take a photo without people noticing and them ruining the photo aha

28mm | f 13 | 1/125 | 100 ISO
10th june, 18:43

Chose this image purely because i like the canted angle of it. Not really anything special otherwise..is also out of focus.

55mm | f 13 | 1/125 | 100ISO
10th june, 18:43

Like how the wave is on its brink.

55mm | f 13 | 1/125 | 100 ISO
10th june, 18:46

Not the best photo, but i thought it was cool how the buoy in the backgrund was in perfect focus. 
Also like the colour difference between the water in the foreground and the water in the background as well as the texture of the wave.

21mm | f 6.3 | 1/125 | 100 ISO
10th june, 18:52

extremely light and glowy photo. 
I like the effect of the wide lens and despite desiree being far away, the fact shes in the centre of the image and the wide lens pulls the gaze in.

55mm | f 5.6 | 1/125 | 100 ISO
10th june, 18:57

The cliff takes up 2 3rds of the image.

Like the contrast of the grey jagged-ness vs the softer green. 

29mm | f 4.5 | 1/100 | 100 ISO
11th june, 15:46

Like the balance of the arch of the cliff on the left and the arch of the leaves on the right.
The subjects are in the middle to the left which i think works, with there space in the frame of where they were jumping to and also there being space above where the trees are growing into.

The image overall has a green tone.

28mm | f 4 | 1/100 | 100 ISO
11th june, 15:45

wasnt going to add this one, but saw it while re looking for the one above and quite liked it.

Unlike the one above, the tree is the main subject as it cuts across most the image.

The 2 people are at the beginning of climbing up the cliff and the way is illuminated by bits of sunlight jetting across.

The horizon line is quite low, giving a embedded/buried feel?

 

23mm | f 18 | 1/100 | 100 ISO
11th june, 16:02

light this in action shot. The angle is perf in my opinion, can see what the subject is doing.
nice natural vibe photo with the colours.

Overall conclusion.

Want to try different shutter speeds i think.

Get a roll of film and go on walk/experiment? also with film can be more intentional and also have a set number of photos to take, rather than clicking away excessively. And can hopefully too want to learn more about n get to know and understand more the settings of a camera without having a screen to check, and spending time trying to change it and miss the moment i want to capture.

Go on Photog walk.

try different ISO on the same image and tweak the other settings and compare...

go to multistory or somewhere with lots to see n shoot with big lens

photograph some textures? 

Likes:
Juxtapositions, Strong lines,
like the distant scenes where theres a lot to zoom in on.

found this lil exercise pretty useful. Might try take some photos this week... 
Also think if i do this again ill pick less photos as i got kinda bored halfway thru?