Unit 31: LO1 - My identity Pitch

Identity Photography Pitch

I have been asked by the Millennium Gallery to do an exhibition on the theme of identity, submitting 8 photos for the gallery. My theme will be based around the identity of Sheffield and its steel industry. This could relate to close d factory’s, the artwork dedicated to Sheffield steel, the interesting steel buildings, the different steel factories and companies in Sheffield. This relates to the Millennium Gallery theme as it is based around the identity of Sheffield as well as being the city which the gallery is based in.

The genre of my photography would be landscape, particularly urban/industrial landscape. This is because the main theme of my photography would be capturing the Sheffield steel. This would include more landmarks, factories and things that represent the identity of Sheffield being famous for producing steel. This means that that generally people wont be in the photographs that I will be taking and if they will be, they will most likely be in the background and not the main focus of the photo.

For my photos I will be using a lot of low angle shots, as to emphasise the scale and incredible nature of the buildings and structures. Also I might use a fish eye lens in a photo to capture the wonder of some of the structures and sculptures. For example the steal scorpion outside of Sheffield Forgemasters. Some shot types I could use would be close ups, to empahsise the size and scale of the buildings and sculptures. Also the settings on the camera would be important to consider, for my photos I will be using manual mode as I want to use a narrow aperture as it gives a large depth of field, good for photos of landscapes. However, because of this it will take longer for the camera to take the photo so a tripod will most likely be needed to steady the camera better when taking the photo.  

I will be shooting my photos in JPEG, as though shooting in RAW would mean a higher quality photo, it is not as easily editable and transferable to other devices as a RAW file. I will need it to be easier to edit and transfer because I will be going on Photoshop to edit my photos as well as placing them on my blog.

For the photo shoot I will need a DLSR Canon 650D camera, a tripod to steady the camera, 2 SD cards (one for the camera and a back up just in case) and a spare battery. Also I won’t be needing any props or costumes as all the photos I will be taking will be of buildings with no people or props needed.

The risks involved would be damage of the equipment if they are not handled correctly, as well as traffic in certain places such as near the factories like Forgemasters. I will prevent this by handling the cameras and other equipment with care, to make sure not to damage any of it and also be careful when walking around town with it.

I will be calling my work “A City With a Steel Heart”, as to reflect how deeply Sheffield is related to steel and how it means a lot to a lot of people. Also the fact that a process of making better steel was discovered in Sheffield, means it has a historical connection as well.

Unit 31 - LO1: Duncan Philpott Research Photographers

Duncan Philpott is an action and adventure sports photographer.
It is an offshoot of photojournalism, where he takes photos of events such as the sheffield outdoor campaign. These events generally are about a sport activity. He usually is contracted to do these events, and is generally used to take pictures that show the event in a good light. He highlights the extremeness and appeal of the sport that he is photographing.
For example the sheffield outdoor city campaign he was asked to depict sheffield key outdoor sports and showing the city as an attractive destination.

This picture highlights the extremeness and appeal of the sport, as well as the fast paced and gritty nature as its down in the mud and throwing dirt in the air. Also The background and setting is a green lush area with a nice blue sky, highlighting the beauty of the area and the places you can visit while doing the sport. Also Duncan uses the rule of thirds in this image, with the focus being on the bike rider on the left side. The effect of capturing the dirt in mid air as well gives the image more of a feeling of spectacle and amazement. My initial reaction to Duncan's work is that he captures a lot of shots from a low angle with a lot of shots having dirt and dust thrown in the air. This gives a feeling of the rider being more powerful or skilful, while also emphasising the gritty outdoor nature of the sport.