TONE

Tone Mind Map-

Tone Definition-

This refers to the lightness or darkness of something. This could be a shade or how dark or light a colour appears.

Tones are created by the way light falls on a 3D object. The parts of the object on which the light is strongest are called highlights and the darker areas are called shadows. There will a range of tones in between the highlights and shadows.

Without tone Form does not exist, tone is therefore an important aspect in the visualisation of 3D objects.

The Zone System-

The Zone System is a photographic technique for determining optimal film exposure and development, formulated by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer.
Ansel Adams developed the zone system a method of ensuring he achieved the correct exposure.

This diagram shows the basic principle of the zone system. Zone 0 is pitch black, giving no detail in an image. Zone 10 is pure white, also containing no detail. Zone 5 is mid grey. When using a light meter, either external or in-camera the meter will always expose for Zone 5, whether this will give you the best image or not.

Firstly we must understand how a light meter or in-camera light sensor works. A light meter will always expose for zone 5-mid grey, meaning that if you point your camera into a dark bin, on auto exposure, a grey image will be produced. Similarly if you point a camera at some bright white snow on auto, the camera will give a grey toned snow.

Zone Analysis-

I feel as though the power of light is coming from either behind him or in front of his face. In this photo I think tone reflects strength and masculinity because it shows the difference between men and women from the use of the dark areas showing a serious intense look.

I feel as the zones have definitely varied around this photo as most of the shades are not close together they are mostly three shades away from another one.

Zone 10 was quite difficult to find in these photos because it has to be like pure/bright white however in this photo i linked that to his eye as they were the only parts white enough to put it down as Zone 10. I used the top he is wearing as Zone 0 because for me that is the darkest shade on this photo as well as the shadows on his face that makes him look chiselled and the idea that men are strong making them have to look a certain way in society the same as women in most photographs.

I think the path of light is coming from in front of her but just a bit further back. This connotes femininity because it is showing her to be elegant with no wrinkles so making her look flawless as this is what society wanted women to look like however it shows the difference of detail between men and women. In a way you could say that the men’s photo including the detail is like a story of how they proved themselves and what they have gone through/ are going through, whereas with women you don’t get the thought behind it, it’s quite the opposite which kind of makes women look like objects as they are shown to be fragile and are just made to look good for the men, this is where the idea of patriarchy comes from ( ran by men for men). Marilyn Monroe is a good example for this topic as in the 1950's to 1960's she became an symbol for sexuality which she was emblematic of the era's changing attitudes towards sexuality so it's basically how she changed the views.

Black and White Photography-

In the absence of colour our ability to create a narrative (story) in image is restricted

This is viewed as an advantage to practitioners of Black and white photography

Particular attention is given to ensure a wide range of tones are used

This is evident in the work of Pictorialist photographers such as Edward Weston and Ansel Adams.

A B&W photo is a monochrome photo. A black and white photograph is an image where all colour has been removed (either in the digital process or through the choice of film). It consists of shades of grey tone that generally go from dark (black) to light (white). A monochrome image also has the colour removed.

Textures and contrast are stronger in black and white. Black and white can bring out emotions more strongly than colour. This is because it removes distractions from a portrait. But colour can make you focus on a particular feeling, like warm or cold.

At the two most extreme ends of the colour spectrum are black and white! ... White often represents innocence, purity, and new beginnings. Black, on the other hand, can be seen as conservative or intimidating, but it is also often associated with sophistication, luxury, confidence, and strength.

Imogen Cunningham-

Imogen Cunningham was an American photographer known for her botanical photography, nudes, and industrial landscapes. Cunningham was a member of the California-based Group f/64, known for its dedication to the sharp-focus rendition of simple subjects. Her photos focused on intimate portraits and floral still lifes are characterised by their evocative light and attention to detail.

Cunningham’s works are held in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, among others.

In these photos I can see plants/flowers which have been enhanced in photo shop to make certain areas stand out across the four images. On the first photo it really focused on the two flowers at the top one is more exposed than the other as there is a contrast between black and white which leads towards the bottom of the photo where it is more grey scaled than the other parts. On the second photo the plant in the middle really takes coverage of the background which on one side is darker compared to the other side being lighter and the plant in the middle being more of a mixture of them both. On the third photo this is more of a lighter photo to the rest with the hints of details being darker than the rest. On the fourth photo the background is darker compared to the rest of the photo which focuses on the flower being on the grey side with highlights of white and a black outline on the points which separate the object from the background, this also helps with the shadows as well because it reflects from the light and makes it stand out more. I feel in my own photos i will take the style but suit it to the environment where i'm taking the photos from this shoot, i'm going to zoom in on the most detailed bits and make them more darker depending on if they need it.

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.

Contact Sheet-

The intentions for my shoot were to take photos in relation to the artist Imogen Cunningham by taking photos of flowers and plants. The successful elements of my shoot were that I related towards the artist's work by capturing the idea she had behind her photos. The unsuccessful elements of my shoot that didn't work so well were that in some photos I may need to crop the background out to really focus on the flower/plant more. The technical issues during my shoot were that it was hard to focus on one specific thing as there was a lot around in the background. My photographs do tell a story because it captures the idea of nature is beautiful. The concept and idea i am trying to portray in my photographs are kind of just representing the photographers work but also putting my own little spin on them to develop them further. I did manage the equipment and environment correctly because i fitted to the surroundings which the natural light helped gathered the contrast. I feel I did use the lighting effectively because it wasn't to harsh on the colour and softness of the flowers/plants. This links to the artist Imogen Cunningham because it focuses on the style of work and creates natural shadows without editing. I could improve/develop my ideas from this shoot by turning them black and white to see how they come across.

Five Best Photos-

AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.

I chose these photos as my best five because i feel as though they represented Imogen Cunningham's work the best by showing a variety of roots and stems to the actual flower or plant. Each photo is quite different from each other due to angles and placement of the flowers, i also feel like i varied the shots from close up going to kind of middle shot with the last photo to capture more in the background which will kind of fade when i change the photos to black and white in editing making it stand out and looking quite cool along with the rest of the colours being more enhanced than others which Imogen Cunningham uses to create the perfect mix of shadow and detail, varying with different tones.

5 Photos that need Improvement-

I chose to put these photos as need improvement as even though they are not bad photos they don't fit in with the type of work i'm trying to achieve here, i feel as though i would change certain areas in editing to make it go along with the style but i'm judging these based on the raw photos. As i need to change these photos into black and white some of these photos wouldn't have the full effect due to the detail and colours because these photos are quite soft in comparison to my best photos which are sharp so you can see the depth and tone in much further detail.

Edits of Imogen Cunningham-

I edited my photos like this for it to be in the style of Imogen Cunningham as she turns her photos black and white but changes the level of exposure to make certain parts stand out in different ways so the light could focus on one area than the other. I like the second photo the most because it portrays an element of the work that the artist has produced. I feel like each of these photos are quite different from one another so I had to change the tone of some of them to make bits darker than others.

Editing Process-

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

Firstly I got my raw photo and changed it to black and white I then proceeded to change the different colours to make different areas pop out and be darker or lighter than other parts after that i changed the curve to make the shadows darker mostly in the roots of the plant and make the actual leaves be lighter. I had quite a low aperture of f/2 to f/4 because as I was shooting these shots outside i wanted it to be quite light so it will make a difference when I come to edit them.

Final Photos-

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements.

I chose these as my final images because I felt as though they represented tone the best from the shadows and the amount of dark and light undertones being shown creating additional features of detail which is being represented by the background.