This shoot was a bit spontaneous. I had no real idea of what i was going to shoot, and just thought i'd experiment there and come up with a new way of playing with light. I feel it was important for me to do this rather than just be inspired by other photographers as it allows my own creativity to shine in my work.
Initially, me and my boyfriend who played the part of my assistant tried to do some spiral looking designs in front of Old Knobbley, however they didn't come out as planned. The images looked like straight lines rather than a spiral. In the top image, there is a hint of a spiral but you can see the human figure inside of it. We probably could have kept trying but I just wasn't feeling the idea, so we moved on.
Next, we tried light painting. I have seen this technique used many times on the internet and decided to give it a go. Photography means 'painting with light' and this is quite literally doing that. The torch was shone on the tree with a thirty second exposure, and because the torch was always moving there's little evidence of the torch in the photo. What evidence there is can be edited out. I really like how the hole in the tree wasn't as illuminated at the rest, creating a sense of mystery. The way only the tree also adds to this mystery, simply because it's not what we're used to seeing. The torch creates almost a spotlight effect and draws all attention to the tree, which could cause a viewer to question it's significance. This question would be answered by the caption that would sit with it. These images have a rather supernatural and mythical feeling which is exactly what I want, as I want to signify the presence of something unknown (which would then become known after the caption is read)
Then we tried it again, to get as many examples of it so I'd have a lot to choose from. This time, the torch was more visible and I really loved the outcome. The torch wasn't in any uniform pattern and so looked more natural yet so unnatural. It almost looks like mist, and the way it surrounds the tree suggests its significance. These wispy lights suggest life even if it's not clearly visible; there are no bodies in the image yet we know to make the light it's likely people were involved. I really like this emphasis on the tree and the way it has this essence of life around it as it relates to the way the tree was a sanctuary for witches.
After a few more tries of that, we then attempted something along the same lines but different; we created more defined and formal rings around the tree. After a few goes the images started looking better and better, and I feel that the bottom image is the best of the night, despite it being a little dark. Luckily, it was salvageable in photoshop as I shot in RAW.
These images again play with the idea of life around the tree, however these images feel a lot more ceremonial which is caused by the formality of the rings. It feels less free and spiritual than the images before.
I really like how these symbolise life, however I do want to stick with the 'free' feeling as is feels more appropriate with the way women found sanctuary in the tree.
After some more experimenting, we ended the shoot. I then headed to photoshop to see what I could do.
I first edited this image to simply make it a little more punchy. I didn't feel like I had to do too much to it, as it's strong as it is. I made the light a little brighter to further emphasise the spotlight feeling. I removed the traces of the torch to make the tree itself feel more spiritual rather than the torch ruining that feeling as it indicated a human presence.
I more or less did the same with this image, as I wanted consistency. I brightened a little but didn't do too much else as I aimed to combine it with the image above to create a more punchy image.
And that's just what I did. I really like this image as the focus is clearly on the tree, it's bright and suggests a spiritual presence and you can also see the surroundings of the image which grounds it for the viewer. I feel it's a much stronger image than just the image above on it's own.
I then brightened and lightened this image. I wanted to ensure the tree had the enough light on it but also to be able to see the surrounding plants and branches. The outcome makes the tree look like it was glowing, which I feel is a very spiritual look. This magical feeling causes the feeling of mystery I want my images to have.
I also removed the traces of my boyfriend in the image to eliminate the human presence.
I then further edited in lightroom using a preset I had already previously made. The preset puts emphasis on purple tones, a colour often associated with magic and mystery. I prefer the way this looks as it seems to come together as one better, as it has those purple tones to tie it together. The foreground also appears more luminant, grounding the image.
This with the filter has become on of my favourite from the shoot. The way the tree seems to glow purple really adds to that magical, mythical feeling. The light also looks slightly like small white flames circling the tree which is again very mysterious.
The cool tones caused by the filter work a lot better with the image than the initial colours it was shot with.
This photo is simple but effective. The purple tones again create a mysterious feeling, especially by the hole in the tree as discussed before.
The blues and other cool tones mean that the presence signified in the image have this more unfriendly feeling because of the connotation of these tones.
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