4. Underwater Pictures | art-photography

I took inspiration from Phoebe Rudomino and Mark Mawson primarily when taking these photos in response to their work. I used a low end underwater camera, which was the best I had available; I therefore could not focus the camera manually, or adjust exposure and aperture as I normally would with a DSLR. Taking the photos was tricky as I had to keep the camera as still as possible - the shutter speed was automatic and based on the lighting it would decide a value.

I focussed primarily on light and composition. I wanted to make the most of the lighting around me, and the composition of the images was important in sustaining interest throughout each image. Some are rotated, to give the illusion of a warped perspective. This was quite a simple edit but I felt it made a vast improvement to what could have been a more dull image.

I had already intended to rotate the images that were 90 degrees, to respond directly to one of Mark Mawson's photos of a man lying below the surface made to look like he is standing upright, looking at his reflection.

When editing, I was cautious not to add too many adjustments, and I wanted to keep the colours similar throughout; a dramatic, warm blue look. The first image is inspired by Rudomino's image with the swimmer and the fire beneath (click image for description). To disguise the low quality of the camera, I also added some uniform monochromatic noise to some of the images, which adds grain to the image, almost giving a cinematic look as well. The splashes of water were well lit by the light source from above, and I enhanced these by increasing the 'Whites' and then increasing 'Clarity' in Adobe Lightroom. I also added a soft vignettte to the last image, which brings out the central focus of the image quite dramatically.

Underwater Pics - Photoshoot + Response

Underwater Photos

BACK TO EXTERNALLY SET ASSIGNMENT

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I was inspired by some of Mark Mawson's pieces where he has edited in fire below the swimming figure, which is a strong contrast against the blue underwater scene, and adds some drama to the image.	Some of Mark Mawson's pieces were rotated 90 degrees, to give a surreal effect, distorting the reality and changing the entire meaning of the image. I was able to experiment with some exciting images using this technique, which can transform a dull image into a much more interesting one.
	I also rotated the image 180 degrees to again warp reality and give an illusion that the gravity is flipped; the photo can at first seem to be taken from above the water's surface.
I experimented with composition and lighting; adding soft vignette to the edges and keeping the subject central with a symmetrical background. the lighting helps focus on the centre.

KISHAN THAKRAR

A LEVEL ART PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO

Underwater Pics - Photoshoot + Response

Back to top^

I was inspired by some of Mark Mawson's pieces where he has edited in fire below the swimming figure, which is a strong contrast against the blue underwater scene, and adds some drama to the image.

Some of Mark Mawson's pieces were rotated 90 degrees, to give a surreal effect, distorting the reality and changing the entire meaning of the image. I was able to experiment with some exciting images using this technique, which can transform a dull image into a much more interesting one.

I also rotated the image 180 degrees to again warp reality and give an illusion that the gravity is flipped; the photo can at first seem to be taken from above the water's surface.

I experimented with composition and lighting; adding soft vignette to the edges and keeping the subject central with a symmetrical background. the lighting helps focus on the centre.