Digital technology: Silo Park

These images are from the trip to Silo Park we went on. We saw work from various different photographers here I have taken pictures of Russ Flatt and Anna Careys work.

Anna is a Australian photographer who's work revolves around model making, film and drawing. I was really interested in her work because she has made models of buildings that look so real.



This is an image from Anna Carey's series "home" I like the way she has made a model of this building but also made it look so real.



 These two images are from Russ Flatt I love the lighting in his images, the colours he uses and how his images are successfully composed you can see he really thinks about the placement of his subjects, what the lighting is doing and also how all the colours will work together in his images.

Sim Chiyin is a visual artist interested in documentary projects in China born and raised in Singapore. She likes history, migration and transience. I really enjoyed her work that was being exhibited at photography festival at Silo Park these are images from her series "rat race" documenting  the lives of low income earners living in the basements of apartment buildings.

It looks really cold and dirty where they live, its also really small and looks like you can barely fit a double bed in there the photographer has positioned her model in the centre of the frame, I think the idea here is to show what its like for these people to be living like this. These images make me sad it looks unsafe for people to be living in those basements. 

Here I see alot of clothes he probably doesn't have any storage to put his belongings. The model is positioned to the left of the frame I guess I like the different colours this image has this picture makes me feel like this person is okay living there he has a nice bed and warm looking blankets. 

His room looks really messy he must feel comfortable living this way the model again has been positioned in the centre of the frame with a straight on vantage point. This image makes me feel as though he is thinking about his living situation.

Week 5: Sanji Karu

On Tuesday we had a guest speaker come in to talk to us about what he does he's an expert in print. We learned about the different photo paper that he uses to print images for his client this was a real eye opener for me as it is coming to finals week and I needed to figure out what paper would be ideal for me to print on.

Sanji has his own business that he runs called "Skar Image Lab" they provide technical services for Visual artist and professional photographers.

He talked to us about different photographers one of the photographers were Derek Henderson I really liked the series he done on "Maori teenagers " here is my photographic response to that.

Derek Henderson is a New Zealand born photographer but has spent the last 20 years in New York, Los Angeles and London upon his return to New Zealand in 2007. Derek Hendersons photography fits into

This is an image I took of my cousins girlfriend and their son t

Digital tech museum: Bong Errazo

Bong Errazo is a photographer at the Auckland Museum he specialises in action. adventure and sports photography he also shoots lifestyle, portrait and commercial photography. I liked Bongs work mainly because he is a lighting genius and lighting is something I enjoyed working with this semester for my portfolio project. 

I like the way he has broken the white with a mixture of red, green and blue in this image it looks like  he has taken a high angle shot of these shoes this image makes me just a little bit scared for those nice white shoes with what looks like paint near them I wouldn't want paint getting on a brand new pair of shoes. 

This is the image Bong said got him the job at the museum out of thousands of applicants he was chosen because the use of lighting in this picture. I like the colours they break away from the dark background. This image makes me feel good because you can see the photographer knows how to light up this skateboard and shoe. 

I don't know if thats milk he's used but I like how he's poured it over the shoes I like the black and white colours. This image makes me feel like id want to take an image emulating this one. This looks like it was taken from a straight on vantage point. 

These are the images I took of my own shoes I don't really know what I was trying to do with this I guess I just like the detail and colours in my shoes. These are the colours that Michael Jordan had on a sweater he owned. I have taken a close up image of my shoe it makes me feel happy cause I knew they were at the door ready for me to put on and leave the house 

This is another close up shot I took of my shoes here I was trying to get the detail in the shoe this also makes me happy because i know I'm ready to leave the house while the shoes wait at the door.

For this image I took a low angle shot of the shoes hanging on the power line its really common in otara I don't know why id never throw my shoes over the power line id rather let them sit in a closet and collect dust. I like the blue sky and the lines in this image. This photograph makes me feel sad for those shoes I love shoes and I think they couldve been put to good use unless they've got holes in the bottom why they're there. 

Final artist statement

For my portfolio project I had so many ideas and different things that I wanted to shoot. In week 1 I chose portraiture at this time I wasn't really feeling inspired so I thought about re-creating past events that have happened in Otara changing that from portraiture to documentary photography. 

As the weeks went by I felt comfortable shooting people in their natural environments mainly because they felt comfortable being in their own surroundings these were by far my most favourite photoshoots. So for my portfolio project I chose to do environmental portraiture these are where I took my most successful images although I need to work on telling my models how to pose and what I need to do in my final images I feel that I have excuted it very well and I'm happy with the work that I have done. 

My work would not have been successful without the guidance and the determination my tutor saw in me so for all the great things Ive learnt over the last two semester I have Caryline to thank. Thank you Caryline. 

research model: Anthony Kurtz

Anthony Kurtz is a Euro-American, commercial, editorial and art documentary photographer based in Berlin, he specializes in environmental portraiture and aims to create beautiful and unexpected images of people. Kurtz uses natural light and studio strobes to create mood in photography that tells a story and makes the viewer curious.

Love the lighting in this image I like how he has placed his subjects the light looks like its coming from the top of the models also the colours he has put his models in I this they all work well the ice cream truck in the background. This makes me feel like a bunch of youth just relaxing maybe trying to get a free ice cream from the ice cream truck. 

Again I like the lighting in this image I like what the lighting is doing here it looks like they've underexposed the background just abit but still leaving detail in the back. The light is coming from the budweiser light also the light at he back of this image here he has placed his subjects on the rule of thirds line. This image makes me feel happy mainly because the models are happy to be playing pool. 

Again I chose to use Kurtz as a research model because I love the use of his lighting, I love the colours in this image, the patterns. This photograph makes me feel like its summer time and I need a nice cold glass of coke. 

I love the colours in this photograph also the placement of his models, the ice cream trucks that blend so well with what the models are wearing. It makes me feel like they maybe just finished work and need a nice cold ice cream. 

Final images

For my final images I chose the Boxing and Harley Davidson photoshoots that I did, I feel that these were my most successful images. When asking my subjects if they would be models for me they agreed straight away. For both shoots I never went to the location first to see how I would take my images I just went on the day that suited them and did everything then, I didnt know what they would wear I didnt know if the colours would work, it would have been good to test the lighting kit beforehand so I knew what the lighting would be doing but I didn't do that either. I now understand that I need to plan before I go and do photoshoots especially if Im using the lighting kit however I still think my images came out successful and I'm happy with my results.

My models that I used are sisters so I think its really cool that my final images are of two people who are significant to each other both were really overwhelmed by the result of the finished product when I did show them. The most rewarding thing about photographing people is the reaction they get when looking at the finished product both models loved the images I took of them and thats what mattered to me at the end of it.

This is the final product of my images with the help of Caryline we measured the wall hanging is my not so favourite part but I love to learn new things and this for me is always a challenge. I like the way my images are mixed up and hopefully I am able to confuse the viewer just a little by the way I've presented my work. 

research model: Russ Flatt

Russ Flatt is a NZ photographer and best known for his staged images of events that happened in his childhood life. Russ Flatts images don't exactly compare to the genre of photography that I have chosen although many of his images are of people in their natural environments just that his are staged images. I think that the lighting in his photographs would be a similarity and the difference would be you can see that he has carefully thought out everything for his photoshoots.


here I can see pattern from the framed photos on the wall, I love the colours that he uses in his images and how he places his models perfectly in the frame, I think he would be on the right side slightly with the camera turned towards his models. This image makes me feel like the boy in the purple is getting a growing and the others behind him are thinking about why he's getting in trouble maybe he did something to them and they're a little happy about him being confronted by the man.


I love the lighting in this image Russ Flatts use of lighting is amazing here it looks like he has used ambient lighting maybe he's also used external lighting. I like the warm colours he has used. This image makes me feel like Im back in my dads era when he was growing up the old clothes they used to wear and also the car in the background makes this image look like its from another time.


Another reason I have used Russ Flatt as a research model is because the way his lighting in his images. The light looks like its coming from the back of the subject, also the colour of the grass is same tone as his shirt. I see alot of greenery pattern from the trees. This image makes me feel like this boy is hiding away maybe because he shouldn't be eating those mushrooms.


Love the different colours in this image, the models have been positioned in the centre of the frame it would have been shot from a straight on vantage point this image makes me feel happy that these boys have scored trophies and medals for their handwork.

Trudy- Photoshoot

For my last photoshoot I took images of a family friend of mine. I chose to shoot this particular person because she's a woman who rides Harley Davidsons and I thought it was something different I'm only used to seeing males ride them. These images say alot about my model she lost her partner to a motorbike accident so I guess it gives her a sense of being able to be close to him when she's riding. I think these images represent her personality as she has been riding since she was a little girl. 

My idea here is to shoot my model in her natural environment this would fit into environmental portraiture, my work is similar to my research models because I have used the lighting kit most of my research models also work with external lighting.

In this image I was experimenting with the light, I had set up two lights one at the front of the bike and one at the rear. There was a slight problem with the lighting as they both weren't going off at the same time Im not sure if it was because the lights needed to be closer to each other or if the hot shoe wasn't syncing properly the reason why there is alot of shadow in this image. I really like the black and white colours of the bike.

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This is also another test shot I did to see what was going on with the lighting again both lights weren't going off at the same time so there was harsh shadow on the fence. I like this image it makes me feel like whenever she is on her bike and ready to ride she's happy. 

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In this image you can still see the harsh shadow on the fence I still think its a successful image because of the connection between the subject and the photographer, I like this serious look that she's giving it makes her look fierce and staunch.
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This is a image of my model and her niece Kerrina-Jayne she was fascinated by the lights and kept asking me "Can I have a photo please" so we put her on the bike with her aunty she ran over to me after I took it and said "Can I have a look, oh I love that photo" kids are the cutest and say the funniest things.
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I had problems with the lighting I really wanted to take more pictures but I could see the frustration in my model when the lights just wouldn't co-operate so I took one last image and it came out really dark.
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Calvin at home

In this photoshoot I was feeling really uninspired by now I had asked so many people if they'd want to be models, some said yes then when it came time for me to photograph them they suddenly became shy so I went to my auntys and asked her grandchildren if they would model for me they kindly agreed and I told them "put your lipstick on first" and they laughed. We went outside I didnt know what I was gonna shoot all I knew is I had models and I needed to do something with them I know they love to go up and down the street on there pushbikes so I got them on those and took some pictures. Here are my results again Ive used the lighting kit and set them up one on either side of my models. 

Still sticking with my environmental portrait theme I thought about photography my models in there natural environment which was there house. Here I am trying to portray the natural habitat these boys live in and add it to my style of photography these werent my strongest images but I hope when the viewer looks at these they'll know that they were kids enjoying the place in which they live.

In this image I see lines, pattern, repetition. I have used a straight on point of view for this shot I have told my model to position himself so that he is in the middle of the frame. This image makes me feel like he just wants to go for a ride on his bike, the idea here is to capture my subject in his natural environment. 

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Here I have tried to experiment with the lighting to see what it was doing I like that my subject is exposed correctly with it being such a dull day. I placed a light on either side of my subject and took test shots. Here I see alot of greenery, lines in the house, I placed my subject in the centre of the frame and took it from a straight on vantage point. This image makes me feel like he's ready to go off and ride his bike maybe he's thinking about where hell ride to. 

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This is another test shot I did, here I can see shadow from the tyre of the bike, I see alot of greenery, lines, pattern from the trees. Using the same technique I placed my model in the centre of the frame this image makes me feel happy he's really comfortable for me to take his image. The idea of this shoot was to get them in their natural environment sticking to the theme of my project which is environmental portraiture.

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I love the look my model is giving me he looks really comfortable for this image I placed myself on the right side of my subject I got down lower so that he was almost looking down at me. This image makes me feel happy mainly because I know that my subject is comfortable with me taking his photo. I really like the greenery and also the green in his top they work well. 

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From this shoot this photograph was my most successful image I like the look that he is giving me, he makes me feel like he can hold his own and its a really staunch look that i like. Here I have placed myself again on the right side of my subject I've knelt down so that he is able to look down at me this image makes me feel good cause I know he is comfortable and ready to take a photo. 

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Calvin at home

In this photoshoot I was feeling really uninspired by now I had asked so many people if they'd want to be models, some said yes then when it came time for me to photograph them they suddenly became shy so I went to my auntys and asked her grandchildren if they would model for me they kindly agreed and I told them "put your lipstick on first" and they laughed. We went outside I didnt know what I was gonna shoot all I knew is I had models and I needed to do something with them I know they love to go up and down the street on there pushbikes so I got them on those and took some pictures. Here are my results again Ive used the lighting kit and set them up one on either side of my models. 

Still sticking with my environmental portrait theme I thought about photography my models in there natural environment which was there house. Here I am trying to portray the natural habitat these boys live in and add it to my style of photography these werent my strongest images but I hope when the viewer looks at these they'll know that they were kids enjoying the place in which they live.

In this image I see lines, pattern, repetition. I have used a straight on point of view for this shot I have told my model to position himself so that he is in the middle of the frame. This image makes me feel like he just wants to go for a ride on his bike, the idea here is to capture my subject in his natural environment. 

f/8.0

shutter speed: 1/100

ISO: 100

Here I have tried to experiment with the lighting to see what it was doing I like that my subject is exposed correctly with it being such a dull day. I placed a light on either side of my subject and took test shots. Here I see alot of greenery, lines in the house, I placed my subject in the centre of the frame and took it from a straight on vantage point. This image makes me feel like he's ready to go off and ride his bike maybe he's thinking about where hell ride to. 

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This is another test shot I did, here I can see shadow from the tyre of the bike, I see alot of greenery, lines, pattern from the trees. Using the same technique I placed my model in the centre of the frame this image makes me feel happy he's really comfortable for me to take his image. The idea of this shoot was to get them in their natural environment sticking to the theme of my project which is environmental portraiture.

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I love the look my model is giving me he looks really comfortable for this image I placed myself on the right side of my subject I got down lower so that he was almost looking down at me. This image makes me feel happy mainly because I know that my subject is comfortable with me taking his photo. I really like the greenery and also the green in his top they work well. 

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From this shoot this photograph was my most successful image I like the look that he is giving me, he makes me feel like he can hold his own and its a really staunch look that i like. Here I have placed myself again on the right side of my subject I've knelt down so that he is able to look down at me this image makes me feel good cause I know he is comfortable and ready to take a photo. 

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research model: Phillip Lorca Dicorcia

Phillip Lorca Dicorcia is an American photographer and is best known for his documentary and theatrically staged images. I like the lighting that he uses in his images and th lighting kit has been something i have worked with during my portfolio shoots. I think the similarities in his work and mine is that he takes portraits and thats I have chosen to do this term and the use of the lighting kit. I think the difference in my work is that I' doing environmental images whereas Phillip is known for his staged documentary photography. 

I can see pattern in this image on the orange door, lines, shadow. The camera looks like it was shot at a straight on point of view, this image makes me feel like they've just finished having an altercation or  maybe the subject in the white needs comforting I don't think so though looks as though they were fighting.


I chose DiCorcia as a research model also because I like the lighting in his images. Here it looks like there is a light positioned in front of the model, also the building across the road is lit well I don't know exactly but it also looks like there is light coming from the top left hand corner. I see lights, pattern from the tyre of the car, repetition of the trees, reflection on the table, this image makes me feel like the model is thinking about his life, or maybe how he got there maybe his car broke down and he's thinking about how he's going to get home.


I like the lighting used in this image, he it looks like the background has been underexposed with the subject correctly exposed. I like the dark colours in this image and the grey on his beard. I like how he is correctly exposed. Here the model has been placed on the left side of the frame this is quite a close up image so its nice to see the model is still comfortable. This image makes me feel like the model is tired or maybe he's thinking can this person hurry up and take my image.


I also like the lighting in this image here you can see that it may have been taken in a studio with a dark background. I see dark colours, this image is a close up of the subject it makes me feel like he's sad maybe he's thinking or he just wants to take this picture and go.