Tutor report

Student name

Chris Lee

Student number

510569

Course/Module

People and Place

Assignment number

Overall Comments
You have engaged well with the subject and you have produced several very good
images. There are some technical issues that I will address in detail in the feedback.
Other than that, you have presented the work in a coherent manner and this is a
satisfactory submission.
I would suggest that you note which images where the strongest in this
assignment and set yourself as a goal to produce images of this quality for your
next project. You have proven that you are capable of making very good images so
If you are able to take the advice form this feedback on board you will be able to
significantly improve your work for your next assignment.

Feedback on assignment
Set 1 Your images describe the eectiveness of the space also and why the space
was designed as it was.
The images that stand out from this set are: Images 4 and 5. They are very strong
because you have shown your voice as a photographer by presenting the space
from an angle that you want the viewer to look at the space. In other words you
are asking the viewer to look at it from a specific angle as as opposed to shooting it
from an angle that is simply descriptive of the space.
Both approaches have their value and depending on what the photographer wants
to achieve, both approaches are right and sometimes necessary but understanding
the dierence is very important.
Images 1 and 2 are also good but the compositions need to be straightened.
Set 2 You chose a good day to photograph the glass house since it is a day with a
lot of light but slightly overcast. These lighting conditions are considered by many
architectural or street photographers as the best conditions for shooting since

there is plenty of light but no harsh shadows and high contrast as very sunny
midday light would give.
Another great time of the day to shoot is in early morning or late afternoon hours
because the light quality significantly changes the image. This type of light
produces less contrast, reducing the chances of losing parts of your subject in
strong shadows or blown-out highlights. The warm glow adds a pleasing feel to the
scene, and the long shadows help to pick out details, adding texture and depth to
the image.
The strongest from this set are images 1 and 4. Image no.1 because of the
balanced composition and lighting and because it presents the object with its
surrounding. The contrast between the red sweater and the green from the plants
is striking although the red colour is considered by architectural photographers as
a problem since it always directs the viewer to it and distracts from the structure
that was photographed so I would recommend to avoid it in this context.
Image 4 is very good for the same reasons as I described for the 2 images from the
previous set.
Image 3 is slightly underexposed and therefore seems flat (lacks contrast and
strong colors).
Set 3 This set is not as good as the previous since the light is quite flat. You
exposed the images well but it seems flat because it is photographed in the shade
and the light does not give the images an additional quality.
Also the compositions are not as good as the previous ones.
This set would have been significantly better if it was shot in the early morning or
late afternoon hours in order to achieve the lighting that I described previously.
Set 4- This set is very good but several images have falling lines because the
Camera is pointed upwards and the building seems to be leaning back or falling
back. For architectural photography it is essential that the camera is held in a
horizontal position and that the lines of the object are not falling down. For this
reason photographers often look for elevated positions to take photographs of
buildings or use Tilt and shift lenses with which you can shift the lens upwards
without changing the perspective.
Alternatively you can shoot form further away and crop the image or use the Lens
Correction Filter in Photoshop to straighten the lines.
Pointing the camera upwards can make sense if you are photographing an
architectural detail but if you are photographing and entire structure it is important
not to distort the perspective.
Also the use of a tripod is highly recommended since, especially when
photographing interiors you will encounter situations where long exposures are
necessary.
Set 5 Similarly to the set 3, there seems to be a distant approach to the subject
and the lighting conditions are not giving the objects an additional texture, depth
and detail.

Image 3 is the best image of this set due to the good composition and interesting
light and shadows in the Interior.
Image 4 is very well composed and exposed but slightly distorted due to the use of
the wide-angle lens.

Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays

You posted the books that you have read on your blog and they are very engaging
so I recommend that you continue doing so. Unfortunately you havent shared your
thoughts on them yet. I would recommend that write some notes on the reading
and overall research that you engage with.
In order to help you think about concepts that could help you advance with your
work I will give you a few additional suggestions below.

Suggested reading/viewing
John Szarkowski, (2007) The Photographers Eye
Susan Sontag. (1976) On Photography, Harmondsworth, Penguin Books
Liz Wells, The photography Reader, London Routledge
David Bates Photography (Key Concepts)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Photography-Key-Concepts-DavidBate/dp/1845206673/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414431296&sr=11&keywords=david+bate
Stephen Bull Photography (Routledge Introductions to Media and Communications)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Photography-Routledge-Introductions-MediaCommunications/dp/0415428947
The last two both cover similar topics so there is no need to read them both
straight away.
Look at the work of:
Fabrice Fouillet (Church Interiors)

Rut Blees Luxemburg

Thomas Struth Museum series
Melanie Manchot Groups and Locations
Marco Bohr
Helen Binet

Iwan Baan

Pointers for the next assignment

Look at how the mentioned photographers composed their images and how they
used people in their work.
Carefully choose the places that you want to photograph and take your time with
your next assignment. You have proved that you can make very good images and
that should be the level that you should be aiming for.
Try to apply the feedback to your work and improve your work technically. Try the
courses www.lynda.com for some more detailed technical workshops. They have
online workshops on every possible subject and I can really recommend them
since I have used them myself a few times.
Good luck!

Tutor name

Benjamin Beker

Date

08.05.2015

Next assignment due

22.06.2015