My Assignment Two
My Assignment photographs:
I decided to use two of the photographs from my earlier practices and one other.
The flowers are cut from a thicker card in Very Vanilla and then covered with ink before being layered. I also used the machine to cut the scalloped square and the blue square as well as the leaves. I feel I get my daily exercise in turning that handle, pushing the sandwich of paper, die and plastic through the rollers. I sometimes have to add a shim or use a quick release paper to get a cleaner, clearer cut. Then I use the a pointy tool to push out the bits of cut card. The more intricate the die the more work has to go into rolling it through with the correct layers and thicknesses. The metal dies from various manufacturers vary in quality and ability to cut well. This brand is a good American one.
Composition and Technique: Taken above and at an angle and then cropped, the photo was taken on automatic.The machine is in a quiet slightly dark area of the workspace and so I used the flash. It is reflected off the curved edge the top of the machine. I deliberately set the die near the top of the Big shot to show off the names of the manufacturers of both items - Sizzix and Die-Namics. I tried to keep it to just two items - the dies and the the machine - and thus limit the eye. The shape of the flowers is reflected in the decoration on the Big Shot. The magnetic strip holding the die (the black strip) is lined up with the edge of the blackness of the bed of the machine.
Context: The Big Shot is a tool that I use a lot. In fact, when I broke the winding mechanism in my old one just before Christmas in 2015, I rushed into the city immediately to purchase a new one to discover it was unavailable! I just about died of shock. I finally managed to get the last one at a craft shop in another suburb (this current machine) and although I don't like the colour and decoration - my old one was pure black - I had to have it to complete my Christmas cards for that year. I feel very protective of it and it often gets a good wipe down and clean up. The machine and the way it can be used to cut or emboss or do both at the same time as well as cutting a variety of different mediums - felt, card, paper, vellum to name a few I have tried - is an important part of my creative journey. When I got my first one it was similar but smaller and green! The Cuttlebug, as it is know, was purchased for me by my husband as a gift. I use it rarely now but still love it and it sits proudly on the shelf in the open.
Connection: The photo was taken after I had looked at the work of Paulina Arcklin - the other inspiration was from itspinkpot and her website on styling and photography, where one tip talks about selecting a hero piece around which to build your theme. The Big Shot is my hero piece.
Content:This tool is used for helping remove the small bits of card let after an intricate die cut. It is called a Die Brush, produced by Sizzix and contains a brush head that spins as you run it cross the die surface, a handle to steer the brush and a foam sheet - black - which sits under the die while you are brushing it. The bristles push the card into the foam as they move across the die and card. It is not a necessary tool but it does and can make life easier at times. It is perched against the foam, standing on the ledge of the white side of my photographic board. It is taken in natural light (outside) with a macro lens used for the close up and then the image was cropped further to this. My macro does not work well - I think my lens focus is damaged a bit as it is a bit of hit and miss to get an unblurred shot.
Composition and Technique: The natural light makes this photo softer rather than harsh in outline and the edge of the foam while being straight is also not hard. However, the plastic bits on the head of the tool are crisp and contrast with the white painted background. The reflected light on the round part of the top of the handle changes colour as it moves towards the photographer, from a hard light to a softer, yellow light. I like the way the individual bristles show up clearly on the right side of the head but are absorbed into the blackness of the foam on the left. The brush is clearly in the middle third of the photo, with the head in the top, the mechanism connecting it to the handle in the middle and the handle in the bottom. There is limited depth in the shot although you are able to see that the brush is standing higher than the foam. This gives the appearance of texture to the photo, especially with the bristles. If you look carefully you can see the brush strokes in the white paint under the tool as well which gives more texture and depth. The range of light to dark is huge. Your eye is drawn immediately to the bristles and then falls to the bottom of the shot before traversing to the right to the negative spaces first.
Context: While this tool is not necessary to own, I like it. It is pleasing to hold and nicely designed for it's task. It is a toy in part - but a useful toy. Like the dies it works on it makes a crafter's creative journey easier and quicker. It also makes it easier to collect all the small cut out pieces and clean them up more effectively. I have not had it very long and so it is still a novelty. I feel like a real crafter when I use it because it is up-to-date.
Connection: Looking at examples of different photographs available on the web, many of them employ the use of different angles and almost black and white shots. I love the use of white space in my personal work and the use of natural neutral colours to enhance to enhance the work and showcase the individual items. I was drawn to try a neutral shot. When looking for black and white photo examples I found the Photo Argus and loved the photo's I discovered there as well as their tips for good photos. I loved the street photography of Georg Nicht in particular.
I decided to use two of the photographs from my earlier practices and one other.
Image 6
Content: Dies on the die cutting machine, called a Big Shot! I used this die on this machine to create this card:
The flowers are cut from a thicker card in Very Vanilla and then covered with ink before being layered. I also used the machine to cut the scalloped square and the blue square as well as the leaves. I feel I get my daily exercise in turning that handle, pushing the sandwich of paper, die and plastic through the rollers. I sometimes have to add a shim or use a quick release paper to get a cleaner, clearer cut. Then I use the a pointy tool to push out the bits of cut card. The more intricate the die the more work has to go into rolling it through with the correct layers and thicknesses. The metal dies from various manufacturers vary in quality and ability to cut well. This brand is a good American one.
Composition and Technique: Taken above and at an angle and then cropped, the photo was taken on automatic.The machine is in a quiet slightly dark area of the workspace and so I used the flash. It is reflected off the curved edge the top of the machine. I deliberately set the die near the top of the Big shot to show off the names of the manufacturers of both items - Sizzix and Die-Namics. I tried to keep it to just two items - the dies and the the machine - and thus limit the eye. The shape of the flowers is reflected in the decoration on the Big Shot. The magnetic strip holding the die (the black strip) is lined up with the edge of the blackness of the bed of the machine.
Context: The Big Shot is a tool that I use a lot. In fact, when I broke the winding mechanism in my old one just before Christmas in 2015, I rushed into the city immediately to purchase a new one to discover it was unavailable! I just about died of shock. I finally managed to get the last one at a craft shop in another suburb (this current machine) and although I don't like the colour and decoration - my old one was pure black - I had to have it to complete my Christmas cards for that year. I feel very protective of it and it often gets a good wipe down and clean up. The machine and the way it can be used to cut or emboss or do both at the same time as well as cutting a variety of different mediums - felt, card, paper, vellum to name a few I have tried - is an important part of my creative journey. When I got my first one it was similar but smaller and green! The Cuttlebug, as it is know, was purchased for me by my husband as a gift. I use it rarely now but still love it and it sits proudly on the shelf in the open.
Connection: The photo was taken after I had looked at the work of Paulina Arcklin - the other inspiration was from itspinkpot and her website on styling and photography, where one tip talks about selecting a hero piece around which to build your theme. The Big Shot is my hero piece.
Image 7
Content:This tool is used for helping remove the small bits of card let after an intricate die cut. It is called a Die Brush, produced by Sizzix and contains a brush head that spins as you run it cross the die surface, a handle to steer the brush and a foam sheet - black - which sits under the die while you are brushing it. The bristles push the card into the foam as they move across the die and card. It is not a necessary tool but it does and can make life easier at times. It is perched against the foam, standing on the ledge of the white side of my photographic board. It is taken in natural light (outside) with a macro lens used for the close up and then the image was cropped further to this. My macro does not work well - I think my lens focus is damaged a bit as it is a bit of hit and miss to get an unblurred shot.
Composition and Technique: The natural light makes this photo softer rather than harsh in outline and the edge of the foam while being straight is also not hard. However, the plastic bits on the head of the tool are crisp and contrast with the white painted background. The reflected light on the round part of the top of the handle changes colour as it moves towards the photographer, from a hard light to a softer, yellow light. I like the way the individual bristles show up clearly on the right side of the head but are absorbed into the blackness of the foam on the left. The brush is clearly in the middle third of the photo, with the head in the top, the mechanism connecting it to the handle in the middle and the handle in the bottom. There is limited depth in the shot although you are able to see that the brush is standing higher than the foam. This gives the appearance of texture to the photo, especially with the bristles. If you look carefully you can see the brush strokes in the white paint under the tool as well which gives more texture and depth. The range of light to dark is huge. Your eye is drawn immediately to the bristles and then falls to the bottom of the shot before traversing to the right to the negative spaces first.
Context: While this tool is not necessary to own, I like it. It is pleasing to hold and nicely designed for it's task. It is a toy in part - but a useful toy. Like the dies it works on it makes a crafter's creative journey easier and quicker. It also makes it easier to collect all the small cut out pieces and clean them up more effectively. I have not had it very long and so it is still a novelty. I feel like a real crafter when I use it because it is up-to-date.
Connection: Looking at examples of different photographs available on the web, many of them employ the use of different angles and almost black and white shots. I love the use of white space in my personal work and the use of natural neutral colours to enhance to enhance the work and showcase the individual items. I was drawn to try a neutral shot. When looking for black and white photo examples I found the Photo Argus and loved the photo's I discovered there as well as their tips for good photos. I loved the street photography of Georg Nicht in particular.
Image 8
Content: Ribbons abound in my stash and I have them on spools, in containers, in packages and hanging from hooks. I had an idea that if I stored them in the open I would use them more and this appears to be working.
These particular ribbons are colour co-ordinated and stored usually on a shelf in an open white wire basket. I also include in the name 'ribbons' threads of differing sizes and colours - for instance the gold thread shown here (unopened) is in with the ribbons. I have used something similar here as the tie on the bauble.
Ribbons can be quite luscious - they vary considerably in quality and size - and I must admit I do like a good quality ribbon over the cheaper, nastier variety. These in the photo are of mixed variety - you can see the orange striped ribbon is cheap as it is only printed on one side. However, the lime green ribbon with its stitched edges is of good quality, as is the yellow satin ribbon to its left.
Composition and Technique: The wire ribbon basket full of green and yellow toned ribbons was placed on the floor on top of several sheets of white 12 x 12 card next to a floor to ceiling window. Therefore natural light fell on the ribbons. It was an overcast day so the light was muted anyway. It fell over the ribbons from the top left side. I used the macro facility on my camera with the flash open, and macro set on auto. I used the zoom to take the shoot with my Nikon Coolpix 500 P500 1/305. My focal length is 25.7 mm. I made sure I carefully read my User's Manual prior to taking the photos. With the white on the floor under the basket (see bottom left) the light was diffused. The spools of ribbon are haphazardly arranged in the basket as they fit. I have little time to be super tidy. Some spools are still unwrapped while others are not only open but lengths of ribbon are spinning off them. I did not touch the arrangement.
I applied the rule of thirds to this but achieved little from that except the yellow is predominant in the top left third. The light is soft and is reflected off the clear plastic wraps and the sheen on some ribbons. The focus is clear and sharp. Where shadows do occur, they are deep. There are many curves repeating in the image from the spools contrasted with the lines of stitching on the lime green ribbon, the white lines on the dark green and the stripes on the orange ribbon. The spots of green on white contrast to the lines of white on green and the yellow spots in the bottom right corner. The loose ribbon curved into all but three of the thirds shows movement and energy and creates a tension - will the spool become loose and unwrap completely? Each ribbon has it's own texture - from the smooth feel of the satin to the roughness of the twill. There are patterns and repetition in the materials, and the shapes themselves as well as the colours. There is no negative space, with all the frame being filled with the ribbons. The colours used here are all complimentary with yellow, as a primary, really standing out.
Context: Ribbons are an essential part of my stash. I have many metres of them. They are a way to add texture, colour and beauty to a flat surface and create interest. They can be thin, wide, rich or subtle. They can be made into a bow or tied off. They can smother a project if not used wisely. Often they can be used to separate a part of the surface from another section - provide a break for the eye. They form part of my brand as I often use ribbons in Time to Play. Here is an example of thin white ribbon being added behind a paper flower. It adds movement and a delicacy; it dies not overpower the thin spindles of the flower but helps ground it to the front of the card.
I am a hoarder of ribbons - if they are really nice I will only use them if I know who the item I am making is to go to and I like that person. The nicer the person the better the ribbon!
Connection: Recently my latest catalogue from Stampin' Up arrived and I was eagerly reading it when I began to notice not only the things for sale but the photographing skill of the editors. Made to last for a year, it is a vision of colour and beautifully displayed items - out officially on the 1st June. One such page was the one containing ribbons called 'Colour Co-ordination'. The ribbon's and trim used here were in the colour range of the pink, orange and yellow. Stacked horizontally, vertically and on a lean - unreeling and untidy as well - they were "elegant and fun". They had an off white background and little shadow with light falling on them from the front and high. They looked delicious.
(Yes, that is a flash line on the page curve........my work, not theirs.....)
That is what I was trying to achieve with my copy-cat photo of ribbons.
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