Definition & Theory
- Tone refers to the lightness or darkness of something. This could be a shade or how dark or light a colour appears
- They are created by the way light falls on an object, making a range of tone between highlights and shadows.
- Highlights - the part of and object on which light is strongest
- Shadows - the part of and object where light is the weakest
Without tone form doesn't exist, tone is therefore an important aspect in the visualisation of 3D objects
Ansel Adams and the zone system, use to get the correct exposure.
The basic principle of the system is that Zone 0 is pitch black and Zone 10 is pure white, both contain no detail with in the image. Zone 5 is the mid expose and the camera will always expose for Zone 5, whether it is the best image or not.
So to understand this we firstly need to look at how a light meter or in-camera light sensor works. Like I have said it works by exposing for Zone 5, if set to auto exposure. This means that if you point the camera at a dark bin a grey image would be produced, this is the same with some bright white snow. As a result it doesn't give the correct tone to the colour.
Exposure is the amount of light per unit area reaching the film or electronic sensor in the camera. It is determined by shutter speed, lens aperture and scene luminance or ISO. This is shown below in the exposure triangle:
Exposure is the amount of light per unit area reaching the film or electronic sensor in the camera. It is determined by shutter speed, lens aperture and scene luminance or ISO. This is shown below in the exposure triangle:
Task 1
The path of light in this picture is coming from above the mans face and is shining onto his forehead.
photo
The tones with in the image connotes the idea of masculinity because of the amount of black and dark greys. This is because the psychology of colours allows us to see black as mysterious and is associated with the unknown. To some this shows a hidden strength and this is the shown though the darker areas being the cheeks and jaw line.
Task 2
The path of light is coming from all around lighting up the image
The tonal range connotes femininity because it highlights the skin on show and because the psychology of white is purity which is thought to be a associated with angels. The darker dress stands out creating a contrast between it and the skin.
Black and White photography
There is an absence of colour resulting in are ability to create a narrative in the image is now restricted so particular attention to the wide range of tone used has to be ensured. As this is viewed as an advantage to practitioners of Black and White photography. This is evident in the work of Pictorial list photographers such as Edward Weston and Ansel Adams.
Task 3
My interpretation of Tone is using highlight and shadowing on an object to make it three dimensional.
Mind map
Image Bank
Both images are black and white which seems to be the best way of showing tone. The flowers are shown in a more highlighted zone ( 10 ) , where the background is on a more shadowed zone ( 0 / 1 ). Therefore making the flowers stand out in the photo with the light source coming from the top right hand corner. In the second photo the light source comes from the left hand side creating a effect which almost shows the whole zone system across the persons face. This brings out all the details in the face allowing the mysterious mood of the person to come across to the viewer.
Research
Ansel Adams
He is an American photographer and environmentalist. He uses black and white filters on his landscape of the American west, mainly Yosemite National Park.
The first photo is an image of Cathedral Peak and and Lake. In this image the expanse shown creates a sense of calm and zen due to the techniques used. One of his techniques is to try and pre - visualise the photo you want before you take it. To obtain the image he determined his perspective and use a wide - angle lens and used a tripod, allowing him to get want he wanted into the photograph. He was part of the f64 group that shot with sharp lenses and they dodged and burnt their photos. This allowed him to create a big contrast, so the water on from the lake is about 1 on the zone system with contrasted with the highlighted snow on the mountain at zone 9 /10 . The high aperture setting allows most of the image to be in focus, making the image sharp so it shows as much detail as possible.
In the second image the centre is the main focus point as the foreground has the highest number in the image. Therefore standing out with and rough 7 on the zone system. The mid ground stands about a 3 on the zone system acting more as a transitional tone to the back ground with a zone system number of 0. This has created an effect where it seems like the viewer is looking down the zone system and creating a mystery of what hides in the darkness. The effect is only helped by the sharpness in the image which retains detail, achieved by a high aperture.
The last image has the reflection of the clouds in the water and the bark of the wood as the highest numbers in the zone system. Where by contrast the mud and deeper water show the lower numbers on the zone system. Like in both other images this one also uses a tripod and uses the f64 to make the image sharper.
Edward Weston
He was a 20th century american photographer , known to be the most innovative and influential American photographers
All the images have high apertures and long exposure times allowing sharp focus and great detail. They all use negative shape as the background to really make the fruit stand out. I have really been inspired by Edward Weston and has work also relates well to my ideas. As a result when shooting i am going to shoot in black and white to try and get the same effect and sharpness. However instead of using fruit and vegetables i will try using sea shells instead.
Contact Sheets
In this first photo i really like how i took the inspiration from Edward Weston and how close up he can get to his subject and keep detail. This what gave me the idea for the composition which zooms in on one part of the shell distorting it slightly. The light is coming from above making the bottom slightly darker. It doesn't seem to show a large range from the zone system however when i change it into black and white the range will be easier to see.
In this photo the light source is coming from the right hand side. Resulting in tonal range moving across the shell from the highlighted zone 8 too the darker zone 3. However the colours in the shell really contrast making it difficult to see as you have white areas ( zone 10 ) and then black points ( zone 0 ).
This photo i created different tonal ranges in different areas. The first is the main back ground show the biggest range going from zone 10 at the bottom to zone 0 at the top. The second is formed thanks to my use of light, i aimed it at the base of the right hand side of the shell. As a result you can see clear stages of zones the darkest zone 1, the next stage zone 5, then it fades out. I really like the composition of the shell and how it is also off centre. This was inspired by Ansel Adams second image.
I really like the tonal range formed from the light on the right hand side hitting the shiny surface of the shell. This has made one side of the shell really bright and shiny and the other side has this gradual and small tonal change. The best tonal contrast are in the shadow. Edward Weston was the inspiration for this the image of the Kiki as it also has different colours that translate differently in black and white.
I really like how in this photo i used the inside of a shell as it shows and translates light differently as inside it is smooth and shiny, where as the outside is rough. i really like the contrast in tones on the inside where the curve has cast some of the inside of the shell into shadow however leaving the rest in the light.
The composition of the shells was inspired by Edward Weston as i tried to fill as much of the frame as possible without losing the tonal range round the shell. As well as this i wanted to retain as much detail as possible in order to be able to create a higher contrast between the two shells.
In this photo I used the natural shape of the shell the create tone, by aiming the light at the right side of the shell it allows tonal range to show. With the lightest side being around zone 9 and the darkest being the shadow around zone 2. The inspiration came from Edward Weston and how he composed the tone on the cabbage.
The light in this photo is coming from the bottom left as a result it forms multiple shadows of different tones, as well as this the inside of the shell becomes the darkest part of the picture ( zone 0 ). With the reflection of the light on the shell being the lightest zone ( zone 10 ). Edward Weston's bell pepper was the inspiration where there are so many different tones.
In this photo the light source has created a shadow that shows different tones as well as this i think when i change this into black and white the shell with provide more tones. The light source is coming from the bottom of the photo. Edward Weston's image of a Kiki was used as inspiration from the way there are many textures which give of different tones.
The light source for this photo ( coming from the bottom ) was used to cast a shadow over and beyond the shells. I think the different tones will stand out more when I change the photo into black and white using photoshop. Like in Edward Weston's images it needs to be in black and white, as well as this though I really like that like Edward I retained a lot of the detail.
Images that require improvement
These photos have been selected because they didn't turn out how I wanted them to, the main problem I was having was to do with framing. The first photo is overexposed as well as not being framed well. As result if I am going to take this photo again I would readjust the angle I was taking the photo from on the tri pod. I would also change the shutter speed in order to change the amount of light I let hit the film.
The next photo isn't framed well as I was trying to get the 3D shape of the shell in order to get the tonal range of the shell and its shadow. To improve I would change is the angle I was taking it from as it was to horizontal to the table and the shell. As a result I would be able to see the tonal range in the shadow more as well as showing more of the 3D shell.
The third photo is poorly framed as the shell is to much out of shot. To improve I would need to move my camera view to the left in order to frame more of my subject.
The next photo doesn't really show tonal range as I hadn't angled the light source correctly in order to show the range going around the shell. As a result I need to make sure I check my lighting and the direction and angles of where it is pointing and how that effects my subject.
The next photo isn't framed well as the camera view was to low and a little to far right. To correct this I needed to look at how I had set up the camera and tri pod to then being able to re-adjust it to show my subject more clearly. The correction is shown in photo DSC - 7609.JPG.
The last photo is to dark to show the tonal range correctly over the curvature of the shells surface. As a result I would need to change my aperture on my camera settings.
( AO:3 ) - Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress
When forming my idea on the topic of tone I was really inspired by the research I did into Edward Weston as how he had used everyday food items as his subject. His way of showing the subject in a different light and how there colours changed into black and white could form a new observation of these everyday things. As well as this I looked into Ansel Adams as he photographs nature and formed the idea of the zone system. Both of which really helped me to understand and focus on what I was looking for in a subject to get the better results. All of this inspired me to use something for nature with lots of different textures and patterns, this is what gave me the inspiration of using different shells as my subject.
I am really happy with how the photos turned out however I am going to use photoshop on them so they have a stronger link to my research and add a black and white filter over them. I have leant that I need to pay attention to how I am lighting a subject as well as how I frame it well I am taking the photo so close up.
With reference to my Best Photos …
In this first photo i really like how i took the inspiration from Edward Weston and how close up he can get to his subject and keep detail. This what gave me the idea for the composition which zooms in on one part of the shell distorting it slightly. The light is coming from above making the bottom slightly darker. It doesn't seem to show a large range from the zone system however when i change it into black and white the range will be easier to see.
In this photo the light source is coming from the right hand side. Resulting in tonal range moving across the shell from the highlighted zone 8 too the darker zone 3. However the colours in the shell really contrast making it difficult to see as you have white areas ( zone 10 ) and then black points ( zone 0 ).
This photo i created different tonal ranges in different areas. The first is the main back ground show the biggest range going from zone 10 at the bottom to zone 0 at the top. The second is formed thanks to my use of light, i aimed it at the base of the right hand side of the shell. As a result you can see clear stages of zones the darkest zone 1, the next stage zone 5, then it fades out. I really like the composition of the shell and how it is also off centre. This was inspired by Ansel Adams second image.
I really like the tonal range formed from the light on the right hand side hitting the shiny surface of the shell. This has made one side of the shell really bright and shiny and the other side has this gradual and small tonal change. The best tonal contrast are in the shadow. Edward Weston was the inspiration for this the image of the Kiki as it also has different colours that translate differently in black and white.
I really like how in this photo i used the inside of a shell as it shows and translates light differently as inside it is smooth and shiny, where as the outside is rough. i really like the contrast in tones on the inside where the curve has cast some of the inside of the shell into shadow however leaving the rest in the light.
The composition of the shells was inspired by Edward Weston as i tried to fill as much of the frame as possible without losing the tonal range round the shell. As well as this i wanted to retain as much detail as possible in order to be able to create a higher contrast between the two shells.
n this photo I used the natural shape of the shell the create tone, by aiming the light at the right side of the shell it allows tonal range to show. With the lightest side being around zone 9 and the darkest being the shadow around zone 2. The inspiration came from Edward Weston and how he composed the tone on the cabbage.
The light in this photo is coming from the bottom left as a result it forms multiple shadows of different tones, as well as this the inside of the shell becomes the darkest part of the picture ( zone 0 ). With the reflection of the light on the shell being the lightest zone ( zone 10 ). Edward Weston's bell pepper was the inspiration where there are so many different tones.
In this photo the light source has created a shadow that shows different tones as well as this i think when i change this into black and white the shell with provide more tones. The light source is coming from the bottom of the photo. Edward Weston's image of a Kiki was used as inspiration from the way there are many textures which give of different tones.
The light source for this photo ( coming from the bottom ) was used to cast a shadow over and beyond the shells. I think the different tones will stand out more when I change the photo into black and white using photoshop. Like in Edward Weston's images it needs to be in black and white, as well as this though I really like that like Edward I retained a lot of the detail.
( AO:2 ) - Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops
I used my Nikon D3100 camera set to manual to take my photos. I also used the studio in order to shoot my subject. Using a white sheet on the background and table to create a basic background and a funnel light to shine on my subject I set up the studio. My camera settings where ISO 200, Shutter speed 1/125 and an aperture of f 5.6 and I used a tri pod to hold my camera steady because of how close up I needed to be to my subject.
To improve my photos I imported my best photos into photoshop and I used a black and white filter to change the colour composition into black and white to better match my inspiration and research. As well as this I also changed the colours in order to make a more contrasted and detailed effect. Also i played around with the curves tool to see if i could make the background work better with the image. As well as make the highlight and shadow stand out more.
These images are taken by using the screen grab ( Ctrl, Shift, 4 ). The screen grabs show the black and white filter and the changes that i have made to the image, to allow better tonal range with in the photo. As well as the curves tool and how i changed that to enhance the highlights. Including these i also use the brightness and contrast tool, in order to enhance the contrast between the shadows and highlights. This allow more of the zone system to be used.
( AO:1 ) - Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigation informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
My research was extremely helpful as it helped me to understand tone better by breaking it down into the zone system. This allowed me to imagine how an image may look black and white, therefore allowing me to focus and look for things that i can see would seem to look good in black and white. My artist research allowed me apply this by seeing it in an actual photo. However the inspiration came from Edward Weston and how he used everyday fruit and vegetables in his photos. As a result i collect shells and by applying all this together i released that the shells i had would be interesting to photograph and change in to black and white, due to the different colours.
( AO:4 ) - Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements.
I think that i have made a strong series of images that have visual connections to my research and artists through the use of the zone system. Ansel Adams inspired me to use the idea of the Zone System to allow me to understand the different tonal ranges better and how to make certain ones stand out more. Edward Weston inspired the use of the black and white filter in order to get the tonal ranges to stand out. As well as help me to form the idea of using the everyday in order to present a different angle and view on the subject.
