Sheffield Photograph Showcase

Image 1 - The Rust Hole

One of the main themes I intended to feature in my project was Sheffield's Street Art, by artists such as Phlegm; and avoid graffiti which in my opinion is vandalism. Outside the park hill flats on this iron bridge which is covered in graffiti, I found a small rusted hole which perfectly lined up with the Electric Works from this angle. I originally was going to leave it in, but feedback from Nigel Stafford suggested that I leave it out. So using a couple of other images, I decided to add the note on Image 2 that I found outside a building site and use it as sort of a protest towards graffiti and to denominate the contrast between old and new. In place of the electric works I opted to replace it with art from Phlegm, the eye to represent "a higher status"and to look down on graffiti which I reitorate is vandalism.

Photo 1

Methods used:

• Magnetic Lasso - to cut the image in the background and leave it transparent
• Magic Rubber - When I cut the section out, it left some light flares on the left edge of the opening ; using this tool I was able to cut these out.

Photo 2

Tools used:

• Magnetic Lasso - Cut out the note
• Warp Tool - Used to warp it at the correct angle onto the wall

Image 3

Tools Used:

• Flip Horizontal - Fits better behind the hole

Edited Image 1

Image 2 - Devonshire Green

The site of the annual Music Festival, Tramlines, I knew I wanted to include Devonshire green in my project. I had already experimented with low angle shots at floor level and I knew it created great imagery so that was the plan I went with in this shot. At the time, no events were taking place so I decided to subject some of the sculptures in the park. In this I decided to feature the autumnal hues in the foreground to add to the contrast and visual appeal. The creative aspect in this photo is the use focusing (however the background is a little too defocused), and the combination of natural and artificial colours.

Image 3 - Rats Eye

 As part of the Street art theme, I wanted to portray some of my photos from a low angle to represent it from the point of view of a rat; an urban animal that I think suitably depicts the street art concept. Initially I knew I wanted to darken the image because It was too vibrant to portray a 'dark' image. I also wanted to cut some of the cars out of the image while keeping the aspect ratio, so I have used the crop tool. The idea behind this photo is that the 'rat' is cowering behind the wall, afraid of Charles Darwin because it is  a bad example of evolution yet is well adapted to urban life, so to me it is quite an intriguing animal.

Tools Used:

• Crop
• Vibrance edit
• Hue/Saturation edit

Edited Image 2

Image 4 - Information Commons

One of the main establishments for Digital Information in Sheffield, the information commons is also one of the greatest examples of modern architecture in the city. Initially, I wanted to keep the sky space in the picture; but as i was editing I came across this picture I took at Devonshire Green and wanted to apply the mosaic feature into another image.

Edited Image 3

Tools Used:

• Spot Healer - Clean up the building in the corner and the edge round the mosaic
• Brightness/Contrast - Increase vibrance on the building

Image 5 - Kelham

I was unsure how to edit this photo; the main subject of this photograph was to capture Kelham Island, as original as it was when it was built, so free from modern intervention. In this photo, I tried to use the rule of thirds to draw attention to the lamp and the ornate vent. I believe this represents creative Sheffield because it is a site of historical importance, iconic Victorian architecture and a major location for the manufacture of Steel. 

Image 6 - Reworked

I struggled with titling this piece because I initially could not think of a defining word to sum the photo up. This is situated around the Kelham Island old industrial area; the fact that almost nowhere is safe from potential graffiti . For me, I like this photo because of it's contrasting tones and theme and of course because the graffiti artist decided to correct his tag.

Image 7 - Hidden

Found behind the Rare and Racy bookshop at Devonshire Green, I feel that this is one of the greatest instances of Street Art in Sheffield. The fact that it is out of sight from the public and you have to endeavour to find this work makes it all the more special. It is however a shame that few people know about Phlegm or his work; yet those who do know especially I, have great appreciation of his talent. I wanted to frame this image with the overgrown foliage and litter and reinforce the concept of it being hidden. In this work notably he has used colour, which he rarely has done in his work around sheffield and based around the Egyptian eye of Horus which delineates protection and overwatch. To sum up, I believe this is immensely creative not only because of it's visual appeal but because of it's location and meaning.

Image 8 - Unappreciated

It was my plan to showcase great instances of urban art in Sheffield; and the fact this site was littered and forgotten really captured my attention. I decided to reiterate the low angle as if from the rats point of view to frame the art with the ground and the litter.

Image 9 - Making Beats

Personally, I think the SoundHouse is one of the major sites for digital and creative activity in the city. Before this project, I didn't really understand how big Sheffield's Music production scene was; the Sound House is the Sheffield University's centre for music production.
I edited the sky colour in this photo to change the natural convention and add an unexpected difference and because I think that orange is a more suited colour to contrast the subject is is visually more appealing.

Image 10 - The Bell Jar

 The Bell Jar had major appeal for me and I knew that I wanted to capture it's art. Using the lighting effect tool, I wanted to give the effect it was during night and there was a large dull light on the subject to create mystery. The recurring low angle is used here to add aesthetics and change the normal perception angle.