Unit 57: Photography and Photographic PractiseProject Proposal

(P2, P3, M2, M3, D2, D3)

Candidate name: Theme: Architectural Exploration of Salford Quays

Predicted final outcome: Effective photos promoting Salford Quays

I am going to be producing approximately fifty photographs of Salford Quays and the immediate surrounding area. From these initial fifty, I will select ten which I believe represent my abilities best and the intended vision I have. They should hopefully be striking and attractive images which present Salford Quays in the best possible fashion. The photographs will hopefully represent the various areas of the Salford Quays, displaying the various things that it has on offer, such as The water centre, the BBC, the Imperial War Museum and the Lowry as well as pieces of architecture such as the bridges and the quays in general.

Reasons for selection of theme (including inspiration from the work of others)

I have selected landscape as a theme as I really enjoy their appearances and presentation. By using a landscape, I will be able to capture lots of the Salford Quays area and will try and illustrate the place as looking as attractive and exciting as possible. Landscapes enable me to paint a picture of a sprawling area full of innovation, opportunities and enjoyment. I am going to attempt to capture both the urban landscape and water.

1. Charlie Waite (http://www.charliewaite.com/):

This photographer uses an emphasis on distance and length, with lots of his images having a theme of long, spiralling paths. I like this because it looks unique and interesting, with the flanking trees being peripheral as the main focus is on the ending. I think I could create this effect with a bridge at the quays or a nearby path.

2. Will Barton (http://www.willbartonphotography.com/)

This landscape photographer takes a lot of city and urban photographs. They are unique in the fact that they are often very wide and feature a large building of different styles, with water in the foreground. I could create this effect for buildings on the edge of the Quays, such as The Lowry and The Imperial War Museum North.

3. Chris Knox (http://www.chrisknoxphotography.com/index.php)

Chris Knox is another urban photographer, specializing in landscape shots of cities, using bright, vibrant colours. As you can see in two of his images below, the components of the frame are all very bright and eye-catching, from the green of the trees to the blue of the sky and the assortment of buildings. When I am editing my images, I may use some tools within Photoshop to make them more vibrant. I believe tools such as brightness and contrast, vibrant and curves could assist me in creating the desired effect.

The photo imaging equipment and medium that will be used and why

The camera I will be using is a Canon EOS 1100D. I will be using this camera because it is modern, a DSLR and an overall good quality digital camera. The lens will be 18-55 millimetres, which will give me a good distance for my images. I will be able to zoom in and out to gain a preferred framing for my images whilst still retaining a good quality. This camera gives me the ability to change the f/stop, aperture, ISO and shutter speed, which will greatly help me get quality photographs. I may also opt to use a tripod, if I believe I cannot maintain a steady balanced shot. However, it will only be used if I think that not doing so will affect the quality of the camera.

Techniques that will be used and how they will help convey the visual message

When framing the images, I will attempt to get as much content within them as possible, to help create a bigger, wider landscape. I will try and get in something plain such as the sky or water, to give the images a sense of size. I will attempt to capture the majority of a subject of my photograph, so all of it is accurately visually conveyed. I will also use techniques such as the rule of thirds, ISO and aperture. Rule of thirds grids will help me to make an aesthetically pleasing image that looks balanced and well organized. The ISO will help me adjust the camera’s sensitivity to light, which will be required if factors such as the weather affect the quality of the images. ISO will also help me have a clear, well-lit photograph.The aperture will help alter the depth of field of the images, which will most likely be required, as there are multiple buildings close together.

Location of shoot

The above is a minimal map of the quays, illustrating some points of interest and key areas in the surrounding area. For nearly one hundred years, the area was one of the busiest dockyards in the country before closing in 1982. Since then, Salford Quays has undergone a massive regeneration programme, with a shopping outlet, theatre, apartments, the University of Salford, The Imperial War Museum and Media City being built there. Media City consists of BBC, ITV and many other smaller independent production companies. The area is extremely modern, with unique buildings, greenery areas and bridges. Some of these areas could make for very interesting landscape photographs that capture its innovative new buildings and regeneration. I may

venture further out of the area to try and capture the Quays from a different vantage point such as from a distance or a height.

There are many different places from which I will be able to get landscape shots, as many key areas of Salford Quays rest on the edge of the water, so I will be able to capture them from the other side.

Risk and health and safety considerations

I will complete a risk assessment on a separate document.