Bermuda Production Journal

Beauty lies in the smallest of places and can disappear in the blink of an eye.  Capturing this beauty takes a trained eye, quick fingers, and little bit of luck.  While not every picture can capture the perfection of a moment, the ones that can should be cherished forever. 

Visual Literacy enhances one's ability to lok at a photograph critically. It should never be forgotten how important it is to let the subject of the photograph be captured because this allows the photographic moment to be captured naturally.

In the east, yellow and orange light began to creep above the rooftops of brightly colored Bermudan houses, dots of sunshine dance across the serene, sparkling beaches.  As the sun rises further, the sea foam green and deep blue waters of the North Atlantic ocean draw tourists to beaches, the vibrant magenta, pure white, and canary yellow of Bermudan flora stand out amongst the green and sandy area.

            Georgia O’Keefe’s expert use of color and close ups of flowers are an inspiration for this photo story.  Her abstract artwork in the early 1900s is incredibly innovative and creative and one of the most groundbreaking American works produced at the time.  By enlarging and creating close-ups of pieces of flowers in her paintings, she revolutionized traditional flower paintings.  In this photo project, close-ups are used as a tribute to her progressive ideas along with a tribute to her expert use of color and love of the artistic beauty of flowers.

In the pre-production of creating the photographs in the prior post, capturing the warm tropical atmosphere, the vibrancy of the landscape, and the beauty of the wildlife in Bermuda were of utmost importance.  In order to do this, color was a crucial component.  The bright morning light in these images brings out the intense hues in the sky, flowers, water, and leaves.  Color enlightens, inspires, entices, and compels the viewer visually and emotionally.  In this way, it was incredibly important that each picture utilizes the colors of Bermuda proficiently.

Another vital factor in the process is knowing how to compose a photograph.  When a photograph is composed efficiently, the viewer will feel comfortable exploring the photograph easily and without misleading or unneeded pieces.  Avoiding bad tangents, varying the empty space between the object and the image edges, and finding a point of view that gives the overall composition a feeling of unity.

            Constantly snapping pictures of every little thing, hoping to capture the true beauty of Bermudan paradise with a silver Nikon Coolpix 5600 is quite a feat.  This was one of the main difficulties in the production stage.  The old, scratched up, dented, drawn on camera from 2005 is extremely light and, due to the imbalance of duct tape repairs, reacts to every bump and too heavy button clicks, making most pictures come out tilted or blurry.  Luckily, many pictures were taken so there were enough pictures that were in focus for there to be enough variation and interest in the photographs.

            One risk taken during the production was interacting with the environment.  Shifting a flower or throwing a petal in the air sometimes added visual interest added to the images.  Other times, these interactions did not work out.  The one thing that always worked out in these pictures is color.  During the editing process, the color didn’t need to be altered or enhanced much at all because of the richness of the flowers, water, and leaves.    

            Finally, finding a set of pictures that are connected without being the exact same photograph was the hardest part of the production process.  While there were many beautiful pictures of lighthouses, sunken ships, and colorful houses, they did not connect to the other images used in the photo story.  Eliminating these beautiful images was an incredibly difficult, but necessary aspect of production.

            Looking back on this project, another difficulty was the missing camera.  A few weeks before the actually shooting of this photo story, someone stole the Kodak camera that was to be used for this project.  Luckily, a replacement was found quickly and production could commence. 

Thanks to this project, the importance of lighting, color, and every aspect of the background were exposed as vital for an effective photograph.  Also, a fence or any sort of artificial interruption can ruin the serenity of a photograph.  This was a repeated problem in many of the photographs as, although Bermuda prides itself on its natural beauty, people do live there and there are man-made objects in the tropical area.  Also, several photographs of the same objects may be needed to capture the subject perfectly.  By taking only one photograph, one might run into the problem with blurry, tilted, or just not quite right photographs, rendering it ineffective and expendable.  If more pictures were taken of some objects, maybe this photo story would have been more effective.

After three days of shooting in beautiful Bermuda from sunrise to sunset, hours of editing and choosing photographs and attempting to fine-tune my focus, the tropical vivacity of Bermudan wildlife was captured and communicated.  This photo story was successful, but could have been more focused.  The color, lighting, and compositional creativity worked together seamlessly in these photographs.

Bermuda

The hibiscus is an iconic symbol of Bermuda.  This fuchsia flower grabs the attention of tourists and locals alike.  The bright color and contrast to the green around it draws the eye.  This medium, eye-level shot captures the intricacy of the flower and shows the transformation from bud to fully bloomed beauty.  The texture in this shot is interesting in that it seems soft but bumpy because of the visible veins.  The chaotic intertwined leaves and branches in the background contrast the simplicity of the flower in the foreground.  The natural lighting used in this and all shots adds to this simplicity and ease.

Another photograph of a beautiful fuchsia flower, also photographed at eye-level, is a fantastic example of the visual interest asymmetry provides.  While the bundle of flowers is centered, the arrangement of the flowers and the buds in the lower right-hand corner make the image asymmetric.  Another note-worthy aspect of this image is the shallow depth of field.  The leaves in the background are all slightly out of focus, drawing attention to the clearer flora in the foreground.  Lastly, the diagonal lines, like arrows, lead the viewers eye throughout the picture while the partially concealed plants allow the reader to image what lies beyond what it is the picture.

The main Visual Literacy strategy used in this image is the concept of leading lines.  The edges of either side of the roof of the building in the background function as arrows, pointing towards the center of the shot where the yellow flower and palm shaped leaves are located.  What makes this photograph different from all the others in the series is the lighting.  This photo is backlit; the light source is behind the objects of interest, making the objects in the foreground slightly darkened and shadowy.

This photograph demonstrates framing impeccably.  The darkened, shadowed trees frame the pale, sea foam-colored water and jagged, moss covered rock, drawing attention to the framed objects.   This wide shot, high angle image also utilizes a variety of textures: the smooth, malleable water, the squishy moss, and the rough, warn, jagged boulder.  The rule of thirds and the idea of asymmetry are also demonstrated here.

As the only photo in the series that is monochromatic, importance lies on the composition on the photo more than anything else.  This wide-shot photo utilizes the rule of thirds; both mini-islands of trees are on the invisible lines dividing the photograph.  A long depth of field is also employed in this photograph; the background plants are just as clear as the lily pads in the foreground.  Repetition is also exhibited expertly here.  The lily pads and the little green circles are repeated throughout the picture, led by the curves of the pond all the way to the vanishing point where they seem to vanish into the shadows.

This photo, a close-up, birds-eye-view of the water in “Photo 5,” once again, demonstrates the rule of thirds and asymmetry along with the concept of repetition.  Here, the white and yellow blossom floating in the water interrupts the repeated pattern.  The lily pads in upper left corner are partially out of the shot and also draw the viewer’s eye into the photo. The flower in the lower right hand corner, right on the intersection of the invisible lines, grabs the viewer’s attention immediately.  From there, the viewer’s eye wanders from the little petals to the lily pads to the brown chips of bark floating in the water.  All these minute details (strategically placed) add to the complexity of the photo.

Contrast! Contrast! Contrast! The difference between the pure white, pitch black, various greens, magenta, orange, and purple are portrayed expertly in this photograph.  The extreme contrast catches the viewer’s eye and draws them in.  The vanishing point is clear when the leaves disappear at a certain point into complete darkness.  The smoothness of the flower increases this purity in contrast to the mysterious darkness in the background.  The shadow of the flower on the leaves adds to this imminent darkness for the green plant.  The fact that the flower is off-center adds visual interest and complexity to this compositionally basic scenery.

From the crispy, rough looking leaves in the foreground to the large smooth leaf in the background, to the prickly blossom in the center, this photo has no shortage of interesting textures.  The high-angle shot of this spiny pink and purple plant utilizes the concept of diagonal lines, which lead the viewer’s eye throughout the photograph.  The majority of the photo is in shadow except for the leaves in the lower left hand corner and the flower in the center.

This photograph is the only extreme close-up and the only low-angle shot in the series.  The extreme close-up allows the viewer to see the veins intricately intertwined within the petals.  The rule of thirds adds visual interest to this piece and the partial concealment leaves the reader with mystery.  The pistil of the flower is used as a leading line, bringing the viewers attention from the petals to the pink fuzzy stigma at the very tip of the pistil.  The vertical line of the pistil conveys feelings of growth and strength in this photograph while the diagonal lines of the little pink and yellow stamen guide the viewer’s eye out and into the photograph.