Lighthouse from 9 Angles

BIRD'S EYE SHOT

   A bird's eye shot is taken with the camera positioned above a scene, as if the camera was a bird. The shot establishes the landscape. One of the design principles used in this photo is informal balance. The cliffs in this scene vary in shape and the landscape differs along the border. The texture of the water and the waves is apparent due to the specularity and light reflected onto the surface of the water. There is also variety in the photo with the landscape and the water.

CLOSE-UP SHOT

    This is a close-up shot where the camera tightly frames around a subject or an object. Formal balance is apparent in this scene as the background the surrounds the lighthouse is the same in its color and addition of the rain. There is repetition with the rain as vertical lines. There is unity with the rain and the background but variety is also apparent because some lines are more diagonal whereas some of the rain lines are more vertical. There is also emphasis is this scene as the lines of the light and the beam bring your attention towards the center of the lighthouse. Your eyes follow the lines back to the central light in the lighthouse.

LONG / ESTABLISHING SHOT

    A long or establishing shot provides the audience / viewer with the scene or setting. The shot provides context and shows important figures and or objects. There is an informal balance as the left side of the shot faintly shows the landscape and the lighthouse. The texture of the water is highlighted due to the specularity and the lighting utilized in the scene. There is repetition with the rainfall in this scene as well. The repeating lines of the rain and the rain is compromised of diagonal lines and vertical lines.

MEDIUM SHOT

   The medium shot is used to direct the audience's or viewer's attention to the subject. The camera frames the subject from the waist up. In this shot, informal balance is present as the lighthouse is positioned toward the left of the frame. There is unity and repetition with the rainfall in this scene. The rainfall lines all are diagonal lines repeated over and over again throughout the shot. The ray of light or the beam from the lighthouse also draws the viewer's eye towards the subject of the shot - which is the lighthouse, which is known as emphasis.

OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT

   This is an over the shoulder shot. Over-the-shoulder shots are captured with the camera positioned as if it is looking over some's shoulder. Through this shot you can see the waves and the ripple in the water that adds to the texture of the scene. You also see repetition in different places, first with the vertical lines of the rain but also the vertical lines of the paneling that surround the light of the lighthouse. This scene also has informal balance as the lighthouse is positioned to the right of the frame.

WORM'S EYE SHOT

     The worm's eye shot is quite the opposite of the bird's eye shot. The camera is positioned as if it were a worm in the ground. The shot provides a view of an object from down below. This photo also provides a great look at the texture of the lighthouse and its brick exterior. There is formal balance within this photo as the background on either side of the lighthouse is similar. There is repetition of diagonal lines with the rain.

EXTREME CLOSE UP

    The extreme close up shot is a really tight shot that only provides a detail of the subject's "face". In this case, the subject is the lighthouse so the detail we see in this shot is the actual light of the lighthouse. We can also see the light beams reflecting as well. There is a lot of emphasis in this shot as well. The light beams are leading lines, leading up to the light in the lighthouse.

EYE LEVEL SHOT

    The eye level shot is a neutral shot. The camera is positioned as though it is a human observing the scene - at eye level with the subject. The subject's head is at level with the focus of the camera. There is repetition with the rainfall as the rain is repeated as diagonal lines throughout the frame. There is formal balance as the left and right sides of the frame are the same, with the same background.

    

POINT OF VIEW SHOT

    The point of view shot provides viewers / the audience with the perspective of a subject. The camera acts like the subject, in this case a person, and what they are looking at, which is represented through the camera. The photo captured represents what a person's perspective when they are looking up at the lighthouse. There is informal balance in this shot as the lighthouse is off center, positioned toward the right of the frame. There is unity in the photo as the background is the same. There is also repetition with the rain. The rain also encompasses another design principle known as variety. There is repetition because the lines of the rain are repeated throughout the frames but the variety is that there are harsher diagonal lines and vertical lines. The lighthouse also has various textures, seeing as the lighthouse has a brick texture.

SUCCESSES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

    If I were to do this project again, I would be more aware of the surroundings of the subject. For the lighthouse, I hadn't really thought about how or where I positioned it. I also didn't really think much about the lighting of the scene. Next time, I would need to put more thought into how I light a scene. That being said, I think I did well incorporating and thinking about the different principles of design. I also think I made the water look rather realistic with light bouncing off of it. I also paid close attention to the light and the beam of light when I was taking the photos because it was an interesting element in the scene and the photos. When it comes to positioning the camera and rendering the images, I need to pay more attention to the golden mean and the rule of thirds when I am taking the photo.