Melissa Fague:

Melissa Fague is a nature and landscape photographer who has won both national and international awards for her work. She aims to give those who view her photographs a "sense of hope, peace, relaxation and affection for the natural world." Fague was involved in a car accident in 2009 which effected her mobility but gave her the opportunity to focus her attention onto photography, buying a camera which interchangeable lenses. It was through this time that Fague learnt that photography was about the study of light and angles and began to use it to reflect an individual's story and personality. She believes that photography is "the story of the world that continuously moving and interacting around us."

I have chosen to take inspiration from Fague's work as I believe it perfectly encaptures the 'elements', particularly water and its movements. I love her use of composition and her ability to experiment with different settings to create different effects for example, using a long shutter speed to capture the movement of waves. 

The composition of this photograph is interesting as the poles break the rule of thirds however the image is still pleasing to the eye. This is because the other 'elements' within the photograph follow the rule, for example the horizon line is perfectly in the upper third. Fague probably used a small aperture to allow the light from the sunset to be photographed however this was probably around f.6 as there is a great depth of field meaning the whole image is in focus. 

This photograph has been taken using a long exposure to capture the movement of the waves, it would therefore have been taken using a tripod to ensure that the camera only caught the movement of the waves. This use of a long exposure is effective as it uses natural lines to lead the eye into the picture. The timing of the photograph is effective as there is a clear division between the sea and the sand and this division uses the rule of thirds. 

This photograph was created by putting the camera on a 'lazy susan' and using a long exposure to create the sense of spinning within the image. This technique is effective as it draws the eye of the viewer into the centre of the image as it is the main focus point. This is an example of abstract photography within Fague's work showing the different elements of her work.

The composition of this photograph is effective as it is taken looking upwards, this is emphasised through the use of a low depth of field. This is an interesting technique for Fague to use as it explores a new side of nature photography and focuses on how nature can be manipulated through the use of angles and composure. 

This photograph is effective as it is backlit, allowing it the details of the leaf to be highlighted, I think Fague may have further increased this through editing by increasing the contrast and levels within the photo, to make these detailed to be made more prominent. The photo has a large depth of field as the whole leaf is in sharp focus and therefore allows the viewer to focus themselves on the intricate details of the leaf.

My Response:

For this photograph, I over-emphasised the colours of the leaf in post production by enhancing the saturation and vibrance of the colours, this was effective as it draws attention to the details within the leaves. 

I edited the background out from this photograph to remove any distractions therefore drawing the viewers' attention to the details within the leaf. Whilst taking the photo, I placed a light underneath the leaf which also emphasised the veins.

I used a long exposure to create this effect on the fire, the lines coming away from the fire were a fire crack - creating an interesting effect. The lines from the fire cracking may also act as leading lines in the photo drawing attention into centre of the fire. The composition of the photograph is also effective at creating this same effect as the right third is on the main part of the fire.

For both these photographs I also used a long exposure of around 2 seconds to create a motion blur of water. In the this photograph the water, like in Fague's work, blurred into a white of the water going both in and out of shore. This effectively created a high contrast between the sea and the rocks, making the photograph more dramatic and therefore have a greater impact.

I think the birds eye view of this photograph is effective as it, along with the composition, creates an image that is pleasing to the eye. The photograph has a less obvious motion blur however it is still effective at showing the movement of the water.