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Emily Cope

Study of Digital Artist One

Sebastian Magnani

Introduction

  • I have chosen to study the photographer Sebastian Magnani

  • I have chosen them because I really like how they present nature and how they can show what is above and below the camera in one photo.

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Analysing 1 of their pieces of work:

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  • The subject matter of the work to the right depicts (shows) colour in nature, the viewers eye is drawn to the centre of the photo where he has placed a mirror and photographed the reflection of the tree above. The subject in Magnani's photo is the tree in the middle and he makes it stand out well with the mirror acting as a border around the tree.

  • Any other information about the work that is important? Sebastian Magnani takes two photos: one of the ground with colourful petals and grass at a 90 degree angle to the floor and then he takes on of the mirror with a nice reflection of the tree above at an angle so that the camera is not visible in the reflection. He then merges the two photos together using Photoshop.

  • Magnani has paid particular attention to Compositional Rules in this work, as he has intentionally used framing with the mirror that frames the tree, he uses rule of thirds because he purposefully places the mirror directly in the middle and he uses symmetry with the background of the photo. 

  • Magnani has also used the Formal Elements of  Shape and Form using the circular mirror, negative space as the ground around the photo and the sky in the mirror, Balance as the background of the photo is balanced, texture with the petals and leaves on the ground, focus on the mirror and colour in the tree.

  • The effect of these visual devices is the viewers eye is drawn to the centre of the photo where there is a colourful tree and the pattern of petals is broken. the viewer also is drawn to the formal element of colour where the colour of the petals and the tree matches.

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Mood:

  • I think the work feels calm. The artist has created this mood by photographing using symmetry and showing nature in such a beautiful way

  • The colours used in the work are green leaves and grass on the ground with pink petals mixed with the green, the center of the photo has a pink tree that matches the colour of the petals on the ground. the pink and green are contrasting as they are opposite on the colour wheel. this has an overall calming effect with the colours Magnani used.

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sebastian magnani example 1.jpg
sebastian magnani example 2.jpg
sebastian magnani example 3.jpg

Technical analysis:

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  • I think that this work was probably taken using props such as a circular mirror, petals and leaves, I think he used natural lighting to take these photos, also I think he could've used a tripod to take the photo of the ground so his hands didn't shake and to make sure that it was at a 90 degree angle. 

  • The artist has used natural lighting, lit from the sky above the photo 

  • Magnani uses Photoshop to edit his photos and he merges the two photos he takes together, I think he probably also enhances the colours and the saturation in his photos to make them stand out more.

  • In this work the camera has been focused on the centre of the photo, on the tree that is reflected in the mirror, the background is not blurry and is still in focus but the viewers eye is drawn to the centre which is the focus point.

  • The artist has used a small aperture to create a long Depth of Field. I can tell this because everything in the photo is in focus. Even though everything is in focus, the viewers eye is drawn to the centre where the mirror is placed.

  • I can tell that Magnani has also used a fast Shutter Speed because nothing in the photo is blurry and it is all really sharp. 

  • It would have been best for them to use a medium ISO like 800 to take this work because it is already bright from the natural lighting and you don't want it to get too bright or too dark.

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Intent:

  • From looking at it, I think the work is about reflection. 

  • Researching Magnani’s work, I have found that they made this work because he wants to show the beauty of nature through reflections

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Relate to your own work:

  • How will you be influenced by this artist’s work when planning and taking your own photos? What about their work are you going to try and replicate in your own? I am going to go outside and find some interesting  plants and trees and use a circular mirror to replicate his photos and then I will edit them on Photoshop. 

  • On Photoshop I copy and paste the mirror photo onto the background photo and use the object selection tool to cut out the mirror so that is the only part of the other photo that I am using.

  • Then I create a shadow underneath the mirror using a new layer and I select the mirror and a small area around the outside using the magic wand tool; I colour match a dark green colour to act as my shadow and fill in the new layer using the paint bucket tool. To make sure the shadow isn't too sharp, I edit the opacity and change it to a lower percentage.

  • Next I edit the brightness, concentration, saturation and vibrance to make the colours stand out more and so they are more vibrant.

GCSE Photography - Year 11 Project One

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