Tone

Tone 

Definition & Theory

This refers to the lightness or darkness of something. This could be a shade or how dark or light a colour appears.

Tones are created by the way light falls on a 3D object. The parts of the object on which the light is strongest are called highlights and the darker areas are called shadows. There will a range of tones in between the highlights and shadows.

Without tone Form does not exist, tone is therefore an important aspect in the visualisation of 3D objects.

The tonal range of this photo connotes strength and masculinity in the way that it is taken. The dark shadows and tone around the edge of the face accentuate the cheekbones and other elements of the face, showing strong facial features, which could suggest strength and masculinity.

The tonal range of this photo connotes femininity in the way it is taken and the type of lighting that is used. The tone is not very harsh and is soft in most areas, which suggests femininity. The contrast between the dark dress and the soft tone of the skin, and the light reflecting off of the dress could highlight that the image is feminine.

Research (of artists and techniques) 

ANSEL ADAMS

Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American photographer and environmentalist. His black and white landscape photographs of the American West, especially Yosemite National Park, have been widely reproduced on calendars, posters, books, and the internet. Adams was mostly known for his boldly printed, large format black-and-white images, but he also worked extensively in colour. However, he felt closest to black-and-white photography, which he believed could be manipulated to produce a wide range of bold, expressive tones, and he felt constricted by the rigidity of the color process.

All of the above images were photographed using black and white film. They are all similar and it is clear that he has his own photographic style when it comes to creating images and putting together his compositions. Most of the images that I have selected as examples were taken with black and white film, although he was also known to work with colour film. The use of black and white within the images could have been used to accentuate the tone within the image and show elements of darker and lighter tone.

I gained inspiration from this by producing my own images based on different tonal ranges and then further editing them into black and white using Photoshop.

Image Bank

The following images were added as part of my visual research.

The above pictures are a collection of photographs that represent the visual element of tone. These are also images that I felt that I could recreate well myself. These images convey various different forms of tone, both dark and light tone.They are also taken with a variety of different angles which I hope that I am able to do within my own work.

(AO1:  You must ensure that several of the visual ideas/inspirations within the image bank are pursued.)

Selected Images

Contact sheet(s)

My Best Images (target 4 - 6)

I selected the following as my best images:

Images that require improvement. 

(AT LEAST 2 IMAGES)

There were two images that I selected that needed improvement for a variety of reasons. The first image that I selected I decided needed improvement because the image was not focused enough. I tried to keep it as still as possible, but because of the adjusted shutter speed I wasn't able to hold it completely still for that period of time. Because of this, a lot of my photos came out blurred, but this is the most blurred photo. I also don't think it shows enough tone within the composition. If I was to improve on this image, I would adjust the shutter speed to make it easier for me to keep still, or I would use a tripod so it would stay in exactly the same position for the same period of time. 

The second image is an image that I felt needed improvement for various reasons. One of these reasons is that I felt that it was too dark to convey tone in the best way. For this image, I used a tripod and adjusted the shutter speed, ISO and aperture so that I would be able to keep my image as focused as possible. However, when connected to the light and the flash, it did not go off, leaving the image with no light and no tone. If I was to improve on this image, I would make sure that the equipment was properly adjusted and connected to my camera, which would improve on this image significantly and create a better depiction of tone.

AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.

The main idea that I had and the main reason for creating images of tone was that I felt that throughout Harlow and within my own home and environment, there are various different places and building structures, as well as different objects, that convey tone in an interesting way. Some are more traditional and others are presented in a much more abstract way, and I felt I was going to be able to capture this well. I tried to relate some of my images to my artist research however I think I could develop on this further as looking back, I 

The images that I retrieved from my time exploring Harlow and exploring the enviroment turned out well and I felt that overall, I captured the visual element of 'tone' well. However, due to this being the first time I have used my camera in manual mode, there were certain aspects of my work that I felt could have been improved due to not knowing a lot of the camera settings.

With reference to the Best selected images... 

The image that I took of the glass chess set was taken by placing this chess set onto the light box, and sending the light in an upward direction to create shadow which therefore creates good tone for the image. My camera settings were altered so that the tone would be the main focus of the image and that the image will not be flooded with light, which would not accentuate the tone within the image and could potentially ruin the image.

The image of the leaves and different objects was taken using a lightbox with the light shooting upwards. This accentuates the shadows within the image and allows the tone of the different objects to come through. The heavier objects (such as the shells) have more dark tones, whereas the lighter objects (such as leaves) allow more light through and show a softer tone.

The image of the leaf I decided to take as I felt that it linked well to the photography work of Ansel Adams. A lot of the research I had done on him and his work showed that he took many pictures of natural things, in particular flower leaves and leaves from trees. When taking this image, I tried to focus on the leaf itself and make it central within the composition, as this is the style that most reflects the style of Ansel Adams.

The image of Corey taken in the studio was taken in the style of the Marilyn Monroe photo with the soft tonal range of the lighting. Rather than having harsh lighting, the softboxes used gave the image a soft light, which connotes softer feelings rather than the harsh lighting, which connotes harder feelings but also an aspect of masculinity.

The two images that I chose as my images that needed improvement were images that I felt that I could take again and work on the composition of the image. I would change the angle of the light in order to accentuate the tone present with the image. 

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

For all of the above images, I used a CANON EOS 1300D. I have not used my camera a lot before in manual mode, so I feel as though I could still learn a lot about the different settings and that this would improve on my image compositions in a hugely positive way. For most of these images, the flash was on using soft boxes and radio flashes due to the fact I was shooting in the studio.

In order to improve on the images that I took, I decided to import them into Photoshop in order to enhance them and improve on their composition and the way that they have been shot. In order to do this, I decided to put them into black and white in order to accentuate the contrast and tone within the image.

The screen grabs that I have selected show how I used Photoshop to create a high contrast black and white image. To do use this, I used the Curves tool and the Black and White tool, gradually adjusting the colour sliders to get the clear contrast effect.

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding. 

The artist research that I did was extremely helpful in the fact that I was able to gain an understanding of the different artists and their different styles. Knowing about when they were born and where they were born helps me to interpret their work and understand what they were thinking when they took a certain image. Researching images that they have created helps me to try and recreate these images and then shooting my own images in their style. For example, my research on Ansel Adams helped me to choose to take photos in black and white and also to increase the contrast within an image to rather than just at the normal central angle used for most images. Additionally to this, I was able to get a better understanding of the visual element 'tone' and how different lines convey different emotions and feelings.

AO4:Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements. 

Overall, I think that I have produced a good series of images inspired by my research of tone, composition and the images of Ansel Adams to an extent...  The final images produced were changed by developing the contrast and converting them into black and white images. I think if I was to improve on this, I would try and take photographs that relate more to the artist, as looking back I feel as though I have not fully captured the style of both photographers and I only have one image that fully reflects his style in some way.