Assignment 206 Statement of Intent for Theme 2

I have decided to do theme 2 on Animals.
                                     The title of this theme is:  ANIMAL SCAPES because I hope to capture some animals as part of a scene and others as portraits.

Intention/Purpose of the photography to be undertaken:-

I intend to photograph animals; some in the wild and some as peoples pets. The photographs will either be close ups of the animals (portraits) or may be more distant as part of a scene.

Reasons for selection of theme: (including aspiration from the work of others)

  I have chosen this theme because I love animals and want to photograph them.  They are part of nature so I think it ties in well with my Theme 1 on Nature.  I plan to photograph some wild animals and some pets. Therefore the photographs may be portrait or landscape.

I get some aspiration from watching nature documentaries like those hosted by David Attenborough.  I have also looked up photographers work on the internet.
                                                                                                         
                                                                                                             
         The Photo Imaging Equipment and medium that will be used and why:-

I will be using the following for my photographs:-
Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF 24-105 L IS USM kit
SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash card 8GB 60MB/s
Tripod
Mac Computer with Photoshop CS5

This is the equipment so far.  I enjoy the results of this kit and that is why I will be using it.  I also need to learn and experience more work with it.   I have found  the lens to be versatile in Level 1 so I hope it will be good enough for what I want to take shots of at Level 2.  If however it becomes apparent  I need more equipment, I will look into the possibilities at a later date.

Techniques that will be used and how they will help convey the visual message:
I will be looking to get in closer with some pet photographs to help convey the animals features, so I will be looking at the portrait type of shot with some of them.  I will use different settings on my camera and experiment with the controls until I am happy with the results.  I will take lots of shots and choose the best ones.  I will hope to capture features like clear eyes, different facial expressions, their posture, fur details and fill the frame with my subject.  Where I take shots other than portraiture, I will be looking to capture the animal within a landscape scene, so not so close up on these occasions; the technique here will be to wait and choose the right moment, having first observed my subjects for personality and/or character habits within an environment.  I may re-visit a scene at different times of day, or on different days, again experimenting and to see if I can capture any new better shots than previous (after analysing them post capture on the computer).

How light quality can be used to help convey the visual message:
I will be looking for a decent amount of light to set off my subjects as I do not use a flash at the moment, so if indoors looking to photograph them near to a window or strong light source.  Where outdoors I will be looking for enough natural light to make the animal look good in a scene.

Safety considerations:
I will be guarding the safety of the animals and not put them into any dangerous situations that is not within their normal means of activity (pets).  I will not be photographing any dangerous animals so I will not be in any danger myself.  I will take all necessary safety precautions for the camera equipment not placing it within near reach of an animal that may damage it.  I will take all necessary precautions when out and about to not only guard myself as in where I go, at what time of day, but also watching how much equipment I carry at any one time so as not to drop/damage any, or myself.