Black and White Window.

Using a black and white disposable camera I was able to take a black and white photo. Having a photo in black and white helps emphaise the old style many other ghost photos have. This is something I could use in my final piece.

This is part of the film used when taking the black and white photos. Just the film also looks like something from a ghost photo and it looks like an old photo. However the second picture is from when I scanned the film in. This picture of the film has come out very dark and you can't see the photos.

After developing the black and white photo, by using felt tip pens I could colour different parts of the photo. I decided to colour just the different parts of the window and give it this colourful effect. The only problem was when you starting colouring in the ink will dry very quickly. This meant there isn't a lot of time to correct anywhere you go wrong.

To create this effect I used food dye and a tissue to put the food colour onto the photo. By using a circular motion this meant the colour went onto the photo without and smudge marks or lines. I am pleased with the outcome, however I did expect the colour of the bricks to be brown. However it came out pink. The food colouring also dried very fast, so once the food colour was on the photo you have to be quick. 

This is my first attempt at adding colour to the black and white photo on Photoshop. I went for a different style and this photo looks a lot more messy as I just coloured random parts of the photo instead of details.

This is my second attempt at applying colour to my black and white photo. By changing the hue/saturation I was able to create an old looking photo inside the window. After finding out how to do this effect I will try to experiment with it in other photos and create photos with an old style.

Church Windows.

After looking at different window effects, I have taken some photos of church windows. The styles of these windows don't have the typical pictures of people or religious connotations however they do look very old and have a style which would fit the types of stereotypical ghost pictures. These photos would also work well in Photoshop, if I edited a picture of someone to look like a ghost and put them into one of these photos so that it looks like an old ghost picture.

Ghost Conventions - Mist and Fog.

From different films and photographs there are now many conventions used which link to horror or ghosts. Scenes which are foggy or misty give the impression of a horror film. I have taken photographs of this fog filled field which looks like something from a horror film. In many of these photos you can see the faint outline of an object. In the first photo you can see a few trees and a bush. The footsteps also help link to the horror genre as it looks like someone has walked into the unknown. Then the other two photos you can slightly see a building.

Ghosts - Experiments.

To start my experimentations I will see if I can create ghosts like photographs and apply the old effect used in many of the ghost photos. To do this I will change the shutter speed on the camera so that it will take the photo for a certain amount of seconds. Then by standing in front of the camera and moving the outcome should look blurred or distorted. I could also try standing in the front of the camera still then move out of the way while the camera carries on taking the photo. This should leave a blurred outline a figure.

For these photos I change the shutter speed and shook my head and moved. This made the photo look blurred and slightly surreal. I also found that the faster and more I moved the more blurred and distorted the photo looked.

I then took photos with me standing in front of the camera. The photo took for about 8 seconds, so I stood in front of the camera for about 4 seconds and then moved away. However the first photo I took I only stood in front for about 2 seconds to see if this gave a more ghost effect. But you can hardly see me and the 4 second photo has worked better.

4 seconds:

2 seconds:

I then went on to take photos down a hall way with a women wearing a dressing gown to see if I could get a similar ghost look, instead of just casual clothes. Since taking these photos I have found that a tripod is needed to make sure the photo isn't blurred. However the women does look ghost like, the photo is just too blurred as my hands aren't as steady as a tripod.

 This photo has also come out very dark. This means more lighting is needed to be able to see the ghost image. However, the faint outline of a figure does look good. Having a darker figure may look better in a window if I want a darker atmosphere.

All three of these photos didn't use a tripod, so they look very blurred. However the figure can just about be seen and the effect I wanted has worked well.

Figures in windows - Effects.

These are photos which I have analysed and hope to be able to experiment using my own photos.

When experimenting with photos of windows different effects will change the final outcome. Effects such as this rain on the window could have a good effect when mixed with a photograph of someone or  some sort of figure. The colours are also distorted and you can't tell what is behind the window.

Church windows such as this one have a nice effect and most churches will have them. The artwork looks very old and the colours are vibrant. Most of these types of windows have connotations with religion, so when you see a window with this sort of design you will almost always think of a church or religion. The style is also very clear and isn't too complicated or over crowed.

The broken glass in this window has a nice effect and makes the area of the photo look run down or derelict. The crack is the main focus of the photo and you concentrate your attention on that area of the photo.

Figures In Windows - Ghosts.

I have started looking at photos of ghosts. This example here is a great photo of a ghost inside a window which fits in well with my chosen topic. The photo is from the film Women In Black and has a very creepy atmosphere. Because of how the photo has been edited it looks like the women is in the room with the character, however the face does not look human, giving the impression it is a ghost. The photo also looks very old which helps add the creepy atmosphere to the photo. However with this photo you know it is fake because it has been edited for the film. The picture has a very dark atmosphere and even the character stood in the window looks slightly ghost like and there is a slight tint of white around him and the curtain.

This is a supposedly a real photo of a ghost in Wem, Shropshire. Because the photo is black and white it looks a lot more believable and the photo looks a lot more creepy. The girl is almost not noticeable because of the black and white as she blends in with the white background. Not much detail is seen on the photo because of how dark it is and the only detail seen is on the windows. Having a small child as the ghost is a convention of many ghost films or photographs and helps make the photo a lot more creepy.

This is one of the most famous ghost photos, however there is a lot more mystery to the photo. The image of the person is very unclear and the only detail seen is what looks like a cloak or dress. Because the photo is black and white this makes it look very old, it is also very grainy which adds to the old aspect of the photo. In my opinion the photo looks like it has been edited. This is because the photo looks very staged and has been cropped to include just the person. The photo could have also been edited to look like an old picture, by making it look black and white and adding the grain effect.

This photo is very distorted, however you can notice a small child in the window. The photo also looks like it has been zoomed in or cropped from another photo. It could have come from a full house photo then cropped and zoomed into the window to reveal the child. The photo also looks black and white, so it could be an old photo took a long time ago, or been edited to look black and white.

Figures in Windows - Mind Map.