Final Project: Depiction of a young girl's emotions



happy



hope

lost

sad

scared

in love

Artist’s Statement

For my final project, I decided to capture 6 different emotions of the same person inspired by one of the Next Top Model challenges in which a similar concept was used.  I have attempted to use natural frames and backgrounds to show the theme of the picture rather than basing the shots solely on the emotions shown by the subject. The emotions chosen are recognized by everyone and are easy to display and this is helpful for the subject of my picture, since everyone is capable of portraying these simple emotions. My six emotions are happy, sad, scared, shy, lost and funny.

For the ‘Happy’ themed picture, I have used the colorful poles to try and frame the picture in some places. I didn’t take a full body shot as it could shift the focus from the face, which is the focus. The poles although worn out, are quite vivid and seem to add color to the picture, furthermore illustrating happiness.

                She is standing behind a wall, partially exposing her face partially to the camera, for the ‘sad’ themed picture. I have attempted to place her in a narrow, dirty and dark place to exaggerate the theme.

The background of the picture with the lost theme is mostly dark green trees which help to create a contrast between the colorful poles and present the subject as being lost and confused as to where she is heading to. I adjusted the brightness and contrast a bit, to make the overall picture more vivid and dark.

                The sad, themed picture was taken from above to create the effect that people are looking down on her and the leaves and dirt embellish the background which illustrates her isolation.

                People usually look up towards the sky if they wish or hope for something and that is exactly what has been done with the ‘hope’ themed picture. The tree branches overlap parts of her face to show that she is looking up towards the sky and the branches represent the height. The face has been blurred to show that everyone hopes for one thing or another and therefore it doesn’t matter who it is, but the fact that they are all hoping to get something.

                When someone is in love, most of the time they have an unstoppable smile floating around their lips and they usually feel shy when trying to talk or even look at the person they look, hence why we can’t really see the persons face as she is looking down. I have used photoshop to add in clouds and mountains and used the layer blending options to blend these objects in with the picture. You can see faint outlines of the building structures but they resemble clouds and not normal buildings. The reason for adding clouds is to show that although you are physically on earth, your thoughts are elsewhere, probably high up near the sky. The plants act as a barrier between the one she likes and her as she feels too shy to approach him and uses the object as an excuse to look at him since she feels like she cannot directly look at him. 

                Overall I am quite satisfied with the picture but there is room for a lot of improvements.

This is a picture of a girl in a very fancy costume and she is looking down, out of the window. We see parts of some buildings outside although it is faded. The background is quite dark and almost black; we can’t see much. The emphasis is, of course, on the model and the eye is immediately drawn to her and then it wanders off to see what the model is looking at and we see outside the building.

                The picture is in grayscale, as it consists of shades varying from black to white and different mixtures and shades of these two colors.  

Research

How to take good photographs

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/10-ways-to-take-stunning-portraits

Our final project was to take 6 shots of a person that will give the viewer insight into the subject’s personality. I decided to go online in search of some useful tips that will aid me in producing good photographs.

·         Altering the perspective :- Taking a picture from a great height looking down on the subject or from the bottom, this could create an interesting look.

·         Breaking the rules of composition: - Break the rule of thirds and place your subject dead center or in the extreme right or left side.

·         Experimenting with lighting:- Use light in a creative way to create effects on the subject

·         Take an unexpected picture:- Capture them while they aren’t posing for the camera. This sometimes can bring out really nice shots of the person and will be different than their usual poses, hence incorporating more variety to the shots.

·         Fill the frame:- This allows the viewer to concentrate on just one thing which makes it easier for the viewer.

Brainstorming for Final project

For My final project, I have thought about capturing different emotions of the same person as the assignment is to take 6 pictures of an individual. I can use Happy, sad, scared, angry, shy and in love.

I’ll use the aid of clothing and makeup to add more depth to the theme of the picture. For example, dark eyeliner and light lipstick can look sophisticated with a tied up bun, however with loose hair, it can look somber and dark and this type of makeup could be used for the sad, themed picture.

Dark eye-liner, light colored lipstick and loose hair creates a sad, somber look

Dark eyeliner, light lipstick and tied up hair looks sophisticated

For a Happy Picture, I might use light summer colors such as blue, pink, orange for eye shadow and a light pink or red lipstick. Eyeliner can be minimal.

Different sorts of makeup can have different effects on the subject of the picture. I have used photoshop to see the effects makeup can have on the subject.



We were to experiment with photo-taking so obviously we were sent out to take pics. While taking pictures we also tried to use the several effect options given on the camera. I used the color pick option to take this picture with and the result was a half green color and half black and white picture. Although it is an ordinary picture, I am quite happy with the colors and shades of this picture as i like the idea of the subject being black and white, while the things around him is in color.

      Since we have been learning about photoshop i decided to edit the picture a bit. It has a dark look to it and the blotches of red look like blood or some red liquid stuck on to the camera lens while taking the picture( or atleast, that is the look i have tried to achieve). I used the gradient tool, recolor brush tool, and the quick selection tool.

This picture had a few holes and crease lines, and i used the clone tool to get rid of those lines and have use the brightness/ contrast tool to add a bit more color to the picture.

These are the other pictures used for the restoration task. Similar to the previous one, I have used the photo filter option, brightness/ contrast, crop tool and the exposure tool.

Photo restoration Task

Restored Picture

For this task, we had to restore old photos, I mostly used the clone stamp tool, brightness/ contrast options, and the photo filter tool.

Other photographer's work

Photography Analysis

     

These are a collection of images by Steve McCurry. He is a universally recognized photographer who has won several top photography awards. All these pictures show harsh reality which conveys a very powerful message.
                The way the image of the female beggar with her child has been shot is quite admirable. Instead of taking a picture of someone actually begging, for e.g. with their arms out, this picture is taken from inside the car, covering parts of the car from inside and one can immediately make out what this picture is about. He has used different ways to capture a general issue, in this case poverty. The rain on the car furthermore adds depth to the picture and illustrates a juxtaposition of rich and poor; the rich people inside the car, warm and safe, and the poor, outside in the rain. We see the eyes of the child but not of the mother, placing more emphasis on the child which brings out more emotion from the viewers as they feel sorry for the poor child.

The other image of the boy covered in snow ( I think) is an image that really stands out.  Although the boy is covered in snow and is hugging himself, the look on his face is quite brave, determined and strong. Nothing will stop him from achieving his goal. His eyes are the highlight of the picture, the part that really brings meaning. Without those big, determined eyes, the picture certainly would have lost its powerfulness.

Major Project- Photographer Research

Montalbetti and Campbell

Montalbetti and Campbell are very unique photographers. As they are specialists in photographing people, they photograph leading personalities, from political leaders to famous actors. Their distinctive and daring style has gained attention from several photography industries. “They refuse to compromise the integrity of their art for the commercial expectations of industry at large. As such they have created a commercial demand for their own style.”  Their work is recognised and sold internationally and is also within the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.

I personally think their photographs are truly amazing and their sense of color combinations and settings are perfect! I really admire their use of props in the correct way in order to increase the beauty of their photos. Montalbetti and Campbell would definitely be one of my inspirations. The clothes that the man with the wings is wearing is very captivating. The flowers stand out quite well but blend in with the other elements of the picture as its color is quite dark like the other colors used in this picture.

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This photo above has so many intricate details and must have several layers to it. The man almost looks like a perfect sculpture adorned in a beautiful lightweight clothing. The feathers are portrayed under a different light, as in instead of being white or bright, these feathers are more darker and look more silky.



David LaChapelle

David LaChapelle is a photographer and director who works in the fields of fashion, advertising, and fine art photography, and is noted for his surreal, unique, sexualized, and often humorous style.
            He has directed advertisements for major brands such as Lavazza, Nokia, L’oreal, and Burger King. LaChapelle's work has been described as surrealist, grotesque, shocking and ironic.

 I'm not too sure as to what the picture above is about but i like the use of colors and the surrealism involved in it.

Research Task 2

1)      What is a megapixel?

A megapixel is made up of one million pixels and is a term usually associated with digital cameras.

2)      How can you compose better images?

-Use a tripod to avoid shaking

-Use natural borders to frame your picture

-Vary the angle from which the picture is taken

-Use a place with good lighting

-Take shots of one thing from different perspectives and distance

3) How do you avoid camera shake?

-Use a tripod or lean your camera against something

 -Don't push, poke or jab the shutter button, press it.

-Use a higher shutter speed

4)      How do memory cards work?

      A memory card is a solid-state data storage device. Memory cards have no moving parts are much more reliable than mechanical hard disks. You don't need power applied to the card to make it work. This means that the card retains its data even when taken out of the camera.

5)      Why do you need to be prepared when going on location?

You never know when the perfect conditions for your shots will appear again

6)      How are images recorded?

They capture images through an electronic light sensing device called a Charged Couple Device Array.

 

7)      What are some of the myths about cameras and resolution?
It is said that the higher the resolution the better the picture but this is not true for all cases. With a lower resolution it is easier to view the pictures and upload them faster.

8)    What is Resolution and how is it recorded? What are the differences in recording for print and for web?

The number of Mega pixels per square inch in a digital image is its Resolution.

The lowest practical pixel resolution is 640 x

480 pixels per square inch, which at 72 PPI (Pixels per inch), translates to 8.8 by 6.6 inches. This is the standard maximum size an image can be easily viewed on a web-page.

Photoshop research

Search the internet and answer the following, and then copy your answers into your research workbook.

1)       What should your PPI be for printed media? Why?

PPI stands for Pixels per Inch and shows the number of pixels per linear inch in a photo print when a digital image is scaled onto paper. In other words it is a measurement of how many dots are printed on the paper as pictures are made up of very tiny dots put together to form a picture. 300 to 360 PPI for printed media is the best option, any less can cause damage to the picture; this is because printed images are made from very small dots, therefore the more dots per inch the better the picture will look.

2)       What should your PPI be for the web or emailing? Why?

72 PPI and 98 PPI is usually used for web and emailing. This is because that is how much a monitor can display and they will fit on the screen without having to scroll.

3)       What do RGB, CMYK  and Grayscale refer to?

RGB refers to Red, Green, Blue and is usually used for webpages.
CMYK stands for Cyan, magenta, yellow and key black and this is usually used in printing.
Grayscale is a picture with tones and shades of black and white and no colors present.

4)       How can you dodge and burn in Photoshop?

There is a burn and dodge tool that allows you to either make your picture lighter- dodge tool, or darken your picture- burn tool.

5)       Name the ways you can make selections in Photoshop?

The lasso tools; magnetic and polygonal lassos. The quick selection and magic wand tool. The marquee tools. 

6)       How can you crop images in Photoshop? Write the procedure.

There is a crop tool which allows you to crop your picture according to your needs. Once you have selected the area you want to crop, you then use the select tool and you’ll get your final product.

7)       How can you make perspective changes in Photoshop? Write the procedure.

Edit- Transform-perspective

8)       How should you sharpen your images in Photoshop?

There are two ways you can sharpen your image, by using the sharpen tool or goin to filter-sharpen- where you’ll have several options of sharpening your image.

9)       What are some of the ways you can make tone, colour and contrast adjustments?

Image-adjustments-brightness contrast, or levels or color blance, curves

11)What does RAW, JPEG and TIFF stand for in file management?

RAW- read and Write

JPEG- joint

TIFF- Tagged image file format

This is an image of a female tiger thinking about the male tiger, who is her lover. She is thinking about her and although she is home, she feels like she is in a distant planet without her male tiger, hence the female tiger is sitting on this partially faded planet. I used layer blending modes to change the male tiger's appearance.

Photomontage

This photomontage is supposed to give the viewers an eerie feel as there is a model in a sort of ruined, dangerous looking place with blood dripping on the walls and a ' do not enter' sign. The faded image of the girl in the red dress is supposed to be a ghost and it is supposed to look obvious. Both the girls are models, however one is a ghost while the other is alive.

The above is a picture of the images used to create this montage.



Roses

I tried to capture the raindrops that have embelished this pink rose. The focus on the leaves have been blurred so as to concentrate on the beauty of this rose.

This is the same rose but in black and white and with a different perspective.

Cool art

Some digitally manipulated pictures

I was searching the interent for some photoshopped images and came across these pictures.



This is one of my favorite pictures as the is so very simple but has been incorporated in a very smart way. The mother represents the egg shell while the baby is climbing out of the egg. Very cute!



This picture truly grosses me out and henceafter, i wasn't  able to look at burgers the same way and i don't think i will be able to eat burgers in the future without this image popping up in my mind. Although very gross, this image could help those trying to stay away from fast food for good.

When I did see a kiwi for the first time, i actually thought it was an animal for a second. This also is a very cool picture. Kiwi's are genetically modified rats, or rats are genetically modified kiwis. Next time you find a rat running around your house, you can catch it and have it during snack time. :)



Rule of thirds

   A few days ago, in class, we learnt about the rule of thirds which is a compositional rule used by many photographers. rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections. This creates more interest and energy with the picture.

Example of the rule of thirds





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds