Digital Photography and Imaging: Project 1

5.4.2021 - 19.4.21 (Week 2 - Week 4)

Wendy Seto / 0348805

GCD61204 Digital Photography and Imaging / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Project 1: Collage

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LECTURES

Week 2: Today we are learning about the basic composition in photography. I have heard about this topic before actually, but haven't really got the chance to dive deeper into it. There are 4 basic compositions mentioned:

1. Focal Point

2. Scale & Hierarchy

3. Elements Balance

4. White Space

Next, Mr. Fauzi talked about the Rule of Thirds. The Rule of Thirds is the process of dividing an image using an imaginary grid to produce a more natural shot. We were shown to some graphic examples, from posters to movies. It was very satisying in my opinion, I'd love to see more of them. There is also the Golden Ratio, which can help to create a composition that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye through harmony and proportion. Lastly, we talked about Framing and Cropping in composition.

Week 3: This week, we got another explanation in how to use Adobe Photoshop. Mr Fauzi introduced us to the top 3 tools we will be using, the lasso tool, pen tool and layering. We also learnt the difference between both lasso and pen tool, and which one is better for certain work type or situation.


Week 4: In week 4, we were introduced about how to use the adjustment layers and filters in Adobe Photoshop. The adjustment layers are a group of image editing tool to add colour and tone without permanently changing the images pixels. Some of the adjustment layers that are commonly used are:

1. Brightness and Contrast

2. Level

3. Curves

4. Exposure

5. Selective Color

On the other hand, filter is an essential element to change colour, add blur or create a completely new image effects. We were shown a video about a photo filter trick in Photoshop, the person in the video really did change the entire image vibe. But to be really honest, I think the 'before' image is much better except for the details hahaha.

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PROJECT 1A

Week 2: We were told to prepare some magazines cut out graphics for our collage exercise since last week. I enjoyed making some similar projects previosuly, so it is not my first time doing this kind of stuff! 

My concept here is: Self Love. How? As you can see, there are a lot of food graphics (I found them on my high school biology text book), I chose them because I have a very bad habit of eating procrastination. I don't like to do things half way, so I always manage to finish it before I start doing something else. There are few times where I ate breakfast at 5 P.M. I know it sounds crazy and not healthy, but I kept on doing it. Hence, I decided to create this collage to remind myself if eating is a form of self love. The butterflies are to symbolize that growth is a process, we don't just wake up and become the butterfly. Piano is a musical instrument, I want to tell that music can help me heal. For the background, I ripped out a random page from my Physics Schaum. I will still read my magazines at some point in the future, but not my science books. Also, I found this heart patterned paper and a quote from my previous collage archives. I think it suits the whole concept very well. Mr. Fauzi asked us to take 3 pictures of the collage pre-composition:

fig 1.1 pre-composition #1 9/4/21

fig 1.2 pre-composition #2 9/4/21

fig 1.3 pre-composition #3 9/4/21

From the three above, I can't decide between the first and second one. I tried to ask some of my friends which one do they like better, but no one is answering until I realized that I only have 10 minutes left to submit the assignment. I finally decided to go with the second one, but the result is a bit different since I unintentionally paste them not in an exact position as before. Not gonna lie, I think I like the pre-compostion one much better!

fig 1.4 final collage 9/4/21

I then stick it on my wall and hope it can help me fix my eating pattern as time goes by. Thank you so much for the exercise Mr. Fauzi! 

fig 1.5 the collage on my wall 10/4/21

PROJECT 1B

Week 3: Mr. Fauzi wants us to practice applying what we have learnt today in our next exercise. He has prepared us a folder of pictures to create our digital collage in Photoshop. There are 16 pictures in total if I am not mistaken, and I have chosen 6 to use for my exercise. 

fig 1.1 my 6 selected pictures

Furthermore, Mr. Fauzi wants us to create 3 compositions just like our previous practice. Here are what I came up with:

fig 1.2 composition #1 16/4/21

fig 1.3 composition #2 16/4/21

fig 1.4 composition #3 16/4/21

I have to re-watch the lecture beforehand to be able to use the tools in Adobe Photoshop. When I am ready to start creating the digital collage, the software on my laptop crashes which made me have to find another alternative. I finally did the exercise on my phone, using Superimpose, because the Adobe software still won't work until Friday (the assigned due date). I am currently trying to re-install the software so I can use the lasso and pen tool for future projects. 

fig 1.5 my saved masks in superimpose 16/4/21

Back to the three collage compositions I created, I think I like the second one the most. The concept this time is basically about how people are living the world right now. We hear news everyday, from medias such as televison and newspaper. We transport, from buildings to buildings, cities to cities, and of course from news to news. News are spreading so fast nowadays, just like the movement of the train shown in the picture. No matter it tells the truth or false information, it will keep on spreading, widely. It is our choice whether to believe it or not, and that will affect how we live in the next day.

I like the first composition as well but not as much as the second one. The only thing disturbing me is the fact that the 'white sand' in the background and the 'newspaper texts' on the TV together are so crowded. Because they own the same monochrome colours with many details on each which I think it is a little too much. If only we are allowed to apply the blending mode it will be much better. The second composition, I should have added something else to be shown on the TV instead of nothing. But I just don't think there is any right picture for this, just trying to not ruin the whole concept. Lastly, the third composition. I can't say I like it but I don't hate it either. I think this one will look good if I put different objects on each TV screens. But a repetition kinda make a lot of sense too, don't you think so? Overall, I think I can still improve these three compositions I made. Really enjoyed doing the exercises so far, looking forward to explore more in future classes!

Week 4: Mr. Fauzi told me to continue with my second composition from previous week's exercise. This time we can enhance the composition by applying what we have learned in today's class. I love playing around with colours and blending effect more than cutting and masking so I guess I enjoyed this week’s exercise a lot more! 

Before start doing it, I have to redo my composition in Adobe Photoshop first because I was unable to do it last week. As I have mentioned in my week 3 DPI blog post, my Photoshop crashed so I had no options but to do it on my phone. Luckily, I have successfully fixed the issue now! This is my first time using the pen tool in photoshop to cut selections and actually kinda enjoying it. However, when I am almost done with the masking, the software quit unexpectedly. I tried to re-launch it several times but I can't see my work. I was so frustrated and regret that I didn't save it in the first place. I followed every tips I found on Google on how to recover it, but none of them is working. The only thing I can do is start doing it all over again. It is overwhelming, but at least I learned a lesson.

fig 1.1 cutting and masking progress 23/4/21

fig 1.2 my final composition using the pen and lasso tool in Photoshop 23/4/21

fig 1.3 adding adjustment layers, photo filter and blending effects 23/4/21

fig 1.4 final collage result 23/4/21

I don’t really like cool tones but I think it perfectly matches the composition and concept. I realized that everyone is wearing winter outfits in the train station and the white sands look kind of like a snowy road which unintentionally supports the environment. My imagination can be really wild sometimes but  somehow I like how it turned out!

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FEEDBACK

Week 2

I received a direct feedback from Mr. Fauzi about my collage exercise during the week 3 lecture. He said the compositions are good and he loves the way I played around with the space to show depth. He thinks I did pretty well by balancing the background to not look too obvious and succeed in making the elements look clear for the viewers to see. The flow and focal point are also there, including the golden ratio. I didn't do it on purpose but somehow I managed to own all the 4 basic compositions in my work. Really glad to hear this from Mr. Fauzi, it made my day!

Week 3

Mr. Fauzi didn't say much about my exercise this time, he only suggested me to use the first composition. I also told him that my Photoshop crashed so I have to do the exercise on my phone, and he said it is okay but I have to make sure that it will work in the next few days. 

Week 4

Mr. Fauzi did not talk much about my work this week as well, he only told me to submit the final collage result (fig 1.4) for project 1. I am not sure whether he likes it or not but at least he did not ask me to change or fix anything which should means that I did the exercises correctly.