exam project part 3

Experiment 1:

This is the first edit I have made out of my photographs. I have kept it quite simple. What I have done is select my head and shoulders and simply adjust the threshold to make myself black and white (I also used the brush tool in some places). I like it as it stands out from the background. I will now go on to use more advanced Photoshop techniques to make better pieces.

Experiment 2:

This is my second edit. I have again used the threshold tool but only on the object.

However I have also enhanced the models eyes so that they appear bright in a picture which is mainly gloomy. I enhanced the eyes as I wanted the viewers attention to be drawn to them.

Experiment 3:

Like my other photo I have kept it black and white but instead of trying to get the audience to notice the model I want them to pay attention to the object. This is because I want to make it obvious that the piece is themed around obscurity. I have first of all removed the object from the piece and made what is left black and white. I have then put the object back in the piece and have increased the brightness and contrast.

Experiment 4:

I think this has been my most experimental piece so far merely because there are so many things go on in the photo at once. I used the threshold tool on the body of the model but kept the clock normal and slightly upped the brightness on it. I then created a multi coloured background so that the figure would stand out against it.

Experiment 5:

Here is one of the edits I have made. What I have done is cut out the photos of the model using the quick select tool and used the picture of the leaves as a background.

I then lowered the opacity of the image on the left and kept is as 100% for the image on the right. I have also used the threshold tool on the image on the left and made the image on the right black and white.

Experiment 6:

Here is another edit. In this piece what I have done is use a background from my nature set of photos and then used two pictures of my model which I have placed behind the rocks. It now looks as if the model is peering out behind the rock, therefore obscuring it.

I have also made the background black and white.

Experiment 7:

Here I have taken one of my earlier photos and then placed it over a background of leaves. I have then added two images and placed them either side of the model. These are the same image except I have flipped the one on the right horizontal. I have used the threshold tool on these two images. I have also placed another photo of leaves over the top and reduced the opacity to roughly 20%.

FINAL PIECE 1:

Final Piece 1 analysis: As this is my first final piece I am very pleased with it. I have used two images of the model (the one on the left has been flipped horizontally) and have used the threshold tool on them. I have then placed one of my ‘nature’ photographs over it and behind it. I have reduced the opacity on the images of the model to roughly 80% so that the background can be seen through the models body. The image on top of the model has an opacity of about 20% so that most of the picture can still be seen through it.

As with my other pieces it relates to covert and obscured because the models face is distorted.

FINAL PIECE 2:

Final Piece 2 analysis: In my opinion this is the best piece that I have created. Similarly to my first piece I have used the threshold tool on the model and slightly reduced the opacity. I had to improve certain things such as the brightness and vibrance of the model. I have also gently rubbed the sides of the model with an eraser on a low opacity. This gives the piece the effect that the model is fading into the background.

I have also used the ‘lighting effects’ on the centre of the model. This makes it much more eyecatching. I have also used the lens flare in the top left hand corner to really bring the piece to life.

FINAL PIECE 3:

Final Piece 3 analysis: In this piece I have used 3 images of the model spread out over the canvas. I have also used a background piece which I edited by quick selecting everything but the flowers. I then made it black and white. This made the flowers stand out as they were against a darker background. I have continued to use the threshold tool on the model as it really makes him really stand out. I have placed another picture over the top of that of some leaves and then used the colour overlay tool and made it a burgundy colour with a low opacity.

FINAL PIECE 4:

Final Piece 4 analysis: This is probably one of my more complex pieces as it was the most time consuming. Again I have used more than one image of a model but in this piece I have focused more on my nature photos then the actually model. As you can see I have simply posterized the models body but have spent a majority of the time on the background. I first of all quick selected the flowers and removed them from the piece. I then changed the colour of the leaves to a brown like colour and used the threshold tool on it. I then brought back the flowers where I had enhanced them by increasing their size and changing their position. I also placed the flowers in front of the model rather than the back, this is because I wanted the flowers to be noticed more than the actual model.

FINAL PIECE 5:

Final Piece 5 analysis: This is one of my more simplistic pieces. I have continued to use the posterize tool but this time on the background. I have then put in an image of the model appearing to cry. I have increased the brightness and vibrance on the model. To the right of that I have used an image of myself where I have used the threshold tool and reduced the opacity.

FINAL PIECE 6:

Final Piece 6 analysis: Again I feel that this piece isn’t complex enough. I have used a background of leaves and then placed an image of the model on top of that which has been made black and white and has the opacity reduced to 80%. I have then placed another image of the model to the right which has been thresholded. I have also used the lighting effect tool on his face and made it to a high intensity. I also placed another image of a bush in front of it and reduced the opacity to about 20%. The lens flare tool has also been used in some areas.

FINAL PIECE 7:

Final Piece 7 analysis: This is probably my most time consuming piece and one of my most successful. I have used an image of flowers as the foreground this time instead of the background. I have used the curves tool on the flowers closest to the camera. This has taken great effect as the flowers now draw a lot of attention.

The flowers in the background have also been made black and white. For the image of the model on the left I have played around a lot with the vibrance and saturation tools. I have also used the lighting effects tool with a low intensity on the face. I have also very faintly used an image on the right hand side where I have also edited it by using the saturation tool and the vibrance tool. This is probably my favourite piece.

FINAL PIECE 8:

Final Piece 8 analysis: This has got to definitely be my most eye-catching piece. I have used a picture in the background of some leaves which I have thresholded, I then used the colour overlay tool so they were made green. I then quick selected the flowers and used the curves tool on them so they have been made a very dramatic yellow/orange colour. So for the image on the left I have done what I did in the previous piece by playing around with the vibrance and saturation tools, also the opacity has been reduced. For the image on the right I used the threshold tool and slightly reduced the opacity. At this point I felt the middle of the piece was empty so I placed a close up of the models face there and reduced the opacity to about 50% so that a majority of this piece can still be clearly seen.

Exam Evaluation •

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I initially started my exam project by focusing on tings that I wanted to take pictures of. I decided I wanted these to be photographs of portraits and aspects of nature. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to photograph any buildings which is something I would have like to have done. I took a shared number of photographs relating to portraits and nature. I had previously taken photos of myself but this time had the advantage of a model, as well as myself. This allowed me to explore my options.

I believe that a majority of my photos are successful but there are still minor issues with some such as some photos being out of focus. I think this is mainly shown in the photos I took of plants etc. This is an issue especially in photos 19, 17 and 11.

I continued to stick with my idea throughout the whole project. I developed both my idea’s of portraits and nature by creating experiments where I combined the two, I then carried this into the actual exam. I liked doing this as it allowed for a lot of experimentation in Photoshop and I had a range of photos to use.

I looked at a large amount of artists during this project and this can be seen on my Pinterest. I studied the likes of Salvador Dali, Robert Mapplethorpe and Edward Weston. I looked at these particular artists as they were the ones who I found represented ‘Covert and Obscured’ very well. I did attempt to bring my artists work into my own, however this was hard as certain objects were hold to get a grasp upon, however I think my own photos represent my artists work well.

In my own experiments I honestly think I could have gone further by experimenting more. My experiments came out positively but didn’t seem particularly complex and took roughly 10 minutes to half an hour, which would be an issue in the exam. I think now that I have got a better knowledge of Photoshop I would be able to create much more complex pieces, such as the ones I have done in the exam.

I think that the exam itself went very well and I am pleased with what I have created. I think my work most relates to that of John Baldessari as he used shapes to obscure his work. I have made my work unique however by placing photos over one another to obscure them.

If I had more time on this project I would definitely take more photographs and retake some of my current ones. I would further develop my work by using much more complex editing techniques . I would continue to study my current artists but would study the likes of Laurence Demasion and Ralph Gibson in depth.