Final Project In Process Reflection

For my final project, I am planning to use portraits and photoshop editing to create digital drawings that complement the photos. I am planning to choose one word or idea that I feel each photo best exemplifies, though I have not yet chosen these words because these are still works in progress. My technical intention will be heavy photoshop use while my formal intention will be pattern/rhythm, and I plan to use photoshop drawings to achieve this pattern and rhythm. My classmate mentioned that incorporating more of the original background into the photo makes for a more natural and interesting composition, and I plan to take this advice into consideration when creating my final pieces. I was also told that using light more deliberately could make my photos more complex and dimensional, and I will consider this while taking my future portraits. 

Strongest Abstract Photos

These were my six strongest photos. My classmates told me that the images utilizing light would work well together in a series. This would include the two curtain images, the chair shadow image, and the fabric image. They liked the ways in which the blue hues of the photos played with one another and they thought that the red in the window photo was very interesting. They also thought that the focus of the book photograph was dynamic and that leaving it black and white allowed the viewer to focus on texture and contrast rather than color. 

Abstract Project Reflection

How did you find opportunities to explore abstraction through your work in this project? Which image is your strongest? How does that image exemplify abstraction?

During this project, I was able to explore abstraction through using deliberate photographic techniques and enhancing my photos using photoshop and lightroom. I used geometric shapes found in everyday objects to create abstract compositions. I also found light to be a valuable tool in creating abstract images, as the shadows and lines created by direct light sources made my photos more complex and dynamic. Cropping was also a valuable tool in my quest for abstraction, as I could focus on particular textures and colors to make the objects in my image stand out. The image that I have posted above was my strongest, and it exemplifies abstraction because I used cropping and light to create a composition that is unique and interesting. It is difficult to identify what the subject truly is and what is going on, leaving room for interpretation. 

How did you push yourself to gain a better understanding of the digital camera and photoshop? What are your favorite photoshop tools? In what ways did you come to better control the various tools you employed? 

I used the zoom feature in particular on my camera to find textures and lines that made interesting abstract compositions. The zoom lenses were very useful and helped me to find and create images that I otherwise may not have seen without such a close view. I really enjoyed playing with cropping and color / hue during the course of the project. Many of my photos had a warm, yellowish tone, and with photoshop, I made the images more interesting   when I switched the tint from a yellow to a blue. I used the editing tools to find hues of blue and green that enhanced the detail of my photos without being distracting. I learned through experimentation to use color in subtle ways that do not detract from the overall image quality and instead enhance my composition. 

FAB Work Reflection

What intrigues you about the artwork? What do you think the intentions of the artist were with the piece? what formal, technical elements of the work might you want to use in your own creative practice? 

I found this artwork to be very intriguing because although it seems one-dimensional at first glance, there are layers and layers of texture and color that make the piece more intriguing as you continue to look at it. I think that the artist was trying to demonstrate complex textures and use strategic colors and directional movement to make an emotional piece that may tell a story personal to the artist. To me, the painting is reminiscent to the heart monitors used in hospitals or to sound waves. Either way, I find the piece to be exciting and complex. I might use this method of layering color and texture in my creative practice to make layered and complex compositions.