Thursday, June 2, 2016

Artist Statement

Artist Statement
My work places emphasis on light, color, and detail. Light is the captivating force that drives my photography, and I’m fascinated by natural elements, including skies, greenery, and seascapes. I use an open aperture that allows the camera to capture more light so that I can take vibrant, dynamic photographs and place direct focus on certain details. Focusing on particular portions of my photographs makes my compositions more complex and allows me to clearly communicate the messages that my work expresses.
I love the spontaneity that the camera provides, and I love to use Photoshop to embrace and manipulate the spontaneity that the camera gives me. My work in Photoshop is graphic with a deliberate aesthetic focus, and I use simple but evocative natural imagery to create imaginative Photoshopped compositions that encourage a connection to nature through self-discovery. My work combines multiple images in a simplistic and colorful way to create playful and surreal alternate worlds in which my viewer must search to discover what lies underneath the surface.

Artist as Activist

     My intentions with this project were to explore the idea of body image through the lens of the belly button. I took photos of 16 different belly buttons and juxtaposed them to illustrate the universal yet diverse nature of belly buttons. Many people are insecure or concerned about the appearance of their belly buttons, and I wanted to use this project to show that all belly buttons are different and all are equally strange when it comes down to it. Belly buttons are also a somewhat intimate body part, and I wanted to push my subjects and viewers to reexamine their relationships with their bodies. I also used belly buttons because they are anonymous and I wanted to show that all people have belly buttons and that the appearance of one's belly button is insignificant and not something to be worried about. My intentions translated pretty directly to my final work, and I would not say that they varied greatly throughout the project as I began with a very specific image of what my final piece would look like. 
     As strange and uncomfortable as this project was to pursue at times, I feel that I am an activist because I think that my work opens a conversation about body image and the appearance of different body parts and how others' perception affects one's view of his or her body. This work is also indicative of me as a practicing artist because I was able to use Photoshop to collage my photographs and arrange them in a way that I found aesthetically pleasing and because I experimented to sketch the concept that I wanted to work with and then directly pursued my idea and refined it throughout the process. 

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Final Blog Reflection

     Looking back over the course of the year, the project that I found myself most engaged in was the "Unexplored Territories" project in which I created a map of California using digital photos and Photoshop editing skills. I found myself getting lost in the editing process, and the general process felt very natural and authentic for me because I was able to utilize Photoshop to draw on and manipulate my own digital photographs. I also found my process to be most fluid in this project. I began with a vision of a map of California, and I took this idea and translated it to a rough sketch in my journal. This sketch served as an outline for the rest of the project, and I incorporated the patterns and textures that I envisioned in my journal when I began to work digitally on my final composition. I loved being able to use a variety of textures and photographs from different locations to create a graphic work with a very aesthetic focus. 
     I feel that I have pushed myself out of my comfort zone more than I am accustomed to this year. I challenged myself to stretch and explore during the Hero's Journey project in which I switched my focus from Photoshop to a series of digital photographs. I am not as comfortable with taking lots of digital photos and arranging them in a series, as I usually rely on Photoshop to combine and layer multiple images. During this project, I learned to rely on the strength of individual photographs to carry the series and I enhanced my photography skills by experimenting with various apertures and shutter speeds. I was still able to incorporate photoshop editing later in the project after I had taken my photos, but I was not as reliant on Photoshop as I often am which was an interesting challenge for me. During this project, I also did not begin with a sketch as I have in the past, but instead took a camera with me outdoors and began to shoot in the hopes of developing a vision as I went along. I played with various objects and subjects and eventually settled upon a specific style that I embraced for the remainder of my photographs. Though I am typically more comfortable with the processes of observation and crafting, I enjoyed challenging myself to embrace and refine my exploration skills during this project and I will take these skills with me in my future artistic endeavors. 
     I most enjoyed the "Unexplored Territories" and "Artists as Activists" projects, because I found that I had plenty of freedom to discover where I wanted to take the given prompts but not so much that I was completely overwhelmed. I think that the Self Study was also a successful project. However, I felt that the "Process Project" was not as successful for me. I had embraced many different processes throughout a variety of different projects over the last trhee years, and I was a bit lost when I was told to use my personal practice to develop a project of my choosing. Had I zeroed in on a set of specific studio habits earlier in my career, I would have been able to take better advantage of this project, but because I was still exploring and finding my artistic voice, this project became slightly frustrating and I was not satisfied with the final work that I produced for this project. I think that Ms. Seal does a great job of working with us to develop direction in various projects and as always willing to answer questions or discuss potential ideas with us. I would advise developing a clearer timeline for certain projects because I found moving deadlines to be slightly confusing at times, though I would say this was a very minor issue in the grand scheme of the class and rarely caused issues for me. 

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Artists as Activists Proposal

     For the Artists As Activists project, I'm planning to take digital photos of as many belly buttons as I can. I'm involved with the Body Positive program at school and I'm interested in exploring the societal dynamics surrounding body image through the lens of the navel. I chose to focus on the belly button because it is a body part that is simultaneously intimate yet impersonal, and belly buttons are distinctive and diverse in appearance. For my final composition, I plan to make a big collage juxtaposing all of the different belly button photos. I want to show that there is no need to feel insecure about a body part as silly as a belly button, because everyone has a unique belly button and the appearance of one's belly button does not determine anything else about that individual. I will be taking photos with the studio lights upstairs in New House in order to achieve consistent lighting and coloring throughout my photos. My beginning goal is to get photos of 16 different belly buttons so I can arrange the photos into a large square, but I would eventually like to get as many photos as I can.

Monday, February 22, 2016

Process Project Discussion


  • surreal landscape
  • notebook invites the viewer in
  • vibrant colors and organic lines
  • tree branches create interesting texture, break up photos in symmetrical and aesthetically appealing way (balanced)
  • one side is more simple than the other, the more complex side is more intriguing
  • contrast/tension between simple and complex
  • tree branches on other half of notebook may have made for a more cohesive composition

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Hero's Journey

     Generally, I begin my process as an artist by sketching or researching ideas that I may be interested in pursuing. However, I usually spend more time shooting and experimenting with Photoshop and editing in order to refine my conceptual intentions. With this project, I began by shooting objects that traditionally allude to fairytales and storybooks. I took photos of a necklace, books, a candle stick, and several more objects on a white and on a black backdrop. The photos of the necklace and the book on black backdrops were most intriguing to me, and I decided to incorporate both of these objects into my project.
     I then went out and shot these objects in nature. I took many photos of nature alone and human hands and feet interacting with nature as well to diversify the series. When I came back to edit these photos, I decided that I wanted to display them in a book because I wanted my viewer to get a sense of fairytale. Though I typically associate my voice and style as an artist with use of photoshop and lightroom editing, I chose to focus more on the quality of my individual photos for this project in order to broaden my horizons and step outside of my comfort zone. I haven't produced a series of photos for a project in a long time, so I decided to go back to the basics of photography and take an extensive series of 30 photographs. Though I felt my voice emerged in a different sense in this project, I felt that the connection with nature as well as the macro photography style made these photos distinctly my own, which was intriguing to me. 
     I had many different ideas about how to use my photos to portray the hero's journey, but I eventually decided to arrange my photos to create a plot for my storybook. I tried to emulate the cyclical nature of the hero's journey throughout the book. The series begins with photos of a book and a person reading a book, indicating the discovery that comes before the hero sets out on his / her journey. Next, I portrayed the journey with photos of pathways and human connection to nature to portray self-exploration and adventure. Along the way, nature aids in the quest of self-discovery. As the series progresses, the hero uncovers pieces of a necklace, which represent the realizations made and knowledge gained along the way. In the end, the charms come together to form a full necklace, and for the last photo of the series, the necklace and the book are placed together, indicating the completion of the journey and the return to a certain starting place, making the adventure itself cyclical. 
     In hindsight, I would not use different mediums or materials, as I think that I was able to push myself out of my comfort zone by not using photoshop and instead relying upon the quality of my photos. Also, I think that challenging myself to take so many photos helped me to explore and grow as a photographer. Though I would have liked to order the book earlier so that it would be here for critique, I would not have changed my approach to working. 

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Hero's Journey: Interim Critique

My group members liked the idea that I presented of creating a book for my photos in order to present a fluid storyline. They suggested that I bind the book with ribbon or string or in some other interesting way that would evoke the fantasy and fairytale that I am trying to capture in my photos. They suggested that I put the photos together in a way that creates a story that is easy to follow, and I plan to do a bit more shooting in order to fill the holes in my storyline. They also suggested that I begin and end the book with photos of the same object, so as to portray the circular nature of the hero's journey and to create unity to ground the story.

Monday, December 14, 2015

My Creative Practice

     Generally, the concepts that I tend to explore when creating compositions are related to the world around me and to the process of experimentation and discovery. I like to explore the natural world and photograph the natural world, but I also like to use Photoshop to manipulate natural elements and create a composition that is more complex and thought-provoking than a photo alone. Formally, I rely upon my use of Photoshop and I think that my use of line, color, and texture in Photoshop help to create my distinct style. I habitually draw lines on my photographs and use masking to superimpose photos upon one another. Also, I like to work with vibrant colors in an aesthetically pleasing manner. When taking photos, I tend to use a very open aperture because I love the way that a shallow depth of field brings out details that are otherwise difficult to see. I enjoy playing with focus and depth in my photographs. Moving into the rest of the year, I'd like to experiment a bit more with film photography and work on communicating conceptual intentions through photographs. I'd like to get to a place where I can take photos that instantly communicate a larger, more important message that I'm trying to get across. So, I plan to work on the methods that I employ to communicate my ideas to my viewers.

Monday, December 7, 2015

The Hero's Journey: Planning

For the upcoming storytelling project, I plan to move away from my use of Photoshop and instead shoot on location this upcoming weekend in a setting reminiscent of fairytales. I would like to find a wooded area or go to a lake or river to shoot these photos. I'll bring a friend or two with me who I will include in my photographs, and I will bring several objects that speak to the fairytale theme. I'm thinking of using a key, a watch, a clock, and any other antiquated objects that I can find and photograph in an interesting way. This week, I will spend time photographing objects that I can find in a variety of lightings and settings in order to figure out the type of compositions that I aim to produce in my series. I will also research several common fairytales, stories, and myths to see whether or not there is one particular story that interests me that I would like to use as inspiration for my series.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Interim Unexplored Territories

What We Notice
- leading to central point of focus, something important
- small shapes inside larger pieces draw attention - conjure images of roads, networks leading to central destination
- contrast of angular vs. organic
- contrast of manmade vs. natural

Intentions
- maybe roads or lines leading to central purpose, intentionally representing something important or something frequently visited
- representing California in the way I see it, different views of different parts of California
- natural
- tension between man and nature


Thursday, October 15, 2015

Unexplored Territories Project

On Monday, I began by doing a daily practice outdoors. I used dead pieces of pine to create a linear pattern with a direct sense of movement. I spent about 20 minutes carefully arranging the pieces in an arrow-like pattern, trying to achieve the linear and directional sense that many maps often have. I become interested in the idea of repetitive detailed pattern and I hope to use repetitive detailed patterns within my map. I am drawn to detail and to organization, so I hope to create an aesthetic that is uniquely mine with this map.



Inspired by my daily practice, I began sketching a map of California. I used major highways to divide the state into several portions. Then, I sketched different repetitive patterns within these sections. In my final piece, I plan to use Photoshop to layer two photos, each of  on top of one another. Then, I want to use masking with the second photo to erase parts of the photo strategically, creating a pattern accentuated by the photo underneath. I hope to incorporate map-like geometry and organization to create a digital collage that pays homage to maps in a non-traditional fashion.


Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Self-Study Reflection


Conceptual Intentions
     I used photoshop to superimpose several photographs together, creating a complex and multidimensional piece. I addressed the idea of a self-study using dark, calm colors to portray a sense of concentration and contemplation. The final product is a self-study because it shows my connection to nature but also emphasizes my fondness of urban spaces, and the movement in the images illustrate show my mind often works, moving in stages or layers and building upon previous ideas. I wanted to make the image detailed yet cohesive so as to represent the complexity of the human mind. The project was meaningful to me because it allowed me to intimately explore a more thoughtful side of myself. I enjoy using photoshop and multiple images together to create one unified piece, so this project allowed me to further develop my authentic voice as an artist. I am also fond of clean lines and symmetry, so I combined these elements in my self study.

Stretch and Explore
     At first, I wanted to use film and long exposure techniques in natural spaces to create a sense of motion. However, due to time constraints and issues with film development, I switched my focus to digital photography and then to photoshop. Instead of using long exposure photography, I layered several photos of myself on top of one another in order to achieve a similar effect. Once I began layering images of myself, I began to see the piece coming together. I used black and white tones to achieve a film-like effect, and I used an out-of-focus light photograph to put more of an emphasis on shadow and to incorporate a more urban feeling to contrast with the natural background. Having completed this composition, if I were to go back, I would begin initially with digital photography and photoshop so as to give myself enough time to really flesh out the image. I would clean up some of the edges of the photo and perhaps increase contrast given what I know now and what I encountered during my artistic process.

Understanding the Art World
      I was particularly inspired by Francesca Woodman's photographs as well as Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Stills. Francesca Woodman's work had a certain unexpected, almost eerie quality that I hoped to channel by layering my photos and playing with opacity to create ghostly figures. Also, her work did not include her face, and I wanted to try to portray my personality and emotions without having to use my face. Her work was a good example of how object placement and surroundings can influence figures in a photograph. Cindy Sherman's were very raw and expressive with a variety of different backgrounds. I was inspired by how she used lighting to design the mood of the photographs and how her backgrounds complemented the figures in focus, and I tried to use both of these techniques in my final piece.

Reflect
     The critique provided me with new insight as to how my viewers saw my work and how their interpretations compared to or differed from my intentions. I intended for my viewers to get a sense of thoughtfulness and contemplation from the colors used and the positioning of the figures in the photo, and many did. Also, other viewers commented on the natural vs. urban contrast and on the movement of the figures. Benjamin mentioned that the movement and opacities of the figures mimicked the human thought process and that the layers could represent the process of understanding concepts and ideas. My classmates also noticed that the diagonal horizon line challenged the general notion that horizon lines should be straight. In future processes, I will take into account these kinds of elements and think about how details work together to communicate ideas that may be deeper and not as immediately obvious. I was able to give my peers insight into how the emphasis that they put on certain elements of their projects played out visually and the messages that I received from the emphasized elements. I was also able to help my peers decide the best organizational strategies for series of photos and to decide whether their works truly communicated the points and qualities that they were aiming to emphasize.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Interim Self Study Critique

Following my conversation with my peers, I aim to...
  • maintain contrast in the black and white photos but keep colors on the light side in order to keep the mood calm and pensive rather than moody and depressed
  • experiment with different textures, which ones work best with which photos
  • play with opacities to get the intended affect, put the emphasis on the right parts of the photo
  • make more photos! 


Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Starting the Self Study

  • how is this work a self study?
              This work is a self study because I plan to explore myself and the things that are important to me through film photography. I hope to use this as an opportunity to explore myself and discover myself through a new medium. I plan to use a series of unconventional photos of myself to compose a thorough self portrait.
  • what media do you plan to use in this work? are you confident in your use of these materials or using the project as an opportunity to grow in you proficiency with them? or both?
                 I plan to use a film camera in my self study. I am relatively confident with my proficiency as a film photographer but I would like to use this project as an opportunity to further my skills and to become more comfortable experimenting with film cameras. Given the absence of immediate feedback in film photography, it can be more difficult to determine the best photographic strategies. However, through trial and error and using different developing strategies, I hope to grow and learn as a film photographer. 
  • what potential specifics can you offer--large or small scale, series or individual work...
                I plan to do a series of film photography incorporating long exposure and focusing on light and shadow. I aim to use simple surroundings to create a clean background and depict motion using the long exposure feature. I will include myself in most photos but want to avoid focusing too much on my face and instead focus on figure and movement.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Opening Practice: 2015-2016


  • Look at the work or works you created last week. What is your initial response to the works? 
  •      When I look at the work I created last week, I first notice the variety of different textures and the dark, moody colors. The emotion that I was assigned to depict was despair, and I used clutter, passionate colors, and sharp angles to capture this emotion. When I see the piece, sadness and panic come to mind first. Although I do think that I could have made a more precise and cohesive composition had I had enough time, I believe that my emotion was expressed thoroughly through the textures, patterns, and colors used. 
  • What emotional, conceptual, formal elements emerge as important in the final piece(s)?
  •      To me, the most important elements of my final piece is the use of directional movement and varying texture. The fast brushstrokes and angular cuts I used create a feeling of movement that helps to illustrate my emotion. Also, the distinct shape and form that I used to create the face of the figure stands out to me and invokes a certain sadness or depression. Emotionally, the dark, turbulent colors in the piece emphasize the emotion of despair clearly why the harsh, jagged lines and edges make the composition more unsettling. 
  • How was working with limited time and materials helpful to you?
  •        Working with limited time and materials allowed me to express my true and immediate feelings in my work. I did not have the time to censor myself or to filter my thoughts, so any ideas that I had were quickly implemented in my work. As a result, my piece is more natural and genuine than it would have been otherwise. Though it is also slightly disorganized, I find my work to be raw and emotional rather than polished and vague. 
  • What in this quick introductory practice would you like to take into your regular creative practice?
  •      In my regular creative practice, I would like to incorporate the quick and uncensored mentality that I embraced during this project. In the future, I hope to put my first ideas and reactions into my work directly without editing myself to create more emotional and genuine photographs. I want to embrace the expressiveness of this practice and to implement the spontaneity and fearlessness in my work this year. 

    Tuesday, June 9, 2015

    Year in Reflection

          Over the course of the year, I found myself to be most engaged with projects that combined photography with other elements, including dark room developing as well as photoshop. I found that synthesizing photography with various other mediums and techniques allowed me to gain a new appreciation for the capabilities of both digital and film photography, as both are so much more than simply taking photographs. I have learned through projects such as the House of My Mind and the dark room portrait exploration that photography can in fact capture a moment rather than just an image of a moment. The freedom offered to me during these projects has allowed me to express my artistic visions in new ways, and I have learned that deliberate portrayal of a subject and thoughtful composition can entirely change the message of the photo. I felt that by the final project in which we could choose our own assignment, I truly owned my artistic process. I knew the moment that I heard that project's guidelines that I would want to combine my love of drawing and of portrait photography using photoshop, and I allowed myself to get lost in the creation of my compositions and to use colors and lines that felt appropriate to each image in order to convey the message of the photographs and of the individuals in the photographs, rather than just relying on the photo to do this on its own. I thoroughly enjoyed the freedom and large period of time allotted to the final project, and I appreciated the opportunity that I was given to find an artistic path that I am passionate about. 
          I believe that I have grown most in my willingness to explore and to experiment. At the start of this year, I tended to stay within guidelines that I was given and I found it difficult to push the envelope when it came to taking photographs. I wasn't entirely accustomed to photography as a medium, and I did not feel that it gave me as much artistic freedom as drawing and painting may have. However, as I was introduced to new methods, techniques, and mediums, I found that photography could become whatever I wished it to be. I could manipulate my photographs using techniques in the moment, such as off camera flash, or digitally after they had been taken, using photoshop and lightroom. After I became comfortable exploring new kinds of photography, I was able to experiment and think outside of the box. I saw this first in the House of My Mind Project as I incorporated photography with drawing and collaging, something that I would have never thought to do in a photography course. I now am accustomed to taking risks, as shown in my recent abstract photography project when I looked for photographic opportunities in the most unexpected of places and used lightroom as a tool to push my photos even further into the realm of abstraction. Most recently, I have shown my willingness to push the envelope in my final project through incorporating several mediums that I was equally passionate about and playing with them until I found a way for both drawing and photography to work together harmoniously with the aid of photoshop. 
          I have definitely gained a better understanding of portrait, abstract, and darkroom photography during these past 9 months. I have come to appreciate the messages that deliberately taken portraits can express and the beauty of capturing moments of human connection and human emotion. I understand now that portraits can truly tell a story, whether it be about the subject themselves or about another issue entirely. I have also come to appreciate that abstract photography is far more than just zooming in on objects or taking photos from a new angle. I appreciate the complexity of abstract photography and the freedom that it gives the photographer to explore the world in new and intriguing ways. I have also learned the key role that digital editing can play to enhance or change the message of an abstract photograph. Finally, I have also come to appreciate the process of darkroom photography. I've learned that being with your photo from the moment it is captured and processing it for days until you can finally appreciate its physical form is a very rewarding experience. Dark room photographs also have a very different feeling than digital photographs, and I think that the quirks of developing film make the final compositions more special and nuanced.  The hard work that goes into the darkroom developing process truly does become apparent in the final product, which I have come to appreciate. 
          I felt that this course was a very appropriate and informative introduction to the complex world of photography. With projects like House of my Mind, Dark room Portraits, and Off Camera Flash, we learned many new techniques and became comfortable using new mediums, an experience that I found to be very valuable. I also think that the final project was a great opportunity for us to exercise the creative thinking skills as well as technical photographic skills that we have gained throughout the course. We were forced to think outside the box, and I think the amazing and diverse projects that everyone in the class came up with were a true testament to the success of the project. After giving us the tools to express ourselves, it was very nice to get an opportunity to do so without restrictions. However, I found the project where we incorporated unusual objects into photographs (such as tinfoil and plastic forks) to be somewhat frustrating and I felt that "light as a character" could have been a shorter or more specialized project, because the theme itself was broad and overwhelming at times. However, I do think that Ms. Seal has done a good job with making us become comfortable thinking outside the box and getting us acquainted with new mediums and techniques. One important thing that I would say regarding the course is that although time for new skill development is necessary, the amount of time that we spend learning and experimenting with new techniques should not compromise the amount of time we are given to freely explore and create. 
    - Natalie Turner

    Create Your Own Assignment Reflection

    one. your conceptual intention. what is it for this project? how is your conceptual intention expressed in this series or project? 
    Conceptually, I intended to illustrate a word or idea with my final project. The idea I used to inspire my work was self-expression. In order to make my conceptual intention apparent, I added colorful backgrounds using photoshop in four different portraits of four different individuals. I then used photoshop painting tools to draw patterns and outlines surrounding the individuals. Each set of patterns was in different colors that I chose according to the portrait and the personality of the individual. In this way, I used the backgrounds and patterns to express the personalities of the individuals and thus emphasize and encourage self expression. 
    two. your formal intention. what is it for this project? how is your formal intention expressed in this series or project? 
    My formal intention for this project was to incorporate pattern / rhythm. I expressed my formal intention in my final composition through my photoshop drawings that have a linear pattern and spacial rhythm. I also created backgrounds that incorporated geometric patterns and rhythm. In addition, I arranged my final four pieces into one larger composition in a rhythmic and balanced way that further illustrates my formal intention of pattern and rhythm. 
    three. your technical intention. what is it for this project? how is your technical intention expressed in this series or project? 
    My technical intention for the project was heavy photoshop use. I expressed my intention through taking unedited portraits and then using photoshop to crop and mask the photos of the individuals. After I had cropped and edited the portraits, I added a multi-dimensional background that I colored and shaped using color balance and posterize tools to each photograph. Finally, I used photoshop to draw lines surrounding the border of the piece as well as the individual. I repeated this line drawing process three times, lightening the color that I was using each time in order to create a gradient effect that felt almost like a shadow or halo. I used photoshop to incorporate elements of drawing and painting into my digital portrait photography. 
    four. what did you take away from the critique? what comments resonated with you?
    During the critique, it was suggested to me that I work with incorporating more items from the background of the original photographs as I did in the green piece in the lower left hand corner. This comment resonated with me because I believe that the portraits could be more diverse and dynamic with more of their original elements incorporated, and I will take this into consideration when using photoshop and portrait photography. I was also told that my use of color worked well and that combining photoshop, photography, and drawing to create electronic portraits was an interesting idea and that I should explore projects along these lines in future artistic ventures, which I plan to do.

    five. were you able to use the freedom this assignment afforded you to your advantage? if the structure was helpful, how so? if it wasn't helpful, what would have made it more so?
    I appreciated the freedom of this assignment because it allowed me to combine my passion for photography with my passion for drawing and painting into one single digital composition. Although the mediums that I utilized were all digital, I was able to successfully replicate the actual process of physical drawing using Photoshop. I believe that incorporating the process of capturing a moment and the process of creating a moment into my piece made for a multi-dimensional and intriguing final composition that successfully expressed my voice as an artist. Although I believe that I would have created a similar piece with or without the given guidelines, I do think that the structure of the assignment helped me to narrow my ideas into one cohesive concept. 

    Friday, May 22, 2015

    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. 






    Monday, May 11, 2015

    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.