Parallell Universe

Parallel Universe

In this Unit I would like to improve my Photoshop and Lightroom skills. I would also like to achieve an outcome which involves manipulation, editing techniques and post processes, which  involves a strong element of digital photography.

Here are some of my initial experiments, using a picture of the shard in London. The image I am most pleased with from this selection is the first image below. This image involved flipping and changing sections of the original image. I then used the Clone Tool in Photoshop to clone a part of the sky and place it over the center. Furthermore I am pleased with the really strong contrast which subtly brings out the clarity in the image and aids in separating the horizon of buildings from the cloudy sky. This is also reflected in the ball of cloud in the center, breaking the strong lines and using juxtaposing textures.

 

These images below represent the steps I took to select, refine and move the leaf from the image to the right. The first two images show the leaf after I had selected and moved it compared to the original photo.

Negative Space

This image below is an edit I made from two images, The first was the image was of a building, I used the magic wand tool to select the areas I wanted, then used the stroke tool to create an outline on a new layer. I then transferred this onto a separate canvas. The second image was of some clouds, I had saturated and edited the curves and contrast to create some interesting colors. I then used the elliptical selection tool to select a circle. I then used the select > Inverse tool and used a mask of solid color or white to fill in the outside. This was then flattened and dragged onto the other canvas with the outline on.

 

 

This second image is a different outcome. With this image I decided to make a banner print, to suggest more of an urban landscape. 

This is how to create an outline of an image as I have done in the images above.

Firstly select the part of your image using the magic selection tool.
Before creating the outline itself, remember to create a new layer.

Go to Edit > Stroke

Choose the thickness of the stroke you wish to apply and click okay.
You can move the outline onto a fresh canvas.

Ideas Generation

Locations - Beach, Urban Landscapes, Interiors, minimal seascapes
Long exposures, night, star trails, flash blur
Mirrors, reflections, mystery and surrealism, Minimalism
Clean and strong lines, negative space mixed with powerful imagery and color
Sky, clouds, day + night

This image below is taken by Mauren Brodbeck. To edit this image, Brodbeck has selected an element of the image and then completely blocked it out using masks. 

This juxtaposing negative space really stands out and creates an incredible atmosphere which suggests an unworldly environment. Furthermore, Brodbeck often uses interesting times of the day to add another dimension to her images, for example, this image uses a stormy twilight sky, mixed with street light. This supports the atmospheric quality of the image and suggests much more contradiction between negative space and image. I also believe that the loss of dimension in the negative space is incredibly haunting. By mixing a three dimensional environment with a two dimensional block of color, Brodbeck manages to to completely skew and change our perspective an otherwise quite ordinary urban landscape.

Below are some further experiments of mine.

Further Experimentation

Panoramic Image

Triptychs and Diptychs

Invite Finals

Hastings Trip

Strange Environments

Equipment List: Strange Environments

• Tripod
• DSLR
• Film SLR
• Fish-eye adapter
• Polarizing filter
• Neautral density filter
• Lens Cloth

Preparations for location shoot

Firstly, I went to observe the locations prior to when I went out to actyually shoot. I looked for interesting objects and places within the environments that I could photograph in interesting ways, or by using interesting angles. I also worked out what equipment I would need to bring to use in my shoots. For example I made sure I had a tripod and a polarizer at all times, secondly I brought along a neautral density filter and a fish eye adapter on the later shoots. For health and safety, I brought waterproof clothing, ensuring that I would not get hurt or damage any equipment when shooting.

Plan for Strange Environment Shoot:

 Location Photographers Research

The first photographer I looked at was Peter Fraser. I looked at a project named '12 Day Journey'. I chose this photographer because of his surreal images, which are created by using strong lines, repetition and negative space. I therefore decided that I would like to reflect these qualitys in my own work and suggest rather than show. Here are some images by Peter Fraser that I like:

This first image depicts a group of cows, this image is made interesting by the way the image was taken through a hedge, this frames the image and gives it another depth. Furthermore the simple blocks of sky and grass give this image a simple background with an abstract foreground and focal point. Furthermore Fraser has used quite a shallow depth of field to ensure the that the hedge in the foreground is not completely in focus and suggests a bit of distortion wheras the field with the cows in, is in focus.

 

This image simply depicts a pathway. This image is made interesting by the use of negative space and the way that the natural environment leads into the centre of the image. Furthermore the framing of the more dense bush on the left and the shadows that fall onto the path, give the image a sense of unbalance. This is also enhanced by Fraser placing the horizon two thirds of the way up the image.

The second photographer is called Sian Bonnell, Bonnell focuses on normal, mundane household objects in strange environments, or environments that contrast the objects dramatically, here are some images by Sian Bonnell:

I chose these images because they are very simple, but have a strong impact. The first image for example depicts jelly moulds and cakes stacked on top of each other in a natural landscape. This is slightly odd or abstract to what is seen as normal. This therefore gives an atmosphere and makes you ask questions and think about the image. Bonnell uses very wide apertures to ensure a short depth of field which means that the objects are in focus whilst the background is not, therefore keeping the attention focussed on the objects.

This second image is also quite bizarre and unusual, the image uses bread and ham, placed in a kitchen in an extremely wierd way, this unusual image seems really out of place and also suggests an element of mystery. This image also works because the  use of three seperate objects in a series which is even and balanced and is kept the main focal point by the blue wall behind, which brings out the colours and tones of the bread and the ham.

The third photographer im looking at is Rut Blees Luxemburg, Rut Blees focuses on night photography, night photography in itself suggests an environment which is completely different and surreal compared to photography in the day. Rut Blees manages to captures Urban Environments when there most quiet and still, by using long exposures in photographs you can obtain a completely surreal and powerful image.

Finals: Strange Environment

These images are my outcome from the Strange Environment project, The first is a digital image and the two below are both shot with 35mm film.

For this first image, I decided to produce a seascape. To produce this image, I used a long exposure to blur the movement of the water and the clouds