Digital Photography and Imaging - Weekly Tasks

24/08/2020 - 14/09/2020 (Week 1 - Week 4)

Yeo Hui Qi / 0334134 / B'CS

Digital Photography and Imaging

Weekly Tasks

---

LECTURES

Week 1

Mr. Martin and Mr. Fauzi gave a brief introduction into the topic and goal of the modules. They also introduced us to the tasks and assignments that we will need to complete as well as the tools we will need within the next 13 weeks. For the first week, we took things slow and played a pen tool game and were asked to go to Pinterest to search for 3 execellent Photoshop works to put in our blog with a short description.

Week 2

This week Monday was a public holiday; It was Malaysia's Independence Day. There was no class for this week.

Week 3

We were asked to make 3 different compositions in class using the images provided including a shark, a fencer, a mountain with a sunset and much more. Mr Martin also went through the Hearst Mansion exercise together with us and we were asked to repeat the process using our image.

Week 4

We were asked to make 3 different compositions again in class using new images provided and we were required to also write a reflection explaining the thought process or our techniques in producing our compositions. Mr Martin demonstrated how to do the ghost bride tutorial in class so that we can learn how to use match colour and blending modes.

---

WEEKLY TASKS

Week 1

1. Present 3 excellent Photoshop works on blog
2. Play pen tool game on: https://bezier.method.ac/
3. Create a board for DPI on Pinterest

3 Photoshop Works:

Figure 1.1 Photoshop Work 1

I like this piece because it's simple yet still manages to give off the eerie feeling. Some textures might have been added to make it look like an old and slightly stained photo which gives it a lot of character. (source: Pinterest)

Figure 1.2 Photoshop Work 2

This photo looks like it's staged in a dystopian wasteland with a slight dream-like feel to it. It is as if the person sitting on the bench is in a wasteland but still dreams of a Utopian life above the clouds. (source: Pinterest)

Figure 1.3 Photoshop Work 3

This photo manages to capture a nostalgic feeling and childlike innocence. There is a boy playing with a boat in the rain which reminds me of the movie "It". (source: Pinterest)

Week 3 - make 3 compostions

For the 3 compositions, I didn't have much inspiration but I liked a fantasy-like aesthetic. I tried playing around by cutting up and masking a lot of the images to put them together in different arrangements and played around with colour adjustment as well. 

Week 4 - 3 Compositions & Reflective Writing

For my first composition, I used the dark trees and masked the girl’s shadowy shape to create a darker foreground. The middle ground is just the mountain with layer mask and I did not adjust the colours. For the sky I used the image with many buildings but I only took a small piece of the sky just to get that blue gradient background. The moon is the topography picture masked using a circle shape. I applied a gradient and experimented with blending modes to make the circle less flat. I used “Pin Light” and 2 layers of gradients to make the colour for the make-shift moon. The gradients also changed the colour of the sky a little bit and made it more orange than blue which is unexpected but nice. With the 2 spaceships in the sky I played around by matching their colour with other elements in the page like the sky and the mountain. I think that gave the whole image a little more unity and looks more cohesive

I thought the building looked like a spaceship so I changed the hue and brightness to make it more white. Then I used the night sky from the astronaut picture to make the sky and I interleaved that with the topography picture because a plain starry sky was a bit boring. I also made the starry sky and topography picture blue by using image > adjustment > colour balance. The astronauts were also made darker by lowering the brightness. I tried to put the moon in an interesting position and changed the colour so that it’s more yellow.

I cut out the sky from the building and replaced it with the starry sky from the astronaut, you can see some of the stars peeking through at the top of the picture. Then I used the moon, astronaut and wood picture to make planets in the sky and played around with the colours. Since the sky was already so colourful, I made the buildings black and white.

---

FEEDBACK

Week 3 - Make 3 Compositions

Feedback from Mr Fauzi:

• Good composition. Simple and clean. Keep it up Hui Qi!

Week 4 - 3 Compositions & Reflective Writing

Feedback from Mr Fauzi:

• Good improvement Hui Qi. Composition #3 is the best! Keep up a good work

---

REFLECTION

Week 1

1. Experience
• I was nervous for my first class but the lecturers made it a calm and fun experience. They definitely didn't rush into things and I really appreciated that.
2. Observation
• I was having trouble doing the pen tool game and did not understand how the separation of the handles affected the lines.
3. Findings
• After a friend explained the use of the handles I managed to do a lot of the exercises without trouble and managed to do them within the ideal number of nodes.

Week 3

1. Experience
• The class was interesting and I appreciate that we were given the time to experiment with the photos on our own.
2. Observation
• Some images provided to make the compositions were not easy to work with especially the one with the train but I tried to use all of the components given across the 3 compositions.
3. Findings
• My compositions were very random and had little meaning behind them but they just looked aesthetically pleasing and fantasy-like because of the sunset I used.

Week 4

1. Experience
• I found it difficult to put all the elements provided into my compositions like the man or the cctv.
2. Observation
• I tried to put more thought into my compositions to make sure that its comprehensive and tells a story.
3. Findings
• I used a lot of colour adjustments to make my compositions more cohesive and to give a certain galaxy feel to it.