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Experimental PhotographyTask 6

Savannah Hardwick

Photomontage Experiments

For my first final image, a photograph of an artistic map on the college walls, I experimented with the brightness and the saturation, as well as adding a blue

stroke around each separate layer of image. The blue I used was the same

blue that is in the photo itself, so I though it would be good to use that. I

also chose to move the separate images around more, so that the

overall image was more distorted and you couldn't’t see what the original

image was. I like this because using the blue has helped to have the image look continuous and not to miss matched by

using different colours completely.

This is my favourite of all my experiments of this image because it

combines a lot of the techniques I used on the other images, such as add a

coloured stoke to each of the separate images, changing the brightness of the image and moving the images around,

to change the image even more by distorting it. I also like how the final image looks very abstract, and you

cant clearly see what the image was to begin with.

Final Image 1

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My original idea and intention was to take an series of photographs that made up one larger image, revolving around the theme of locations, and to then create a photomontage using these images. I believe I have accomplished this with this first final image because I used the images I took to create a photomontage, also adding further post production work to it. Although the image isn't necessarily obvious that it is a map, which relates directly to my theme, I think that it is abstract, and the post production techniques I have applied helps to further solidify this look. My main influence for this technique was David Hockney, who specialized in creating photomontages and joiners. Although there are many different photographers who specialize in photomontages, I chose him because when I was researching him images, I found them all to be colourful, interesting and featured images that were great to look at, but also because some of them featured the type of post production work that I wanted to try out. I think that although my work is influenced by David Hockney’s, it is although very different because I have altered the brightness and saturation of mine to create an abstract look, whereas Hockney’s work appears to always be very realistic, applying minimalistic post production to the images. The reason I chose David Hockney as an inspiration was because I liked the way that his photos are creative, colourful and that they are all very unique, even though there are many other photographers that work with photomontage as their primary technique.

I think that my final first image is aesthetically pleasing because of the bright colours and the interesting layout of the images. I think that because I moved the images around, creating more of a warped look, it instantly becomes more interesting to look at because of the different layers of the image. I also think that the use of blue for the stroke helps to make each separate image stand out, but also to be a part of an interesting bigger image. When looking at the final image I am immediately drawn to the blues in the image, which was my reason for making the stroke of each separate picture the same blue that is in the image, I think that it helps to make the image look continuous and distinctive. I particularity like the brightness of the image, I think that altering the brightness and the saturation was one of the best post production techniques I applied because it helps to drastically liven the image up and make the contrast of the colour much more intense. I think that the strongest aesthetic quality of this final image is the brightness and the intensity of the two main featured colours. I think that the blue and the burgundy really contrast against the bright white and draw your eye further into the image. I think that the weak part of this image aesthetically Is the lack of colour in the surrounding areas of the image (the white backgrounds, the pale brown frame) I think that if the image were to have more colours, it would be much more attractive and help to create more of an abstract look than the image has already.

Evaluation

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I think that the main technical quality of my work is the post production work I applied to the image. I decided to manipulate the image further after I had created the photomontage by manually moving each section of the image around, creating a more disjointed look. I also altered the saturation and brightness of each separate image in order to brighten the overall image, being careful not to alter them too much so that you couldn't’t see aspects of the photo clearly. I think that the photos I took originally, before I edited them could've been improved drastically, I think that that Is the aspect of the final image that I would change, because if I were to take this set of images I again, I would want them to be more zoomed in a more in focus with the map itself, not necessarily the wall it was on or the frame of the image. I think that the strongest part of my final image is the colour intensity of the image and the layout of each of the images. I think that because I adjusted the photomontage further, it helped to create a more collage looking final image, which is what I wanted, and I think that the colours help to give the image the extra pop it needs to stand out and be unique. When taking the image, i had the camera in auto focus and the ISO speed on around 800 and I had my lens aperture on a larger number.

If I were to have a little more time on my work, I would improve It by first of all making sure my original image was of a high quality and that I was happy with the placement of the subject, for example in the image I have now, I feel that the subject is not central enough therefore there is a lot of background in the image that doesn't’t need to be there. I would also try to cut the image up myself, creating my own smaller images, so that I have more control over the sizes and shapes of the collage pieces, so that when they are combined, It would look how I imagined. I could develop this piece further with additional work by working further with maps, maybe using more traditional versions such as book maps and city maps that’s are around york. I think doing something like this would be a great way to add to the locations theme, having a specific section on maps, and turning them into more abstract images. I could further improve my work by focusing on the shape of the subject itself, especially when applying post production techniques. I would also consider changing the shapes of the smaller images that make up the photomontage, not having only square ones, but try out triangles, circles and other more interesting shapes.

Evaluation continued

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When looking at my work, I can see a lot of formal elements within the image, lines, shapes and patterns all feature within the final image. The main features of the image are lines and shapes. Due to the subject being a map, the images features alt of lines and shapes that run aross the image. These elements are also the most colourful part of the image, and are essentially the part that draws in the audience. The colours in my final image are very bold and eye catching, as well as being very bright which is due to me experimenting with the brightness and saturation of the image. I think that because the image features bright colours, it helps set the tone of the image, that it’s fun and bright. I do think that the composition of my work could be improved however, I think that because I took the original image slightly off centre, the entire final image also looks that way, so if I were to re-create this image, I would consider the placement of my subject more. I think that after doing this experiment, I also would like to try doing a David Hockney styled joiner, so instead of having the images collaged on top of each other, having them side by side creating the bigger picture.

I feel that my final image fulfils the brief because I think it works within the theme of ‘discovery’, with my own personal theme of ‘locations’, and the image itself is an experimental photograph, because I have chosen to use photomontage. I think that my theme of locations fits very well with the bigger theme of discovery because people are constantly discovering new locations, and specifically through the use of maps, which is the first image that I chose to photograph. The style of experimental photography I chose to use was photomontage, because I felt that this would give me a lot of freedom to edit the image however I wanted to.

Evaluation continued

Photomontage Experiments

Final Image 2

With this experiment, I wanted to try and create a piece of work that looked closer to the work of David Hockney. I began by taking images of a corridor, having it be slightly on an angle so that you could see down the image, as if you were looking down the corridor. I then looked at David Hockneys work more closely and found an image I wanted to

base this piece off of specifically. When I found one, I looked at the way the images were layered onto each other, and whether or not I would have to manipulate the images further. I then looked at the colour, and decided that I would have to edit the saturation and brightness of the image so that I could create a similar colour scheme in my image as what Hockney had in his. The main reason why I chose this image as my second final photo is because of the colours

and the layout of the image, I think that photographing a corridor was a good choice because it enabled me to capture the different shadows and the changes in colour throughout the scene in front of me.

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For this second experiment, I wanted to look at scenes within locations more closely, so I chose to photograph a corridor and some other signage on walls. I think that I could've gone into more detail and photographed more scenes around co0llege, such as the library and outdoor areas. I think that although I didn’t take many photographs revolving around ‘scenes’ the images I took were still relating to locations, therefore they still fit within my brief. I really like the final result I got with my final image because I tired very hard to base this photo off of my influence, David Hockney, and more specifically the colouring and layout within his images. I think when comparing my final pieces and the work off his that I based it off, you can see how they are very similar, both are of a scene in front of you. Although I think that a very obvious different aspect of the images is that I applied a lot of post production work to mine, as Hockney probably applied very little, if any at all. I chose to edit my image further, changing the brightness, saturation and the levels of the image in order to create the look of the work I was influenced by.

I think that this piece of work is aesthetically pleasing because of the layout and the colour combinations. I really like the final choices of coloring in this image because I think it enhances the look of the overall image, and makes it look kind of burnt out and rough looking, which is what I think some of Hockney's work looks like. I also think that the scene I chose to photograph is very effective at making this image more interesting to look at. I decided to shoot the image from the left hand side of the corridor, I felt that this would help to enhance the corridor somehow, making it look as though you were looking further into the corridor as if you were about to walk down it. I think that the image is very realistic and contemporary. I decided to make the image more of a yellow tone to create a more burnt and well worn look, I think that I accomplished this and I feel that the colouring is the strongest part of the image, as well as my favourite part. I think that the colours used are the strongest part because even though it is a very yellow based image, you can see every shadow and change of colour within the image itself. For example the red carpet becomes a more burgundy colour and the grey from the lockers is almost white. I think that the weakest part of this image is the photography aspect, I think that when I was taking the images, I wasn’t fully concentrating on the placement of the camera and the size of the images I was taking, I think that if I had focused on this a lot more, I could’ve had an image the same size, but made up of lots of smaller images, which I think would enhance the colouring even more, because each smaller images would have different colour changes within it.

Evaluation

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I think that technically this image is very good, which I think is mainly due to the post production work and the fact that I wanted to base the image off of work already existing, which gave me a good bench mark to begin from. I decided against further moving the images around in the photomontage because I felt that they came across the way I wanted them to already, Photoshop created it the way I would’ve expected it to look, and I think that if I were to have edited it further by moving the image around then the final image would have look much more distorted and messy looking, and I like that this image look neat and well put together. I think that the technical work that could be improved comes from my limited knowledge of Photoshop, I think that if I knew more, then I could’ve done more post production work to the images, and done more specific editing of each separate image, instead of applying the same post production work to the entire image. I think that if I were able to do this, it would’ve helped me to further improve the technical quality of my work, as well as helping it to be more aesthetically pleasing at the same time. Due to me using the camera in its ‘standard’ settings, it was set to be in auto focus and the ISO speed on around 800 and I had my lens aperture on a larger number. I have found that for taking this type of picture, these settings on the camera work very well, especially because the places I have chosen to photograph have been well lit and clear. I think that there are many ways I could further improve my final piece, I could improve the quality of the original images that I take, I could’ve chosen a different scene to photograph which will have changed the final outcome. I could change the setting on the camera I use and I could change or vary the amount of post production work I do. I think that the main improvement that I would want to make would want to make would be to edit each image within the final image separately. I think doing this will help me to make each image unique but also make it obvious that they are all still part of one image. I think that this final image would be difficult to take further into other additional work because it is a unique image on its own. It is a piece of scenery from college, and unless I were to stand in the exact same spot again, I would be unable to create this image again, the images on the wall would also change, making the image different. Further experiments I could do with this image would be to further manipulate the placement of the images on the page, I think it would be quite interesting to move them about and to see the results from it.

Evaluation continued

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I think that the second final image features a lot of formal elements, specifically lines and shapes. I think that because the image is a shot of a corridor, the eye is drawn to the centre of the page, which is further emphasised because of the lines within the image itself which are all pointing towards the end of the corridor. I think that the colouring is one of the strongest points of the image, I feel that the yellow undertones change the overall look and have a positive effect on the overall look. I think that the use of lines within the image draw the audience right into the photo, you feel although you could be stood there looking down into the corridor and into the white squared area at the bottom of it, which is the atrium. I think that the final composition of the photo is one of the better parts of final image.

Evaluation continued

I think that this final image fulfils the brief because I am using experimental photography to create an image which represents discovery, in this case I have shown discovery of a location at the end of the corridor. I think that this image matches in well with my other final image, making them part of a set, and showing them all to be photomontages done in the style of David Hockney.

The red arrows on the image show where the line elements are, and how the draw your eyes to the center of the page, the end of the corridor. The blue squares in the photo also show the use of shapes in the image, and how important of a role they play as both of these elements draw the audience straight to the center of the image.

Photomontage Experiments

Final Image

For this experiment I chose to work with the idea of Hockney Joiners, having the image separated in a grid like formation. I then chose to edit the image further by adding colour overlays and changing the opacity and brightness of each individual square. I also decided to block out some of the squares with a white colour overlay, I chose to do this to make the image more individual and unique, showing how I have based my work off of someone else's but also how I have made it my own. I chose the colours I did because I felt that they were muted but bright enough to draw attention to each square. The main reason I chose to experiment with this style of photomontage was to have more varying images into my final pieces.

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EvaluationFor this final experiment, I wanted to work with the idea of creating the same type of photomontages that David Hockney was most known for. I did this by taking landscape images of different locations around college, including corridors, car parks, stair cases and looking through a window, I then added a white grid over them and edited each image how I wanted to. I think I achieved what I wasn’t to with this experiment because I think that the results I have were very good. I think that the images look professional and you can tell that I have based my idea on the work of my inspiration, but also that they look unique and are colourful, which is what I wanted them to be. I think that my photomontages are different from those of Hockney because I chose to block out parts of some of the image, having a white overlay over them to change the shape of the final image, which I think looks very unique and creative. I also chose to have the image in colour, having each block a different colour that stands out off of the page.

I think that this final image is very aesthetically pleasing, it is interesting to look at because I think that it has many different levels that you can look at. I think that because I chose to change the shape of the image, it creates a very interesting final look, and when you combine that with the colours that I chose to use it creates a very artistic and inventive final image. I really like the shape of the image itself, choosing to change the shape by blocking out squares of the grid in white was , I feel, a very good idea because it makes the image individual to me. I decided to make the grid and the blocked out squares white because I felt that they would help the faded colours that I had added to the other squares stand out more, drawing the audiences eye to it more. I think that the shape is definitely the strongest part of this final image, and that the weakest part is the colours which I chose to overlay onto the individual squares. I think that my colour choices were very random, and that I could've been more selective with the shades and tones in order to compliment the image itself.

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I think that the technical qualities of my work are very good in this final image when compared to my other final images, I think that because I chose a very technical experiment, I had to make sure that what I was doing was correct, which meant that I had to use many different resources in order to achieve this, I used help from my tutors and peers, as well as YouTube tutorials on how to achieve the look that I wanted. I think that my final image is well put together and is at a near professional standard. I think that the strongest elements of the image are definitely the grid and the blocked out squares, and I think that the weakest elements are the colour choices and post production work applied to the image. When taking the images, I had the camera setting on the basic settings, I didn’t need anything changing in order to create my image as the majority of the technique was to be applied during post production. To create my image, I had a 8x7 grid created and layered on top of the image, making the grid white and having the grid lines wide enough to be seen and identified on the image. I then applied post production work to each separate square that was created by the grid, altering the saturation, hue, tone and the actual colour of the square. Doing this allowed me to change the entire look of the final image, making it very colourful and bold, as well as more interesting to look at.

I think that I could improve my work by changing the post production that I applied to the image. I think that I should've looked more closely at the colour choices I made could've been improved to compliment the actual photo more. The photo I used was an image of the college atrium taken from a high angle, this allowed me to capture a lot of different colours, so to improve my work further I could only use colours that were featured in the image itself. I think that I could develop this image further with additional work by applying the same techniques that I did to this one with other photographs.

Evaluation Continued

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Evaluation ContinuedThis final experiment features and is made up of many different formal elements, including lines, colour, tone and shapes. Adding the grid to the image immediately changed the look of it. It makes the image seem more put together and finished, as well as looking more creative and individual than the previous experiments. I think that the bold and colourful colours that I chose to use on my image help to brighten the overall look of it, making it seem more upbeat and interesting. The grid also helps to separate the image up, making it look different and changing the shape of the image. I chose to use white for the grid and the blocked out squares because although it’s a very neutral colour, it compliments all of the other colours on the page. I think that the final composition of the image was well thought out, I chose to have a high angled photo, which had a very wide shot, allowing me to have more to work with within the image.

I think that this final image fulfils the brief because I am using experimental photography to create an image which represents discovery, in this case I have showcased a very large location, the atrium at college. I think that although this image is part of my final 3, it looks very individual and stands alone because of the final look of it and the techniques used.

This final image features lots of different colours, which make the overall look of the image brighter and more interesting to look at. It also changes the tone of the image, making it more upbeat, instead of keeping the more simple and plain colours that were featured in the original photo.

This final image has lots of blocked out squares, which help to change the overall shape of the image and create a more unique look.

Lines are used throughout the image, they are one of the main features of the final image, making it the photomontage that it wants to be.