Books
Digital Imaging – Second Edition; Mark Galer & Les Horvat; Focal Press 2003
Freewave Booth-Clibborn Editions 2004
Isolated. Funkstorung. Triple Media
Journals
Computer Arts Magazine
Grafix
Websites
antigirl.com
bjphoto.co.uk
leodis.ord
flickr.com
photoanswers.co.uk
siobhansquire.com
showstudio.com
stephengill.com
youtube.com
Monday 12 May 2008
Evaluation
At first I found this module completely frustrating due to my lack of skills and experience with Photoshop. However, after looking at online tutorials and asking friends for advice I was able to get a grasp of some basic skills.
Initial research had left me quite certain I wanted to do something with layers and textures. This was mostly influenced by Nick Knight, his video Antony, the series Dolls and the Pirelli Calendar.
Whilst carrying out the tasks I approached this idea quite widely as I was still uncertain of exactly what I wanted to achieve. The tasks were very helpful for me as I was able to experiment with Photoshop and test out the techniques I had learned. I was also able to begin considering ideas for the final images. I decided to develop the idea I had started in task two. This involved using scanned in materials and combining them with photographs. In Photoshop I selected shadows, highlights and midtones of photographs separately and layered them with various different papers and textures. The photographs I used were a combination of buildings and portraits, altered using Threshold. To further develop my idea I chose to photograph buildings and people again, in Leeds.
In task two I used photographs I had found in magazines to create the colours in the background. With my final images I wanted to use my own photographs to do this so I decided to take some product shots in the studio. This involved photographing sweets, jewellery, toys paint and random colourful objects. At the time I was quite happy with the photographs I had taken. However, afterwards I found myself struggling to get them to work as layers in the way I had intended. I could not seem to create anything quite as effective as the images I had created in task two.
Originally I wanted to take some portraits in the studio having been particularly inspired by Nick Knight’s Dolls series. I also felt the portraits I used in the images I produced for task two worked quite well. However, after encountering problems with booking the studio and discussing my work with Neil I decided to move away from the fashion based images I had been looking at and concentrate on buildings, and more specifically the buildings of Leeds. Choosing Leeds as a subject gave me a clearer idea of what I wanted to achieve with my images. I researched the history of Leeds and how the city had been represented over time. I used Leoids.org, a photographic archive of Leeds to see how the city had been documented in the past and Flickr, for more modern and artistic photographs. From this I was able to choose buildings and areas I wanted to photograph. The Corn Exchange was a subject I wanted to focus on due to its recent media coverage. It’s current restoration and transformation into a food emporium caused much protest and debate, I wanted to address this issue within my work.
Stephen Gill was a massive influence to me within this module. His Hackney Flower series involved him layering photographs of flowers over other images and in the most interesting images, using the flowers to make something unpleasant pleasing to the eye. This inspired me to do a series of work photographing a council estate and trying to make the unsightly high-rise flats more interesting and pleasing to the eye. To do this I used photographs of flowers I have taken in the studio and around Leeds. I also used paint, inspired by the Sony Bravia advert. I also applied the same idea and techniques to my work on Leeds and the Corn Exchange although this time using the photographs to create positive connotations towards Leeds and the Corn Exchange or express my disapproval and a large proportion of the publics opinions of the new plans for the Corn Exchange.
My images were becoming quite graphic and so I felt it would be beneficial to do some research into Graphic Design. I found this very interesting and enjoyable, as I had not looked at much Graphic Design before. I was particularly inspired by Jurriaan Schalken. His composition and use of text is especially appealing.
My images were spilt into four sections, Flowers, Council estate, Leeds and Corn Exchange. Although these seem like very separate categories and ideas they all link together quite effectively due to them all being based entirely on Leeds. Also I have approached each subject in the same way, using the same techniques. I am not entirely happy with many of the images I have produced for this module as I feel they are very simple. Although I did not intend for them to be complicated in any way I feel my limited skills have held me back from creating something more interesting. I also feel I did not achieve what I intended to in relation to colour. This was because my product photographs did not work well, they were not abstract enough and the choice of a macro lens could have been a mistake.
Having said this I did very much enjoy experimenting with Photoshop and I was able to express my own personal feelings and opinions about the city and the Corn Exchange. I also valued the opportunity for me to explore Graphic Design. I would like to continue to develop my Graphic Design skills in the future and will definitely look at Graphics again to inspire my photography.
The three images I have chosen for final pieces include one from the council estate series, one from the Leeds series and one from the Corn Exchange series. I feel these images were the most successful and work well as a series. This has a lot to do with the colour range being consistent throughout the series. Each image is similar yet completely different. All three of my final images were printed on fireproof paper. I chose this paper to emphasize the texture of the background.
Originally I choose the image of the Leeds buildings that did not include the white corn exchange on the right. I feel this image is a better choice to work with the series as it links all the images together in terms of colour range. I like that the white stands out and emphasizes the exterior corn exchange image below it.
The text I used with the council estate Image I think makes the image stronger and more interesting. The fonts I used work well with the form and composition of the image. They are simple and linear and therefore reflect the buildings within the image. I did not want the text to distract from the image, which is why I felt it was necessary to remove the hand-drawn text. I wanted to emphasise the shapes and form of the buildings with the text and therefore I did not intend the text to be entirely legible. The text includes a definition of ‘building’ and ‘class’, a reference to Karl Marx as his sociology of class and finally ‘LS1’, which is the beginning of the postcode for the council estate. The references to class within this image were particularly important to me, as I am interested in sociology and particularly enjoyed the subject of class, Marxism and social inequality. I began this series with the intention of wanting to make the unsightly high-rise flats look more appealing and pleasing to the eye, greatly influenced by Stephen Gill. However, as my images progressed I wanted to relate my images to class and social status highlighting Marxist ideologies of class struggles and the oppression of the working class. This is represented through council estates and the negative connotations that often accompany them.
Although I do like the Corn Exchange image I do not feel it addresses all of the issues I wanted it to. However one of my intentions was to emphasise the architecture, I do feel like I have achieved this. The text I experimented with expressed my opinions on the issue of the Corn Exchange and it’s change into a food emporium effectively, however, it did not work visually.
In terms of audience I can see my images being used for graphic design purposes such as flyer's and advertising. Whilst in Topman I came across a number of t-shirts and hoody’s with graphic prints that involved buildings and high-rise flats which made me think my images could be used as t-shirt designs as they are very simple.
I could also see them being part of a local art exhibition. Often we see local artists and how their surroundings have influenced them. They could also be used as a promotional tool for the city of Leeds or possibly Leeds College of Art and Design, on the website or in the prospectus. The images could promote Leeds College of Art and Design and the idea present on the website at the moment suggesting that the college can offer you the chance to gain experience from all areas of art.
Initial research had left me quite certain I wanted to do something with layers and textures. This was mostly influenced by Nick Knight, his video Antony, the series Dolls and the Pirelli Calendar.
Whilst carrying out the tasks I approached this idea quite widely as I was still uncertain of exactly what I wanted to achieve. The tasks were very helpful for me as I was able to experiment with Photoshop and test out the techniques I had learned. I was also able to begin considering ideas for the final images. I decided to develop the idea I had started in task two. This involved using scanned in materials and combining them with photographs. In Photoshop I selected shadows, highlights and midtones of photographs separately and layered them with various different papers and textures. The photographs I used were a combination of buildings and portraits, altered using Threshold. To further develop my idea I chose to photograph buildings and people again, in Leeds.
In task two I used photographs I had found in magazines to create the colours in the background. With my final images I wanted to use my own photographs to do this so I decided to take some product shots in the studio. This involved photographing sweets, jewellery, toys paint and random colourful objects. At the time I was quite happy with the photographs I had taken. However, afterwards I found myself struggling to get them to work as layers in the way I had intended. I could not seem to create anything quite as effective as the images I had created in task two.
Originally I wanted to take some portraits in the studio having been particularly inspired by Nick Knight’s Dolls series. I also felt the portraits I used in the images I produced for task two worked quite well. However, after encountering problems with booking the studio and discussing my work with Neil I decided to move away from the fashion based images I had been looking at and concentrate on buildings, and more specifically the buildings of Leeds. Choosing Leeds as a subject gave me a clearer idea of what I wanted to achieve with my images. I researched the history of Leeds and how the city had been represented over time. I used Leoids.org, a photographic archive of Leeds to see how the city had been documented in the past and Flickr, for more modern and artistic photographs. From this I was able to choose buildings and areas I wanted to photograph. The Corn Exchange was a subject I wanted to focus on due to its recent media coverage. It’s current restoration and transformation into a food emporium caused much protest and debate, I wanted to address this issue within my work.
Stephen Gill was a massive influence to me within this module. His Hackney Flower series involved him layering photographs of flowers over other images and in the most interesting images, using the flowers to make something unpleasant pleasing to the eye. This inspired me to do a series of work photographing a council estate and trying to make the unsightly high-rise flats more interesting and pleasing to the eye. To do this I used photographs of flowers I have taken in the studio and around Leeds. I also used paint, inspired by the Sony Bravia advert. I also applied the same idea and techniques to my work on Leeds and the Corn Exchange although this time using the photographs to create positive connotations towards Leeds and the Corn Exchange or express my disapproval and a large proportion of the publics opinions of the new plans for the Corn Exchange.
My images were becoming quite graphic and so I felt it would be beneficial to do some research into Graphic Design. I found this very interesting and enjoyable, as I had not looked at much Graphic Design before. I was particularly inspired by Jurriaan Schalken. His composition and use of text is especially appealing.
My images were spilt into four sections, Flowers, Council estate, Leeds and Corn Exchange. Although these seem like very separate categories and ideas they all link together quite effectively due to them all being based entirely on Leeds. Also I have approached each subject in the same way, using the same techniques. I am not entirely happy with many of the images I have produced for this module as I feel they are very simple. Although I did not intend for them to be complicated in any way I feel my limited skills have held me back from creating something more interesting. I also feel I did not achieve what I intended to in relation to colour. This was because my product photographs did not work well, they were not abstract enough and the choice of a macro lens could have been a mistake.
Having said this I did very much enjoy experimenting with Photoshop and I was able to express my own personal feelings and opinions about the city and the Corn Exchange. I also valued the opportunity for me to explore Graphic Design. I would like to continue to develop my Graphic Design skills in the future and will definitely look at Graphics again to inspire my photography.
The three images I have chosen for final pieces include one from the council estate series, one from the Leeds series and one from the Corn Exchange series. I feel these images were the most successful and work well as a series. This has a lot to do with the colour range being consistent throughout the series. Each image is similar yet completely different. All three of my final images were printed on fireproof paper. I chose this paper to emphasize the texture of the background.
Originally I choose the image of the Leeds buildings that did not include the white corn exchange on the right. I feel this image is a better choice to work with the series as it links all the images together in terms of colour range. I like that the white stands out and emphasizes the exterior corn exchange image below it.
The text I used with the council estate Image I think makes the image stronger and more interesting. The fonts I used work well with the form and composition of the image. They are simple and linear and therefore reflect the buildings within the image. I did not want the text to distract from the image, which is why I felt it was necessary to remove the hand-drawn text. I wanted to emphasise the shapes and form of the buildings with the text and therefore I did not intend the text to be entirely legible. The text includes a definition of ‘building’ and ‘class’, a reference to Karl Marx as his sociology of class and finally ‘LS1’, which is the beginning of the postcode for the council estate. The references to class within this image were particularly important to me, as I am interested in sociology and particularly enjoyed the subject of class, Marxism and social inequality. I began this series with the intention of wanting to make the unsightly high-rise flats look more appealing and pleasing to the eye, greatly influenced by Stephen Gill. However, as my images progressed I wanted to relate my images to class and social status highlighting Marxist ideologies of class struggles and the oppression of the working class. This is represented through council estates and the negative connotations that often accompany them.
Although I do like the Corn Exchange image I do not feel it addresses all of the issues I wanted it to. However one of my intentions was to emphasise the architecture, I do feel like I have achieved this. The text I experimented with expressed my opinions on the issue of the Corn Exchange and it’s change into a food emporium effectively, however, it did not work visually.
In terms of audience I can see my images being used for graphic design purposes such as flyer's and advertising. Whilst in Topman I came across a number of t-shirts and hoody’s with graphic prints that involved buildings and high-rise flats which made me think my images could be used as t-shirt designs as they are very simple.
I could also see them being part of a local art exhibition. Often we see local artists and how their surroundings have influenced them. They could also be used as a promotional tool for the city of Leeds or possibly Leeds College of Art and Design, on the website or in the prospectus. The images could promote Leeds College of Art and Design and the idea present on the website at the moment suggesting that the college can offer you the chance to gain experience from all areas of art.
Corn Exchange
With this series i wanted to address the current issue of the Corn Exchange in Leeds and it's conversion into a food emporium. I have tried to express my love for the corn exchange using bright colours and emphasing the buildings unique architecture. Skulls feature in one of the images to express my, as well as a large proportion of the publics, disapproval and protest towards the change.
These images were all created using techniques described earlier such as Threshold, Selecting Shadows and Highlights .
I am not entirely sure whether text works with this images as they are already quite complex. Text seems to make them look a bit chaotic.
The turquoise image to the left was done by selecting the midtones and changing the colour using Hue/Saturation.
I tried the same liquify technique in the image above. It works slightly better as it is layered behind the main focus of the image and therefore just looks like random colour.
These images were all created using techniques described earlier such as Threshold, Selecting Shadows and Highlights .
I am not entirely sure whether text works with this images as they are already quite complex. Text seems to make them look a bit chaotic.
The turquoise image to the left was done by selecting the midtones and changing the colour using Hue/Saturation.
I tried the same liquify technique in the image above. It works slightly better as it is layered behind the main focus of the image and therefore just looks like random colour.
Leeds
I feel this was the most unsuccessful series for me as I seemed to struggle to get any images that i was happy with. I wanted to represent Leeds as a city in a positive way to express how i have settled into living here. I do not feel i have achieved this, however i do think the city skylines images below work quite well visually (although there are still missing something). They represent the different areas of the city and the most iconic buildings in Leeds.
This image is alot more successful. It represents Leeds as a city and all the buildings work well together however it may need something else to make it a little more interesting.
Here i used the liquify filter to distort the layer of coloured letters. I was trying to create something similar to the Nick Knight images in my research. However i am not familiar with this tool and the result is not successful.
I quite like the idea of the image above, however it needs something in the middle to complete it.
The composition of the image above does not work because of the angles the photographs have been taken at.
The composition of the image above is not right. The edge of the town hall is quite distracting and leaves the bottom right corner looking empty.
The above images were created by using threshold and selecting shadows and midtones.
The image above was created using the bitmap technique described in the technical notes. I do not think it works very well, especially with the distracting background.
This image is alot more successful. It represents Leeds as a city and all the buildings work well together however it may need something else to make it a little more interesting.
Here i used the liquify filter to distort the layer of coloured letters. I was trying to create something similar to the Nick Knight images in my research. However i am not familiar with this tool and the result is not successful.
I quite like the idea of the image above, however it needs something in the middle to complete it.
The composition of the image above does not work because of the angles the photographs have been taken at.
The composition of the image above is not right. The edge of the town hall is quite distracting and leaves the bottom right corner looking empty.
The above images were created by using threshold and selecting shadows and midtones.
The image above was created using the bitmap technique described in the technical notes. I do not think it works very well, especially with the distracting background.
Council Estate
Within this series i wanted to address the negative attitude towards council estates and high rise flats. I have used post production techniques to make the buildings more interesting and colourful. These images were mainly inspired by Stephen Gill's images and the Sony Bravia advert. Photographs of flowers, paint and graffiti were layered with the buildings to make them more pleasing to the eye.
(please read from the bottom of this post and work upwards)
The text in this image works a lot better as it is more simple and linear. It gives the image form and works well with the composition and linear nature of the buildings.
This background was inverted in this image. It really brings out the texture of the paper. The colour makes the image look like a night scene. I was not sure the hand written text worked as well with this background.
I decided to experiment with text as most of the graphic design i was researching involved text in some way and i felt something was missing from the image below. The text i used was a mixture of typed and hand drawn. It was not intended to be entirely legible. It involves definitions of 'buildings', 'class' , 'house' and 'home' (although i swapped these round). There is also some text on Karl Marx and class and what determines one's class. This comes from my interest in sociology and the class structure in the UK.
The images above are by far my favorite. I think they are more visually pleasing than the others as they are a little more complicated. They were heavily inspired by Jurriaan Schalken. The paper used was scratched then covered in ink. I really like the texture this gives the image.
This building was done in a different way to all the others. First the image was desaturated, the contrast was increased. The layer blending tool was then used on Multiply. It was pasted onto the brown paper and inverted. The technique used for the paint in all of these images above is explained in the flower series.
Select - Colour Range - Midtones
I liked the idea of using graffiti to make these images more colourful and interesting. Graffiti is something we may expect to see near a council estate and there is often negative connotations associated with it. However it also has positive connotations for those who consider graffiti art. Crime or art?
Threshold Select - Colour Range - Midtones
Select - Colour Range - Highlights
The background is skull wrapping paper that was scanned in...
The top layer is from the coloured flower image (flower series). The midtones were selected as shown below.
The building was created using the Bitmap technique (see technical notes) layered twice, with on layer inverted (white).
This is how the coloured layers were created...
The layers were duplicated a few times, colours changed using levels and the rubber used to expose parts of the building.
This was created using the same layers as the 5th image in the flower series.
The brown paper was scanned in and used as the background for most of these images. I feel it worked better than any other background as it is quite plan yet the texture is still visible. The colour also works very well with black and white.
The image above was taken from a magazine, layered ontop of the threshold building. The Shadows were still selected so this layer was copied and pasted onto the brown paper. This creates the outline of the building in the colours of the magazine layer.
This image was created by selecting highlights from the images below...
(a photograph of a poster in my room) It was then layered onto the building and a paint layer was added. Again i do not think this image works very well.
This image was created by layering a photograph of coloured letters (taken in the studio) on top of this image of a building. The rubber tool was used to get rid of the rest of the layer so just the windows were coloured. I don't think this image works particularly well........................
(please read from the bottom of this post and work upwards)
The text in this image works a lot better as it is more simple and linear. It gives the image form and works well with the composition and linear nature of the buildings.
This background was inverted in this image. It really brings out the texture of the paper. The colour makes the image look like a night scene. I was not sure the hand written text worked as well with this background.
I decided to experiment with text as most of the graphic design i was researching involved text in some way and i felt something was missing from the image below. The text i used was a mixture of typed and hand drawn. It was not intended to be entirely legible. It involves definitions of 'buildings', 'class' , 'house' and 'home' (although i swapped these round). There is also some text on Karl Marx and class and what determines one's class. This comes from my interest in sociology and the class structure in the UK.
The images above are by far my favorite. I think they are more visually pleasing than the others as they are a little more complicated. They were heavily inspired by Jurriaan Schalken. The paper used was scratched then covered in ink. I really like the texture this gives the image.
This building was done in a different way to all the others. First the image was desaturated, the contrast was increased. The layer blending tool was then used on Multiply. It was pasted onto the brown paper and inverted. The technique used for the paint in all of these images above is explained in the flower series.
Select - Colour Range - Midtones
I liked the idea of using graffiti to make these images more colourful and interesting. Graffiti is something we may expect to see near a council estate and there is often negative connotations associated with it. However it also has positive connotations for those who consider graffiti art. Crime or art?
Threshold Select - Colour Range - Midtones
Select - Colour Range - Highlights
The background is skull wrapping paper that was scanned in...
The top layer is from the coloured flower image (flower series). The midtones were selected as shown below.
The building was created using the Bitmap technique (see technical notes) layered twice, with on layer inverted (white).
This is how the coloured layers were created...
The layers were duplicated a few times, colours changed using levels and the rubber used to expose parts of the building.
This was created using the same layers as the 5th image in the flower series.
The brown paper was scanned in and used as the background for most of these images. I feel it worked better than any other background as it is quite plan yet the texture is still visible. The colour also works very well with black and white.
The image above was taken from a magazine, layered ontop of the threshold building. The Shadows were still selected so this layer was copied and pasted onto the brown paper. This creates the outline of the building in the colours of the magazine layer.
This image was created by selecting highlights from the images below...
(a photograph of a poster in my room) It was then layered onto the building and a paint layer was added. Again i do not think this image works very well.
This image was created by layering a photograph of coloured letters (taken in the studio) on top of this image of a building. The rubber tool was used to get rid of the rest of the layer so just the windows were coloured. I don't think this image works particularly well........................
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