Give it a Context

Recently, class had just completed an Image Editing project where we were set various tasks centered around altering RAW files that we ourselves had taken. It ranged from changing colour balance to global and local editing. At the end of the project, we were asked to take one of our RAW files and create a poster out of it. We had completely free reign with this, so we could do anything we wanted, the downside was that we only had a week for this new poster. 

During the previous Photography project, most of images that I had taken were macro, so it wasn't too easy to come up with ideas. I had thought about doing something natural related, perhaps making a poster for the RSPCA or the WWF (Wild Life, not Wrestling) In the end I came up with the idea of making a parody version of the popular game, Angry Birds. I did a little research into what sort of typography was used on the real posters and got hold of the font which helped make it look more plausible. I drew on tiny faces and matched them up to the focusing in the photo. I finished up by adding in store logos and a website URL for a more authentic look.

A Story of Love

On The 9th of October, award-winning Photographer, Natalie Martin (http://www.storyoflove.co.uk), joined our HNC Visual Communications class and gave an insightful presentation into how she works and the kind of equipment she uses. She talked about lighting and showed examples of her work, which backed up the importance of natural light within portrait photography. Shortly after her presentation, Natalie assigned us the task of taking portraits of each other, which she herself would judge. I paired up with Ashley and together we went out looking for good light.

My final and winning photo as judged by Natalie.

The initial start of the task proved to be quite difficult because the weather was grey and that meant that a lot of natural light was lost. We both tried taking photos of each other facing windows, to try and get some of the remaining light, but for me personally, it wasn’t working out so I decided to move from the idea of a body shot, to something a little closer. One thing I have noticed within portrait photography is the emphasis on the eyes. They are always the focal point and really set a mood within the image. I decided to pursue that route and tried to find some light that could make Ashley’s eyes “pop”. We wandered around the college together trying out different forms of light and it was only until we entered the Union, that I noticed an overhead light that was a little softer in strength than some of the others. I carefully had Ashley position underneath the light and look up at an angle so that it reflected in the upper area of her eyes. This to me, made them look bright, full of energy and most importantly, complimenting. When I got back to the computer, I found some of the colours within my photos a little distracting, so I converted my chosen final image to black and white to help bring the focal point back on the subject. I further edited the image by cropping out unnecessary background space, which also helped define the composition of my final photo.

An article was also written for the Borders College website: http://borderscollege.ac.uk/news-and-events/students-learn-to-be-picture-perfect/

The Final Element

A while ago I posted that for a project, we were asked to design book covers for 4 different natural disasters. At that point, I already had my cover images finished, all that was left was to create typography. For each individual cover, I wanted to make typography that corresponded with with the actual theme. So for example, for Flood, I wanted text that could look like it was underwater and have a sense of movement. Earthquake would be broken up and cracked, just like the real life counterpart. I did however have to also include sub headers, which I tried to keep consistent through every cover so they looked more like a series, rather than individual books. Complimentary colours were also considered. These are the final designs, which by the class judgement, were effective.