Digital Photography & Imaging: Project 4
WEEK 10 - WEEK 14 (25/10/2021 - 22/11/2021)
Adena Tan Sue Lynn (0345769)
Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Digital Photography & Imaging / Project 04.
Instructions
Idea Development
01. Firstly, we were tasked to write a biography about ourselves. Below is my biography.
Tell us about yourself
My full name is Adena Tan Sue Lynn. My Chinese name (沭潾) is said to mean ‘Flowing River’. I was born on January 28 2002, which makes me an Aquarius. I am known to be the quiet one among my friend group, but it allows me to live in the moment and appreciate my surroundings more.
What is your passion?
I would say my passions are creativity and self-care. Whether it be
drawing, writing, etc, creativity makes up a big part of my life which is
why I am currently taking Creative Media. However, I do not think I could be
the person I am without taking care of myself and my emotions. Without them,
I wouldn’t have the ideas that I do for my creative side.
What motivates you to achieve your dream?
Firstly, my mother! She has always been supporting me since day one. Her support always pushes me to try and work to the best of my abilities. Secondly, the fear of disappointing myself. It’s sad, but it forces me to also try my best when any situation arrives.
How do you want to visualize your dream into an artwork?
I’d prefer for my dreams to reflect how I feel. I am a firm believer that there is always a turning point. For example, if you’re facing something tragic, you will be able to face some joyous experiences soon. Maybe, have water elements to remind myself of my own soul, with my given name, and my Zodiac sign.
02. After that, it was instructed to write a statement about our own work.
Tell us about your work
Usually, I try to give my work a more cutesy look. However, with this, I’d like for it to give a more mature sense to fit the concept I am going for.
What is the concept behind it?
The concept will be someone (me) who has been drained, but is currently recovering, with hope & peace surrounding myself. I would like for liquid elements to give a symbolic meaning for my overall person, as my Chinese name means “Flowing River” & I am an Aquarius. I imagine for the liquid to represent that I slowly becoming happier.
What is the message you want people to understand it?
The intended message I would like people to get is that everyone has different emotions, whether it be positive or negative. I want it to show that without the rainy days, we will never fully appreciate the fun and happy days.
What is your motto/ quote?
Without darkness, stars can never shine as bright as they do.
03. Then, we were to create a mood board, with the intention to be able to study & gather information and inspiration for our theme.
I like how the editing was done for this photo. The way the ocean was edited into the eyes provides a feeling of depth within the person photographed.
Similar to Poster 1, I like the way the editing was done. Making the subject
look like the beach with everyone walking on her. It feels very ‘giving’.
Design Direction
After sketching, I decided I preferred the first sketch, which led me to choose that for my digital poster.
To create the poster, I first took photos in the photo studio during Week 12. Below were some of my favourites.
I ended up choosing the top right's photo as I thought it was the most suitable for my concept & final product.
Next, I took a photo that I had previously taken to be the sky in the background and the ocean in foreground.
Using this photo, I managed to separate them into two sections, thanks to how I took the image. In Adobe Photoshop, I managed this by using the layers and pen tool to separate the image effectively.
I also ended up obtaining some images from the web as I needed photos for the sand, and the other things that would surround my oasis. Below is the pictures I had obtained.
- Sand
- Boat
- Ball
- Trees
- Clouds
- Surfer
- Float
- Chair
With that, I proceeded to create my different versions.
For Variation 1.3.9,
- I left my 'tear drop' on my face. I also connected the tear closer to my eye to give it a more natural look, rather than leave the tear hanging.
- I removed the tear drop using the Clone Stamping Tool on Photoshop.
- I also edited the ends of my lip line to curve more using the Liquify Tool.
- I added more of an oasis pond to properly connect my face to the ocean.
- I added more elements.
- I added more shadows to make it seem more realistic.
- I colour corrected to make it look more realistic.
- I tried making my hair a cooler tone to match the blues of the picture, and made my skin pinker to fit the hot atmosphere of the sands.
According to Google, rejuvenation means “the action or process of giving new energy or vigour to something” or “the action of restoring a river or stream to a condition characteristic of a younger landscape”.
What I wanted to capture is the recovering process after facing some
hardships. Reminding others that, stars can’t shine as bright as they do
without darkness. Just like how us humans, we can never truly appreciate our
joyful and peaceful moments without facing some hardships. What is important
is how we pick ourselves back up.
Animating Poster
Firstly, I did the animation in Adobe After Effects. Below was my first outcome.
For the above animation, I used these two audios:
- animal crossing ~ new horizons lofi
-
Relax | 5 minutes of Sand and Sea | Sounds of Nature | Sleep Sounds
Finally, I came up with the final output.
Final Animated Poster:
For the final video of The Rejuvenation, I wanted to do a simple animation, using the visual elements such as the clouds, as well as the elements in the water, to give some attention to them. In normal compositions, the eyes usually are the first things that catch the eye of the viewer. However, I wanted the movement of the other visual elements to keep the audience watching, as they observe their movements.
For the music, I wanted to encapture the calmness of the beach, and the content-ness of a happier life. For this, I used beach sounds as well as a lo-fi version of an Animal Crossing song, which is known to be a very calming track.
Feedback
15/11/2021
Refrain from concept being too negative. Try making it more positive.
19/11/2021
Glad with your current progress. It's getting better now. The concept and write ups is good. But suggested to remove the "crying" part by using Clone-Stamping on PSD as well as edit face expression with Liquify tools. Overall the editing is good now. Matching hair with the sand. It's look realistic. Just a bit of finishing and color correction, good to go.
22/11/2021
Overall poster looks better! For the animation, it is advised to use the boat to capture the eyes of the audience and fill up the space in the ocean.
Reflection
Overall, I found this project to be very eye-opening. Firstly, it made me learn the importance of good lighting when it comes to taking the desired image. Without it, it'll make our work harder, so it's important to take as good of an image as possible when starting. Next, this project made me more confident with my Photoshop skills. By using what I've learnt throughout the past few weeks, as well as some new tools recommended by Mr Fauzi, I was able to achieve my desired outcome! I believe this knowledge is something I'll carry with my forever. Even though, it may be basic to some, but it's important to understand the basics to create out standing pieces, and I'm glad this project allowed me to experiment with the different tools. Also, I am glad to have been able to learn about Adobe After Effects as I have never touched it before this semester. I am glad to have been able to learn about it, and I'm excited to continue to learn!
