Magnum #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with image as a documentation tool.
Inspiration: I wanted to capture one of my favorite deserts after the first bite.
Technique: Sketching
Process: I took a picture of the magnum after I had had a bite and then sketched it.
Reflection: I found applying the shading techniques I had learnt in studio an interesting task. It was challenging as generally I am not the best drawer however, I am happy with the end result as it came of definitely looking like a magnum and the shading adds 3 dimensionality.
Inspiration: I wanted to capture one of my favorite deserts after the first bite.
Technique: Sketching
Process: I took a picture of the magnum after I had had a bite and then sketched it.
Reflection: I found applying the shading techniques I had learnt in studio an interesting task. It was challenging as generally I am not the best drawer however, I am happy with the end result as it came of definitely looking like a magnum and the shading adds 3 dimensionality.
Seasonal trees 1 #oneperday
Seasonal trees 2 #oneperday
(Seasonal Trees Series)
Reasoning: Experimenting with image as a documentation tool.
Inspiration: I have often seen how the leaves on trees change over time and I wanted to capture a few of those seasonal changes.
Technique: Watercolor.
Process: Firstly, I drew the trunk in pen, as I liked the strokes then, I filled in the tree with water colour pencils, adding water to create the smooth, colorful leaves.
Reflection: I was really impressed with how well the watercolor turned out as it created bright, distinctive trees. The issue with watercolor however, is that it is harder to control and does end up a little messy, but I believe it adds character.
Sharkskin #onperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with image for persuasion and identity.
Inspiration: Sharks have always been creatures I both admire and fear and I chose to draw them because I thought their skin would be great practice for shading.
Technique: Sketching
Process: Firstly, I looked up images of sharks to base by sketches upon, then I did simple circles and lines to get the shape of the body before creating the outline and adding shadow to the inside.
Reflection: I am happy with the way these sharks turned out, even if they did take a long time to draw and shade. The main issue I came across was that even though this was meant to be a realistic sketch, I couldn’t quite get them right and they look a little stiff, so I am unhappy in that regard. Overall, though it was a good attempt and they ended up looking like sharks.
Seed Pods #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with image as a documentation tool.
Inspiration: This has been hanging outside of my window every season and I felt it time to recreate it on paper.
Technique: Collage
Process: First I applied a white background then, I sketched out the outline, added the brown paper and went over the pencil in pastel. As a final touch I added orange inks to add colour and interest.
Reflection: Honestly, this is one of my favorite paper images, probably because of its complexity. The one issue was that it consumed my entire day, so it wasn’t something I wanted to do again for this assessment.
Butterfly Cycle - Caterpillar #oneperday
At first there are many, all small brown and lumpy…
Butterfly Cycle – Chrysalis #oneperday
Then they disappear for a time, hiding and changing…
Butterfly Cycle – Butterfly #oneperday
And at last they appear, beautiful and bright, new wings shining on their backs.
(Butterfly Cycle)
Reasoning: Experimenting with image as a commentary & storytelling tool.
Inspiration: Once I learned about changing the settings on the camera, especially the shutter speed, I knew I wanted to try it out on the insects in our garden.
Technique: Photography
Process: The process was 3 days as I had to wait for the butterflies to hatch out of their cocoons in order to get these shots. All I had to do was wait and take a photo of each step in the cycle as it came around.
Reflection: This is honestly one of my favorite pieces, I loved trying to photograph the butterflies and capture the perfect moment. There were a lot of shots that didn’t turn out great as I was still getting used to playing around with the camera but the images above are ones I am really proud of. They show good use of aperture with the blurred background and reasonable control over the shutter speed where I captured the butterfly’s flighty movement.
Humming Bees #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with image as a commentary & storytelling tool.
Inspiration: The honeybees were on my radar ever since I took the photos of the butterflies. For this set of images, I wanted to really test out my camera by trying to photograph the bees in flight.
Technique: Photography
Process: In order to get these shots I had to stand in front of the flower bush and take hundreds of images of the bees. I then selected the best two and altered them in Lightroom, changing the contrast and tonal balance in order to bring out the most colour.
Reflection: I was happy with the result of these two images as they both have a good depth of field (with the focus on the flowers and bee) and the shutter speed looks to have been at a good setting in order to catch the wings in flight. The best part of the image process in relation to these two photos was picking them out of the hundred others. That moment when you see an image that you are completely happy with doesn’t happen often but it did with the fist image in this set.
Lavender Grove #oneperday
The lavender grove is so peaceful in the winter, adding that touch of colour where all has been dulled. The scent surrounding you, calming and tranquil.
Reasoning: Experimenting with image as a commentary & storytelling tool.
Inspiration: Lavender bushes have always looked rather peaceful and I wanted to create that feeling with my images.
Technique: Photography
Process: Using a tripod, a camera was used to capture perfects shots of the lavender. The setup was with a very low aperture, in order to fade out the background.
Reflection: I love the way the images turned out, especially how in black and white it still conveys the same sense of calmness. I am glad I decided to really test out the aperture and use it at its lowest settings.
Butterfly Cycle – Chrysalis #oneperday
Turtle Sketch 1 #oneperday
Turtle Sketch 2 #oneperday
(Turtle Sketches)
Reasoning: Experimenting with image for persuasion and identity.
Inspiration: This drawing exercise was an in class activity.
Technique: Sketching
Process: Finding an image of a turtle and then sketching it within 10 minutes.
Reflection: The exercise was to add emotions onto the turtles however, I just found that it took away from the turtles character and so I altered these ones back into their original state for aesthetic reasons.
Taxi Love Story #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with image for persuasion and identity by creating a comic strip.
Inspiration: An interesting love story that I have seen in the movies and read about in books.
Technique: Sketching
Process: First I came up with the story and then I sketched it out onto paper.
Reflection: I felt this was a rather disappointing image as the sketch was pretty rough and it didn’t contain the full story. I would have put in into illustrator to neaten it up however, that it not something I am very skilled at and I find it rather difficult and time consuming.
Comic Cow #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with image for persuasion and identity.
Inspiration: Always being out travelling in the county side and never trying to draw any of the multitudes of cows I see.
Technique: Cartoon sketching
Process: First, looking at an image of a cow and then sketching it out on paper and going over in pen.
Reflection: I was really impressed with this cow as it looked aesthetically pleasing however, as has become apparent to me, cartoon styling is something I do not enjoy doing.
Due Date Incoming #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with image for persuasion and identity by creating a comic strip.
Inspiration: As I am a procrastinator, I am always running into deadlines, so I thought I would try to capture this in a comic strip.
Technique: Drawing, Photoshop and Illustrator
Process: Firstly, I sketched it out on paper and then went over it in pen to get a dark outline. Then, I transferred it into Photoshop to adjust the brightness and contrast. After that, I opened it in Illustrator where I used the image trace tool so I could add colour to it.
Reflection: I found that with this image I lacked confidence in my design as it was not something I had really attempted before. I am however, happy with the how this has improved greatly from “Taxi Love Story.”
Fence Posts #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with lighting and portraits.
Inspiration: When I think of home, the first thing that comes to mind is the wood that makes up our house. You could say it is what is keeping my family all together, and all under one roof.
Technique: Photography and Photoshop
Process: First I set up Hana in front of the wooden planks and took the photo. Then in Photoshop I fixed up the background as some of the planks stopped short of the photos top edge. The natural lighting helped, as I didn’t have to drastically alter the contrast level.
Reflection: I was rather happy with this image as its composition is rather nice however, it didn’t quite convey the message of “support” I wanted it to. The background is just kind of there, not really adding much except for an interesting texture.
Sitting in Nature #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with lighting and portraits.
Inspiration: This image was meant to be about how home for me is surrounded by nature as I live out in the Brookfield area on acreage.
Technique: Photography and Lightroom
Process: As a studio activity we were meant to take photos of our classmates out around Kelvin Grove. I got Laura to model as I took photos of her against the tree as it had really nice lighting. I then transferred all the images into light room. It was there that I realized the state of the background however as it was too late to go out again I decided to stick with this image.
Reflection: Overall, the foreground of this image is nice with good lighting however, the background takes away from the model. To improve this image, it would have been good to have a lower aperture in order to bring focus straight to the model.
And Darkness Swallows Her #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with lighting, abstraction and portraits.
Inspiration: An in class studio activity where we took portraits with studio lighting techniques
Technique: Photography with studio lighting and Lightroom
Process: This image was produced in a rembrandt lighting set up with reflectors and diffusers that were used to create a portrait that employed interesting shadows. Then, the images contrast and brightness was altered in Illustrator to bleed the figure into the dark background.
Reflection: This is right up their in my favorite photographic pieces. Hana seems to be almost swallowed up by the background, which creates a very interesting portrait.
Image of Self #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with lighting and portraits.
Inspiration: An in class studio activity where we took portraits with studio lighting techniques. This one was chosen to be put into black and white because my family gets black and white family portraits done every 5 years so I wanted to create an image of me that fits with that.
Technique: Photography with studio lighting and Lightroom
Process: This image was taken by Hanna Wensley as part of our studio activity in the light room. After I got the image from her I put it into Lightroom to change it into a black and white photograph.
Reflection: This was a great photograph and it works even better in black and white as it really heightens the shadows on my face and makes my hair blend into the background. I was super pleased when Hana gave this one to me and there wasn’t much to change about it as the Rembrandt lighting set up really did help create a beautiful image.
Abstracted Self #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with lighting, abstraction and portraits.
Inspiration: This image was designed to represent my feelings when I’m away from home.
Technique: Photography and Photoshop
Process: Firstly, I used another image Hanna took during our time in the lightroom and then placed it into Photoshop. I then used the watercolour filter to create an almost painting like photo.
Reflection: This definitely wasn’t one of my most interesting pieces however, it does convey a sense of sadness which is only heightened by the filter. the one thing I would probably change is to work on the abstract style I dived into a little more, as it doesn’t appear anywhere else.
Spikes and Thorns #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with textures.
Inspiration: This cactus plant has been a dangerous addition to the plants outside my window ever since I was little, and its texture was something I found appealing.
Technique: Photography
Process: Taking the picture wasn’t difficult as the natural lighting was perfect, so all I had to do was change the depth of field to a low apature in order to get the nice blurred background.
Reflection: I found this image interesting, not only because of the spikes that add the ‘dangerous’ texture but how the apature was used to draw focus onto the fist cactus stem.
Smooth Cane #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with textures.
Inspiration: The roughness cane beams compared to the soft background peaking through was an interesting form that I couldn’t pass by. It reminds me of my home life in an abstract way as sometimes we have a rough exterior but even when we are fighting, we know that the love we all share is under that rough outer shell.
Technique: Photography
Process: For this I again put the aperture down to the lowest setting in order to create the soft background I desired.
Reflection: I was overly happy with the mixed textures created by this image. The only issue I came across was choosing the image that had the best composition as some had wired running through them, this however, was the best out of the lot and I love how it flows smoothly from the right side to the left
Tiled Lines #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with textures.
Inspiration: I have always loved playing with lines and I have hundreds of patterns all over my bedroom and in my books.
Technique: Freehand lines
Process: These four tiles were drawn straight from my imagination and onto paper using a pen.
Reflection: I find these tiles to be fun and similar to optical illusions. They weren’t difficult to draw and I enjoyed creating them, I guess I made 2D tiles because they were quicker and more enjoyable then spending time carefully shading to create a 3D look.
Repeating Sunset #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with textures.
Inspiration: For this image I looked at recreating the sunset I can see from our beach house at Caloundra.
Technique: Paint
Process: First up I looked at an image we had of the view from our beach house, then I decided upon using 2 tiles to create the sunset and the water. After I designed the tiles I sketched them out and used paint to add in colour.
Reflection: I found this to be different form my normal style as I used block colours and very stylised forms. I wouldn’t say this means I am unhappy with it though, on the contrary, I feel this unit is all bout branching out in order to find your own style, so while this isn’t mine, it is bringing me one step closer to finding it.
Patterned Illusion #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with textures
Inspiration: This computer-generated pattern was created with flat design in mind, another thing that is all over my room.
Technique: Illustrator
Process: This image is solely created from squares. Firstly, I created a single tile by using layering techniques to position the squares and changed them to the desired colour. I then saved it as a pattern and applied it in a hexagonal form to a rectangle to produce the finished image.
Reflection: Overall, I feel like the grey squares work really well to draw the viewers eye into the middle of the tile and the green star background works to add further interest and a splash of colour. I think I did end up creating a ‘flat design’ that is one of a kind within my 30 images. Again, this was because I wanted to expand upon my style and try something new.
Army Soldiers #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with macro photography to create ‘different’ worlds.
Inspiration: These images were inspired by the Australian troops fighting overseas.
Technique: Photography and Lightroom
Process: This series was taken around Kelvin Grove as a studio activity. In a group, we were meant to create story by deciding upon different frames we would place the toy soldiers in. Once the photos were taken, I transferred them into Lightroom to bring a little more colour and contrast into the images. The last one was especially altered to draw attention to the light over the grave.
Reflection: While I do like the chosen images, I feel they are lacking in emotion. I tried with the almost holy light over the grave but perhaps putting a blue hue over the image would have better set the somber mood.
Vehicle Abstraction #oneperday
Reasoning: Experimenting with macro photography to create ‘different’ worlds.
Inspiration: At the moment there are bright and colorful flowers everywhere around my house, so I wanted to try and recreate them using man made objects.
Technique: Micro Photography and Photoshop
Process: After think that car lights would be a great source of bright colours I went and took close up photos of our cars lights. I then altered my two favorites in Photoshop to bring about even brighter colours.
Reflection: These images came out as the kind of abstract microphotography I was looking to create. Without much tweaking in Photoshop they already had their abstract forms with a depth to them that I had been taking out by using a shallow depth of field. Looking at these you can’t really tell what they are without thinking about it, but that just adds mystery to already intriguing images.
Up Close To Nature 1 #oneperday
Up Close To Nature 2 #oneperday
Up Close To Nature 3 #oneperday
(Up Close To Nature )
Reasoning: Experimenting with macro photography to create ‘different’ worlds.
Inspiration: Inspiration was taken from natures natural forms.
Technique: Micro Photography, Photoshop
Process: These images were all taken close up to the plants in question. They were then transferred over to Photoshop where I took out any elements that were distracting from the focal form and then heightened their contrast to improve the quality.
Reflection: These images were really interesting in the way they turned out. They remind me of the photos my grandmother takes, where she gets really close to insects in order to photograph the texture of their skin/shell/fur. Unfortunately, mine aren’t as abstract as I would have liked however they do hold a lot of interest just the way they are. Macro photography really is something I would like to practice more in the future.
