Photo Contest

 

I submitted to an online contest, so I did three separate entries (this particular website would not allow for multiple entries in a single contest without a paid membership).  The first one was entered into a contest for “Objects”, the second was for “Two of the Same”, and the last image was entered into a contest for black and white images.

Each of these were taken at Bannack, and each one was edited using Photoshop, where I played with exposure levels, saturation, and, on the third image, changed to grayscale.

I chose these contests because they were available without a paid membership.  They also fit the images I’d had in mind very well, requiring very minimal additional editing.  These entries were all submitted on March 29, 2016.

Here is the website hosting the contests I entered:

http://www.viewbug.com/frontpage/wall

 

Photobook Final

ChrisBazzle-FinalPhotobook

 

I wanted this photobook to express my personality, so I decided to incorporate myself on the front cover.  What’s more me than me?  I also love the color purple, so that’s the color scheme I went with for the book.  I kept it simple and tried to let each image speak for itself.

I used repetition in the form of lines, where the thicker lines double as text boxes.  I kept the layout very uniform so as not to distract from the photographs themselves.  I then added the white corners to the front and back covers to give it a fun, dynamic twist.

Fine Art Print

Barrels: The Finished Product

 

 

Barrels: The Original Photograph

 

 

This photo was taken in Bannack, Montana.  I chose this one because I like the colors.  It’s something I wouldn’t mind hanging on my own wall.  As for process, I played with the levels a little to brighten up the wood and bring out the texture.  I also added a Gaussian Blur, then used the Sharpen tool to bring out my focal point.  Then I lowered the opacity and began to work my way outward.

 

 

 

 

Fine Art: Top Five

 

Here are my top five favorites.  They were taken in Bannack, Montana with a Canon SX40 HS.

Photobook: First Spread

Front Cover

Back Cover

Contents Page

Two-page Spread

Professional Page

 

Using the images from past projects throughout the semester, I created a spread to display them.  Using Indesign, I designed a layout that I found to be visually appealing and clean to look at.  The I placed the content using alignment and scaling to showcase my work.

Typography

Part A:

 

Part B:

 

My theme for these photos was based on the ghost of the young girl that haunts Bannack.  I took pictures that would showcase her loneliness.  To express the idea of a child’s perspective, I took most of the photographs from low angles.  I also made sure that no people made it into the pictures so the viewer could feel her total sense of abandonment.

 

In post-production, I worked to make each picture show something unique about her situation.  Because most of the pictures are already drastically different, I went against my initial instinct to create a consistent look by way of filter, lighting, etc.  But I think it turned out well.  She might be dead, but her world still holds color.

Title: Serif, Monotype Corsiva Regular

Body: Sans-serif, Gill Sans Semibold

Bannack Best: Creative Images

Stars on the Wall – Out of the Box

The Hanged Man – Levitation

Thumbnails of images used:

The World Within – Conceptual

 

These were really fun to take.  For my “out of the box” image, I found a little room that had a really low window covered up with some leftover roofing.  I turned my shutter speed down to pull in the light through the holes.  Then in Photoshop, I added a Filter to give it more sepia tones, and another to blur the edges.  For my levitation photo, I placed my subject on a bench and took several pictures using a tripod, then took another picture of the same spot with the subject and bench removed.  Then I layered them in Photoshop and masked out the bench.  For my conceptual image, I took a picture of the landscape with half of it covered in a thin layer of ice.  The exposed landscape was too blurry for my taste, so I added another layer with a sharper image of the landscape, then masked it accordingly.  Then I adjusted the landscape layer, pulling out some of the vibrance and saturation, while doing the exact opposite to the image seen in the ice.  This gives the impression that there is another world hidden within the ice, one full of color and warmth.

Bannack Best: Fine Art

 

 

Bracketed Photo

Three images used to create the one above:

 

Wooden Press – Black & White

 

Boots

 

Barrels

 

As Above, So Below

 

These were all really fun to take.  The HDR bracketing assignment was a little difficult, as far as figuring out what layer to expose where in order to make a great image.  I tried to play around with different angles while taking these, and I’m really pleased with how they turned out.  The last one involved me lying down in the icy riverbank and shooting with my lens both above and below the thin sheet of ice.  It was difficult to try to think creatively all the time, but I think I did alright.

Bannack Best: Portraits

Ghost

I used a tripod and long exposure to capture these shots.  The image is made up of two separate images I then layered to create the illusion of Ben’s spirit leaving his body.

Teacher

For this photo, I used an Einstein strobe to brighten up her features.  I also set my shutter speed near middle so I wouldn’t gather too much light.  Then in Photoshop I increased the vibrancy to really bring the color of her dress out.

Squaw

I used auxiliary lighting here as well.  I used a combination of LED lighting and reflectors to create a soft glow on the lefthand side.  Because of the natural lighting from various windows, I decreased my exposure a bit, then used dodge and burn to create more contrast while still keeping her features soft.

Mountain Man

This was taken outside using natural lighting.

Barber

This photo also utilized natural lighting, with my shutter speed set lower and my aperture set right about mid-range.

Project 7: Portraits

 

Photography

Group Environmental

Group Posed

Group Activity

Individual – Full Body

Individual – Head & Shoulders

Individual – Side Composition

 

 

Editing

 

Portrait Enhancements

 

Before & Match Source:

Color Matching

 

Original:

Color Replace

 

For the portrait enhancements, I first sharpened her eyes and lashes.  Then I tinkered with the exposure until the lighting levels were more appropriate.  I then increased the vibrancy a bit, then duplicated the layer, and added surface blur, then turned the opacity down to 30 percent to give her skin a soft glow.