Composite | Formal Elements

Image Bank

The following images were added as part of my visual research.

This above collection of photographs (/pictures/paintings by other artists/photographers) represent some of type of images that I felt I could capture within my area or surrounding areas. They represent a variety of digital composite, most of the images are quite abstract closely cropped. (I decided that I would adopt a similar approach for my work).

Photoshop Theory And Information

Photoshop - Image editing software often used to manipulate the captured image to an extent determined by the artist / retoucher.

Colour balance - In photography and image processing, colour balance is the global adjustment of the intensities of the colours (typically red, green, and blue primary colours). An important goal of this adjustment is to render specific colours, particularly neutral colours correctly.
Contrast - the state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association.
Cropping - cutting a part of an image out so that the viewer can not see it.
Retouching - improve or repair (a painting, photograph, or other image) by making slight additions or alterations.
Airbrushing - altering or conceal (a photograph or a detail in one) using an airbrush.
Composite – compositing is combining (two or more images) to make a single picture.

Arguably Photoshop can be used in a similar way to Dark room processing of prints. The artist can however manipulate images far beyond the capabilities of conventional dark room techniques.

Digital compositing is the process of digitally assembling multiple images to make a final image, typically for print. (A digital composite in its simplest form is similar to a Photo-montage)

Raoul Hausmann.

Hannah Hoch.

ERIK JOHANSSON

Erik Johansson (born 1985) is a photographer and visual artist from Sweden based in Prague, Czech Republic. His work can be described as surreal world created by combining different photographs. Erik works on both personal and commissioned projects with exhibitions and clients all around the world. In contrast to traditional photography he doesn't capture moments, he captures ideas with the help of his camera and imagination. The focus is on the story and the goal is to make it look as realistic as possible even if the scene itself contains impossible elements. In the end it all comes down to problem solving, finding a way to capture the impossible.

The above images were edited using Photoshop to digitally composite two images together. The resulting images represent a surreal style of photography. The photos were created by combining two images together and were deliberately made to have a high contrast and vibrant colours making the images stand out. The images all have some type of light source to imply a sense of mystery. The images have been taken using camera equipment such as a tripod and light boxes so that the photographer could get the best result when taking multiply of these images to later on Photoshop them together. The images show ideas of modern struggles and mental health issues, these photos symbolises how takes of mental disability can effect people and reveals their emotions in those situations. I gained inspiration from this by producing my own images based on the composite elements in the photographers images, and will therefore be using the same techniques in my own work during my photo shoot and editing process.

Experiment

For this image we used Photoshop to combine the two images together. To begin with we selected the duck using the select tool, we then copied and pasted the duck onto a different image with a different background. Finally using the eraser tool to give the ducks a floating effect on the water. Other drawing elements in the image were made by using the select tool and the brush tool due to the fact that I wanted to see what else i could experiment with on Photoshop.

When I do my own photos I want to use a technique similar to this so that I can add an object to a background as this will allow me to improve my Photoshop skills and create abstract imagery.

Contact Sheet

(AO1 You must ensure that several of the visual ideas/inspirations within the image bank are pursued)

The images marked in green were the photos I thought would be best for my editing process as they allow me to have space to work with a are good quality photos.

Best Images

I selected the following as my best images

(AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress)

My idea for recording composite was to photograph the London landscape and different objects exploring different areas in the city and using different angling for each photo, some elements are present such as curves, horizontal, vertical lines and colour. I was inspired from my research of Erik Johansson images with regards to the composition. His use of lines and Photoshop gave me an idea to photograph areas in London and commonly used objects. The images came out as I expected, however I had to pay attention to getting the right exposure settings and angling.

With reference to the Best selected images.

The first image was shot at a straight forward angle so that the lines of the steps ran straight towards the main building, this was done to lead the eye towards the building but i hop it will help to highlight the object once it has been added in to create a more abstract styled image. This image links with my research image of one of Erik Johansson's photos as we both have used similar techniques and unique backgrounds.

The second image mainly includes the water from the river teams with the bridge and the building in the background, I plan on adding a floating object in the water so that the image will link better with the photographers own work, I will do this using Photoshop, but the image itself also features elements of line and curve which are also sown in the artist works.

For the third image I wanted the chocolate bar to be leaning at an angle so that when I add it to the other images using Photoshop it will appear more natural as if the landscape is causing it to lean that way, the image can be linked back to the artist through his own use of editing in objects making them look bigger then what they actually are in his images which is exactly what I plan to do with this image.

I like my last image as I had manipulated the can so it was at an angle meaning it will be easier to include in my edits when I Photoshop it onto another image which will link my photo to the photographers by using elements of Photoshop and composite techniques.

With regards to some of the images that did not come out as I expected, I struggled to adapt my camera settings as the lighting changed in each area i was in and some of the shoots were taken outside and others were taken inside. Some images lacked focus, whilst in the case of others I struggled to use the cameras exposure meter. I believe I can overcome these issues through more practise.

(AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops)

I used a Nikon camera for all of the shots taken. The images were photographed at an aperture range of between f4 and f8. I tried to increase the aperture setting to as high as possible so that I might have sharper pictures with a wider depth of field when I was taking images inside and there was good lighting however sometimes this was not possible because of poor lighting. In one instance the lighting was poor so I had to increase the ISO setting to 800 and balance the camera on the table. The shutter speed used to get this shot was about 1/15 s with an f stop of 7.1. Some of the images are slightly out of focus.

If I were to re-shoot these images again I would use a tripod to hold the camera steady and use a camera with a higher f stop rage so that i could make sure the image was more in focus and sharper.

To improve my images I decided to import some of them into Photoshop and use this to create layered images including brightness and contrast elements. Information on how this was done is shown below in a sample image.

The screen shoots selected show how Photoshop was used to create a layered image. To do use this, I used the brightness and contrast tool along with the eraser and select tool so that I could achieve a fading water effect on the objects I used or to make it seem an object is bigger then what it is meant to be.

(AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding)

The artist research was helpful as I realised that the theory on composite meant that I could feature the subject from a range of perspectives. My research of Erik Johansson helped me to focus on the background of my images to make sure the surrounding area matched the objects and situation I was going to use it in. This was helpful to me as this meant I could use a location in London where many of the buildings gave me opportunities to photograph a unique area which would allow me space to add in edited objects. The research on composite and Photoshop was not particularly helpful to this study, however some of the shots were composed using angles and similar elements the artist had used so in theory the research was helpful in creating my own work. The perspective of the buildings leading lines draws the viewer into the image and highlights the added assets I had edited into the photo.

(AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements)

I believe that I have produced a strong series of images inspired by my research of composite and Photoshop, though the study of Erik Johansson images. The final images produced were refined by developing the contrast and brightness and by converting the images into a group photo meaning that changes could no longer be made to the final edited images.

Although this was not my original intention, the selected final images can be portrayed as a suggested journey of the recycling life cycle of our rubbish as we refuse to throw it away and it effects our waters and takes over our lives until we step up and finally deal with the problem to help our planet.