Digital Photography & Imaging - Week 9

Ruchira Nowreen || 0347111
Major: Bachelor of Software Engineering || Minor: Creative Media Design || Taylor's University
Digital Photography & Imaging GCD 61204
WEEK 9: LECTURE, TUTORIAL, PRACTICAL || 23.10.2023

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LECTURE

During this week's session, Mr. Fauzi introduced us to the realm of Digital Surrealism, prompting us to explore the distinction between realism and surrealism. The focus was on understanding the essence of surrealism as a cultural movement that empowers artists to express their ideas through unconventional and imaginative artistic forms. As we delve into the digital era, surrealism emerges as a prominent style in digital artistry, inviting us to contemplate the concept of Digital Surrealism and its potential for creative expression.

Realism, in contrast, confines itself to the ordinary and commonplace aspects of the world. Rooted in depicting non-exotic and non-extraordinary subject matters, realism avoids the need to venture beyond conventional boundaries. It embraces the familiar and rejects the necessity of thinking outside the box, as its essence lies in portraying what is deemed "real" in a straightforward manner.

Surrealism, on the other hand, challenges the constraints of logic, drawing inspiration from dreams and the subconscious mind. Surrealistic art manifests as a tapestry of strange images and bizarre juxtapositions, creating a visual language that defies the norms of reality. Additionally, Mr. Fauzi touched upon Dadaism, an anti-war art movement characterized by satirical and nonsensical artworks, providing further context to the broader spectrum of artistic expressions we are encouraged to explore in the digital surrealism landscape. As part of our assignment, we were prompted to conceptualize our sketch ideas, inviting us to channel our creativity into the fascinating realm of Digital Surrealism.

Figure 1: Lecture's slide

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TUTORIAL

Mr. Fauzi conducted a demonstration video in which he elucidated the process of crafting loop animations specifically tailored for Instagram Stories (I.G Stories). The session provided a hands-on exploration of the techniques and tools involved in creating seamless and captivating loop animations. With Instagram Stories being a dynamic and visually-driven platform, the tutorial likely delved into the intricacies of timing, transitions, and creative considerations to optimize the impact of loop animations within this context. This practical guidance is invaluable for those seeking to enhance their digital storytelling skills and engage audiences effectively on social media platforms like Instagram.

Figure 2: Demo video

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PRACTICAL

During this week's practical class, our assignment was to seek inspiration on Pinterest for Project 2B, which involves conceptual product photography. We initiated by exploring surreal combo pictures on Pinterest to gather references for our artwork. Following that, we carefully selected household items to feature in our own combo pictures. The finalized items included an orange, an egg, a perfume bottle, and sunglasses, which were subjects for my initial studio photoshoot. In the studio, under Mr. Fauzi's guidance, we meticulously set up the lighting for optimal effects, ensuring the right angles, intensities, and directions of light was crucial to accentuate details and enhance the overall visual impact of the conceptual product photoshoot. A glimpse of one of the many lighting setups in the studio is displayed below.

Figure 3: Glimpse of the photography studio

However, I chose not to utilize the showcased lighting setup. Based on my lecturer's guidance, I discovered that simpler lighting arrangements, where light emanates from a specific angle, suited my items more effectively. Unfortunately, I overlooked capturing a photograph of the studio setup I employed, but it was a setup where the light was coming from the right.

Figure 4: Photos captured at the studio

Despite the studio shoot, the project allowed flexibility, encouraging us to employ proper lighting techniques for home photoshoots. Following class instructions, I ventured into shooting at home as well with different set of intriguing subjects – a banana, brinjal, handwash, sunglasses, and donuts. The following photo illustrates the lighting setup utilized at home.

Figure 5: A glimpse of my lighting set up at home

At home, I maintained a similar lighting angle employed during the studio photoshoot but this time from the top left. I replicated the setup, substituting the studio light with my ring light, which proved to be the most suitable lighting source available. I adjusted the tilt of the ring light to ensure that the primary source of light appeared to be from the top. This intentional tilt was aimed at minimizing the diffusion of the product's shadow to the left. Additionally, I ensured ample brightness in the room by turning on all ceiling lights and spotlights. To enhance light reflection, I used a white plate since a dedicated white surface was unavailable. For the background, I utilized a white cushion to maintain a clean and consistent backdrop for the photos.

Figure 6: Photos captured at home

Upon completing both the studio and home photoshoots, my Project 2B's product photoshoot concluded. Following this, I delved into sketching out my concepts, simultaneously crafting a concise summary for each idea. The subsequent and concluding task involved bringing these concepts to life through the art of photoshopping the products I had captured.

I will be attaching my research, concept summaries, sketches, step-by-step progress in Photoshop, and final artworks below to provide a more comprehensive demonstration.

Research

Mood board:

I initiated the task by researching comparable photos on Pinterest to serve as my reference for the artwork. 

Figure 7: Reference - perfume and trash

Figure 8: Reference - donut and handwash

Figure 9: Reference - banana and orange

Figure 10: Reference - egg and orange

Summary of my ideas:

I plan to incorporate objects with analogous shapes or those that complement each other, drawing inspiration from discovered references. Here are the objects I've gathered from my house, each paired with a conceptual idea.

#1: Egg and Orange - I want to create a broken egg with an orange inside as a replacement for the original egg. This combo symbolizes the delicate balance between fragility (represented by the broken egg) and the vibrant, refreshing energy within (depicted by the orange), reflecting the resilience found in unexpected places.

#2: Sunglasses and Orange - I want to replace the rounded lenses of the sunglasses with a half-cut flat orange, as both shapes are round. By replacing the lenses of the sunglasses with a half-cut orange, we play with the concept of perception - suggesting that viewing the world through a lens of natural vibrancy can add a unique and enriching perspective to life.

#3: Perfume Bottle and Orange - The perfume bottle is intended to combine with an orange to give the essence of an orange-flavored perfume. This combination transforms the perfume bottle into a vessel of nature's essence, infusing the artificial with the refreshing purity of an orange, illustrating the synthesis of synthetic and organic elements.

#4: Banana and Brinjal - I want to replace the inside portion of a peeled banana with a brinjal, as both shapes are similar. This blend of banana and brinjal challenges preconceived notions, merging two seemingly incompatible elements to highlight the beauty in diversity and the unexpected harmony found in embracing differences.

#5: Donut and Sunglasses - I want to replace the rounded lenses of the sunglasses with two donuts, as both shapes are round. Swapping the rounded glasses of the sunglasses with two donuts symbolizes a whimsical reinterpretation of how we perceive the world, emphasizing the sweet, joyful aspects of life and encouraging a lighthearted perspective on the everyday.

#6: Orange and Handwash Pump - I will attach the pump to an orange, intending it to be an orange-flavored handwash. By combining the handwash pump with an orange, you create a visual metaphor for cleansing and revitalization, symbolizing the refreshing essence of an orange-infused handwash as a means to purify not just our hands but also our senses, promoting a rejuvenating and invigorating experience.

Sketches:

Following that, I sketched out my ideas to gain a clearer visualization of the concepts.

Figure 11: Sketch #1

Figure 12: Sketch #2

Figure 13: Sketch #3

Figure 14: Sketch #4

Figure 15: Sketch #5

Figure 16: Sketch #6

Mock-up

I created two artworks, and in the upcoming section, I will discuss the step-by-step details of both mock-ups.

First Attempt:

PROGRESS #1 

I took photographs of the chosen objects in good lighting as instructed by the lecturer.

PROGRESS #2 

I opened the photos on photoshop to remove the background. I selected the objects using the quick selection tool and refined the edges in mask mode.

PROGRESS #3

I made separate layers for the two objects in each image using the lasso tool and renamed them.

PROGRESS #4 

I pasted the cropped objects into a new document, then resized and merged the orange into the egg using the brush tool. Despite facing challenges in aligning the oranges at the same angle as the egg for a realistic appearance, I overcame this hurdle by utilizing various transform options such as perspective, skew, and distort. Ultimately, I achieved a natural look that satisfied me, allowing me to proceed to the next step.

PROGRESS #5

I added shadows to the manipulated object.

PROGRESS #6

I added a solid light pink colour as the background.

PROGRESS #7

I used adjustment layers to the egg and the orange individually using clipping mask for them to look more clear, vivid and realistic.

PROGRESS #8

Finally, I adjusted the curves and color balance of the entire image to ensure cohesion among all objects and prevent an overly unreal appearance.

ARTWORK #1

TITLE: Fragile Resilience

DESCRIPTION: In this visual composition, a broken egg is artfully replaced with a vibrant orange, capturing the delicate equilibrium between fragility (as portrayed by the shattered egg) and the invigorating, lively energy encapsulated within the orange, illustrating resilience discovered in unforeseen moments.

Second Attempt:

PROGRESS #1 

I took photographs of the chosen objects in good lighting as instructed by the lecturer.

PROGRESS #2 

I opened the photos on photoshop to remove the background. I selected the objects using the quick selection tool and refined the edges in mask mode.

PROGRESS #3

I pasted the cropped objects into a new document, then resized and placed the donuts into the sunglasses. Despite facing challenges in aligning the donuts at the same angle as the frame of the sunglasses for a realistic appearance, I overcame this hurdle by utilizing various transform options such as wrap, perspective, skew, and distort. Ultimately, I achieved a natural look that satisfied me, allowing me to proceed to the next step.

PROGRESS #4 

When the angle and placement seemed right to me, I combined the donuts and the sunglasses using the Brush tool.

PROGRESS #5

I incorporated shadows to enhance the realism of the manipulated object. Creating the shadow for the sunglasses proved to be challenging, requiring considerable time to determine the correct shape. I opted to replicate the harsh shadow from the top observed in my original photoshoot rather than attempting to recreate the more diffuse shadow on the right. The harsh shadow not only proved easier to achieve but also complemented the overall picture effectively. I employed a combination of the line tool, ellipse tool, and brush tool to create a distinctive shape for the drop-down shadow. Additionally, I made adjustments to the perspective using the distort and wrap functions within the transform options.

PROGRESS #6

I added a solid sky blue colour as the background.

PROGRESS #7

I added adjustment layers to the donuts and the sunglasses individually using clipping mask for them to pop up more.

PROGRESS #8

Next, I adjusted the brightness/contrast, levels, curves and colour balance of the entire image to ensure cohesion among all objects and prevent an overly unreal appearance.

ARTWORK #2

TITLE: Sugar Vision

DESCRIPTION: In this creative composition, the rounded lenses of sunglasses are whimsically substituted with two donuts, offering a playful reinterpretation of our perception, highlighting the sweet and joyful facets of life while promoting a lighthearted perspective on the everyday.

Final Artwork

Figure 17: Final Artwork - Donut & Sunglasses

I opted to submit the second artwork, as it was entirely my original concept without any internet references, aiming for uniqueness. During class, I sought feedback from my lecturer, Mr. Fauzi, who appreciated both pieces but specifically advised me to prioritize the originality and uniqueness of the second artwork. Additionally, the meaning conveyed by artwork #2 appeared more impactful to me than that of artwork #1.

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REFLECTION

Week 9 brought a rich exploration of Digital Surrealism and practical applications in digital storytelling and conceptual product photography. Mr. Fauzi's lecture delved into the empowering nature of Surrealism as a cultural movement, prompting contemplation on its potential in the digital era. The tutorial's focus on crafting loop animations for Instagram Stories provided valuable insights into enhancing digital storytelling skills, emphasizing the nuances of timing and creative considerations for maximum impact on dynamic platforms.

The practical class centered around conceptual product photography for Project 2B, immersing us in the process from seeking inspiration on Pinterest to executing studio and home photoshoots. Mr. Fauzi's guidance in setting up optimal lighting conditions and capturing intriguing compositions showcased the fusion of creativity and technical expertise. The transition from sketching ideas to executing them in Photoshop underscored the iterative and meticulous nature of the creative process, culminating in the creation of Digital Surrealism-inspired product photographs.

The week's tasks represented a pivotal juncture in the artistic journey, combining theoretical understanding with hands-on application across various digital mediums. Exploring Digital Surrealism, crafting loop animations, and delving into conceptual product photography expanded the skill set and deepened appreciation for the creative possibilities in the digital realm. Looking ahead, the focus is on refining these newfound skills and pushing creative boundaries in future projects.