Week 7: SXU Research EXPO Photos

Week 7: In our Photography II Class, we are focusing on advancing our skills in articulating our ideas and visions into compelling and aesthetically pleasing photographs. This week, we have moved away from photos as art to accomplish a specific task and that is to create photo images will be used to advertise the fact that research is being conducted here at Saint Xavier University. The photos above are the selected pieces I have chosen to illustrate the work I have done this week for the class.

Craft: The Craft of this assignment is the following: Digital SLR Camera (Canon E05 Rebel T5i), a computer, Adobe Photoshop, and a printer. As this was mainly a digital post-process heavy assignment, the majority of the work was done in Photoshop with minimal outside equipment save a tripod.

Composition: In this class, we were tasked with taking photographs of science research in the labs of Saint Xavier University for an upcoming research expo. As such, we had to have several parameters for this particular assignment. The first was the photos had to be horizontal. The second was that there had to be negative space, whether a blank portion of the image or a blurred out one for text. The third was having an image that showed research as its main voice. Once we all of those elements, we were able to construct good photographs that we could post-process and get ready for viewing as advertisements for the school's research. We then printed out three of our best works on 11x17 for viewing.

Concept: In this project, we were tasked with creating photographs that would be akin to advertisements. As our university's research expo is coming up, we were tasked with creating photographs ready for text-based advertisements with the theme of research, more specifically science-based. The photographs would be taken horizontally with negative space allocated for the text that would be required for what our project was intended for. Making sure that the images were crisp and showcased the research theme in an obvious and deliberate way wast he concept behind this project. The hardest was finding the proper font for the text as it was mostly by eye. I chose Goudy Old Style as it is the standard font used by the school.

Week 6: Furthering Wood Photoprints

Week 6: In our Photography II Class, we are focusing on advancing our skills in articulating our ideas and visions into compelling and aesthetically pleasing photographs. Last week, we used a method that our instructor introduced to transfer printed photographs onto wood. This week, we are continuing with the process having learned much more in the way of what was successful and what was not. The photos above are the selected pieces I have chosen to illustrate the work I have done this week for the class.

Craft: The Craft of this assignment is the following: Digital SLR Camera (Canon E05 Rebel T5i), a computer, previously taken printed photographs, wood blocks )5.5 in x 5.5 in), transparent acrylic gel, and tape. I used these resources to create the images above. As this was more about the physical objects rather than the images I took, the craft revolved around the wood block and the acrylic gel.

Composition: In this class, we were tasked with taking our images, i.e. our photos we have taken and transfer them onto wood blocks. Instead of going about it with whatever wood we found, we were given five wood squares which were quite thin. To compensate for the thinness so that the word would not bulge or distort, we would have to use both sides at the same time to counterbalance each other. I had never heard of this sort of method of photo transfer before last week and as a result, my results and process were less than stellar. However, this week, having gained new knowledge of the process have improved my technique. What we had to do first was print out our images onto plain paper. The reason for this is that the toner cannot be transferred off glossy paper due to the glossy surface acting as a seal. Next, we prepared the wood media for the photo transfer. We made sure to get the highest quality wood we could find. It had to be smooth since anything rough would warp the image and give us unsatisfactory results. After that, we cut the images to the appropriate sizes for the wood blocks and applied a clear acrylic gel. This would act as the means of transfer. I taped the edges around one block so as to create a border. Once the first layer was dry, I made another layer of the gel, smooth as the previous. Then I applied the image, using a plastic card to smooth any air pockets. After twenty-four hours, I wet the paper and rubbed off the pulp, leaving behind only the acrylic layer beneath.

Concept: In this project, we were tasked with transferring images onto wood and other surfaces using an acrylic gel. I had never heard of this method before last week and was eager to try it out. While it seemed daunting at first, the process itself was very simple and easy to achieve. As we were asked by our professor to create show-worthy pieces, we had to be meticulous and mindful. As we were given five wood squares to use, we had much more room to experiment and try new things. Woodprints are a very old and storied means of images capturing and to be part of that long-running tradition was rewarding.

Week 5: Wood-Photo Transfer

Week 5: In our Photography II Class, we are focusing on advancing our skills in articulating our ideas and visions into compelling and aesthetically pleasing photographs. This week, we focused on the physical photograph itself. We used a method that our instructor introduced to transfer printed photographs onto wood. The photos above are the selected pieces I have chosen to illustrate the work I have done this week for the class.

Craft: The Craft of this assignment is the following: Digital SLR Camera (Canon E05 Rebel T5i), a computer, previously taken printed photographs, wood blocks, transparent acrylic gel, and tape. I used these resources to create the images above. As this was more about the physical objects rather than the images I took, the craft revolved around the wood block and the acrylic gel.

Composition: In this class, we were tasked with taking our images, i.e. our photos we have taken and transfer them onto wood blocks. I had never heard of this sort of method of photo transfer before and as a result, my results and process were less than stellar. What we had to do first was print out our images onto plain paper. The reason for this is that the toner cannot be transferred off glossy paper due to the glossy surface acting as a seal. Next, we prepared the wood media for the photo transfer. We made sure to get the highest quality wood we could find. It had to be smooth since anything rough would warp the image and give us unsatisfactory results. After that, we cut the images to the appropriate sizes for the wood blocks and applied a clear acrylic gel. This would act as the means of transfer. I taped the edges around one block so as to create a border. Once the first layer was dry, I made another layer of the gel, smooth as the previous. Then I applied the image, using a plastic card to smooth any air pockets. After twenty-four hours, I wet the paper and rubbed off the pulp, leaving behind only the acrylic layer beneath.

Concept: In this project, we were tasked with transferring images onto wood and other surfaces using an acrylic gel. I had never heard of this method before and was eager to try it out. While it seemed daunting at first, the process itself was very simple and easy to achieve. I chose two elongated wood blocks because I was thinking of hanging or resting these blocks on a desk or fireplace as the appropriate place to put them. Woodprints are a very old and storied means of images capturing and to be part of thatlong-runningg tradition was rewarding.

Week 4: Pictorialism - Clarence Hudson White

Week 4: In our Photography II Class, we are focusing on advancing our skills in articulating our ideas and visions into compelling and aesthetically pleasing photographs. This week, we focused on the subject matter of recreating the artistic photography movement of Pictorialism in which photos are manipulated to resemble paintings or drawings. The photos above are the ten selected pieces I have chosen to illustrate the work I have done this week for the class.

Craft: The Craft of this assignment is the following: Digital SLR Camera (Canon E05 Rebel T5i), a computer, photo lights, Bowens Camera Studio Lights, and the model/subject matter of the photos. I used these resources to create the images above. The Bowens Camera Studio Lights came with stands as well as studio umbrellas for the lights when I used a model. For the Pictorialism aspect of this assignment, I used Adobe Photoshop to manipulate the images by increasing noise, saturating and desaturating, overlaying a cyanotype filter and that sort. I also printed some out to scratch up and alter physically and with a scanner scanning them back.

Composition: In this class, we were tasked with taking photos in the Pictorialism-style in which photos are manipulated to resemble paintings and drawings. To achieve this in the digital age, I used photoshop. But first, I took some photos of a person, my friend. Human beings were a very common subject matter in pictorial photography and thus it was natural that such would be the case for me. After taking the photos in the usual manner as in previous weeks by manually focusing and adjusting ISO, exposure, and aperture, I proceeded to post-production. In photoshop, I overlayed layers of cover to achieve a monochromatic color scheme which was common at the time due to the lack of color photography. I also added noise and blurred the images to resemble that of a painting. I also overlayed textures to give a more grimy appearance. For one of them, I printed the picture, scratched it up and manipulated it further before scanning it in.

Concept: In this project, we were tasked with creating photos that incorporated pictorialism into the themes and process of the photographs. We were also to utilize a notable pictorialist as inspiration. I chose Clarence Hudson White. I chose this because White's photos use a lot of grungy and grimy textures. I was able to recreate that effect by overlaying a texture file over the photograph in Photoshop. As he makes a lot of photographs with people, I chose to use another person as the subject matter as well.