Statement of intent
I aim to produce a detailed portfolio, demonstrating my ideas, development, creative work and reflection based on my themes of magical and light reflections. At the end of this portfolio I will have reached all of my targets and will clearly present them, to be marked.
For my initial research I started looking into magical and light reflection based photographers. At the moment I am looking at Ronen goldman and Salvador Dali, I like Ronen goldman because I like his style of photos and what he takes photos of like magical photos and uncanny e.g. cards floating, weird smokes and other weird pictures, and the reason I like Salvador Dali is because he makes weird photos which are very uncanny and they give you a very weird feeling and the pictures show different objects merging.
when I chose my themes, my initial thoughts were of floating cards and the magical smokes and uncanny and for the other were rainbows and reflections off water but after further thinking I realised that there are so many different things that my can branch off to.
To show the progression of my work I will demonstrate a clear understanding and track all my photos and the improvement of them and I will then develop my images using different techniques.
I will have 6-8 weeks to produce my highest quality of work that I can. I will have to piece out my work so that it comes to a good ending when I'm at the end of this project. I will use my time wisely to get the highest grade I possibly can in this project.
In conclusion I am going to use the knowledge I have learnt in previous topics to make this project the best it can be and a good quality portfolio. Doing this will boost my grade up and help me achieve the grade I want.
For my initial research I started looking into magical and light reflection based photographers. At the moment I am looking at Ronen goldman and Salvador Dali, I like Ronen goldman because I like his style of photos and what he takes photos of like magical photos and uncanny e.g. cards floating, weird smokes and other weird pictures, and the reason I like Salvador Dali is because he makes weird photos which are very uncanny and they give you a very weird feeling and the pictures show different objects merging.
when I chose my themes, my initial thoughts were of floating cards and the magical smokes and uncanny and for the other were rainbows and reflections off water but after further thinking I realised that there are so many different things that my can branch off to.
To show the progression of my work I will demonstrate a clear understanding and track all my photos and the improvement of them and I will then develop my images using different techniques.
I will have 6-8 weeks to produce my highest quality of work that I can. I will have to piece out my work so that it comes to a good ending when I'm at the end of this project. I will use my time wisely to get the highest grade I possibly can in this project.
In conclusion I am going to use the knowledge I have learnt in previous topics to make this project the best it can be and a good quality portfolio. Doing this will boost my grade up and help me achieve the grade I want.
Mood board
Surrealism
Surrealism aimed to revolutionize human experience, rejecting a rational vision of life in favour of one that asserted the value of the unconscious and dreams. The movement's poets and artists found magic and strange beauty in the unexpected and the uncanny, the disregarded and the unconventional.
In my opinion this means that photographers, poets, artist, scientist and writers were really interested about dreams where anything was possible.
In my opinion this means that photographers, poets, artist, scientist and writers were really interested about dreams where anything was possible.
Artist Research-Salvador Dali
In this picture some of the colours are bright e.g. blue, white and like a gold yellow and then there’s some dark colours which are shadows and the brown table. The background of this looks like a seaside and mountains with the blue being water and the golden sand. Some of the objects in this are a clock that is melting. There is a moth in the bottom left corner and there is broken parts of the clock like glass and the sides of it. The effect it makes me feel is weird because you would never see a clock melt and it just doesn’t seem right and in the setting it’s in it just makes you feel weird. There's a soft edge of the clock melting off the corner of a sharp brown cube. There is also a colour contrast where the brown cube goes straight into the cloudy blue of the sky. The picture is very uncanny because the object shouldn't melt because its not realistic . The cube then blends into the background so it makes it look like a waterfall but also a seaside at the same time. The moths and flies are there because it represents death and it could be there eating away at the clock but also it could represent nature and also it could resemble that there isn't much time and that time is fading away as in the clock being the amount of time you have left and its fading away.
Rene Magritte
The artist uses cold colours that are positioned in order where the green is the grass on the bottom and the blue is on the top half acting as the sky and this has been done to give the realistic effect of a grassland with trees. There are few shapes in this image such as a square which has curvy edges and there are tree shapes in the background which fills it in so that the paper and rest is not bland. The work is kind of a large photo which is taken up mostly by the paper. The mains focus of this photo is the paper with the sky and trees on because that's the surreal point.
He has composed the image in rule of thirds which the right and left side is grasslands with trees and the middle is the man reading the paper but the paper has the grasslands and trees on it to make it surreal. I like this picture because it is set out well as in the paper matches the background perfectly and makes you wonder how? I could use it in my photography maybe to have the background on paper then have cards scattered or have smoke and fire effects to make it look magical. The person who made this photo is called Rene Magritte the medium he used is paint because Rene Magritte doesn't do photography and is an artist who paints weird and wonderful pictures.
This photo makes me feel chilled and relaxed because of the cold colours and the blue sky which makes you want to chill in the sun and do something fun or read. This picture makes a calm and peaceful atmosphere because there is no one around but the man and it looks sunny so it makes you want to go there and read or relax and it has a clear scenery which gives off some shade.
The painting is a landscape photo of a man with a newspaper over his face with the scenery as the cover of the newspaper which has been blended in. The tools used in this painting are probably paint brushes and paint and it looks like he has painted it on plain paper. The theme of this work is weird and wonderful because it is strange to see the newspapers cover match with the background because usually it has writing and pictures on white paper but on this one is has the green hills, tall trees and partly clear blue skies.
He has composed the image in rule of thirds which the right and left side is grasslands with trees and the middle is the man reading the paper but the paper has the grasslands and trees on it to make it surreal. I like this picture because it is set out well as in the paper matches the background perfectly and makes you wonder how? I could use it in my photography maybe to have the background on paper then have cards scattered or have smoke and fire effects to make it look magical. The person who made this photo is called Rene Magritte the medium he used is paint because Rene Magritte doesn't do photography and is an artist who paints weird and wonderful pictures.
This photo makes me feel chilled and relaxed because of the cold colours and the blue sky which makes you want to chill in the sun and do something fun or read. This picture makes a calm and peaceful atmosphere because there is no one around but the man and it looks sunny so it makes you want to go there and read or relax and it has a clear scenery which gives off some shade.
The painting is a landscape photo of a man with a newspaper over his face with the scenery as the cover of the newspaper which has been blended in. The tools used in this painting are probably paint brushes and paint and it looks like he has painted it on plain paper. The theme of this work is weird and wonderful because it is strange to see the newspapers cover match with the background because usually it has writing and pictures on white paper but on this one is has the green hills, tall trees and partly clear blue skies.
Ronen Goldman
Content
In this picture there is a model who is frozen in time in quite a dramatic pose, he is throwing a deck of cards which curl round two trees to create a spiral shape. He is set in the woods and the way the shot is framed, the trees create a circle around him which brings out a sense of magic. This is a modern shot because in my opinion he has used more modern technology, such as Photoshop to make this shot. I am not sure where it is set but it does look European to me and it looks as if it has been set up to look like autumn.
Connection
The theme of this image is magic and so it links to my theme because my focus is also the weird and wonderful side of magic. Another connection is the location, which is set in the woods and this is something that could inspire me in my own work. I also like the use of colour and I will need to plan for this in my own shoots, either by putting colour gels over the camera lens or adjusting the saturation in photoshop. I also so like the idea of trying to set up magical tricks and trying to catch the magic frozen in time.
Comment
I really like this photo because its taken in a good perspective and has different colours, there is a real contrast between the warm browns and the blue and greens. The blue clothes also blend in and give it a magical effect. The use of colours might inspire me in my own work and I will need to think about the lighting carefully. I like the way the cards have been positioned spiraling around the trees, this gives it more of a magical effect and in my opinion it was done in post production. This will inspire my work because this is the sort of work I want to do and I like how the photos are taken and whats in the photo like the cards froze in time. I think he took the photo to show the shapes as an art form and show how items can float and freeze in time but at the same time bend around objects like trees. The main message behind this photo is that he wants to trick you and make you think about how it was set up.
Composition
The focus point in this image is the model in the middle because he is the first thing you spot when looking at his image and also the contrast in colours where there are blue and green which contrast into the warm browns. The light hits the model in the middle because its almost like he is the spotlight and it hits his hand, hat and face which highlights the focus point which on him, then the lights hit the blue and greens of the trees and makes it look like it has a sense of scale between the model and the background trees. The trees are almost like the rule of thirds and are really good leading lines with a sharp horizon. There is a clever use of depth of field because the cards at the front are blurred and as it goes along they become more in focus. The camera in my opinion is set up on a tripod to get a more stable shot and also it looks like its almost like a theater set.
Context
The photo was taken in a forest and it has been published, the meaning behind this image is to make people wonder and make people think if magic can be real. This can influence people to think more deeply into photos of magic and wonder how it works.
In this picture there is a model who is frozen in time in quite a dramatic pose, he is throwing a deck of cards which curl round two trees to create a spiral shape. He is set in the woods and the way the shot is framed, the trees create a circle around him which brings out a sense of magic. This is a modern shot because in my opinion he has used more modern technology, such as Photoshop to make this shot. I am not sure where it is set but it does look European to me and it looks as if it has been set up to look like autumn.
Connection
The theme of this image is magic and so it links to my theme because my focus is also the weird and wonderful side of magic. Another connection is the location, which is set in the woods and this is something that could inspire me in my own work. I also like the use of colour and I will need to plan for this in my own shoots, either by putting colour gels over the camera lens or adjusting the saturation in photoshop. I also so like the idea of trying to set up magical tricks and trying to catch the magic frozen in time.
Comment
I really like this photo because its taken in a good perspective and has different colours, there is a real contrast between the warm browns and the blue and greens. The blue clothes also blend in and give it a magical effect. The use of colours might inspire me in my own work and I will need to think about the lighting carefully. I like the way the cards have been positioned spiraling around the trees, this gives it more of a magical effect and in my opinion it was done in post production. This will inspire my work because this is the sort of work I want to do and I like how the photos are taken and whats in the photo like the cards froze in time. I think he took the photo to show the shapes as an art form and show how items can float and freeze in time but at the same time bend around objects like trees. The main message behind this photo is that he wants to trick you and make you think about how it was set up.
Composition
The focus point in this image is the model in the middle because he is the first thing you spot when looking at his image and also the contrast in colours where there are blue and green which contrast into the warm browns. The light hits the model in the middle because its almost like he is the spotlight and it hits his hand, hat and face which highlights the focus point which on him, then the lights hit the blue and greens of the trees and makes it look like it has a sense of scale between the model and the background trees. The trees are almost like the rule of thirds and are really good leading lines with a sharp horizon. There is a clever use of depth of field because the cards at the front are blurred and as it goes along they become more in focus. The camera in my opinion is set up on a tripod to get a more stable shot and also it looks like its almost like a theater set.
Context
The photo was taken in a forest and it has been published, the meaning behind this image is to make people wonder and make people think if magic can be real. This can influence people to think more deeply into photos of magic and wonder how it works.
First shoot plan
Longford 1
Best Photo |
Worst Photo |
I think this is my best photo because the clothes were planned out and it is in a good position where his face is cut off to give a weird and wonderful effect and the model was doing the actions which made it clear for me if I wanted to manipulate the picture.
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This is my worst photo because it wasn't really planned out well with the clothing and the lighting and also the expressions and the actions weren't very clear.
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For these images I got images from the internet and uses the sharpen and erase tool so it can give the effect of what I wanted it to I also used shadows and colours shadows to give a dark gloomy place which was drawing with a filter.
Shoot plan
To improve on my next photo shoot I will need a black sheet to cover a model, the location is in a park and I want to get a shot that's under a tree and have their face covered up and I might be using cards to me them look like their floating.
I will need 1 model, I will need a face cover shot with a full body shot with the model having their arms out. I want the trees to be in the background and some nature but I will edit it to make it look darker for the mood.
I will need 1 model, I will need a face cover shot with a full body shot with the model having their arms out. I want the trees to be in the background and some nature but I will edit it to make it look darker for the mood.
Manipulation 1:
My steps:
Final product
My original idea was to make cards float and something to do with magic but I have changed my mind to a theme which I feel more confident with this idea which is close up images with smoke.
Close up photos 1:
Close up images 2:
In this shoot I took close up pictures of random objects in a spot light to show any object can be made into weird and wonderful and it can be weird to have random objects and the spot light was there to give a shadow effect in the image and to highlight certain parts of the image.
In these too I got smoke images from the internet and edited them by using the erase tool to smooth edges to make it look realistic, I also used layers and opacity to draw and also the smudge tool.
Manipulation 2:
In the process of making this I changed the gradient of the photo, then I changed the hue/saturation to change the colours of the image to give a different effect which was to make it look like it was super cold and so cold it was giving off smoke which is what I did next by finding and adding a smoke image for it to go on the orange in the cup, I then sharpened it up and changed some colours of the smoke to make it stand out. I then added a spot light and moved it to the bottom right to show that its like a shadow and that the real spot light was there to give the bright affect on that corner and then this was my final image:
Outcome:
Manipulation 3:
Manipulation 4:
Outcome:
Manipulation 5:
Manipulation 6:
Outcome:
Manipulation 7:
Outcome:
Evaluation:
My project was weird and wonderful and I focused on magic and effects which I really enjoyed because it meant I could experiment with my photos and different effects to them and some I did were magically and how they can look like there floating.
My favorite part of the project that I enjoyed was going out and taking pictures then coming back and editing them on photoshop because it was interesting to learn all the new tools.
Some of the new techniques I have experienced is adding other photos of google to one of my photos then editing it onto it to make it look realistic and add an effect.
I would like to develop my ability of taking better quality photos and getting a wider variety of photos.
The photos I researched were magical and effect based photos which were by photographers who also took magical photos e.g. Ronen Goldman who took a photo of cards curving round a tree and floating in the air.
They influenced me to take photos with cards and to do the same style photos and to edit them so it has a more magical effect and this inspired me to make and take the photos I have.
I enjoyed using photoshop because I learnt new tools and its fun to experiment and mess around with tools and make my pictures look better.
The most successful part of my project I think is developing my images in photoshop is because I can make a magical effect on my photos which is what I was going for.
I had some problems which going out to get pictures due to an injury.
I felt how I can achieve this is that I need to keep pushing through and put in as much effort as possible.
My favorite part of the project that I enjoyed was going out and taking pictures then coming back and editing them on photoshop because it was interesting to learn all the new tools.
Some of the new techniques I have experienced is adding other photos of google to one of my photos then editing it onto it to make it look realistic and add an effect.
I would like to develop my ability of taking better quality photos and getting a wider variety of photos.
The photos I researched were magical and effect based photos which were by photographers who also took magical photos e.g. Ronen Goldman who took a photo of cards curving round a tree and floating in the air.
They influenced me to take photos with cards and to do the same style photos and to edit them so it has a more magical effect and this inspired me to make and take the photos I have.
I enjoyed using photoshop because I learnt new tools and its fun to experiment and mess around with tools and make my pictures look better.
The most successful part of my project I think is developing my images in photoshop is because I can make a magical effect on my photos which is what I was going for.
I had some problems which going out to get pictures due to an injury.
I felt how I can achieve this is that I need to keep pushing through and put in as much effort as possible.