http://www.blurb.co.uk/books/9324110-orlas-book
Above is a link to preview my final book ‘The Evolution of Essentialism’
Daily Archives: February 7, 2019
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Key Image Analysis
This image is a a double page from Rita’s book “where mimosa bloom” displaying two photographs one a still life and one a portrait, which work together conceptually and aesthetically. The image on the right where peoples eyes will be drawn to first is a portrait of a women with red hair, wearing a light floral shirt in front a of a textures pale blue background. The image on the left shows a type of calendar with blue and pink card, these colours have connections with the opposite image and share a pastel aesthetic. it is perfectly composed in the centre of the frame with an off white background. These are both naturalistic images showing important parts of the photographer and her mothers life and relationship. The circle shape on the left is parallel with the woman’s face and help to draw the viewers eyes to the important parts of the image. The format of the images next to one another is important, the simplicity of the image on the left doesn’t take away from the portrait too much but they compliment each other well. The Background colour of both images is in the same tone, the on on the left appears white at first glance but is more of a pale grey blue which matches the blotchy, slightly darker textured background on the right image. The portrait image looks like it was taken in natural lighting but not direct sun light, this is because of the subtle shadows on the subjects face. The space in this image has also been represented by the foreground and background which are distinguished with different focuses from the small dept of field. In both these photographs the subject has been placed in the centre of the frame intentionally so the page spread is balanced.Compared to real life the portrait image has been slightly manipulated to look paler and more gentle with a romanticised feel. When I look at these photos the first thing that stands out to me is the woman’s red hair which is one of the darkest parts of the two photos. The image of the left has not been much effected by flattening what we can see in real life to the 2D image because the object is flat anyway, however seeing it in a simple set up would make us appreciate it more that we would when just coming across the item in real life. On the other hand the portrait captures on split second of what was happening, meaning the facial expression pose and setting could have been very different in person. If i could ask the artist anything it would be about the relevance of the two images being placed together, i would like to know if their is a specific story behind it or if they just fit the theme and aesthetically match.
Experimenting With Text For Book
Once I had made a first draft for the layout of my book I decided to implement text into it. The text I wanted to add into the book would be quotes of the chosen photographers I studied, with my essay at the beginning. For me not only would this provide relevant text that links to the images, but also wouldn’t distract the viewer from the image causing it to lose its qualities. To do this I would firstly research various quotes from the photographers Edward Burtynsky and Henry J Fair, aiming to have them relate to the topic of consumerism, here I produced a mood-board which consisted of the quotes I found best related to the overall theme. These are my results: 
By implementing these quotes into blank spaces I hoped to utilize the area, preventing it from becoming useless and instead allowing it to serve as a more aesthetic implementation into the book. Below I explored a few ways in which the text could be positioned next to the designated images:
When looking over the text positions I found that the left and right alignment would pose as the best position due to them taking up little space as possible, whilst aligning themselves aesthetically against the side of the photo chosen. The center position however I did not think would suit the design of the book and its layout, this is because of how it did not have any end or beginning to it, leading to an unorganized look which didn’t compliment the environment it would be put in at all. Some examples of how I would like the text to be positioned next to the images can be seen below: 
I found the text to be most effective when looking over various books to be ending as the image starts, this creates an aesthetic effect which does not draw attention from the photos but instead subtly adds a bit of information. I would probably place the text near the top or bottom of the desired page due to the being the most implicit compositions to place it in, as the middle would be to clear. As a result of this I have concluded that the text should be placed in an isolated area of the blank space which does not take away from a photos visual appearance, whilst only being seen when observed closely.
additional images and editing process
After speaking to both of the photography teachers, their favourite shoot is the water reservoir shoot, where I show both a combination of colour development, and use the light in such a way to evoke a sense she herself is submerged within the water. Both the water shows reflections of not only the Light and sky, but of the woodlands themselves. This illusion of the setting being repeated shows a really interesting aspect to the images themselves. All these are images which I did not choose when I did my first selection process. This just showing the pivotal importance it is to look back on your images as there will be a good variation which are too successful. The top three of my images I edited in such a way where her eyes and the water is the same colour, and both are over exaggerated to create a mystical and perhaps even a Utopia atmosphere altogether. I believe these images are very successful and That I will be using these inside my end product photobook. I belive I will replace these images withe the underwater Go Pro ones. This is because the go pro images, not only are not the best detail, but most of which do not have such a successful composition as these do. I do not want my book to be a reflection of the development of my project, but just a successful finished product. Not only this but due to their quality, it is near impossible to edit the colour of the images clearly and successful, so they do not blend and work with the rest of their images. I will now start experimenting with the way I will be able to use these images, alongside the current layout with my photobook, and hopefully this change will really benefit the quality of my images, and create a deeper interest within the book. I have edited an array of images, all with the variations of slightly different styles throughout. Some I have edited just in order to change the tonal colours. This is because I want to show a reflection of a certain theme, or perhaps I wanted to emphasis the tonal colours within the piece. However, due to the majority of my pieces being complicated to shoot and being largely full of many elements, many of them I do not need to specifically photoshop further. This is seen within many of many water imagery. However some of my images I though to would be interesting to see how far I could take them and possibly change and refine them to appear more sublime. Another shoot I decided it would be worth while to look at and find more images of was, the pool shoot. Due to me discussing about removing many of the go pro images as they do not fit in with the newly created narrative as much as the images above, I thought it would be interesting to experiment with finding and editing more of the images from this shoot.
With these more colour experimental images left over, I wanted to show a more abstract water life through the sublime. The water and mounting of the bubbles is all over the place, and because of this I thought it would possible to create very interesting imagery to split apart my much more controlled tablo shoots. I edited the images to have an array-of blue tonals but deferring from dark blues to greens and purples e.t.c.I perhaps Will experiment with possible ways which I could apply this in my book, however I belive currently, the rainbow rock image are the main priority for the concept of how I am splitting apart my images. Additionally these images are not as successful as the shoot above, and I only want to show the most successful of my work throughout the book.