Experimenting with AI

I wanted to use AI to make the streets of St Malo more busy, so I selected where I wanted my people and used different prompts to achieve what I wanted.

Experimenting with cropping

For cropping I chose images that I wanted to zoom in on, or images which I wanted to crop something out of the image.

These are the different cropping formats I tried.

• Portrait Format
• Landscape format
• square crop
• circle crop
• multi circle / porthole crop
•  polygon crop
• panoramic crop

Portrait Format

I chose to use a portrait crop for this image, because I wanted to zoom in on the girl in this image more, so that I could remove some of the negative space all around her, so that she was more visible and the main viewpoint.

For this image I also wanted to close in on the man in this image more, by removing some of the negative space around him.

Landscape Format

For this image I wanted to remove some of the negative space on the right hand side of this family, so that I could close in on the family more, and so they would be more centre in the image.

For this image, I wanted to remove the people on the right hand side and zoom in on the man looking into the window more, so that he is the main focus of the image.

Panoramic crop

I didn’t take any panorama for this photoshoot, but I experimented with the panoramic crop in my Anthropocene work.

Square Crop

I have chosen to square crop this image, so that I could zoom in on the fruit, to create more of a detailed shot.

I removed all the negative space around the fruit and zoomed in on them quite a lot, to create this nice detail shot, that an be displayed nicely with a few of my other images.

Circle Crop

I decided to circle crop this lady in this image, and crop out all the negative space around her.

First, I selected the elliptical marker tool and made a circle around her. Then, I went to inverse and deleted my background. Finally, I dragged her onto a white background.

Multi Circle Crop

I chose these three images to create a multi circle crop.

Polygon Crop

I c hose this image to create my polygon crop.

First, I selected the polygon tool and created my triangle shape. Next, I went to select and inverse and deleted the background. Finally, I dragged my polygon onto a white background.

Experimenting with Colour Theory

Finally, I wanted to look at the colour wheel/ colour theory for when I am cropping, so that I can try and include complimentary colours in my images instead of cropping them out.

This image contained both red and green, which are complimentary colours, so they compliment each other and look good together in this image, so I wanted to make the green stand out a bit more, so I tinted the image slightly green.

This image contains both blue and orange, which compliment each other well, so they make this image look better.

Complimentary colours create a harmony in the image, so they look good next to each other in the viewers eyes, so the image is more visually pleasing.

Experimenting with colour selection

I tried two different methods when creating my colour selection images.

Method 1-

1. Open my chosen image in photoshop
2. Duplicate my background
3. Go on original background and make it black and white

4. Next I went onto my background copy and selected what I wanted to be coloured

5. Next, I went to select and then clicked inverse, so I am selecting what I do not want to be colour.

6. Finally, I deleted the background.

Method 2-

1. Open my chosen image in Lightroom develop.
2. Go to HSL/ colour and put the colours you do not want in the image down to 0 on the saturation.

3. Then, go to the adjustment brush and lower the saturation and exposure to 0.

4. Finally, brush over all the colours on the image, which are not wanted.

Final Colour Selecting Images

With this image I experimented with which parts I wanted coloured and which parts I didn’t.

Then, I decided to experiment with making multiple different things and colours pop against the black and white.

Experimenting with Motion Blur

I wanted to play around with this image, because it is a busy image with lots of people, so I felt like I could do a lot with it.

• Firstly, I duplicated the background and selected the man and his baby. Then, I selected inverse and deleted the background.

• Next, I selected filter and motion blur and blurred the background.

• Finally, I duplicated the background again and played around with the hue and saturation.

Next, I wanted the experiment with a single person image, and wanted to blur the person, rather than the background. I wanted wanted to experiment with different levels of blur.

This is the image I decided to edit.

• Firstly, I duplicated my background layer and selected my person. Then, I went to select and inverse and deleted the background.
• Then, I duplicated the background again and turned it black and white, so that the background was black and white, but my person was in colour.

• Finally, I went to filter and motion blur and selected the strength of the blur and the angle.
• First, I experimented with a weak blur.

• Next, I experimented with a stronger blur.

Finally, I wanted to experiment with making a Tryptic out of these three images.

Final Images with Motion Blur

Experiment 1 process

Choosing my layout:

Experimenting with boarders and drop shadows

Evaluation and critique-

Overall, this is my most preferred image as with my 2nd and 3rd experiments I felt as if there was too much going on with the background and distracted the eye. I think it is clear and efficient but also has some detail and interesting factors such as the drop shadows and boarders. What I personally think is a possibility of improving is by potentially adding adding boarders to each image to make it look tidier. All the images I chose personally work well together as they all show an element of a certain relationship within my street photography which ultimately links to the ‘ decisive moment’. I think these specific images show what you would not take notice of on a daily basis but is a very positive element to life.

Experiment 2 process

Choosing layout process-

Adding a background to add texture-

Evaluation and critique-

Personally, I do not like this as much as my 1st one due to the fact I think there is too much going on within the background and the writing over the image distracts the importance of each image. However, I think it adds detail and a variety too each image. As shown, there is one image with a border which I personally like, however I would like them in all of my images but without the background so there isn’t too much going on and to keep it simple. I personally, don’t like the white writing over an image because it looks messy and not tidy. Although I will not be using this one, the experiments shown me what I prefer and what to do for my final outcome.

Experiment 3 process

Text draft –

France in general is famous for its incredible artists and its world known art. Saint Malo is surrounded by it’s enormous brick walls encasing its small city within it, including its architecture and people. It was built in the 12th century to protect the the city and its people from invaders. To this day, the walls still stand and are a beaming attraction to tourists.
The city is appreciated for much more then just its walls, the beautiful views and delicious sea food ( especially oysters ) which are harvested from the local bay, make Saint Malo a very popular destination.
For all History geeks, Saint Malo is rich in it, with roots dating back to the Roman Empire. St Malo played an important part in the development of trade in the region, The port helping develop this too during the middle ages.
St Malo is a busy city with many restaurants serving delicious local food and is also home to many museums and galleries that portray the most beautiful art pieces. The city also has a thriving music scene and water sport scene too, including surfing, sailing and windsurfing too, so it really is a city for everyone.
The architecture in Saint Malo is incredible really, the beautiful buildings and streets really show the diverse cultural individuals who have walked there over the years and the work that the community has put in place to make sure this ancient city stays it its former glory for hundreds of years to come.

Page spread 1 –

Page spread 2 –

Page spread 3 –

I felt like overall, these 3 topics really stood out and captured my St Malo trip really well, grabbing some of the most important things that I feel St Malo has to offer. I not only included the people and the atmosphere, but the architecture too. This overall making my picture stories effective in presenting St Malo as a whole.

InDesign terminology –

workflow – 0 for the purpose of this course, I refer to workflow as the order in which you work in a program as you’re designing a project (a very watered down example: first you setup a new document, then you create a background, then you add text, etc.)

margins – the negative space around the inside of a page, a safe zone for all content / text / images

bleed – used for print only, extra space in addition to your page size that’s cut off when artwork “bleeds” to the edge of the page, so you don’t have any white border

slug – extra space on the outside of your document, different from bleed, used to show markings or notes for the printer (commonly used for printed magazines or newspapers)

grids / guides – the thin colored lines on your IND document that do not appear on your final document, but are just used for aligning objects on your page or showing where the margins are placed

facing pages – two pages shown side-by-side, also known as a spread – used for documents that will be printed and bound

parent pages (formerly called master pages) – mini templates you can create and use throughout your document for pages that have repeated content on them, like a page number or footer (they’re not part of your page count)

character / paragraph styles – a pre-set of settings and formatting that can be applied to a word, a line of text, or an entire paragraph in one click

frame – the invisible box that an object, link or text is contained within (also called container)

flow / reflow – how your lines of text continue from one frame / text box to the next, from one page to the next, and around other objects in your layout

overflow – when the amount of text in your text box is more than the size of your frame and overflows into a second text box

widows / orphans – a single word left by itself on a line of text at the end of a paragraph, or a single line of a paragraph left on a page by itself at the beginning or end of the paragraph

page break – when a section of text is cut off and the remainder is bumped (or reflowed) to the next page

line break – when a paragraph is cut off and the remainder is bumped (or reflowed) to the next line

frame break – when any part of a text box is cut off and the remainder is bumped (or reflowed) to the next text box / frame

keep – regulations for where line breaks can occur, so you can avoid widows / orphans and keep a certain number of lines in a paragraph together at all times

endnote – a group of notes shown at the end of an entire document that each refers to a reference number made in the text

footnote – a note shown at the bottom of a page that refers to a reference number made on that same page in the text

drop cap – a decorative feature at the start of the first paragraph of a section or page; usually an enlarged first letter in the paragraph or the first few words in the paragraph

small caps – when you use all caps for a word or phrase, this makes the letters a little smaller than a typical capital letter to make it easier to read and not so “loud” (as sometimes all caps can appear)

glyph – every character in a typeface, (e.g.: G, $, ?, 7), is represented by a glyph; this includes all capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols

For this experimentation, I used Adobe InDesign to create a newspaper-like layout to display my images. On InDesign I created a 4-columned layout to organise my photos in a way where they could all be seen, but emphasising the establishing shots so they were most out-standing to the viewer. Essentially, these photos are the ones I wanted to catch the viewers eye with the most, and I think having other smaller images surrounding them helped create a successful dynamic with an overall interesting aesthetic.

Variation 1:

The first thing I did was create my columns in order to layout my photos successfully. I also chose where I wanted to place my title before adding any images because I believe it is the most important element on the page spread, as it tells the viewer what they’re looking at and shows my intentions.

Next, I added in my establishing shots before any smaller images because they introduce the scenes and set up a point of view.

After this, I added in my best smaller images that link to my establishing ones, but not too much. I did this because I wanted to create an intriguing contrast between the two, showing a range of textures and abstract photographs throughout the landscapes topic.

Finally, I added placeholder text into my text box, to give me an idea of how my completed page spread will look when I have wrote my own text. Additionally, I changed my font for my title as I didn’t think the first font suited the aesthetic of my images.

Variation 2:

For my second experimentation, I first changed my top right photo into monochrome like the rest of the images on the display. This was a better decision as it helps give the overall page spread an overall theme of history, as well as showing the different textures within all the images to add to the old aesthetic.

I added another text box for additional writing and details of my photos. I think this is useful as it allows me to go into more depth with my images, which will ultimately give the viewer a clearer idea of my aim. I also changed my top left photo into monochrome like the rest of the images on the display. This was a better decision as it helps give the display an overall theme of history, as well as showing the different textures within all the images to add to the old aesthetic.

Variation 3:

This is my final variation for this page spread specifically. I like the layout of this version as it includes more text than the previous experiments, which can give a more detailed description of my work and what I am trying to achieve for future references. However, I believe the layout is very top-heavy as it includes both of my establishing shots at the top of the page. This could be a problem due to the viewers eye being drawn to the top of the picture story only, which is defeating the rest of the page spread.

Variation 4:

This is my last variation for this experiment, and I added a black box instead of my background to see if it would add more character into the page spread. Although I think this looks appealing due to the pop of colour, I had to change the colour of some of the text to white so it was still visible, however I do think this looks successful because it helps bring out the white tones in some of the images which help bring the outcome together. Finally, I added a drop shadow to my title to emphasise it against the images.

Evaluation:

Overall, I believe all 4 variations of my page spread are unique and successful in different ways. Such as the layout on each one outstands a different image, which allows me to choose which image looks best as the most eye-catching one. I also liked how I could experiment with the background of each one

My favourite variation of this experiment was number 3. This is because I had a beneficent balance of images and text, and I think the background compliments my image and completes the overall aesthetic of history. Despite my picture story being very top-heavy due to my establishing shots both being at the top, I believe this gives the smaller images a chance to also stand out as they are all the same size.

My least favourite variation of my page spread is my number 4. This is because I played with a different background compared to the others, and I feel it stands out too much and takes away from the text and the images.

A picture – story is a layout of photos and text that can produce information and stories on a specific topic. They are usually seen in magazines or newspaper, even online blogs or gossip columns.

mood board –

For my mood board, I just used old students work for this topic, that has been saved into a folder for students and staff to access.

Analysis –

This picture-story shows the positive and happy ‘blissful’ lives that are lived behind the walls of Saint Malo ( seen in the title ‘Bliss behind the walls’.)

I think that the pictures that include happier colours or happy people are more establishing shots. The use of constantly including the colour yellow in the shots, show a childlike sense of joy, enhancing the idea of the ‘blissful lives’ that people in Saint Malo live.

The candid photos that are used are very powerful because of the idea of capturing naturalistic photos, show the unfiltered lives that people live. The ease and naturality of the photos show the un-stressful and simple lives these people might be living.

Plan for my picture-story –

Photos I am using –

I want to include these photos because I feel like they represent the art that I saw while we were in Saint Malo very well and I also wanted to include the photo of the buildings because the artistic value of the architecture is also a very big deal in France. ( these photos may change depending on the evolution of my work and my ideas.)

Headline/title ideas –

Because of the use of me wanting to talk about the art and culture of Saint Malo, I thought something to do with that could work quite well, here are some ideas ;

• ‘ the art among the walls ‘
• ‘ the hidden art beneath the walls ‘
• ‘ Saint Malo ‘

Introduction draft –

France in general is famous for its incredible artists and its world known art. Saint Malo is surrounded by it’s enormous brick walls encasing its small city within it, including its architecture, people, and art. It was built in the 12th century to protect the the city and its people from invaders. To this day, the walls still stand and are a beaming attraction to tourists.

The city is appreciated for much more then just its walls, the beautiful views and delicious sea food ( especially oysters ) which are harvested from the local bay, make Saint Malo a very popular destination.

For all History geeks, Saint Malo is rich in it, with roots dating back to the Roman Empire. St Malo played an important part in the development of trade in the region, The port helping develop this too during the middle ages.

St Malo is a busy city with many restaurants serving delicious local food and is also home to many museums and galleries that portray the most beautiful art pieces. The city also has a thriving music scene and water sport scene too, including surfing, sailing and windsurfing too, so it really is a city for everyone.

The architecture in Saint Malo is incredible really, the beautiful buildings and streets really show the diverse cultural individuals who have walked there over the years and the work that the community has put in place to make sure this ancient city stays it its former glory for hundreds of years to come.

Selected photos

Below are the images from the photoshoot I selected based off of how good/successful I felt they are and ones that best fit the decisive moment. n.b. Some of the photos I selected may have been taken by Tama as we were taking photos together.

Edits

For this photo above I made the photo black and white except for the subject (Tama) and the house in the background, this makes the photo more interesting than the whole photo being in Black and white.

Edit 2

For the photo above of the man on the roof I cropped the photo to make him more lager and centred as well as applying a black and white with a higher contrast, as Henri Cartier-Bresson’s photos are in black and white and I wanted to incorporate his style. I decided to go a step further and add a Vignette which gives the photo more depth and tone and in my opinion makes the photo look a lot better.

Edit 3

For this photo of the lady sitting on the stairs I did selective colour for the lady to make her stand out as the subject of the photo as well as providing a contrast to the whole image being in B&W, I also cropped to image to make her look closer in the photo.

Edit 4 & 5

I edited this photo of the pigeon by cropping it to make the pigeon more bigger and centred as well as making the background black and white so that the pigeon stands out. I also added a vignette which isn’t incredibly noticeable but creates depth, it works really well on black and white candid photos. I like this photo as I try and be a bit different by capturing the deceive moment for the pigeon instead of just for people.

Edit 6 & 7

In the photo above of the man looking at the parking meter I experimented with blur by adding a Gaussian Blur in the background and made it black and white. I added a vignette and lowered the saturation of the person and the parking meter to make the colours blend in with the background more.

-Choosing a final image-

Follow the 10 Step Process and create multiple blog posts for each unit to ensure you tackle all Assessment Objectives thoroughly :

1. Mood-board, Mind-map of ideas (AO1)definition and introduction (AO1)
2. Statement of Intent / proposal
3. Artist References / Case Studies (must include image analysis) (AO1)
4. Photo-shoot Action Plan (AO3)
5. Multiple Photoshoots + contact sheets (AO3)
6. Image Selection, sub selection, review and refine ideas (AO2)
7. Image Editing/ manipulation / experimentation (AO2)
8. Presentation of final outcomes (AO4)
9. Compare and contrast your work to your artist reference(AO1)
10. Evaluation and Critique (AO1+AO4)

IMAGE ANALYSIS MATRIX

Image Analysis Guiding Questions

OBSERVE: Identify and note details

• What type of image is this (photo, painting, illustration, poster, etc.)?
• What do you notice first? Describe what else you see.
• What’s happening in the image?
• What people and objects are shown? How are they arranged? How do they relate to each other?
• What is the physical setting? Is place important?
• What, if any, words do you see?
• Are there details that suggest the time period this image relates to? Is the creation date listed in
  the bibliographic record? If the creation date is listed, was this image created at or around the
  same time period the image relates to?
• What other details can you see?

REFLECT: Generate and test hypotheses

• What tools might have been used to create this image?
• Why do you think this image was made? What might have been the creator’s purpose? What
  evidence supports your theory?
• Why do you think the creator chose to include these particular details? What might have been
  left out of the frame?
• Who do you think was the audience for this image?
• What do you think the creator might have wanted the audience to think or feel? Does the
  arrangement or presentation (lighting, angle, etc.) of the details affect how the audience might
  think or feel? How?
• What do you feel when looking at this image?
• Does this image show clear bias? If so, towards what or whom? What evidence supports your
  conclusion?
• What was happening during the time period this image represents? If someone made this image
  today, what would be different/the same?
• What did you learn from examining this image? Does any new information you learned
  contradict or support your prior knowledge about the topic or theme of this image?

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Once you have been instructed on how to use the lighting studio safely and respectfully, you will be able to use the studio during lesson times or in study periods. You must book the facility in advance via one of your teachers JAC / MM / MVT / CMK

You must always leave the studio in a clean and tidy, safe manner. All equipment must be switched off and packed away. Any damage must be reported and logged.

Types of lighting available

• Continous lighting (spot / flood)
• Flash head
• Soft box
• Reflectors and coloured gels

Still Life Photography and using the product table / copy stand

Still-life Studio Shoot:

You can choose to photograph each object individually or group together several objects for a more complex still life arrangements.

Technical stuff

Continuous Lights – photograph objects three dimensionally

Camera setting: Manual Mode
ISO: 100
White Balance: Daylight
Aperture: F/16
Shutter: 0.5 sec to 0.8 sec (depending on reflection of each object)
Lights in room must be switched off to avoid reflections

Continuous Lights – portrait

Camera setting: Manual Mode
ISO: 100
White Balance: Daylight Shutter Speed 1/125 sec Aperture f/16

Flash Lights – photograph images, documents, books, newspapers, etc or portraits

Camera setting: Manual Mode
ISO: 100
White Balance: Daylight
Aperture: F/16
Shutter: 1/125-1/200 (depending on reflection of each object)
Flash heads set to power output: 2.0
Use pilot light for focusing

PORTRAITS

Camera settings (flash lighting)
Tripod: optional
Use transmitter on hotshoe
White balance: daylight (5000K)
ISO: 100
Exposure: Manual 1/125 shutter-speed > f/16 aperture
– check settings before shooting
Focal lenght: 105mm portrait lens

Camera settings (continuous lighting)
Tripod: recommended to avoid camera shake
Manual exposure mode
White balance: tungsten light (3200K)
ISO: 400-1600 – depending on how many light sources
Exposure: Manual 1/60-1/125 shutter-speed > f/4-f/8 aperture
– check settings before shooting
Focal length: 50mm portrait lens

RESOURCE LINK HERE

ELINCHROM LIGHTS GUIDE HERE

1st Photoshoot Plan:

For my first photoshoot I am going to go to the beach, still don’t know what beach though, most likely frigate. I am going to take photos of the sea when is high tide and when its low tide. I’m also going to takes three different pictures but all in the same place but just different angles just like Michael Marten did because I found it more interesting. These are the photoshoots Michael Marten inspired me to copy.

2nd Photoshoot Plan:

For my second photoshoot I am going to take photos of bunkers and abandoned places all inspired by Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre. These are the photoshoots that inspired me to copy Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre.