M E D I A 203 Advanced Digital Photography
WEEK 9: Classes of Look. Take twelve photographs that illustrate four different styles of look: Hyper-realistic, Enriched, Drained and Luminous. Do a photo analysis.
H Y P E R - R E A L I S T I C
I used Photoshop HDR toning to enhance detail and create a hyper sense of realism. The picture of the Hamma Hamma river is equalized which opens up the full range of highlights, midtones and shadows. The red succulent plant has crispness of detail, with color that looks painted on. I was aiming for a gritty, pewter like look with the dragon by de-saturating highlights, adding noise and changing up blending modes. I used tungsten lighting at night, the background is the reflection in the window, and I kept the green tints, rather than go B&W as I thought it was interesting.
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E N R I C H E D
This totem detail is an example of dense, enriched color. Extended depth of field with warm natural light results in deep backs, dense shadows and vibrant colors. Mother Nature naturally enriches the warm tones of Madronas and docks with golden light prior to sunset. I did little to enhance the color in this image. Vivid blues of sky, sea and ship are equalized with toning. Extended depth of field keeps things sharp. |
D R A I N E D
Pale, pastel tones of the ivory lamp and white blinds are kept soft with shallow depth of field and the window as the only light source. A muted Union Jack reflection shows low color key throughout. Tree and seagull with shallow depth of field, overexposed highlights and desaturated bright tones resulting in a bleached effect.
L U M I N O U S
Poppy shot against the morning sun with shallow depth of field is softly luminous with a little bit of blue for contrast and to set off the orange tones. The camera interprets the sunlight as yellow as it hits the orange petal. The lamp with smooth, porcelain finish photographed with shallow depth of field and early morning window light, which also softens the blinds, giving a luminescent quality. Shooting into the late afternoon sun illuminates the yellow flowers with a glowing effect, trees in lower right corner add contrast and aid perspective. |
P H O T O A N A L Y S I S
Luminous photo of my dog Sam as he looks longingly at the ocean during a visit to the southern Oregon coast.
What a challenge this week was, to find luminous and drained pictures. Hyper realistic and enriched were relatively easy, but I had to really think about the other two categories of look. My favorite lamp makes two appearances here, having made another in a previous assignment, and, spoiler alert, it will make another appearance before this class is over. I enjoy how the curves translate the light.
One of my favorite images is the drained, muted picture of the Union Jack. It has some interesting aspects to it, such as how the flag becomes part of the trees reflected in the window, and the shape of the net against the diagonals of the walkway railing. The totem detail is outrageous in it's color and sharpness. I enjoy looking for color and shape in the world around me, and try to capture the essence of the subject, sometimes in an abstract way.
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