Second Semester Concentration. 

Central Idea:

(495)

Attributes of a great concentration

1. Subject matter

2. Expressiveness (style)

3. Technique

4. Purpose (why)

5. Elements/Principle focus

6. Influences (Inspiration)

Ideas/Reference photos

My idea for this concentration starting by looking at Danil Golovkin photos and got really inspired by his work with Ophelia, Wild Flower. However from there I started looking at different ways I can use a ink and water mixture. I then started to look at Taylor James Ltd and their way of the use of ink. These were the main focus that I wanted to pursue. I liked theses because I struggled with visual continuity in my last concentration and having a visual first is a better way to start off with. Then I had to look up how to do Double exposure and start my concentration. After my first shoot I then looked at Alberto Seveso and his work with ink and double exposer as well. 

Planing:

So now heres the plan. I am doing my concentration on ink and how it can be manipulated with different forms. I first like to take pictures of my subject matter first, whether its a person, a chair, a book, a tree, etc. I then try to position them within my camera to find the best composition. I then know to do a lot of layers In photoshop so knowing where and what I want needs to be determined. I lastly know that the ink will be unpredictable so I need plenty of patiences when trying to shoot with it. The water will get cloudy fast so It will be a constant cycle of getting new water and starting over. Trying to manipulate the ink is going to be the hardest. Editing the photos will also be challenging to remember what should go where and the blending that needs to be done too. 

Sketching

Photo 1:

For my first photo I wanted it to be pretty basic so I can really get an understanding of what I want to accomplish. I just had a portrait of my model and then played with different colors of ink. I took a lot of photos of ink because it was challenging to figure out how and what to expect. In photoshop I then tried to figure out how to do double exposer. I had to look up how to first because it seemed a little more challenging then It really was. While editing the photo still I played with the layering and the opacity of the layers to really get the feel and texture I wanted. This was a lot of try and guess for my first photo so I from here out I only want to improve. 

Photo 2:

For my second photo I focused more on spacing within the whole photo. I used a black background while shooting with the ink but a white background with the side profile. So with the lighting I used with the portrait I manage to create this 'rim lighting' to contrast the black background. For this one I also wanted to play with the different ink colors as well since the colors are different. I like to have ink shown in the background and over the profile as well to show different blending and layer. I liked playing with the way the ink colors are so vibrant and how they laid over the portrait. I also liked how the portrait itself didn't lost any detail with the shirts texture and hair texture. 

Photo 3:

This photo I decided to try a different blending technique. I noticed that I don't really know what I really want to do for my concentration because I have so many ideas. I tried to have the outline of my subject and blend out my ink. I had to use lots of different layers and manipulations to get the right contrast and colors throughout the whole photo. I layered different amounts of ink onto the body and blending the ink into each other in photoshop with soft brushes and different transparency. With all the different masks I really tried to get as much detail in photoshop but then edited more into Lightroom with the layers applied.

Photo 4:

This photo I tried to imitate one of my reference photos because I liked the outcome and wanted to see if I can manipulate my photos into something similar. This one was the hardest to work with because the ink and face wasn't shot with a basic white or black background. It was harder to blend everything into each other because of a little mistake while shooting but with determination I manage to seek out what I was going for. It was hard to have the face shown with detail AND the detail of the ink. It was really hard to blend the photo layers together and capture what I visually wanted. Overall this photo was the hardest to compose and play with because its a different technique. 

Photo 5:

This photo I wanted to play with a conceptual idea with an idea I saw in a movie. I liked the thought of a cloudy mind and changing the faces into something else. So for this photo I blended and composed the ink onto this portrait for a conceptual idea. This one was more fun to play with because of the color and form I created with the ink. The simplicity of the background and composition I think makes this photo unlike the ones I've worked on before. Even though there is texture and color, this created a simple composition. The different layers were also easier to manipulate since it was a basic idea. 

Photo 6:

I like the conceptual route I think I'm going for the concentration. This one is very cliche, but cliches can be fun to play around with. I had two layers of ink, having them blend into each other to create more detail and contrast. I like the glow of the colors and the way it slightly blends from the persons ear out. I manipulated the color of the ink as well with the two different ones, one originally being green the other blue, and working on the shadows and highlights of the ink for. Overall composition seems pretty tight but has a visual line throughout. A lot of fun to play with and create a conceptual image.

Photo 7:

I was getting kind of tired of the studio so I experimented taking pictures outside. I was worried about the different textures and how that could influence the overall outcome. I also had to think of the colors in the environment as well as the ink. For this photo I wanted to show unity or compassion the two subjects had for each other by blending the inks over their faces. The colors blend through both people to show they are one. I also created to transparency in the faces to emphasize their features and emotion. I thought the contrasting of light faces to darker background also created some balance to make working outside in the environment more interesting. 

Photo 8:

I liked the previous photo slightly the same as this one, so I tried it again but in an outside environment. This one I already knew how to manipulate the layers and how I wanted it to look so I mostly focused on the color and composition. I still liked the contrast between the colors of ink versus the background. I also think this helps with the conceptual idea and surrealism. I had the blending of the smoke still show some facial features to still show humanity. I think working in an environment was a good idea and might continue doing so. 

Photo 9:

This photo was more experimental even tho I know what I wanted. I was actually trying to redo a previous photo, but by rearranging how the elements lined up created this. I manipulated the colors of the ink to almost blend the blues together creating an almost ombre. I also used a blend between those to show more texture or form of the ink. I desaturated the tone in the face as well so the color doesn't harm the overall tone. I had a different blend as well for the face so the eyes and ears are really close to or replaced as the ink. Even though I went back into the black studio background I think this show good emphases on the ink in a unique way. 

Photo 10:

This photo I tried focusing on a different way to incorporate an environment. A friend came up with the idea so I created it in a different way. I tried manipulating mountains into the cup and have the ink as clouds, since they look pretty similar. I still had to include a portrait so by having a person holding the cup made this still work with my concentration. I developed most of it in photoshop with all the different layers and adjustments. I tried to have the ink coming out and interact a bit with the portrait but it looked a bit odd to have so many ink blobs. I also liked playing with the contrast and colors with the blending of the inks and mountains. After the layers I edited it in Lightroom to get more clarity and control of highlights and shadows. Overall I think this experimental photo is nice. 

Photo 11:

This photo is a bit different from pervious ones because Im using the ink as a frame for a portrait within an environment. I tried this approach because I wanted something a little different and wanted to play with different ideas. Mostly this was edited in photoshop with the different layering and the color was manipulated with the blending mode and the hue slider for the ink its self. I also played with the difference in color and balance with the shadows and highlights. This one doesn't really show much of the ink detail as I would want, but I think the idea and the composing of the ink and how it frames the person and environment is very nice. 

Photo 12:

For my last photo, I had the same technique as number 11, but I tried to show more detail in the ink and use multiple portraits. I played again with the hue and color for each ink and try. to match the colors tones and still maintain detail. I also focused on making the portrait more interesting rather than having  the details within their faces but their body language and actions. I also like the clarity and tone throughout the photo and the way the portrait on the left feels like it is jumping into the next frame. I also like the idea of playing with two different portrait images rather than only one. I probably would've wanted to try more of the two different portraits but Im glad I at least experimented with it. 

Final Thoughts:

Overall this concentration seems to be much stronger than my previous one. I think my exploration want depth of this project was a lot more clean and focused. There are a lot of. composition I wish I could've gotten to but the manipulations was just a bit to difficult to maneuver. I think my growth as well have shown tremendously by the depth and ideas I've created. I think this is a strong piece and that it still maintains visual continuity which I lacked last semester and better colors and effects.