Unit 27 was a digital unit that introduced me to photoshop (and ACR) and (attempted) to teach me the skill of editing my photographs. Unfortunately, being very much an analogue photographer and preferring to do my editing ‘in camera’ (i.e. take a photo that needs no editing!) I found this unit extremely difficult.
One of our first projects was on Pictorialist’s where we were required to choose two photos each by two different photographers who were a part of the Pictorialist movement and recreate these images by editing our taken photographs in ACR using the editing techniques taught during class.
My chosen photographers were Alvin Langdon Coburn and Émile Joachim Constant Puyo. I chose images of theirs that were taken either in London or in places that I was easily able to recreate. Here are my attempts at recreating (and editing) their images:
ALVIN LANGDON COBURN
CONSTANT PUYO
I had quite a few other photoshop projects for this unit, but I found them very difficult and stressful and was not happy with the outcome of my work. Except for one project, where I manipulated two of my photographs to create a final image about ‘fear’ where I wanted to project the fear of being alone and in the unknown.
The two photos the I used was one of my classmate Lucia taken in the studio using low-key lighting so that Lucia was surrounded by darkness. I asked her to cower in on her self and look afraid and unsure. My second photograph was an image of leaves shot a window with frosted glass. In photoshop, I combined the two images by using the blending mode ‘multiply’, turning the opacity to 56% and playing around with the curves and levels.
As I said, I am not very happy with my work throughout this unit, but will keep plugging on with Photoshop, I know how important it is and am determined to master it!
Anna Dunn Photography 