Through Focused Rhythm, Joy: A Junior Design Student Conceptual Project by Christien Skousen (2015)

There are three main objects in my piece of art; the power line, the jar of water, and the headphones. The power line provides a faux horizon line to create a false, temporary perspective for the other two objects in the piece. The headphones are on top of the jar of water, personifying the jar and juxtaposing the clear, see-through color of the jar with the black of the headphones. I shot the piece at sunset, so the orange glows could filter through the water and give off that sense of quiet exuberance. The lighting gives an ethereal feel to the piece which furthers the faux perspective induced by the power line's unreal horizon. The jar and the headphone are the center pieces of my picture, and they are the focal point of how my picture describes the concept. They show the headphones drumming elation into the jar, which is overflowing with water. The water signifies the happiness coming from the headphones, and the sunset describes the overwhelming, all encompassing feelings that elation brings.

Every single aspect of this photo is representative of something new I learned in Photoshop, as I was a complete Photoshop novice when I started. Half of the jar is covered in a haze, showing my use of both filters and the pen tool. The pen tool in particular is one of the most vital skills in all of Adobe's Creative Suite, as it allowed me to very specifically outline and then select a part of the picture I wished to accentuate. I also learned how to alter the raw image, which allowed me to bring out the colors more and really amp up the energy so that the picture could most perfectly describe my concept statement.