The conceptual project was an opportunity to express creativity through music, art, poetry, and web production. We were challenged with expressing our own individual ideas which we were able to develop using modern professional equipment and skills at freestyle. Some of the applications and software we used were Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, WordPress, Avid Pro Tools, our DSLR Cameras, and the Tascam Audio Recorder.
In my first few months at Freestyle Academy I have learned countless new skills in my digital media and english classes. In english we studied and wrote poetry where we learned how much more important it is to have a deeper message/meaning than it is to have more words and lines. Then, In digital media we learn skills that help us visually represent our poetry and haiku through videos and voice overs. Ive grown to appreciate the work that we do at Freestyle and the collaboration between everyone.
Photo Haiku
In english we were tasked with writing a haiku after we were given an intention statement. Then we composed an original haiku using that concept statement and integrated it with a photograph. The overall goal was to combine photographic and poetic imagery to achieve a metaphorical meaning.
My greatest take away from this project was my ability to be able to produce a video in the Adobe Premiere Pro application. I learned how to implement text onto video and how to manipulate it so it can appear on the screen or slide in from the side. In english I also took a lot away from learning how to take a concept statement and turn it into a handful of words with metaphorical meaning.
Poetry
In our English class we were tasked with composing an original free verse poem. We had to develop our poems by using the different techniques we studied during this unit. I took a lot of influence from the writer Carolyn Forché and her piece “Photograph of my room”. In Digital media we recorded our poems as well as the intention statements and designed a picture to put behind our free verse.
Alien coral is a free verse poem about the different feelings and memories evoked by objects in my bedroom. The speaker in this poem is close to myself, someone who reflects on the moods of his room. In the first stanza, I use imagery to give a feeling of mystery and illusion to this “otherworldly” piece of coral that sits in the speaker’s room. In the following lines, “Hundreds of years of history”, the coral is personified in the sense that it has grown wise over its long life. In the second stanza, I use consonance with the “S” sound in the words “still” and “stuck” to give the feeling of a sudden pause. The feeling goes along with the obvious lack of relevance the calendar in the poem possesses . In the third stanza, I use an end rhyme which contrasts free verse; but by including it, it adds a deeper effect on the overall meaning of the entirety of that stanza. In the final stanza, I use lineation in order to make the reader visualize all the different pictures on the speaker’s wall that entrap memories within. There is also use of lineation in the last two lines of the final stanza. After visualizing the art on the walls, without disconnecting the lines, I’m able to shape the viewer’s visual of the artwork and posters by giving more specific examples. I want the reader to consider the distinct feelings given off from different objects in the room but also be able to individually interpret them. I tried to emulate the imagery I encountered in Carolyn Forché’s “Photograph of My Room” because it personified and visualized the objects in their room in a way that gave them character and a deeper feeling that was more comprehensible. In short, I would like my reader to come away with a more in depth relation between objects and emotions, and be able to correlate their feelings with the techniques used.
After Producing my free verse poem audio and creating a visual to go along with it I came to value the many different capabilities that Pro Tools has to offer. I was able to adjust the audio in different parts of my poem and include music that wouldn’t overpower my voice.
Photoshop Blend Modes
In my Digital Media class we learned how to blend layers on top of each other in photoshop because it is one of the most important and useful ways to manipulate photos. In this section I am trying to feature photos with different blends such as Overlay, Screen, and Multiply Blend modes.
I value the use of the screen and multiply blend modes because I now understand how to combine two different photos into one and It will be very useful in the future. I will most likely use this for other freestyle projects but I will definitely be using my new found knowledge on my own personal projects during my free time.
Design
During the first semester of my design class I’ve had the opportunity to express my creativity through projects created in photoshop and with photos Ive taken with my DSLR camera. As a design student I value the many new skills and strategies that help me deliver a stronger message through art.
Alpha Name Photography
The goal for this assignment was to spell out our names using objects that we have photographed using our DSLR camera and 50mm lens. The objects themselves couldn’t be a letter.
Conceptual Photo
The conceptual photo was our first big project of the year. We were given a concept statement in our english classes to then be turned into an image using our cameras in our design class. I had to select two objects to photograph that would be useful or important in exploring our topic.
I am exploring the feeling of confidence when standing up for a stranger
The first thing you will notice about this image is the lego brick wall. A solid strong wall that is uniform in color. Except, there is a single blue brick in the middle of it all. The juxtaposition of the bricks portrays a sense of confidence. The band-aids surrounding and covering the brick wall are used as a depiction of humanitarianism. A humanitarian is someone who seeks to promote human welfare. The band-aids are leading the viewer’s eyes towards the blue brick which represents the act of helping a stranger which will lead to a boost in self morale; confidence. The photo was taken at this specific angle in order to make the lego bricks appear as if they were coming from below you as well as capture the model in rule of thirds. This was done in order to further captivate the viewer.
Although the Photoshop process for this image was not strenuous, I learned many new skills that were not utilized in this project. One of the first tools I applied was the blur tool, I used it to blur the background slightly after I made a selection of the main model. When making selections I used the pen tool. The spot healing tool was very helpful when it came to covering small blemishes or little scratches in the lego bricks. The last edit I made to enhance my image was the curve tool. This made the colors pop a little more than in the original photograph.
Miniature Figure Photography
In class we were tasked with taking macro photos with our cameras. I was given two plastic tigers, a toy tree, and a piece of bark. I took the photos outside on a table and I also used a portable light so it wouldn’t just be all natural light.
