DPP-Assignment Four

Assignment Four; Real or fake?

Object of assignment four

With this assignment and the previous exercises, it is all about exploring the technique, but also the ethical choices behind the final editing process, with the subjects and content helping me define my own stance on the choices we make, when editing an image. Specifically for this assignment the real-versus-fake argument and the means that involve completing a task, which lies in the middle ground of this argument.

I had to produce an imaginary book or a magazine cover by altering a photograph to create an eye catching image, I could have, if I wanted to, took an existing illustration and created my own cover for it. I decided to do something original, but when I say original, I mean a food magazine cover, so, not so original for a generic magazine, but I did not want to use a well publicised magazine.

The reason I decided on a food magazine, was due to having recently got back in to catering and the image is from one of the cocktails we make, I chose to take this image as the colours are inviting and vivid, also I had a specific manipulation in mind, which I feel I achieved by the final image.

I shot this image on a wide aperture setting (Shallow depth of field), with a macro lens and a speed light, I have not been able to afford a macro flash as of yet, hopefully I will be able to do so soon, so I will then be able to compare the results between the two, but for now the speed light worked extremely well in this case.

With regards to this image, it is more about the manipulation rather than the original photograph, that being said, you always have to start with a good image.     

  

Real or Fake?

“: to alter (a digital image) with Photoshop software or other image-editing software especially in a way that distorts reality (as for deliberately deceptive purposes)”

(Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of Photoshop)

I found this was an interesting terminology for Photoshop, the ‘alter’ section seems and is relatively normal/apt, but the section where it says “especially in a way that distorts reality (as for deliberately deceptive purposes)” is not so relatively normal/appt.  Now, distorting reality, as it states, is surely up to the user of the programme?, all photos need to be processed, in the past it was with the film roll negatives and in the future, it is through software on your computer, either way, there HAS to be post production on an image, otherwise that image wouldn’t exist in the truest sense of the word. I believe the software to be an essential tool in the post production process and certainly one that I could not live without.

As for their “(as for deliberately deceptive purposes)” comment, I find this quite strong, like what you are trying to do is to trick someone. When you use heavy manipulation, you could very well be manipulating an image for an enjoyment factor, which could be fun or sad or making the viewer think differently about an altered perception of someone else’s mind/thoughts, who is to say what is right or wrong?.

In the art world, an artist who is painting a real scene but then altering it to show a different side, or thought process, is not considered as ‘deceptive’, it is considered bold and inspiring. There is nothing wrong with that, so why is it wrong if the same thought process is used for a photograph?, a painter is allowed to manipulate their view, but a photographers is not?, they are both artists in their own right. My thought with regards to this is to keep an open mind and let people keep surprising us with their amazing views and talent….  

Exhibition

I went to an Ansel Adams exhibition about a few weeks after completing my third assignment. As strange as it may sound, considering the last assignment would have been much more relevant to this exhibition, however it is also relevant to this assignment. I was extremely pleased and honoured to have been able to go, I wish I had been able to go to see it for my last assignment, alas, due to timing, it was not possible. I was in ore view his images, there was also a video presentation of Ansel and his views on manipulating the image, which were interesting, he was ‘pro’ post processing, although not on an image that was bad, you have to have a great image to start with, then he would do dodging and burning to bring the photograph “to life” which I think is completely justifiable.

Books used for this assignment;

• Photo truth or Photo fiction?: Ethics and Media Imagery in the Digital Age by Thomas H. Wheeler (An interesting look in to manipulation through history and how it differs from today)
• Portrait of a Young Girl by Mark Niemann-Ross (Rather than a book on direct fact, this is a fictional story of how Photoshopping and the ethics behind it effect the main character of the story, I used this to see if my perception on editing would be altered/influenced in a different way)
• Faking it: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop (Metropolitan Museum of Art) by Mia Fineman (This is an interesting one, showing how many images were manipulated before Photoshop, in general and the Media, how they did it and the images that were used )

Websites used for this assignment;

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/photoshop - (To find definition)

http://nocroppingzone.blogspot.co.uk/2007/11/ansel-adams-excuse.html - (An interesting view on manipulation)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_manipulation - (To gain more factual information and images on manipulation)

I have decided to put my final image first, the reason being is that when I looked at the image at the end of the process; I feel it did not have the same impact, as you can see the editing process before you.

I have put it first AND last, so at the end, I will give my thoughts and view with regards to the image.

 

This is the original image;

All images are based on this one, the aperture and shutter speed is as follows; 1/60 seconds at f/4.0

As previously stated, I took this with my Macro lens and a shallow depth of field, I really liked the clarity of this image and colour, on reading this assignment, I wanted to originally have the strawberry dripping, however, on reflection, I also wanted an ‘explosion’ and a subject as to whether or not fruit was good for you, so I started with the explosion.  

 

This is the explosion image;

I made this image using spatter paint brushes, I started off by downloading the brushes from the internet, I cut and paste the strawberry to create a new layer, selected the brush, changed the brush size and direction of the brush, then painted black on the side of the Strawberry, after this I went back to my cut out layer, copied it and used free transform, so I had one image on top of another.

I then hid the layer with a hide all layer mask, painted on the mask with a spatter brush and used white to show the free transform layer that was underneath, after that I changed the direction of the brush and chose black as my colour to break up the spatter horizontally and to give it more of a realistic feel.

 

 

This image was an attempt to show the Strawberry dripping;

I had real problems with the dripping part of this image, this was a poor attempt to do them, with this I choose the same colour as the bottom of the Strawberry used my paint brush and dragged down holding the shift key, I could not get the desired result that I was looking for, so I tried something else.

 

 

Second attempt to show the Strawberry dripping;

I then tried to used the smear tool to create droplets from the actual Strawberry, all I did was keep dragging it down, as you can see, again it was a pretty poor attempt. By this point I was getting extremely frustrated as to how to achieve this look. I then thought, I downloaded the spatter brushes, maybe I could do the same for the droplets?.

 

 

Here is the image with the droplets;

So for this image, I used droplet templates and selected the colour of the bottom of the Strawberry for each droplet, so to match it perfectly, I then used the smear tool a bit so to merge the Strawberry with the droplets, to give more of a realistic feel.

I did some more editing on this image;

So to mould the droplets with the Strawberry, I clone stamped one of the pips on the Strawberry changed the size and added it to some of the droplets, I then clone stamped a reflection of light on the Strawberry and added it to all of the tips of the droplets. After that I did some dodging and burning of the highlights and shadows of the droplets, so to enhance them and bring them in to the image more.



 

The final image;

For the final image, I created the writing using the text tool on Photoshop, I am extremely pleased with the final image, the methods I tried and used have been listed throughout this assignment, as have my views regarding manipulation, but to clarify, I think that ethically, manipulating an image to change the perception/view is no different from a painter doing the same, I was going to say “Artist doing the same” but changed it as I believe that photospheres are Artists as well.