Final Self Portrait

My final product: 

Why in landscape form? 

I mentioned before that the final photo might be a portrait form to give a more sense of action. But now I won't present it with a video, I would like to keep it in landscape to allow more space for the background. 

Also, I am concerned about having me taking up majority of the space would magnify the "self" and make it look desperate instead of hope. 

What's in the background?

The background is constructed by three photos that I took back in August when I went back to Hong Kong. The bottom left corner shows a fully packed shopping mall while having a movie promotion event; the top left corner and bottom right corner are buildings and roads; above my head are the neon lights in a busy pedestrian district. 

The packed, artificial and urban environment shown in the background represents the way I grew up: follow the mainstream and learn like a robot to get high marks in exams. 

What did I do in Photoshop? 

After researching some basics of photoshop, I started my editing.
First I did a double exposure:

The double exposure made some trees seemed like growing in my body, with a inner me being a observer.

Then I positioned the background photos to where I want with appropriate opacity. With the aid of rubber tool (0% hardness), I blended the images together while intentionally leave some borders of the photos to make it look more artificial. At last, I started to consider the tone of the whole photo. Exposure and brightness of the original photo is tuned to make me look more in hope.

I didn't do any markings on the tree branch as it should be a contrast to the background environment. It should be very different and a "stepping stone" for me to reach the creative industry. It is the current DFSA course.

Summary

The final photo is intended to show my current attitude: carrying my background culture, with the aid of the creative course, reaching the creative industry(hopefully someone will give me a helping haha #connection).

The out focus of my reaching hand worked very well as it creates an illusion of the hand being very close to you that your eyes can't focus on it. I am also very satisfied with the photoshop effects and I am proud of myself being able to do it as a fresh Photoshop user. I can now comprehend basic tasks with Photoshop and more confident in carrying on using it in the future.

Dance Video Shooting Day

9:40am

Equipment Store - collect camera and stuff.

9:50am

Studio -

First I set up the camera according to the memo, then I looked around the environment and started thinking about the shoots. It was a standard studio environment with students thinking about their warm beds and two passionated professional dancers stretching their body warming up for their coming six-hours with the digital film students pointing cameras at them. The black curtain in the studio acted as a barrier between the two sets of minds.

10:17am

I mentally woke up for the instructions and briefing for the dance.

As a big team(whole class), we decided to close the curtain and use the host light. In that way we need to turn the Gain up on the camera.

Then we walk into the black curtain, breaking the barrier, and watched them rehearsing.


10:45am

Canteen -

We sat down and came up with some ideas for the shoot.

2:05pm (1 hour slot)

Studio - actual shooting time for my group.

We first did a wide angle shoot from two different angles. Then, we started trying closeups and tracking shoots. I would say this one hour time slot feels like 5 minutes as we enjoyed it so much. We all had opportunities to operate the camera while cooperate with the dancers and group-mates. Besides shooting the dance, we also tried shooting "behind the scene" clips to add a more diversity to the class's clip pool. We also tried lower the shutter speed. 

I now feel a lot more confident using the camera as when we are shooting we only have a limited time with the dancer. There are so many shoots that I want to do so I had to react quick with the camera. 

Self Portrait Development

Let me start with the experimentation video inspired by Bill Viola The Passion series.



It was filmed on Canon EOS70D with 18-135mm lens then edited with Premiere Pro and Magic Bullet Looks plug-in. I think it works quite well in terms of looking like a cinematic still image. Now when I think of it, it looks like something on the newspaper in the world of Harry Porter.

Experimenting and studying the sense of movement.

This is the best test shoot of me reaching out. 

After a tutorial with tutor, I decided to keep using the tree and try to focus on different things to see how it goes. In this one, the focus are on my right hand and my eye. There are also some markings on the tree that make me think maybe I can put my own markings on it with Photoshop. The final image might also be in portrait form instead of landscape to give it a more sense of action from reaching out. While in presentation, it may first appear in landscape form in the short video then be zoomed in into portrait form as the last scene. The background is supposed to represent my background culture, of how I have been raised up. A montage background will be good for the aim. Raised by one of my classmates, another thing worth taking account for is how I post. Am I reaching out as hope or help? 

There are two photoshopped outcomes as a test of skill and idea. 

This is a double exposure. 

In this one I got rid of the markings on the branch and put mine on it. It is not very obvious on the photo but I made it natural enough. 

As for the presentation, I did a test video:

However, I don't really feel like using a video to help with my presentation anymore. Both video and self portrait are visually rich medias that one shouldn't dominant another, especially not in a photography project. More effort should be put into the final photo. 

Now I have a more clear idea on what I am doing and how to do it, what I need is more test photos of me reaching out and do something with the background. 

Self Portrait Thoughts

Speaking of identify and self-portrait, the first thing I can think of is the fact that I'm Asian and I have to take a selfie. #asian #girl #lotsofhashtages


The generalisation of smartphones and rapid development of social media are making self-portraits less valuable because of its mass quantity uploaded on internet. The word "selfie" then appeared and made official in the Oxford English Dictionary. I have been intentionally avoid being "basic girls" who upload loads of selfies on social networking for years, and I would like to continue to do so for the rest of my life. The Self Portrait project is perfect for me to take photo of myself and put meaning in it. Maybe the the difference between "selfie" and "self-portrait" is that one represents your physical self, one represents both physical and mental self. By mental self I mean soul, not a pretty but empty shell captured by digital camera. The idea of taking a meaningful selfie is really exciting and the use of photoshop in the project is a challenge accepted.

I was thinking about making a series of photos to show the journey of self-realisation to my identity. But then I realise I already did something similar in my Foundation (http://mymaisiemok.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/got-distinction-in-fmp.html). I now seize to show my current state of mind which is to hold onto something. I had been drifting for so long in the path of non-creative industry. Being in a creative arts university is the greatest learning experience I have ever had and this is the opportunity that I want to hold on to. It might be different to different people but every person must have some strong belief at some points of their lives or even through out their lives.

Strangely, I am thinking of the summer project that I did: https://goo.gl/photos/Hc4EGc81fgiaegSr8 .
#catportrait





My main inspiration comes from Bill Viola The Passion series, especially this one:



The video looks just like still but given more emotion. I would like my final outcome be a still that shows action. The action from me reaching out.

Also, I will create a short video to support the final outcome in my presentation. The final image will of course speak for itself and I believe the short video will highlight the purpose of it. Currently, I am thinking of filming a everyday mundane scene with the Edgar Wright editing style to make them interesting. The last scene of the short video will be followed by my final image of me reaching out to give it more sense of action.

Hope this will do me well.

Reading list:
Bright, S. (2010) Auto focus: The self-portrait in contemporary photography. London: Thames & 

Hudson.

Dybisz, N. and Aniela (2011) Self-portrait photography: The ultimate in personal expression. 

United Kingdom: Ilex.

Spence, J. and Ribalta, J. (2005) Jo Spence. Barcelona: Museu D’Art Contemporani de Barcelona 

(MACBA).

Wearing, G., Herrmann, D. F., Krystof, D. and Schwenk, B. (2012) Gillian wearing. London: 

RIDINGHOUSE.

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From girlhood to womanhood

“emphasise the tension, confusion and loneliness experienced by a girl when her physical, mental and environmental circumstances change”

Julia Fullerton-Batten, In Between

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-different lights

-the way they explore cities

“Vadim Makhorov is standing on the roof of one of the skyscrapers next to the famous Victoria Peak. Perhaps, this is the point with the best city view. It is much better, than the view from the Victoria Peak itself.” - One the Roof

https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/s306x306/e15/10986148_1560667544205705_1217300676_n.jpg

https://artblart.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/gw_image-01-web.jpg

My Inspirational Role Model: Carrie Hope Fletcher

Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/0c/17/38/0c1738afe660577b6a7d260f34f8b32b.jpg

“Once you’ve made that mistake, and assuming you’re the sort of person who realises what a stupid thing it was to do - to the extent that you know years later you’ll still feel terrible that you did it - you’ll know not to make the same mistake for a second time.”

-Doing vlogs on YouTube and talk about different life issues.
I wanted to be a YouTuber(vlogger) before but I didn’t realise it is pointless to be a pure vlogger. Carrie explained herself being an actress with a hobbie of doing vlogs. After watching Carrie’s videos I realise I need to have a career or something I am really good at so that I am interesting to watch. Now my goal is no longer being a YouTuber but someone with a passion in digital film industry. Thanks to her I realise the meaning of life.

-Always have positive outlook.

Science says surrounding yourself with possitive people making yourself a positive person.

-Giving personal advice but not pushing you to accept them.

She instead pushes me to think and rethink my situation.

-Inspirational life stories

She shows the world of theatre to me. And her personal life experiences are very interesting.

-A little bit older than me, just like a big sister talking to me when needed.

Being the only child at home facing computer all the time, I feel like she is the very warm sister that can help with my life issues.