ObjectivesTechnical: To gain a basic understanding of raster based digital imaging software and the technology, terminology, and techniques associated with it.
Conceptual: To explore the concept of place and time using digital photomontage.
Overview: How many ways can you visually represent a place? How can using multiple photographs represent a place better than only one? How does the passage of time change a scene? What are characteristics of a place that can't been seen through traditional documentation?
For this project your challenge will be to use digital photomontage to create a portrait of a place. The subject and the span of time are up to you, it could be ten hours or two days. You can also include other graphic elements that represent the place, even if they are not visible there.
Materials: digital camera with necessary cables. Computer with Adobe Photoshop. A tripod and cable release for your camera may be helpful. If you need to check out this equipment, go to L1-90 in the basement of Coors.
Process:
1. Choose a place that is interesting or important for you. Create 5 proposals of subjects and be prepared to share them in class.
2. Go to your place, spend some time exploring it. Make some decisions about how you want your final piece to look. Is it best photographed from one single point of view or from many? Do you want your final piece clear and seamless or jagged and distorted? Do you need a tripod? Think of how you can incorporate other imagery into the piece.
3. Shot shot shot, take lots of pictures. It’s always better to have too many images than not enough. Shoot from a single location or from many locations. All the while keeping in mind how your “pieces” will fit together. Bring a notebook and make a sketch of your scene as you photograph.
4. Transfer your images to your external hard drive at home, or bring your camera, memory card, and transfer cables to class with you. If you have a memory card reader for your camera bring it too.
5. Working in Adobe Photoshop, create a blank document that is approximately 11x14 inches (vertical or horizontal) at 300 dpi. Use the RGB color mode and a bit depth of 8. FILE >>SAVE your new document to your external media storage device. You must work off of your own storage media (not the desktop of the lab computers). SAVE your work often!
7. Using layers, adjustment layers, and layer masks, combine your parts into one final piece. Depending on how well you photographed your scene, you may need to rotate or distort your individual photo to make things “fit”. In some cases things may never correctly “fit”. Remember you are not really constructing reality, but your interpretation of that reality.
8. When complete, drop your full resolution layered PSD file into the class folder, and keep it for your records in your own external storage. Name it like this: lastname_rasterproj.psd (the psd extension will be automatically added when you save the file in that particular format, you don’t have to type it).
9. Then size your image down to 800 pixels (in the widest direction) at 72 dpi (IMAGE>>IMAGE SIZE>> or use the crop tool). Use FILE>>SAVE FOR WEB AND DEVICES to save a copy of your image as jpeg. Name your exported file as: lastname_rasterexer.jpg.
10. Upload your resized file (jpeg) to the class blog. Write a paragraph explaining your piece.
