Shoot 8 Work Diary

For this shoot I wanted to experiment with photographic realities by enhancing them in new and unique ways. Instead of focusing on how the public commonly fall victim to deception from the media, I instead wanted to focus on a more stylised approach, highlighting how our reality can be enhanced greatly and made more exciting as a result. I thought about different ways in which I could achieve this effect but then I thought of how drawing can inspire connotations to creativity and fictitious worlds that have been constructed. A massive inspiration for this shoot was Helmut Jacoby's work based on Milton Keynes, particularly one image which focuses on a busy landscape. Despite being a fairly standard setting, the sketched format causes the image to appear more exciting, causing the audience to view a familiar setting in a different way. This gave me the visual premise for the style of the image as it could be translated directly into the subject of hyperreality by showing a standard setting in a more visually interesting way than can be seen in reality.

Helmut Jacoby influence:

My images:

This image of what may be considered bland and a part of everyday life is transformed into something more. Because people are used to seeing sights like this, a lot of information within the image is lost, however with the added effect of the drawing style, small details start to become more prominent. Patterns can be seen throughout the image within buildings which give the image a more stylised appearance. Detail within the image can be seen even within the distance which would have been lost within the original image.

For this effect I first made sure to create a copy of the background layer. I then added a black and white filter. I then used the copy of the background layer and switched the blend mode to colour dodge. When this is done I inverted the layer by clicking cmd I. This causes the image to appear completely white apart from the very dark tones.

Once this step was completed I could now focus on blurring the darker tones in order to create the effect. I created a smart object on the copy layer in order to allow me to go back and adjust the effect any time I wanted. I went to filter-blur-gaussian blur and began adjusting the effect. I chose to keep the pixel radius at around 24.7 in order to create a convincing art-style effect.

This image offers a more chaotic variation using the same technique. The image consists of a collection of trees within a park. As a result of the effect, an endless pattern is created which may have been lost without the added contrast of the black and white tones. More information can be given within the image as a result of the effect. The lines on the ground give the audience information to factors such as the seemingly uneven texture, through the use of lines.

Progress:

This shoot has introduced me to a new and visually striking idea and I have managed to use this within varying environments. As a result I would potentially like to continue my investigation into the stylistic side of the hyperreality subject. I could look into other photoshop techniques in order to make images appear more unbelievable. If I were to develop this shoot, I would perhaps introduce colour in order to further create a more heightened/exciting version of reality.