Culture Clash

Purpose:
To create a Clash of Cultures by creating your own Photo montage, combining images from Beijing, China and Yarmouth, Maine, USA;
To further develop your Photoshop knowledge and skills;
To create a “surreal” landscape by montaging a variety of photographs;
To know, use, and understand the Four Collage Techniques to in your Photo Montage: Juxtaposition/fragmentation, Point of View, Scale Change, Overlapping

Reflection:
            I learned a vast amount from this project from both the successes and the challenges that I faced throughout my creation of this montage. I primarily learned a lot about photoshop. I was very successful in editing the various photographs to fit into my montage. The process of adjusting, cropping, and editing the pictures in order to juxtapose, layer, and contrast them in my final project greatly enhanced my understanding of the program. Due to my success with photoshop throughout the project, I am now actually quite comfortable using photoshop with different projects. I additionally had many initial challenges that I had to overcome, enforcing my problem solving skills. It was extremely difficult to incorporate fifteen images into my project in a way that was imaginary but also real at the same time. I had to maintain the real aspect of the surreal montage, which was something I found to be quite difficult while trying to integrate many different and contrasting images. I ultimately found ways to add in many different images without losing the sense of having a real scene in the montage. I added smaller fragments, and I decreased the opacity of some images to help them blend and juxtapose together smoothly. In the end, I learned a huge amount from this project, and it was definitely a highlight for me.

Free Choice

"A Barn and a Boy"

The sound of the sprinkling rain grew stronger on a sullen Sunday afternoon. The aroma of spring was in the air, and the faint smell of burning wood coming from inside created a comfortable and calm atmosphere. I felt my camera in my hands; I knew what I had to do. I saw the rusty red of the barn and the blue of his eyes and his shirt, and I knew that I could trust my camera to capture a powerful moment. The reds and blues and browns intertwined into one beautiful shot. I saw his eyes look back at the camera, conveying so much emotion with such a plain expression. I heard children playing in the yard next door, and I heard an impatient dog barking from the street. Life was in slow motion as this shot was captured. 

"Game Face"

Game Day

Daunting, Exciting

Defending, Running, Attacking

Until the Ball is in the Back of the Net

A fight.

Culture Clash Planning

Juxtaposition~ When two things things are placed together, forming a contrasting effect.

Fragmentation~  The process of breaking multiple wholes into small, separate parts. Fragments from the different wholes are then used to create a new, unique whole. 

Point of View~ The position from which something is observed. 

Scale Change~ When the proportions of one image to another is changed. 

Overlapping~ When something covers something else partly by going over its edge. 

Annie Leibovitz

This is the link to my famous photographers video for Annie Leibovitz:

Hobbies & Interests

"Musical Escape"

Harmoniously melodic

Mellifluously harmonic

Each moment

Each second

Each touch

priceless.

The sound

The tune

The beauty

an escape. 

Free to play

Free to roam

Free to

create. 

"Tis the Season"

'Tis the season for small yellow balls.

'Tis the season for some nasty falls.

'Tis the season for great, victorious wins.

'Tis the seasons for losses that are harder than it's ever been.

'Tis the season to rise,

'Tis the season to shine;

You can hear it in our cries:

We surely won't resign. 

Food

"Layers"

Layers

Dense, Impenetrable 

Growing, Changing, Ever-Protecting

A cloak of bliss

Innocence  

"Sheer Bliss"

          In the dead silence, the unquestionable aura of pancakes awakens all hearts and souls on a rainy Sunday morning.  Gloominess disappears, and jubilation appears in its absence. Lacrosse defeats, surgical pains, and boredom are no longer unfortunate realties. The scent of pancakes and syrup encompasses each and every body within its reach. Suddenly, laughter fills the sullen silence. Smiles appear in the place of frowns. The rain beats down on the roof; however, the glistening syrup and all its magical powers are undeniably superior. Pancakes are a simplistic yet perfect source of happiness. 

"An Art Form of its Own"

           While the thought of consuming tomatoes, olives, and an unidentified cheese brings complete and utter disgust to my body, the mixture of these foods together undeniably retains a unique sort of beauty. It is as if the art in this photograph is the food rather than the photography. I am simply the photographer capturing its ornamental appearance. 

Creative Portraits

"On the Horizon"

The riddle of life

A horizon lies ahead 

Where will I go next?

"Bubble Trouble"

Pop.

       The boy chewed his gum tirelessly, paying close attention to the patterns and textures involved with this commonplace action. Every so often, he gathered the cool mint gum to the center of his tongue in order to blow a bubble. He is meticulous. He is determined. He is driven. He pays intense attention to all of his pursuits in life.

       ... Well. Not all pursuits. For, in his life, he had never paid such detailed attention to the art of chewing bubblegum.

       In the end of winter daze, the boy felt at peace in this large, open field. He had things to do, places to be, people to see; however, he let them go. The world froze for one single moment. The wind blew through his curly hair. He took a deep breath, and he chewed his gum. It was carefree. He laughed at his girlfriend as she desperately tried to get a shot of one of his perfectly round bubbles for her photography class. After each failed attempt, she would display a look of disappointment that only made him more intent on helping her achieve this shot. He smiled. She smiled. He was living the scene in slow motion. Life was vividly beautiful.

       He once again gathered the gum at this tip of his tongue. He blew the perfect bubble.

Click. 

"Security"

Shelter

Safe, Guarded

Dreaming, Hoping, Wondering

That one day I will have no limits

Freedom