Progression on them based project-Present 5 images (Broga Hills)

28/6/2014(week 12)
Imani Najwa Binti Nordin(0319405)
Progression on Project-Theme Based:Presentation of 5 images in Printed Form

Lecture:

So I came to lecture a tad bit late,luckily I didn't miss a thing.As I came in Mr Vinod was giving feedback on my other classmates working progress.When it came to my turn ,Mr Vinod gave a few comments(which I  have posted on my previous post) regarding the pictures I took of last week.Long story short he did this with all his students.Being the nosey person I am,I payed attention to what Mr Vinod had to say to the rest of my classmates work.I've found that he wanted different and unique photos,something that would stand out.After giving his feedback,we proceed with out lessons.Todays lesson Mr Vinod talked about the previous results of our leaning style and inventory test.Basically the reason why we did the test was to understand ourselves more bette.it was a test to determine how we learned best.There are many different learning styles form visual learner,auditory learner,tactile and even visual-tactile which is best of both.Before lesson ended Mr Vinod took us to the photo shoot studio and introduced us to the equipments there.There were green screens,lights and lamps all for our use.

*I forgot to mentioned that last week Mr Vinod asked us to choose a few portraits of vintage pictures.We are supposed to pose if not identical something similar to the photos we had chosen .And this week is my turn to pose in front of the camera.

I do hope I don't look lost like a deer in the headlights.

Progress on my 5 presentable images :

Coloured Photos :

More on my facebook page 

Hardcopy:

Feedback:

General Feedback:

As for general feedback Mr Vinod did mentioned to us that the closer we are towards the end of the final submission due for our major 5 picture project the more we have to WORK HARDER.He mentioned that if we wanted our work to be selected ,exhibited and even published later on we should be stepping out our games.Mr Vinod said that we shouldn't just be going to only one destination but to explore,to have some different variety.Not only that,Mr Vinod made a point that we should all be active and take not only just 5 photos but more since we are closer to our deadline."RAMP IT UP NOW" -Mr Vinod.

Specific Feedback:

As for my specific feedback Mr Vinod mentioned that my pictures were nice.The first and last ( the lalang shot) were good.However he didn't specifically mentioned if they were publish worthy.He mentioned that it was all up to me,that I have to decide whether I want it to be good or great,or excellent or better yet something HEAD TURNING!

In addition to that,Mr Vinod did mentioned that I seem to have grasped the exposure and composition to a certain degree but I still must learn to see beyond what is seen ,there lies the key.And so he wishes me good luck.

Reflection:

Observation:

I've came to observe how much I've enjoy taking photos in black and white.Normally i would overlook the whole black and white photos since they are quite boring,but to be honest ever since I've been taking photos in black and white I've came to realised that it is actually quit difficult and is a challenge.It is off a skill that not everyone can do,and it takes time.Therefore,I feel even more challenged to take the photos .This is because photos in black and white requires you to have plenty of  patience to calculate and determine the perfect shades for each section of the photo.Just like the lessoned we had learnt regarding the Ansel Adams shot.

The fact that not everyone can take good shots in black and white makes me feel more engrossed to perfect my work,weird thing is I function that way.Although,I must admit Im not very good at it yet and sometimes I cheat by just taking the shots in the shade I think is suitable enough I still think that if I have a lot of determination I can be able to capture shots just like Ansel Adams.( < big dreams right here )

Another thing that I've also realised is that everyone is unique,most of us have similar test results but for the most part how we study and absorb information is somewhat different.Some of my classmates can listen to music and do their work perfectly fine where as me and a few others have difficulty in focussing when being greatly distracted by the music.Whenever I play music I end up singing along.

Experience:

Whiles hiking Broga hills,it was a refreshing experience.I gathered all my old schoolmates and made them hike with me.To my least expectation they were all anctious and excited.They called me up early at 4 am  just to make sure I was wide awake and dressed.I was ready by 4:30am.Sadly one of my guy friends didnt even woke up after several calls,so we drove by his house and literally threw rocks at his window.Eventually we were on the road by (6 am) on the way to Semeyih.The drive there wasn't so bad since I liked road trips.Sadly we missed the sunrise instead we just saw the sky getting brighter,sort of pinkish.We were of course near by already.Once we've arrived,we parked our car and up we go .

The trail way I must admit was pretty rocky,there were uneven steps and had no railing.I was scared to death because it was so slippery and to make matters worse my jogging shoes were frictionless.Along,the way up,there were breath taking views,I had to stop and had to at least take one random shot.My mates were getting bored since all they wanted to do was to get to the top.So off we went higher and higher.Again I took shots of the pretty landscapes.Long story short,there were much photos to take,but I was too into nature to actually capture them all.I guess that was my lost,sometimes I get distracted pretty easily.All I wanted to do then was to relax and let my skin soak the sun,wind in my hair and enjoy every bit of it all.We sat on giant boulders and rested there for a bit,talking,wondering,we were pretty much quiet the entire time just laying.I guess we were up there for a while.

There was that one part where you had to climb up a huge ass rock and I made it thorough with a bit of a boost,sometimes people seem to think im to fragile to do stuff. Anyways my guy friends all failed the first few attempts and I was laughing at the top.

I did get a scratch on my knee on the way down,which brings to another story.My friend wanted to make sure it was safe to slide down so he insisted on going first,then I.So he slided down and I went right after,at first it was okay but i started to realised I lost my grip and I went super fast,my friend Hariz also lost control and nearly knocked a tree so he went sideways,I tried to avoid other people and went sideways as well towards the left,still loosing control I was about to hit this kid and we'd both be sent down into this deep pit,luckily this kid managed to  stop me from skidadling,my hero :) So of course I was worried sick for the child since his hands got hurt a bit but he managed a smile.Anyways right after my other friend Kavin stopped just behind me.He told me that he too lost his grip and was nearly about to send me and the little boy down the pit hole.Man that was a relief.

Long story shot,we made it down,drove home tired,stopped by the roadside to eat chendol and rojak.

And I would do it all over again.

Because they deserve an appreciation  post 

Findings:

From what I've understand a visual learner is someone who learns better when the person can relate to another or to a fact.In simple words the person learns better when they have guidance before hand.

I also found that not everything is permanent,like the world we too change,this test was to show how we've change over the few months.It is okay to change,change is normal.

I've also realised that majority of us had grown up in a teacher centric environment which is actually not healthy for our development.We tend to be to shy in solving the questions for the fear of getting scolded and so on.So what do you do when this happens?I've found that you should start being active by doing something.take notes and start writing.Writing helps to imprint the information in your mind and I can safely say this works for me.I've always realised that my mind wonders around a lot  and I get distracted pretty easily.Im the type of person who cant stand still for far to long,to spark my interest,the speaker has to have a good point and so on.A trick that Mr Vinod shared was that he used to tape record his lecture talks and pal yit in the car on the way back.I think this is a briliant idea because for someone who easily forgets I try to recall things after lectures so they stay better in my memory.

Something important Mr Vinod mentioned was that you cant wait till your older to become more disciplined,you must start now or it'll be to late.As the saying goes "Old habits die hard".

Oh did I mentioned that the photos that I took were mostly in colour .I've decided to take this opportunity to use photoshop and edit the photos into black and white.Now sometimes its not as easy as it look,trying to decide which shades are better and to visualise the final outcome beforehand takes time.

What I first did was I opened my photo in photoshop.

Next under

image>adjustments>black & white

From there on I played around with the colour edits.I adjusted the reds and yellow which I ofund makes the photo either lighter or darker.I've found Cyan makes the Background either lighter or darker .Overall I decide which part should be the darkest and using the Ansel adams concept I made sure I didn't over expose certain areas just to keep details from missing.Editing the photos weren't so hard,I think with practice I could probably do better.

This time around I've also realised that my photos are more towards scenery,there are only one or two of which are close up shots.I've had much thought put into this and I guess I've decided that I would do close up shots of nature.Because there is so much beauty that people miss out on,like what Mr Vinod said,most of the pretty pictures have already been taken by someone,not saying your picture is bad,its just not special.So it would be a lot interesting taking photos of miscellaneous things that I'll  find in the woods.

Overall I cant wait to go out again to hike and take my photos,its just a point of fasting and getting through it.Let that not be a challenge.

Progress on the 5 pictures (Taman Tar)

13/6/2014(week )

Imani Najwa Binti Nordin(0319405)

Lecture :Regarding our progress so far on the 5 pictures

Lecture:

During todays class Mr Vinod just dived into our topic for today,which was our progress so far on how much we've done over the past week.He first begin explaining to us that even though we do not need to bring our cameras doesn't mean we wouldn't have weekly exercises,e explained that we will still have these sub exercises such as learning the uses of studio lighting.Mr Vinod explained that this would be a very handy topic to grasp,since we are currently studying this once we get into degree some of us may have the upper hand than others.He did mentioned that we were to (recreate a look from the early ages from the (1940s' up to the 1950s'),the 1960s' were acceptable but he stressed that we should keep between this range.This is because,lighting in the ages became more dilute.Back in the day people would get all dolled up,dressed all prim and proper when wanted to be photograph,It was a big deal back then,just because taking a photo was something formal it wasn't an everyday thing and it would have been costly.Now days however,we wouldn't take the effort,probably just to look good but we wouldn't go to extreme measures and get our hair done and makeup.As usual Mr Vinod does stray from topic,but I like it,a change of topic keeps it interesting.He gave us a tip on how to do our POD assignment which was a cut out project,he mentioned that we should cut on glass piece which is far better then a cutting mat,which makes perfect sense(thanks for the tip).

Moving back on topic, we got in a circle and Mr Vinod begin asking what progress we've done so far.To his disbelieve he was shocked that non of us made an effort to actually take time and did some research regarding out major assignment(deeply sorry sir).With that he begin to explain that we should at least make an effort (2 hours minimum or right before bed and click on the links for inspiration )

He also added that we should be jotting down ideas and what we've learned along the journey,it is important for us designers to carry a mini note pad,this is used to help metre your progress.

Something that got stuck in my head was the fact that with more research and jotting down these ideas the faster you begin seeing different aspects you miss out,Mr Vinod mentioned that apparent reality is something that everyone sees,and to be different,to make heads turn,you will have to go beyond,make the effort to study.

Update (20/6/2014)
Of Everything

So finally I've gotten the chance to go hike up the Taman Tar's hiking place which apparently is called "Bukit Kenanga"? Like whut .Anyways,I've been meaning to go hiking and take some nature photos since I felt that I've been way behind.Sadly something urgent came up and I had to leave early unexpectedly :/ and long story short,I manage to take a few decent photos,since I myself am not to sure of my theme,all i know is I want something nature related.

The thing that Mr Vinod mentioned about photography is that most pictures have already been taken,pictures that are regularly taken like a single flower or the lake view.It means ,someone before you had probably taken the exact same photo before you( fells like a slap to your face) and knowing that kind of made the picture less special.I've thought hard on what I should take photos of for this assignment and to be honest I still am a bit lost,I've considered to take details of nature and I actually like that but I also would like to take landscape shots of the spectacular view.This makes me scared because some of my class mates have already finalised on what theme their going to be using for this assignment.

But then again,noting is for certain,I think its okay to be kind of lost,its fine if we don't know what we want right?

What Im trying to imply is that,so I didn't narrow down my subject matter,does it matter?Sooner yes,but for now I'd like to experiment and see what works best,tho I wouldn't stray far away from nature but it would be interesting to work on other things then taking the same regular shots that I will have to for weeks.All Im saying is that I will work on both details of nature and landscapes and see which is more successful,after all aren't we designers,we're supposed to be outgoing and explore more.

Take a stab at it.-Mr Vinod's famous words.

Details of nature:

More to scenery:

Abandon House :

Hardcopy :

Feedback:
General Feedback :
As for general feedback I don't think there is any specific thing that was mentioned other then the minor few.Mr Vinod did mentioned stuff like keep taking photos constantly to avoid loosing your touch.There were a few questions raised regarding the trip back to the same old place of the original shoot.Mr Vinod mentioned that it wasn't necessary to revisit the original shoot however it is crutial to do so,this is because having to revisit a place you will begin to be more observant then the previous time.At the same time,Mr Vinod also mentioned that we should visit other places but of the same theme.

Specific Feedback:
For todays week,Mr Vinod told me that I have done great progress and that I should keep out the good work.He mentioned that my exposures were correct and all was fine.There were a few particular shots that he liked.Overall he told me that I should keep progressing as I will find more interesting details that could be taken off.Most importantly do not slack off.

Reflection:

Experience:

I've came to experience how important it is to do research.When Mr Vinod told us about that it opend up my eyes at how little I knew of anything,ideas that pop up into heads should all be jotted down to meter our progress .When taking photos we should also take our time and analyse ,be critical,ask ourself if this photo is unique? If not way? And how would I make it unique?This would help train your mind to look out for something different.

Another thing that opened up my eyes is how Mr Vinod mentioned that we should be careful on how we photograph something ,sometimes when we take photos of textiles we will take great shots but thats about that,it is as if we are promoting other peoples art instead of ours,there is no contribution as to how we effect the photo. I agree on this aspect,the photo may be pretty but thats just it,it doesn't look like we as photographers have anything to do with it.

Observation:

I've observed whiles having our group discussion is that most of the students have really interesting ideas for their photo assignment,some were of the usual and some were pretty interesting.There was a point in which we would tell Mr Vinod's our ideas on the photographs we would take and Cherry wanted to take a photograph of a village nearby her house area,where everything is pretty much traditional.Mr Vinod added that may be a good subject.Something he said that caught my attention was how he mentioned that you don't  necessarily need to take photos of the village people,tiny details that people miss out would make good interesting photos,for example some worn out shoes,shoes are a good subject to portray what kind of people live there without really showing the person itself.

I've realised that it is hard for me to go hike up somewhere and take pictures,most of the people I relied on are way to busy or simply cant find the time to help me,no I do not need help and I probably should just man up and go all by myself.I probably would if its the last resort and technically it is.

Findings:

So far my findings are about how lame it feels to live in Malaysia.The themes that I choose were more to the urban lifestyles,the victorian centuries in which we don't have.I was planing to take photos of abandon places like those but sadly Mr Vinod too mentioned that we do not have places like those.so I had to scratch the thought away.

Today I've found that along our lessons learning how to take photographs in black and white,I realised it is a knowledge that is really useful.This is because,not everyone can do it."Sure its a nice shot but you just lost the detail of leaves cause its too dark".Im beginning to appreciate how other professional photographers can actually have the patience and the ability to think one step ahead in order to produce a good outcome,they visualise beforehand and it is a skill that Im trying to achieve.

Learning Style Test Results :

Project : Theme Based: Presentation of 5 images in printed form

6/6/2014(week 10)
Imani Najwa Binti Nordin(0319405)
Project : Theme Based: Presentation of 5 images in printed form

Lecture:

During todays class Mr Vinod talked about our up coming assignment.He mentioned that we will be getting less feedback and will not be able to redo this assignment.All this while he told us that  we were being hand held and now it is time to let go.There will be no supervision as to what we would be doing.However Mr Vinod  did told us to not be afraid and be brave enough to explore different types of photography.Since we have done all the exercises, regarding exposure and what it is effected by such as iso,aperture and shutter speed.We had even learned about the zone system ,rule of thirds and the principles underpinning composition and lastly editing and photo consistency which we did last week.Now Mr Vinod told us that we are required to pic a topic

whether it be landscapes,texture and ect.Mr Vinod did say that we should be bold and daring enough to take photos that are different,that will make heads turn.A good photo makes people question,great work that slaps someones face.The work doesn't have to be safe.He emphasise that in order to must create a mark in the world you must be able to leave people baffle by your work.

But how do you stand out? that was the question that stayed in my mind and Mr Vinod gladly explained that you must be different,break the norm.

Instruction to project:
1.Choose a subject of interest.
2.Photograph 5 pictures that interrelate.
3.Print out the pictures in hardcopy




Inspirations :

I've always had a fascination with old and abundant places,places like old abandon theme parks are the pace,they kind of leave you a chill feeling,the picture says it all,how deserted the place feels,you'll see,crops overgrown and it look very haunted looking,I would love to capture image's like these sometime.To be able to look through and see the beauty of all this forgotten places.A place now a hauntingly beautiful scene of decay.



Being alone

Landscapes and scenery

This is what I call a beautiful shots,the landscape pictures are particularly wide,maybe they shot it using wide view lenses but for the most part,the edit doesn't look so extreme until it looks extremely fake .

Hardcopy :

Reflection :
Experience:
There weren't much experience this week since I didn't do any exercises.I did however did a few research not in depth,but I've searched for photos that help inspired me to take creative photos for my project.

Observation :
From todays class I've realised that if you want to be know for something,you've got to go beyond the social norm.Like what Mr Vinod mentioned is that we are all unique in our own special way and that is uneatable.He mentioned that we must  tap into our individuality, the key aspects of yourself and try amplify it .I've also observed that you should always do your research before hand,it is important to know different varieties of photos and know where your benchmark should stand.

I've also came to observe that,I pretty much stay in my comfort zone,I haven't had yet challenge myself to go beyond.I was thinking of taking photos of scenery for my 5 picture assignment but to think of it again I've always done scenery.


Findings :
So Im kind of late to do this whole findings thing,my greatest apologies.So far I've found out that most pictures I see are quit similar in terms of


I've also found out that I really really like nature pictures,weather it be landscapes,old ruins,the forests and such,Im really into the non buzzy hype of the city,I've always think that that was something strange to actually possess such a liking to those things,what other people see as neglected objects,I cherish.However,now I've came to realised that Im not alone,there are other photographers out there that have similar taste like I do.I've also came to the conclusion that I do not fancy all these photos that are being overly edited through photoshop,some may think its spectacular,I think it looks fake and unrealistic.To me the point of photoshop is to only enhance the picture,not to make it look so hd and unrealistic looking that when I see it,it doesn't look and feel real. I've also came to realise I like being alone,I think I've always known that,being alone in a sense that Im placed somewhere peaceful somewhere far from the hussle and bussle of the city,where people cant reach me.


Test Results :

week 1

week 12

Photo editing with Photoshop

30/5/2014(week 9)
Imani Najwa Binti Nordin(0319405)
Photo Editing and Photoshop
Selfie (non graded exercise)

Lecture:

For todays lecture mr Vinod decided for us to have a group discussion.The topic for todays discussion was photo editing using photoshop.When we all told him that we didn't manage to do our research and which we basically had no idea what so ever about photoshop Mr Vinod got a little disappointed.(sorry sir :/).However ,despite the little knowledge we had regarding the topic some of us knew a bit more than others.When Mr Vinod told us that he was grading our participation, some of us(including me)took a stab at it.Not long after Mr Vinod decided to pull our attention away from the conversation and gave us a brief lecture about photoshop.Mr Vinod explained that different settings such as red filter,saturation,desaturated and ect all have their own specific function.He showed us a few tools that are commonly used by photoshop users.He explained that not all the tools are needed to be used because it depends on what effects you are trying to achieve.After the who talk he asked us students to edit our self portrait in such way that it would be interestingly questionable,something absolutely different and creative.Once we did that we were told to upload the photos as our profile picture on Facebook for the whole semester.

Instructions to exercise:
1.Photoshop your selfie if necessary.
2.Post the selfie on the Intro2Photography Facebook wall
3.Replace your Display picture to your current selfie until the end of the semester.
4.Record and keep tract of the reactions among's the likes and comments until the end of semester.

Exercise Selfie (non graded)

I started with a full body shot ,apparently Tia's foot seems to disrupt the shot, so I cropped it out 

Here as you can see I was editing my photo on photoshop.I manage to mirrored it.The blue grid line serves as a mark in order for me to know where the centre of the photo was.

Finished product 

* I did not edit to such an extend since I think we will have another edit exercise which could be the "double exposure "just like the ones our seniors did.

 Proof of my work on my  Facebook page

The number of Likes I've gotten :

Hardcopy:

Feedback:

Genreal feedback:

Soon

Specific Feedback:

Soon

Reflection:

Experience:

Experience wise I must say this is all very challenging for me as Im not a total computer nerd pro.It took me quit some time just for me to learn the basic tools.I've done my readings and fiddled with the tools and can so far understand and work their functions.I used trusty old google to help me with my research.Reading is a no problem I actually find it very helpful and informative.I've experienced that having photoshop skills puts you to a certain advantage.Whiles editing my photos it took me a while to learn the mirror effect,I ended up going through youtube tutorials to lean.I then tried to make it look more realistic by using the eraser tool to soften the edges around.This technique is similar to feathering.

We are then expected to change our Facebook photos to our pre-edited selfies that we took.I find this brilliant at the same time gosh how am i going to face this picture with my horrible selfie kind of thing.

I've checked other students photos and my their photos are simply unique.I've decided that maybe I will take another selfie,since this isn't a graded exercise I might be able to experiment with it.

Observation:

Today I've learned that there are many different types of black & white photos.Some have higher contrast whiles others look more settled and vintage looking with a bit of noise added to the photos intentionally.I've observed that there are a few ways to getting a good black and white photo.I've learned that you can first go to (image > adjustments> black & white) .I observed and realised that this black and white feature can actually give you more sense of control since there is a control panel that has a few colour ranges that you can adjust to help create different black and white photo effects.Another good black & white photo edit is by going to (image> adjustments > levels).I've observed that the level enables you to adjust the whiter,middled tones and darker shades area.It is best to help adjust tonality after the photo is taken.

I've also observed that the red filter is also useful.When you have two colours of the same red colour intensity (same shades) it can become white.However certain areas will reman its tonality.

In addition to that,I've also observed that canvas size is actually important and should be taken under consideration when wanting to print out a photo.This is because,the machine(printer) will end up cropping the pictures you've taken.This is because the formate of the computer does not match the printer.Therefor,to avoid this is it best to sat a border around your picture.It is also helpful to increase the canvas size .

Lastly something that Mr Vinod talked about in class was how you should never remove a permanent mark for instance a beauty mark because by all means it should be kept real.However it is an exception to remove semi permanent marks such as a blemish.

Findings:

I've also been experimenting on different photo editing technique aside from what Mr Vinod is teaching us.I tried editing my photos in a double exposure way.I refereed to youtube on how I can make this edit possible.Basically from what I've understood was that the Lasson tool is a very useful tool to help cut out the outlines of my portrait.The eraser tool is also very helpful in order to clear the background.I made the background white.Sometimes more than 1 pictures can be used to create a whole different effect simply by layering them together.I ended up using 2 photos one of my previous selfie and the other was  a simple nature picture.I first did my cut and begin to make the second photo( nature picture ) have a white background. What I did was under [image >adjustments>replace colour > result (white) >saturation (100%) .Brightness (100%) ]If the sky or the background is white then your doing it right.

I then place the photo together above each other and used the Blend Mode to lighten.Then your done,now it is just how to move and set the picture around to your liking.Lastly,since I've been fooling around with my photoshop,I've found that it is helpful to have the blue grid in the centre of your picture ever time you will want to do a mirrored effect as it give you a sense of where the centre is located.

Photo of my work 




Here are the tools used in photoshop