Minutiae 8: Details in Nature

Patrick Zephyr photographs natural moments out of his love for the natural world and great outdoors.

http://www.patrickzephyrphoto.com/

Minutiae 7: Details in Nature

Minutiae 6: Details in Nature

I saw two seagulls 

And a red bird in a tree

Waiting there for spring 

- Jennifer 

Minutiae 5: Details in Nature

Collection Project: In Class

The backgrounds that this project uses consist of a coral reef and a picture of green-blue waves. The objects that I collected were seashells, and I collected 10 of them. They are scattered around the bottom frame of the photograph. I utilized blending options on each shell individually to ensure that they would fit into the tones of the background and appear as being realistically placed as possible. I also toyed with the colors of the background, bringing out certain hues and darkening certain elements of the coral reef. Also, if you look closely, you will see two yellow fish instead of one :~)

Project 1: In Progress

*Please excuse my crude sketches and stick figures*

Style: "Playful Surrealism"

Personality: Outdoorsy, Lighthearted, Maternal, Colorful 

Idea: Surrealism with a twist!! I intend to manipulate normal images in a childlike sense to replicate my maternal instincts and childlike heart. All of the things that I like doing will be incorporated. Trees = Broccoli, Mountains = Sand [box] Dunes with toys, a rainbow made from macaroni, a toy UFO, etc. There will also be some decisions made to benefit the mood of the landscape as well as more personal touches. The sun will be depicted as an eye; a note to subconscious vision (eye opened and closed), and I will be placed in the frame having a picnic underneath the largest broccoli tree and emerging out of the broccoli forrest. Additional objects that add to the mood/setting of this are also being considered. 

Homework: The Ethics of Digital Manipulation

   Digital manipulation (something that has been around for ages, it seems), is not something that I 100% support. I believe that photoshop can be utilized to create some truly fantastic art, though altering photographs from their natural state has become an every day essential. It is almost necessary for individuals to add on a filter to a post before editing it, or to even change the appearance of the photograph completely. Everyone is guilty of it, including myself. Lodriguss mentions that viewers [of images] know that anything can be done to manipulate an image and have come to trust the fact that they are constantly being lied to (visually). It is important to process reality rather than to manipulate it. This is one of the reasons that I have started to step back from behind the camera a little more and take in my surroundings as they are. Photographers however, utilize this idea of capturing and interpreting reality their own way. I believe that is where the line is drawn between successful digital manipulation and 'taking advantage of your resources' digital manipulation.