The following is a direct copy and has been Pasted in for future reference from the Art of Photography coursework PDF Doc. (pasted in Maroon)
1 photograph
For this exercise choose either the still-life approach described above, or a larger scale shot, which involves choosing viewpoint and lens focal length. If the former, take any book you like and make a suitable cover illustration using two or three relevant elements. If the latter, photograph someone with a possession, or the results of their work or hobby.
In setting about planning an illustration it would be wrong to think that this is a purely mechanical process, for which you must choose either symbols or juxtaposition. Originality counts for a great deal, and if the photograph is not interesting to do, it will probably not be so interesting to look at, either.
Imagine that you have to make the illustration for the cover of a magazine on the oil industry. A really obvious way of doing this would be to take a photograph of a refinery or an oil rig (ignoring for the time being how easy or difficult you might find this physically). Such a picture would certainly be clear, but would it be interesting? How many times have you seen pictures of North Sea oil rigs? Too many times? The platforms in the North Sea actually look more interesting than most, but it would have to be a stunning photograph – such as in extraordinary light – to catch anyone’s eye.
Being sufficiently unusual to be eye-catching or thought provoking can be a problem. You need a picture idea that has not been seen hundreds of times before, but is not so oblique or unrecognisable that a viewer would not associate it with oil. You may have some ideas yourself; the one I am going to suggest is not completely original, but it should be new for most people. Think of a close-up of viscous, black crude oil. Imagine a pool of it in the cupped hands of an oil worker. And, just to make the point crystal clear, let’s have a reflection of an oil derrick in the oil, slightly distorted in the surface of the liquid. If the hands are interesting (rough and blackened) and the background unobtrusive, we should have the makings of a fairly strong generic illustration.
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Equipment
Nikon D4
24/70 – f2.8 lens
Tripod
Method & Approach
With regards to this exercise, I had previously never heard of the word ‘Juxtaposition’ let alone its meaning. Having read the coursework through twice I was still not totally sure so I decided to do some further research on the web and hey presto all was revealed. The word itself is a combination derived from both Latin and French.
Juxta … means side by side (Latin).
Position … is what we know as position (derived from French).
In relevance of meaning and in particular composure – the two words added together literally mean two items positioned together in one frame / picture, hence the visual meaning is of old versus new, such as an old building positioned in front of a new building or two contradicting images such as two signs. For instance one sign post giving the name to a street ‘Prosperous Road’ the other just below saying ‘Dead End’
My personal take on this was to combine two images contradicting each other (just as above) where I combine them (Juxta) and produce a front cover illustration for a magazine. After a long hard think, I finally came up with the idea of overlaying two music CD’s on top of a bookshelf full of CD’s and tying everything together with a well known familiar expression.
Please see picture below.
Note – The picture has been compressed hence there might be a quality reduction when enlarging.
Picture 1
What have I learnt from this exercise
I have learnt a new word which is so common in its everyday use, I’m surprised I had never heard of it before. Since coming across this new word and also fully understanding its meaning, everywhere I look within the advertising industry, be it posters or magazines …. I see ‘Juxtaposition’
Thoughts and Reflection
This exercise has possibly been my favourite and once again I have learnt something knew, not only the word itself but also some new things in Photoshop. It’s not until you have a mental idea in your mind backed up with a sketch that you really start to push yourself in a software derived program to explore the ways of doing things (such as Photoshop). I have read several books that help explain Photoshop in numerous ways and some even give exercises but because of the vastness of this program and also its many alternate ways of working there is never an exercise that suits your immediate needs.
To Summarise
- I have learnt a new word but no ordinary word at that – as it brings together a whole host of different visual and cleverly worded scenarios.
- This has been a really good outcome as I have taken the opportunity to knuckle down and learn new skills within Photoshop.
stingray493 