Photoshop

Place: Ravines (GVSU)

Definition of Place: Nature, park, wildlife, woods, river, quiet, peace, and tranquility.

Question/Problem: Getting out into nature and seeing things that you possibly never noticed before is a unique experience that everyone should do.

Why it Matters: Being out in nature can be good for overall health, as a stress reliever, form of exercise, and a means of finding inspiration.

For this project, I decided to photograph the ravines near GVSU campus. My focus was to show how spending time outside in nature can be a source of inspiration, whether it be our need to explore, a way to relax ourselves, etc. The problem that I decided to address was the idea that getting out into nature and seeing things that you possibly never noticed before is a unique experience that everyone should try to do. This matters due to the fact that being out in nature can be a good source of overall health, as a stress reliever, a form of exercise, and also mental health. The ways in which we view or use nature are diverse, and my postcards help to depict some of those ideas that I thought about while making this project

Postcard 1

The idea behind the first postcard was the idea of repetition. The image that I made was first duplicated and flipped horizontally to give the illusion of a continued or splitting path, giving the illusion of choice to which path you take. I darkened on side and brightened the other to create distinction between the light and the dark, which relating back to the splitting of the paths creates interest as to which side you should choose. The added lens glare effect helped in reinforcing the side where light comes through the trees above, which I feel unifies the flipped images as one.

Postcard 2

For the second postcard, I focused a lot on the ideas of Sandy Skoglund and the ideas of transformation. The idea I had for this postcard was to transform the image, taken looking at an upward angle towards the sky and the tree line, and bring in imagery and effects to make it look as if you were actually underwater. With the use of color overlays, and adding in the sharks for added interest, the illusion of an underwater world in present though it’s set in a forest environment. The use of the lens flare again adds interest to the postcard as a light source, and reinforces that underwater feeling, as if seeing the sun from underwater.

Postcard 3

For the last postcard, the ideas of concealment and revealing a message are what I focused on. The image itself depicts the top of the forest canopy from a worm’s eye view, with the sun barely peeking through near the top middle of the image. The picture alone acts, or mimics, the idea of concealment, being that you can barely see past the trees and foliage.  The word “OPEN” reveals an entirely different message, and the way I thought about it was that though you are in the woods, concealed from all your daily commitments and chores, you are free to explore in a vast, open world where you are free from your obligations.

Demo Practice