DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY AND IMAGING - PROJECT 1

NAME: ZHANG QIYU

ID: 0384019

COURSE:Digital Photography and Imaging

GROUP: 2

Project 1: Digital & Physical collages + Reflective Writing

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Practical

PROJECT 1A:

COLLAGE

REFLECTIONS

In this punk-style collage poster creation, I established a rebellious and unconstrained tone through the strong contrast of red, yellow and black. The aged and matte texture of black and white, as well as the torn newspaper elements, injected a sense of retro ruins. This created a visual hierarchy of time. The specially cut newspaper fragments and black and white face photos' collage not only broke the completeness of the picture to echo the rebellious spirit of punk culture, but also injected a burst of restless vitality through the contrasting color of the yellow ribbon around the subdued tone. The reflection process made me realize that collage is not just the accumulation of materials, but also needs to construct emotional tension through the contrast of texture (such as rough newspapers and smooth ribbons) and color conflict (high saturation and black and white) - this "destructive coordination" might be the core of punk aesthetics.

DIGITAL COLLAGE

REFLECTIONS

This collage poster creates a "second space" that is detached from reality through the dislocated combination of trains, people, and houses. The tilted houses and deliberately misaligned perspectives enhance the surreal feeling, while the floating blue "sun" serves as a visual anchor connecting reality and fantasy, giving the picture a dreamlike texture.

The rough texture of the black and white sandy background contrasts with the smoothness of the artificial elements, symbolizing the friction between memory and reality. The highly saturated blue "sun" not only breaks the monochrome unity but also symbolizes the entrance to an otherworld - this deliberate color conflict successfully evokes the viewer's imagination of "another space", but adding a slight halo effect would further enhance its illusionary quality.

PROJECT 1B:

DIGITAL IMAGING EXERCISE 1

REFLECTIONS

By integrating personal portraits into the architectural space, I deeply experienced the magic of Photoshop as a "digital scissors". The key techniques used were layer masks and edge blurring, which created a sense of breathing at the junctions where the flesh met the bricks and stones - the deliberately retained few imperfect seams (such as the light and shadow discrepancy at the neck and the wall) actually enhanced the surreal absurdity. This practice made me realize that a good composition does not lie in absolute imperceptibility, but in the logical fiction: for instance, adjusting the skin tone to match the color temperature of the building, or establishing a unified light source narrative for the projection angle. If I make improvements next time, I will try to add environmental reflected light to make the body truly "grow" in the building rather than "stick" to the surface.

DIGITAL IMAGING EXERCISE 2

REFLECTIONS

Through this practice, I have mastered the skills of precise coloring using the quick selection tool and layer masks, and have learned how to restore the natural tones of skin and hair by referring to sample colors. The application of the Soft Light blending mode makes the color transitions more gentle, but there is still room for improvement in details such as the edges of hair and the skin tones. This practice has made me realize that successful coloring requires not only precise techniques but also the ability to observe the relationship between light, shadow and color with great sensitivity.