When out in the field, I found it much more of a task to take the pictures of the objects. For one, it challenged me to observe every part of my surroundings to see if anything within them looked like letters. I soon noticed, upon putting everything together from concept to photograph, that the environments were the most difficult thing to utilize. Sure, my eye can see them as the letter, but to formulate a replica using the camera was another task in and of itself. On the day I went out shooting, the weather was far from optimal for utilizing the outside light. So, with that in mind, I had to find angles in which I could keep the "letter" in tact as well as have it properly lit. For example, the "X" photograph was perhaps the most difficult.
In order to fully accentuate the letter, I used layer masks to veil the color of the background and alter the yellow around the arrows. A contrast to this would be the picture of the letter "R," taken with my iPhone. Though the conditions were much more pleasant for this photograph, the colors that surrounded it again made it difficult to isolate it, so I decided to use masks and curves to bring it out in the most fantastical way possible.
As far as lighting was concerned, the most difficult was actually in the bar I worked at. To create the letter "V", I decided to use the sliders on my soundboard to form it. Since I also operate dance lights, and the board is often illuminated by them as well, I decided to simulate that with effects. I couldn't take the photo otherwise, since lighting in bars is generally low. Since I was able to simulate the color the dance lights give to the board, it helped to bring out what I see on a regular basis when I'm working, making this piece much more existential than the rest (without a human subject, of course.) This one has to be my favorite piece.
On the subject of bar light often being low, my subject for the "other" was in similar lighting at another bar. However thanks to the lights above the bar itself and the lighting of the Video Poker machines, I was able to get a decent photograph without much contrast editing.
On a personal level, I don't see people as much different. We're all human, we all bleed red, we're all born, we all die. So, trying to point out differences between me and a potential subject were fairly difficult. Also, since I was in a bar, I had to be careful not to offend anyone in case the person I asked was inebriated (especially a total stranger!) So, I had to wait some time for the perfect subject to come along. For this picture, I went to a bar I used to work at some time ago. Since it had been some time, and the people that file in and out of bars change like the seasons, I knew I'd find someone I didn't know. My subject, who was more than happy to allow me to photograph him, was also friends with the bartender that used to work with me back then, so it made the ability to ask much easier. He asked if he should smile for the picture, and I declined since I have always hated photographs like that. I wanted to have this shot just be of a normal guy (though older than me) just doing what he normally does when he comes to the bar, which is gamble a few dollar and chat with the bartender.
Lighting for my letter "C" had to be the easiest. Pool tables are often well lit in order to make the play much easier. What I did here, was I used a color mask to match the reflection from the neon sign. Since the pocket was made out of a matte plastic, it did not have much reflective property, so I decided to simulate it here.
Though the tools available in my Kodak allowed me to compensate for the conditions around me, the iPhone did not. When taking a picture of my friend Silas performing at Johnny B's, the lighting from the stage caused the photograph to have some grain and seem a bit washed even though it looked fine on the phone's screen. Upon seeing it on a much larger scale, I noticed that a lot had to be done to make the photo seem a lot more lush. So, some curve work and some contrast adjustment was necessary.
When photographing myself using my iPhone, I found that the natural light was perfect. Having parked under a shaded tree, there was not much glare on me or even the background, so little editing was necessary. The only thing I did here was slightly alter my eye color.
The alteration of color was another thing I found fun in my picture for the letter "Y." Since the electrical apparatus was broken on my car key, I removed it. This caused the subject to take the shape of a "Y" when extended. Once again, taken in my car, but taken in similar light as "X." However, in order to make the picture not seem as though it were monochromatic, I changed the key-part itself to appear golden using masks and curves. Considering how much I love my car, it only seemed appropriate.
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