Digital Journal_JPYKE

FSH001 PHOTOGRAPHY AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Jessica Pyke


CONTENTS
Week 1 04 Week 2 05 Week 3 08 Week 4 09 Week 5 11 Week 6 16
Week 7 19 Week 8 20 Week 9 22 week 10 23 Week 11 24 Submission images 26
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ABout me
Hi, My name is Jess. I am a graphic designer from Launceston, Tasmania.
Likes: My cats Dusty and rufus, horse riding, cooking, reading, travel
Dislikes: sarsaparilla, being late, Dusty waking me up at 2am
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Week 1
Become familiar with MyLO
I had a good look around MyLo in this first week, I found it a bit confusing at first, but soon picked it up.
Introduce yourself to your group through the discussion board.
“I love to take photos when I am travelling or when something interesting catches my eye. I also have plenty of animals, so my phone is usually full of images of when they are up to some sort of mischief! I look forward to learning new techniques and seeing how others use photography to express themselves.
I personally don’t use social media regularly, but think it certainly has it place, particularly for small and local businesses. So I am hoping that this unit will help boost my skills in this area”.


Week 2
ACTIVITY
I created a mind map based on my personal identity. I used words to describe my personal life, rather that my professional life as the images I will be taking for these projects will be reflective of this.
Pantone 3262
Jessica Pyke
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Week 2
ACTIVITY
I created a storyboard with some ideas that I would like to try for project 1. I originally wanted to capturing some of the items from my mind map by using reflection. I then came back to the project after the holidays and decided to take a different approach.
When doing research for this first storyboard I was drawn to images that were a bit unique or quirky. I particularly love the mirror image by Laura Williams.
Please note: These are not my images.
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Week 2
I have now decided to focus on my hands as a way to show different aspects of my life and the things that make me happy.
I really like the ‘bird’s eye view’ position, it seems to be quite trendy at the moment, particularly on social media. Its almost like you are a fly on the wall, watching
the scene unfold. The backgrounds and textures also really help to make the image.
I am thinking I will use this positioning to capture me cooking, reading and horse riding. I think it will be important for my three shots to be taken from the same distance, as I would like them towork together as a series, instead of three separate images.
Please note: These are not my images.
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Week 3
ACTIVITY
Select an image from the student examples provided and answer the below.
Which of these images do you find inspiring? What are you drawn to? Is there something new that you’d like to try?
I chose this image by Jessica Bishop. I like how the shadow forms a connection between the horse and rider, with
the grass adding a subtle texture and environmental aspect.
It appears simple and carefree, but there has obviously been thought and planning put into the image.
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Week 4
ACTIVITY
Which of the following formats for analysing a photographic image appeals to you ?
• Personal reflection
• Formal analysis (with a diagram)
• Formal analysis (with a writing frame)
1) Use one of these formats to analyse one of your own photographs.
My image
Format: Formal analysis Photographer: Jessica Pyke
Connection : (Research)
I enjoy landscape and travel photography, particularly trawling through travel books and seeing
how photographers use different techniques to get the best out of the subject. These images can be very persuasive, as you imagine yourself in those surroundings.
Some websites I often get inspiration from include Jay Mantri, Unsplash and Death to Stock.
Content : (What)
I took this photo whilst in Rome a couple of years ago.
Composition : (How)
We were walking over another bridge adjacent to the one in the photo. As soon as I looked over, I knew it was
a great photo opportunity. The main feature in the image is the bridge and the reflection that it is casting on the river. The large ‘palace’ like building in the background creates balance (rule of thirds), as well as providing
a taste of the classic architecture in the region. The lighting and slight fogginess creates an almost mystical setting.
Context: (why)
I enjoy travelling and documenting the places that I visit. Taking photos whilst I’m on holiday is a fun hobby, but its also very rewarding to have a nice collection of images to look back over when I return home.
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Week 4
ACTIVITY
2) Use a different format to analyse an image by another photographer.
Image by another photographer
Format: Personal reflection Photographer: Courtesy of Unsplash
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This image is simple but effective. The face is obviously the star of the image, as the first thing that grabs my attention is the brightness of the pink, creating contrast with the rest of the image. The face is also in focus, the fur then gradually begins to blur towards the outside. The facial expression gives the impression that the animal is deep in thought.
Rule of thirds has been followed, with the face to the left of the image. The subtle snowflakes give a little hint as to what lays behind this image.


Week 5
ACTIVITY
I was originally going to use shadows in my selfie portraits, but after a bit of experimenting I found I wasn’t getting the outcome that I had hoped, so I am now experimenting with my second option, which focuses on my hands.
I found it hard taking images inside my house, as the light wasn’t great so the images were not crisp enough, I tried various settings on my camera, but this didn’t make a huge difference. I just had to pick better locations, that had some natural light, but not too much direct light. I also would have liked a bit more space around the object in each photo, but this was not easy to do.
I want a common link between all three images, so I am experimenting with a filter or black and white.
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Week 5
Cooking - test shots
I started with an empty bowl to test the lighting and image quality. I took a few different angles, and tried to move my body so that it was not casting a shadow on the bench.
I then took some more photos with a batter in the bowl, again playing around with distances and angles until I was happy that I had got something I could work with.
I’m not a fan of the green benchtop, but this is something I can edit in Photoshop.
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Week 5
Reading - test shots
These photos were a bit easier than the cooking photos, mainly because the background colour of the couch is softer and more complimentary that the harsh green of the cooking bench-top, I was also sitting this time, so it was easier to get the photo from a distance.
With these images, as well as the cooking images I came across some challenges, with lighting inside. I am just using a point and shoot camera and I find that it doesn’t cope well with low light conditions, I tried playing around with different settings, but the inside photos are still not as crisp as I would have liked.
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Week 5
Riding - test shots
This was the most challenging of the three, as obviously if a horse doesn’t want to stand still, there isn’t much you can do about it! But luckily my horse Bella was very well behaved and allowed us to use a box to stand next to her.
I will edit the image in Photoshop to remove the background objects that you can see on the left.
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Week 5
Editing images
I chose one image from each topic and then experimented with using some sort of technique to link them all together, so that they become a series rather than three separate images.
I edited them slightly in Photoshop, particularly removing some background interference in the riding photo. I’m not really happy with the result as yet, so I will keep playing around.
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Week 6
Activity
Which themes inspire you? Which platform do you find most engaging and why?
I have done some research and put together a couple of sets of images that follow a theme - food and landscape.
The food images on the right are vibrant, homely and make me hungry just looking at them! Although each image is of a different item or taken from a different angle, they still have a common link. The textures and composition of these images also helps make them a success.
Photos from Death to Stock.
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Week 6
Activity
The landscape images on the right all have nature as the theme. Most of the images by this photographer include trees somewhere in the shot, particularly pines. Many of his images are taken looking up into the sky, with just a small portion of land at the base of the image.
Although I don’t use Instagram myself, I enjoy this platform the most, as you can get a great sense of the photographers style and how this has evolved since the beginning.
Photos from Jay Mantri.
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Week 6
ACTIVITY
Which theme or visual stories most inspire you?
Which platform and format do you find the most engaging and why? What are your ideas at this stage for project 2?
How does your inspiration help you in starting you project 2 work?
I am travelling to Binalong Bay next weekend for a friends beach wedding. I am going to take this opportunity to take photos for Project 2, of both the wedding and the landscape and then use these images to create a theme for my project.
I find Instagram to be the most engaging platform to share photos. I don’t have an account personally, but during this course I have discovered some truly amazing Instagram accounts, that I will definitely continue to follow in the future. I am now going to do some research on wedding photography, to decide on my approach.


Week 7
Activity
Do you want to work with a theme or story for project 2?
What are you most drawn to and why?
My work for project 2 will be a theme,
as I am planning to get both landscape and images of the wedding itself. I think
I am most drawn to colours and details (such a textures). I also like to focus on a particular part of the object instead of the whole object itself.
On the right are some images from various photographers that I found whilst researching wedding photography that I can use for inspiration.
Please note: These are not my images.
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Week 8
Activity
My theme is ‘beach wedding’. The images on the right and the next page are some of my test shots (un-edited). The first day was really overcast so the images are too dull.
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Week 8
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Week 9
Activity
I have started editing some of the images in Photoshop. I am mainly adjusting the levels, contrast and vibrance.
I am happy on how the theme is coming together, except I wasn’t able to get as many wedding images as I would have liked, because I didn’t want to get in the way of the official photographer and family etc.
The images on the right are the ones I have edited so far. I have asked the bride permission to use the images that I have taken.
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Week 10
ACTIVITY
How do you feel about sharing your images online? Have you ever had a photo use without your permission? Do you share others photos with crediting?
Do you take steps to protect your images?
Does it matter at all?
I rarely post images online, so this is not something that I think about much on a personal level. I do have an online portfolio and if I were to find one of my images had been used without my permission then I would find this unfair. I once created a logo for a sporting organisation I was involved with for their State Championships, the following year someone else was organising the event and decided they wanted to use my logo, and did so without asking permission and made changes to it (that were not for the better either!).
As a graphic designer I am very conscious of copyright, whether it be with fonts, images or logos etc. I am always very vigilant when downloading commercially free items, as some appear ok to use, but then after reading the terms and conditions I sometimes realise this is not the case.
At our design studio we have come across some great free stock sites that you can subscribe to and they will email you completely free images every week or two. This is such a great concept and it creates a fantastic community for aspiring photographers. The sites also give you the option to donate if you wish.
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Week 11
200 word explanation - Project 1
I found project 1 harder than project 2. As you will read in my digital journal I don’t use social media regular on a personal basis and like many people don’t like photos of myself! I wanted to take a different angle from the normal self portrait. My first idea was to capture my reflection on different objects that represent my personality, but I then followed a different path and used my hands to represent this instead.
I guess to me, hands are apart of your body that you take for granted, as you use them so much with out even realis- ing it!
I wanted the images to be a ‘birds eye view’ of a hobby or activity that makes me happy. I came across a few chal- lenges, mainly with lighting inside. I am just using a point and shoot camera and I find that it doesn’t cope well with low light conditions, I tried playing around with different settings, but the inside photos are still not as clear as I would have liked.
I edited them slightly in Photoshop, particularly removing some background interference in the third photo. I wanted to create a series of three images, so I chose to display them in black and white to achieve this. The three images I settled for were well centred in the frame and after some cropping now look as though they were taken from a fairly consistent distance.


Week 11
200 word explanation - Project 2
Choosing my theme for project two was quite easy, as I knew I had a friend’s wedding coming up at Binalong Bay, so I thought this would be an ideal opportunity to put my new skills to the test. I was hoping to get about half and half of landscape and wedding images, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to get as many wedding images as I had liked, because I didn’t want to get in the way of the official photographer and family etc.
The first day that we arrived in Binalong Bay it was really overcast all day, which resulted in dull images. I still took heaps of shots, as it was good practice and I could still put them into Photoshop to try and lighten them up. Luckily the second day was beautiful, so I managed to get plenty of images that I was happy with.
Once I had uploaded all of my photos to the computer (all 900 of them!) I chose about 20 of my favourites and put them into Photoshop. After some minor adjustments I chose my top 10. I selected a mixture of distance and close up shots, as well as different angles to create a more interesting collection of photos.
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Submission images


PROJECT 1 - Submission images
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PROJECT 2 - Submission images
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PROJECT 2 - Submission images
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PROJECT 2 - Submission images
Activity
Upload images to social media - I chose Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/jessica.pyke.9/media set?set=a.1027535450644550.1073741830.100001643131133&type=3&uploaded=10
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You have come to the end of my digital journal, thank you for reading.
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