Evaluation

For this assignment we were asked to create a Pop Art piece using modern day objects that were important and/or represented us as an individual. For this, I chose to use a PSVita as it represents my love for video games and as it is also easy to transport from home to college. Not only that, but it was colourful and already looked like something you'd see in a Pop art piece. 

For research, I could only do Primary. This consisted of famous Pop Artists like Roy Lichtenstein and how Pop Art came about. Which started in Britain as a movement then found its way to America where majority of the most well known Pop artists such as Andy Warhol. 

I searched up a few not so popular works of Pop Art to inspire me. Example:

   

I found that lips and food items were popular with the Pop Art culture, however I didn't want to follow the trend exactly. Which is why I decided to use a PSVita as it represented me more.

My first idea which I described in my proposal was to take a picture of glasses,  When planning my piece I looked into how other Pop art photos were placed. The images were mostly repeated, just in different colours and are either repeated three or four times. So I decided to make my image portrait and repeat the same image three times going downwards. I wanted to make the colours of the image brighter than the background as the image is the main focus point.  However, due to me losing my SD card with all my photos on, I fell behind and had to resort to whatever photos I had taken that day- good or bad. Next time I will make sure to backup my SD card onto my hard-drive in case the same situation occurs again.

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As for considerations, I had to take the lighting into account mostly as it will dramatically effect my image when edited as you can see in the picture below, the light reflecting off of the screen is very noticeable and although it could create a nice effect, I didn't think much about the placement at the time as I wanted to take the photos as quickly as possible. Another thing I had to take into consideration was the ISO and shutter speed. I found that using a slow shutter speed increased the volume of light, and because the image was still, it didn't create a blurry image and I was able to take a clear photo with good lighting.   

When it came to editing, it was fairly easy when it came to applying coloured backgrounds and changing the colour of the product itself in contrast to removing the background from the image. In order to remove the background from the image, I had to use the wand tool as well as the rubber tool as the background itself wasn't perfectly white and had some shadows that had to be removed by using the rubber. After that was sorted, I went onto repeating the image three times and applying the black boarder by using the square shape tool and manipulating the size of the lines to create a thicker boarder which, in my opinion, makes the image stand out a lot more. Changing the colour of the object was simple. I manipulated each image by using the Hue/Saturation tool as well as the levels tool. This let me control the level of brightness and colour of the image. For the background, I decided to make a gradient of colour as I felt the image itself was not eye catching enough. I did this by using the paint brush tool.

In conclusion, my final image did not meet the requirements of my brief. Despite being a different idea completely, I think the finishing result came out just as good as my brief described. If I was to do this project again, I would make sure to back up my work as I feel my original final piece looked better then my final piece now. I would also add more detail into my image, for example the signature red dots that are in most Pop-Art images.

Test Shots

Looking at the photos I've noticed that most of them are too dark. I can fix this by making the shutter speed slower as it will give more time for the light to reach the object. Though when I changed it, I found that I made the shutter speed too slow, letting in too much light. I will keep this in mind next time I take photos to find the mean shutter speed for when I'm taking these kind of photos with a powerful light. Most common f: 4 ISO: 220-400 

My final image

Editing Process

First, I edited my photo on a separate page by removing the background from it. I then copied the image and put it on a different Photoshop document which I then proceeded to copy the image and paste it three times to create the image below.

After doing that, I used a square tool to create a boarder around the three images. This will help separate them so it is easier to fill in the background. Though I may still keep them as it makes each singular image stand out among the background. I also got rid of the background again so it leaves the background transparent. 

(Image > adjustments > Hue/saturation > Levels > Brightness)

To make the image look more interesting and relate to Pop Art, I went into Image, Adjustments and used the Hue/Saturation tool as well as the levels and Brightness tool. These tools  not only changed the colour, but also controlled the lighting and reflections on the PSVita.  

Finally, I applied the background and decided to keep the black boarders which I made a little bit thicker. I started with a solid, one colour background and figured it looked to plain and simple. So, i decided to make a three colour gradient of each colour. I believe it made a nice effect and makes the images pop out more, even though it isn't a typical Pop Art technique. 

Proposal

For this project I plan to take photos of three objects. My PSVita, my iPhone and my think framed glasses. After taking 10 photos for each object, I plan to use my PSVita as my final piece. I will repeat the same picture of the PSVita four times in four different colours with an image on the screen showing a retro game.

When taking the photos, I will need to take some factors into consideration.

• Lighting- can't be too bright and can't be too dark - make sure the lighting shows the product clearly.
• Angle of the photo- Object must fill majority of the photo. 
• Safety- Don't tread on the wires as they will most likely interfere with the lights needed. 

I will need to create a seamless background using two large sheets of white paper. One sheet for the background and one to place it under the object to make it easier to edit out the background. I will place the object over the white piece of paper and make sure it takes up majority of the photograph. This will make it easier to edit out as well as the object being in more defined detail. 
After taking these photos, I will upload them onto Photoshop where I will use different layers for each separate image of the same object. By using the levels tool, I can alter the gradient and colours of the image. This is to make the photo look more colourful and represent Pop-Art. I will then apply boxes around the repeated images to separate them and apply different colour backgrounds easily that match the colour of the objects. 

Memory Check

Q1 – Detail two reasons why we change the ISO

 To capture the right amount of light / to get the right amount of exposure so the image comes out clear and detailed. 

Q2 – Explain the difference in depth of field between a wide and a narrow apature

 Wide Apature- Allows more light to the photo. Background is not as detailed- Shallow depth of field.

Narrow Apature- Decreases the amount of light let in. Provides a deep depth of field.

Q3 – List four consideration your had to take into account when producing your pop-art photography. For example, depth of field, shadows etc)

•  Level of light - Make the product clear and noticeable but not too bright 
• The angle of which the photo is taken and the shadows- get rid of majority of the shadows.
• The white balance to ensure the seamless background will be easy to remove when editing  
• Safety- Avoid all the wires and cables needed for the  lights.

Q4. Describe when would you choose to use the ‘A’ and the ‘P’ modes on a camera

A- Apature: Controls the shutter speed and depth of field. Used to insure that when taking action shots for example, the image isn't blurry.

P- Program: Controls the white balance and the exposure. Used when taking photos in bright lighting to ensure the colours seen on the photo are vibrant and not tinted.

Research and inspiring images

What was the time period?

Pop-art was most popular in the 1960's when they were famous pop-artists in New York but it started around the mid 1950's after being inspired by the popular culture that originated in England.

  

Where was it used?

Pop-art was mostly used to advertise certain products. Campbell's soup is a popular example of this. But it was also used to create comic strips. 

Who were some of the famous artists?

There are a range of famous artists. But the most famous were located in New York. Such as: Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist and Claes Oldenburg.

What are the features of a pop-art image?

The most noticeable features in a pop-art image is the bright colours (mostly primary) and the repetitive images. They either feature facial parts or everyday objects like drink cans or shoes that have been repeated in different colours to create one image. Though some of the images take more cartoon like style, by adding red dots over the image and using the thin to think line technique.   

How do you think  they were created?

They could be made by using screen printing. Or just using a template and placing it on the material they want the image to be on. Lino art could also be used to create pop-art images. 

What/where could a pop-art image be used?

Pop-art could be used to advertise every day objects or specific clothing items like glasses and shoes as the bright colours grab peoples attention, whether they're old age, young adults or young children.   

What equipment do you think you will need? 

I think I will need two key lights. This is to ensure there is no shadows when taking the picture of the object on the seamless background. I will also need a plain, white piece of paper that is fairly large so I can completely cover behind the object as well as under it. I will also need the object that will make up my image. I personally chose thick framed glasses. All I will need is one main image as well as 10 test shots as I can repeat the singular image to get the pop-art effect.

(Images found on Google)

I liked this image as it shows a range of colours and not just the normal primary bright colours you usually see in pop-art images. The way the glasses are angled as well makes the image look more interesting as they're not just facing forward. 

The use of alarmingly bright colours is eye catching and appealing. The way the colour of the lips clashing with the colour of the background makes the image look more interesting. This image is a typical example of pop-art that can easily be identified.

As for this image, it stood out to me as it could be easily recreated seeing as I have easy access to the subject show. However, I find that some of the colours aren't bright enough to be eye catching like a normal pop-art piece is. If I was to recreate this image, I would defiantly change the colours.  

Recreating this image would be simple, though I don't think I can create the same shadow effect as seen in the image above. Some of the colours used are nice and bright and really make it clear that its pop-art, not just the fact that the image has been repeated. 

The colours used are vibrant and really show that its pop-art. The only thing I dislike is that the image itself looks a little too boring. It loses my interest rather quickly so recreating this image will be pointless as I want my image to hold peoples attention.

Gathering the resources for this photo would be easy. So recreating this photo would be simple but it would also make a good image as the colours grab the attention of anyone who sees it.  

This is the type of image I want to recreate. I like how it's complex and shows different features of pop-art. The only changes I would make is the colours as well as making it a repeated pattern using different colours but the same image in the lenses every time.