Week 1 https://www.mediafactory.org.au/runyu-dong/2023/08/02/week-1-rachel/_ _
Week 2 https://www.mediafactory.org.au/runyu-dong/2023/08/03/week-2-rachel-runyu-dong/ _ _
Release_consent form 2023_photo_RMIT.pdf
In the third week of class, we had a brainstorming creativity exercise, through which I changed some of my previous habits of taking photos. I used to just take pictures and adjust the composition, lighting, etc. on the spot based on how I felt. But through this exercise, I realized that it’s important to brainstorm ahead of time and create according to the feeling I want to express, which will also make my post-production much easier.
In the next class exercise, we post-processed the same five photos. However, during the exercise, I realized that I processed the same photos in a completely different style than leo. leo said that because he wanted to highlight the architecture, he turned up the contrast and saturation, whereas I felt that the photos with low contrast and saturation were more atmospheric and accentuated the whole image. Through this exercise, I realized that post-production differences can also make a big difference in photos. In my previous shoots, I focused more on what I was going to do during the shoot rather than the pre-shoot production planning and post-production. Through this exercise I began to understand that a good photo is not only dependent on the skills used during the shoot, but also the planning before the shoot and the post-production. It gave me a better understanding of the whole process of photography and made me pay more attention to details and overall presentation. So I decided to brainstorm before the shoot.
I was imitating Adso pinerua’s surface series and I like how his work expresses strong emotions through simple compositions and flat color contrasts. So before I started shooting, I brainstormed some of the characteristics of Adso’s work and imitated them. However, when it comes to the tone of the photos, I found that Adso prefers to use blue tones to emphasize the melancholic mood of the photos, but I felt that gray tones would have the same feeling, so I chose grey tones in terms of tone.
In the past, I always tended to keep my photos simple and didn’t like too many cluttered elements. However, post-processing my photos made me realize that sensible post-processing can organize seemingly chaotic elements in a way that makes the photos look neat and interesting. This experience changed my mindset and made me realize that post-processing is not just about simply retouching a photo, but about injecting a unique style and creativity into a photo to make it stand out.
Through this experience of imitation and post-processing, I came to realize that the essence of photography is more than just capturing moments through a lens. Creative post-processing becomes the soul of the work, giving new life and emotion to the photo. Previously, I thought that the colors of Adso Pinerua’s work were an important part of his work, but through imitation post-processing, I began to understand the perspective and expression of his work more deeply. I was inspired by his unique creativity and post-processing, which allowed the photos to convey strong emotions and infectious feelings.