I’ll start with the Daily Creates. These Daily Creates were relatively easy to do, and pretty entertaining. I tried to add mostly humor into mine, specifically references to fiction and a few minor horror elements. The horror elements came from feelings of stress and anger that I was feeling at the time.
Back to Basics was a visual assignment that required to me edit an image to look like a stencil. I tried to find a photo that was more minimalist so I could avoid having to edit the photo too much. This visual assignment I probably enjoyed the least.
Replay Value was my personal favorite, mostly because it allowed me to reference video games. I decided to take a cutscene from Metal Gear Solid 2. The original quote was the somewhat cheesy line “Colonel, we’ve successfully managed to avoid drowning!”. I decided to use the phrase “goated with the sauce” because it has become an internet meme, matching Metal Gear Solid 2’s discussion of “memes” as Richard Dawkins defined them.
Photograph and Colorize It was the assignment I was pleasantly surprised with. The assignment was open ended, allowing me to experiment with lots of filters. I love using surreal, unconventional colors, so this one was a real treat.
Draw It was the most simple assignment. All I needed to do was go into Photoshop and use filters to make it look like a sketch. The real fun was with telling a story. Like with the daily creates, I injected a horror element into the photo. I imagined I was stuck on an endless bridge in a white void purgatory. This stemmed from my feelings during a run I did before taking the photo. The run felt endless and I was feeling stressed and trapped at the time. Hopefully as I’m less busy my projects will be lighter in tone.
Two Image Graphic Spread was a way to show off my backlog of photos I’ve taken in the last few years. One fun place I visited 3 years ago was Heidelburg, Germany. It’s a place I think and yearn for a lot, so I decided to use that. I also love visiting Shenandoah, so I used a photo I took there 2 years ago.
My Week 1 Photoreflection shows my personal favorite photo, and it’s the one I put the most time and thought into (for 15 minutes). I talk about my overall process for those minutes in my 15 Minute Photo Safari – Reflection.
This week was stressful, to say the least. I had little to no time to do assignments because I had not gotten my work hours reduced at the time. I had to work on very limited time, sleep, and energy. My hours are a little better for next week, so hopefully the quality of my projects will increase too. I enjoyed all of the assignments, but I wish I had more time to get everything done. These assignments all feel rushed and somewhat incomplete. This stress showed itself in the darker, more minimalist themes of my Daily Creates and visual assignments.
