CONCEPT
Being a hobbyist photographer with a visual effects background, I have decided to do my compositions with the style of photo manipulations, incorporating photo-realism. I might also have been inspired by the Thai movie that I have watched recently, HEART ATTACK – a movie that revolves around a freelance digital photo manipulation artist.
First, I have carefully planned out each composition to depict ENGAGEMENT, ARTICULATION, PERCEPTION on each columns. I have used an image of a mouth, implied or not, to show articulation and an eye to show perception.
I have also planned each equations to fit a colour scheme of the hues of the golden hour, specifically red, orange, yellow, blue, blacks + the sun as light source.
BREAKDOWNS
VENTUROUS + SILENT = ME
As an venturous person, one might think that I might be a more outgoing and outspoken person, however, I am less verbal and more introverted. I have used complimentary colours of orange-brown and blues to show these conflicting characteristics of myself.
As for the last composition, it shows that I am venturing towards my goal, as depicted with the target cross-hair of the rifle scope. An implied sight is used to show perception.
PASSION – FEAR = A BETTER ME
In the first composition, I have used a tree to represent life, and fire to represent the burning passion in me. The lanterns that are attached to the tree is to imply that with passion, it will bring me higher and further in life.
As for the second composition, I have used an image of a werewolf to show fear. I have used a hand that is reaching out towards the light to show the goal but the cringed hand is there to show hesitation due to fear.
In the last composition, I have used a oil lantern with the eyeball as its source of light and a fiery passion that is still burning in me.
The colours I have chosen to use in this equation was red and black as these themes of passion and fear is usually intense and dark.
CONCEPTUALS x EXPRESSIVENESS = AN IDEAL ME
I have used an egg yolk to show the process of birth with a light bulb to symbolize ideas. Compositing them together was to depict the birth of concepts.
As for the second composition, I have placed a mouth onto a loudspeaker to exaggerate the concept of expressiveness. The light in the background was used to create impact.
In the last composition, the egg has hatched out of the light bulb, showing the breaking out of my comfort zone. Concept/creativity is born and expressed with its superimposed eye and mouth.
In this equation, I have used primarily yellow to invoke joy/cheerfulness to inquisitiveness/mental activities in the mind.
RISK + CONFIDENCE = ME IN 5 YEARS
In RISK, I have set it in a sea context as it represents the sea of uncertainty. The boat was actually composited to show smooth sailing even thought there might be obstacles and dangers ahead, as represented with the shark heading in its direction.
In CONFIDENCE, I have used an image of a face as a landscape in the foreground. As you already know, being less verbal and expressive is my weakness, hence, I have composited a man doing a confidence jump over the mouth (obstacle). I have also composited lightnings in the background to further amplify the emotions.
In 5 years, I hope to see myself in a career, working on maybe the next vfx (sci-fi) film. This composition, when compared to the first composition of VENTUROUS, is a complete inverse of colours.
For this equation, I have used primarily BLUE hues as it is a colour of success and confidence. It was intentional as I have carefully planned for the very first composition, VENTUROUS, to imply the phrase of “into the blue”, and wanted to end the last composition by literally seeing blue.
REFLECTIONS
Even though the major challenge was the difficulty in finding high resolution images and the time consuming process (usually 2-3 hours searching for images, up to 6 hours compositing the composition together for each squares), I found myself enjoying the process as I try to achieve photo-realism in each and every composition.
Another challenge was that each composition was a concept itself and I had a really long and stressful time deciding on the elements/symbolism to use in portraying each composition. Nevertheless, I feel that I am slowly becoming closer to my ideal, conceptual, me!
