Digital Photography and Imaging - Week 2

30/9/2024 - 06/10/2024 (Week 2)

Chang Wing / 0367807 

Digital Photography and Imaging / Bachelors of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

Project 1A: Physical Collage Design

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Week 2 

Lecture

Mr. Fauzi explained the design principles and rules that we should follow when compositing the elements within our design in order to produce visually appealing works. 

1. Introduction to Basic Compositions

Obey to design principles like Focal Point, Scale & Hierarchy, Balance the Elements and White Space can produce a better composition of elements in photo. 

Figure 1.1 Design Principle: Balance

Figure 1.2 Design Principle: White Space

2. Rule of Third

Photo looks more natural when when positioning the most important elements of image at the intersection points of lines.

Figure 1.3 Design Rule: Rule of Third

3. Golden Ratio

Placing elements along the Golden Ratio creates a sense of beauty through harmony and proportion. When applied to design, the Golden Ratio provides a sense of artistry.

Figure 1.4 Design Rule: Golden Ratio

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Tutorial

Begin creating the collage with attention to layering, composition, and the arrangement of collage elements.

Video Tutorial: https://youtu.be/2KqXGMf0HNk

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Practical

Project 1: Physical Collage Design

We were required to produce a photo collage with elements cut from magazines, newspaper or any printed media. On this week, Mr. Fauzi instructed us to produce 3 pre-compositions of the photo collage to explore different arrangement possibilities by applying the design principles and rules taught.

1. Research

I searched up Pinterest to find inspiration for my photo collage.

Figure 2.1 The Hunt for Félicien Kabuga by Matthew Hancock

Figure 2.2 Photo collage from Pinterest

2. Obtain Elements

I looked up magazines to cut out the elements I wanted to explore. I started out by cutting out the sentences and decided to use the word "wake" as the theme of my photo collage.

Figure 2.3 Cutting elements from Magazines (05/10/2024)

Figure 2.4 Words and sentences (05/10/2024)

I made 3 pre-compositions before pasting the elements onto the paper to test out the arrangements and see if the colors fit each other, in this case I limited the color scheme of my photo collage down to blue, red, black and white. 

I love the interplay between blue and red in the photo collage because blue often symbolizes calm and evokes a sense of tranquility. Then, it is beautifully balanced by red that often represents passion and sacrifice, creating an interesting visual contrast and emphasis.

PRE-COMPOSITION #1

Figure 2.5 Pre-Composition #1 (05/10/2024)

PRE-COMPOSITION #2

Figure 2.6 Pre-Composition #2 (05/10/2024)

PRE-COMPOSITION #3

Figure 2.7 Pre-Composition #3 (05/10/2024)

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Reflection

In this week's lecture, I gained insights into the basic principles of design. Although I was introduced to these concepts during the Introduction to Photography module in Foundation in Design course, this lecture still has helped me to recall them. 

I had dilemma when selecting elements for my photo collage, as I constantly felt I could find better options at the other magazines, this led to me spending excessive time gathering the materials. But eventually, I realised the importance of managing my time so I shifted my focus to working on the composition itself. This crafting process had taught me that effective time management often demands making strategic compromises to ensure progress and productivity.