ASSIGNMENT 4: Real or Fake?

Outline: Demonstrate your own stance on the real versus fake argument and complete the task which lies in the middle ground of this argument. Produce a photographic image to illustrate an imaginary book or magazine cover.

Tutor amendments: With reference to my feedback, I will now include more detail to this paragraph with a little background detail to the shoot.

I had this vision of a shot that I wanted to achieve while on a modelling photo shoot for a friend a while back. He was attempting to start 'alternative modelling' and it was something he had not done before. He required a few portfolio shots to get him started to set up a profile on an alternative model website and asked me if I could possibly take some photos for him. We originally started with a shoot at a derelict building in casual yet still 'alternative' clothing. As a second shoot, he wanted 'gothic' shots taken at a cemetery, as 'alternative' and 'gothic' tend to go hand in hand, and that got me thinking of doing a ghostly type image and that's when the vision appeared in my head of what I wanted it to look like. I am very interested in the paranormal and whether ghosts do in fact exist and this was just a fun idea of an interesting photo editing exercise.


We found this amazing statuesque headstone and decided to use that for the image. My model stood against either side of the headstone in a similar pose but not identical for me to take a picture of each side.

Original image 2

Original image 1

I decided to use this vision for this assignment.
The first thing for me to do to each image was to adjust the images, choosing to decrease the brightness and increase the contrast.

Brightness/contrast adjusting

Next was time to work on the second image as this would be the image that I would be using as the 'ghost'.

Image 2 ready for editing

First thing for me to do here was to use the magnetic lasso tool to highlight just the model in this second image. It wasn't necessary to be perfectly neat at this point as I would be concentrating more on being  perfect at the eraser stage.

Selecting the model

I looked into a lot of pictures with apparitions or ghostly shadows and they all appear to be grey or white. To make the model appear more 'ghostly' I decided to decrease the saturation of the model so that the 'ghost' would appear grey in the image.

Decreasing the saturation on the 'ghost'

With both images now ready, I took the second image and placed it on top of image 1. I then decreased the opacity of the second image down to 61% to be able to see both images at the same time. By decreasing the opacity, the second image appears 'translucent' and will eventually make the 'ghost' more realistic.

Initial merge of both images

The easiest way for me to line the images up was to use the headstone as the marker. I zoomed in to be able to see the headstone shape clearly and then lined the headstones together.

Aligning the headstones

Now is the time to erase all the top image except for the 'ghost' using the eraser tool. I was able to erase most of the image easily but had to take a lot of time and care when erasing around the model. So I made sure to zoom in decrease the brush size to enable me to erase everything I didn't require.

Erasing the top layer

Tutor amendments: With reference to my feedback, I will now include more detail to this paragraph with a little background detail to the shoot.

While working on these images, I started to notice this figure-like shape in the background of both images. I can honestly say I was not aware of it at the time as it would've been in shot but when I zoomed in you can quite clearly make out the ghostly figure which appears to be watching from the bushes. It even appeared to change shape slightly in the second image! I'm very respectful of the dead and always 'talk' to the people buried there. I distinctly remember my model laughing at me for doing so and for even saying thank you to them on leaving the cemetery. As I said previously, I am very interested in the paranormal and believe that ghosts do exist. On looking closely at this 'figure' on both images I feel it is just that. A lot of my skeptical friends were quick to rubbish my ideas however there were others like me who believe the same. I will leave you to make up your own mind as to what this shape is.

Ghost watching from the bushes?

What or whoever this shape is, it needed to be removed from my image so I used the cloning tool to remove it and fill in the bushes area.

Shape removed

And here we are with the two images matched up and with the 'ghost' in place.

Images successfully merged

I didn't want to fade the image at the top for a title. On researching paranormal books, I found a lot to have natural pictures of cemetery's or even people or just darkened pictures of buildings. So I decided to just add the text over the image. But I did want to remove some of the clutter from the top of this image so decided to try and erase some of the tree at the very top. I used the cloning tool again to erase, reshape and fill in the top of the tree using other parts of the tree.

Tree removed and reshaped.

Now to add the title. I decided to name my book Trick or Treat. I thought this was good as the word 'Trick' plays on the whole real or fake argument, are you being tricked? To create a bit more depth, I decided to place the headstone top infront of the word 'Trick'. I decreased to opacity to be able to erase the text where the headstone and trees covered them. This gives the impression the text is behind the headstone. I added the second text in front and this gives even more depth.

Erasing text

Research of paranormal books also showed the text to be in a 'wobbly' font and on more than one occasion to have a green glow around it. So the green 'glow' has been added to the 'wobbly' font text. I also added my name to appear more book-like.


THE FINAL COVER

The Final Cover

This paragraph was included to answer questions discussed in my tutor feedback.

Final Thought: I have shown that for visual purposes, it is quite easy to 'fake' an apparition in a photograph. I always remain quite skeptical myself, even with my beliefs, when it comes to people claiming they have REALLY photographed a ghost because it really isn't difficult to mock up. Yet there are many people out there with the belief that ghosts exist who will believe EVERY image created is a genuine. Hence why people still continue to create them. This image is not intended to be believable,  and obviously would not be due to the content. My intention was to create a cover for a fictional story. Had I photographed an empty/derelict house, at night, and created more of an 'apparition' similar to the 'object' I removed from my images above, would the viewer think differently? Maybe. Only the viewer could be the judge.


Tutor Feedback

Feedback on the assignment 

Elements to consider with your assignments: 

To complete this assignment you need to choose images that lend themselves to re-creation.  

You should be able to demonstrate strong involvement with the task, and an awareness of the level of imagination needed to achieve an interesting result.  

Your assignment in connection with the above points 

Selection 

You have worked with two images and text for this project in order to build up an apparent ghostly impression in the result. In the process you have thought very hard about what you could do to transform these two pictures to achieve the desired outcome, working with various editing schools and opacity layers to enhance the finished picture. This has proved to be an interesting and fun task, giving you the opportunity to explore the use of the editing tools thoroughly. 

Keeping a clear vision in your mind about what would give you the most ‘realistic’ picture has really helped you with this task, allowing you to work systematically through to the goal. The supporting text has been selected with forethought and works very well with the subject matter and theme of the assignment. Carefully researched fonts etc have helped you to work in the conventional manner for this kind of imagery, adding authenticity to your result. 

You have provided a detailed step-by-step guide to how you have produced your finished image. This clearly demonstrates your strength in terms of editing software. What you could also do here, is to build up on the reasoning behind your choice of imagery. Although this has clearly been a fun task, it would be nice to be given more information about the shoot. What prompted your friend to want to be photographed in the cemetery? What were the pictures to be used for? What are you suggesting by the ghostly result? Interestingly, you are making quite a strong statement here visually about the ‘fake’ idea of ghost images which fits neatly with this assignment. However, you then point out that there are things happening within the frame that you are unsure about. What is your viewpoint here? Having proved how easy it is to fake the presence of an apparition what prompts you to remain in belief that these exist? 

By approaching these kinds of tasks as a ‘question that needs answering’, your images will become that much more personal and by this fact also more meaningful. 

Summary 

This assignment has required you to think carefully about the context of the work and how you can create something with an apparent ‘real and fake’ outcome. You have made a good job of this visually, producing a nice strong example of a picture with ghostly apparition and demonstrating strong editing skills in the process. What you need to take forward to future work is the ability to work as an investigator, providing the written backup and justification for your area of ‘research’ (photography). 

Suggested reading/viewing  

Have a look at Duane Michals sequence images, add examples to your log and include your personal response to this work. 

Learning Logs 

You have included the technical details for this assignment and have now included some research on practitioners work. Continuing to build on this will be most beneficial.  You have also mentioned here that you have researched paranormal books, fonts etc for this assignment. This is valuable evidence to include in your learning logs.

Elements to consider with your assignments: 

To complete this assignment you need to choose images that lend themselves to re-creation.  

You should be able to demonstrate strong involvement with the task, and an awareness of the level of imagination needed to achieve an interesting result.  

Your assignment in connection with the above points 

Selection 

You have worked with two images and text for this project in order to build up an apparent ghostly impression in the result. In the process you have thought very hard about what you could do to transform these two pictures to achieve the desired outcome, working with various editing schools and opacity layers to enhance the finished picture. This has proved to be an interesting and fun task, giving you the opportunity to explore the use of the editing tools thoroughly. 

Keeping a clear vision in your mind about what would give you the most ‘realistic’ picture has really helped you with this task, allowing you to work systematically through to the goal. The supporting text has been selected with forethought and works very well with the subject matter and theme of the assignment. Carefully researched fonts etc have helped you to work in the conventional manner for this kind of imagery, adding authenticity to your result. 

You have provided a detailed step-by-step guide to how you have produced your finished image. This clearly demonstrates your strength in terms of editing software. What you could also do here, is to build up on the reasoning behind your choice of imagery. Although this has clearly been a fun task, it would be nice to be given more information about the shoot. What prompted your friend to want to be photographed in the cemetery? What were the pictures to be used for? What are you suggesting by the ghostly result? Interestingly, you are making quite a strong statement here visually about the ‘fake’ idea of ghost images which fits neatly with this assignment. However, you then point out that there are things happening within the frame that you are unsure about. What is your viewpoint here? Having proved how easy it is to fake the presence of an apparition what prompts you to remain in belief that these exist? 

By approaching these kinds of tasks as a ‘question that needs answering’, your images will become that much more personal and by this fact also more meaningful. 

Summary 

This assignment has required you to think carefully about the context of the work and how you can create something with an apparent ‘real and fake’ outcome. You have made a good job of this visually, producing a nice strong example of a picture with ghostly apparition and demonstrating strong editing skills in the process. What you need to take forward to future work is the ability to work as an investigator, providing the written backup and justification for your area of ‘research’ (photography). 

Suggested reading/viewing  

Have a look at Duane Michals sequence images, add examples to your log and include your personal response to this work. 

Learning Logs 

Elements to consider with your assignments: 

To complete this assignment you need to choose images that lend themselves to re-creation.  

You should be able to demonstrate strong involvement with the task, and an awareness of the level of imagination needed to achieve an interesting result.  

Your assignment in connection with the above points 

Selection 

You have worked with two images and text for this project in order to build up an apparent ghostly impression in the result. In the process you have thought very hard about what you could do to transform these two pictures to achieve the desired outcome, working with various editing schools and opacity layers to enhance the finished picture. This has proved to be an interesting and fun task, giving you the opportunity to explore the use of the editing tools thoroughly. 

Keeping a clear vision in your mind about what would give you the most ‘realistic’ picture has really helped you with this task, allowing you to work systematically through to the goal. The supporting text has been selected with forethought and works very well with the subject matter and theme of the assignment. Carefully researched fonts etc have helped you to work in the conventional manner for this kind of imagery, adding authenticity to your result. 

You have provided a detailed step-by-step guide to how you have produced your finished image. This clearly demonstrates your strength in terms of editing software. What you could also do here, is to build up on the reasoning behind your choice of imagery. Although this has clearly been a fun task, it would be nice to be given more information about the shoot. What prompted your friend to want to be photographed in the cemetery? What were the pictures to be used for? What are you suggesting by the ghostly result? Interestingly, you are making quite a strong statement here visually about the ‘fake’ idea of ghost images which fits neatly with this assignment. However, you then point out that there are things happening within the frame that you are unsure about. What is your viewpoint here? Having proved how easy it is to fake the presence of an apparition what prompts you to remain in belief that these exist? 

By approaching these kinds of tasks as a ‘question that needs answering’, your images will become that much more personal and by this fact also more meaningful. 

Summary 

This assignment has required you to think carefully about the context of the work and how you can create something with an apparent ‘real and fake’ outcome. You have made a good job of this visually, producing a nice strong example of a picture with ghostly apparition and demonstrating strong editing skills in the process. What you need to take forward to future work is the ability to work as an investigator, providing the written backup and justification for your area of ‘research’ (photography). 

Suggested reading/viewing  

Have a look at Duane Michals sequence images, add examples to your log and include your personal response to this work. 

Learning Logs 

You have included the technical details for this assignment and have now included some research on practitioners work. Continuing to build on this will be most beneficial.  You have also mentioned here that you have researched paranormal books, fonts etc for this assignment. This is valuable evidence to include in your learning logs.