Wednesday, December 2, 2009

LACK Ikea Table - An adventure on the somewhat ironic world of the word LACK





So here is my Ikea LACK table building process... My main goal was to make the legs and adjustable height and paint the top portion to match the rest of my house furniture... It was very successful minus the fact that the paint would stick to the legs, which I had to eventually sand off which was sad :( I will post a final overall photo of the table when I get one on the computer











Dynamic


dy·nam·ic (dhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/imacr.gif-nhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/abreve.gifmhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/prime.gifhttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/ibreve.gifk)

adj. also dy·nam·i·cal (-http://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/ibreve.gif-khttp://img.tfd.com/hm/GIF/schwa.gifl)

1.

a. Of or relating to energy or to objects in motion.

b. Of or relating to the study of dynamics.

2. Characterized by continuous change, activity, or progress: a dynamic market.

3. Marked by intensity and vigor; forceful. See Synonyms at active.

4. Of or relating to variation of intensity, as in musical sound


Image 1 – This shot of a pattern on a bench I just couldn’t get away from; I used a hue gradient to get a really nice change in tone. I believe there are a lot of dynamics represented in this photograph, both in the change in color values, as well as the way the pattern moves with its staggered nature.

Image 2 – This image of my friend’s cat shows the natural instincts on the cat’s behalf when it is dropped from the owner’s hands (from a very safe height, of course). I was interested in freezing the cat’s movements, this has always been something that has sort of interested me. The dynamics are represented in more of the physical aspect, as the cat’s shape is changing and adapting for its landing.


Image 3 – This image of my kitchen faucet turns something ordinary into something absolutely beautiful. It almost seems as if the water is a diamond. The lighting I used is consistent throughout a lot of the photographs in the series, because it is trying to freeze the dynamic aspects of the subject, in this case moving water.

Image 4 – Capturing the dynamics of a fan was a challenge for me, yet I think this image in the end was successful. Many of my studies of dynamics in this series relate to the physical elements of the subjects, as with this there is movement and change in the blade of the fan.


Image 5 – This photo relates to the word dynamics in a similar way that the fan does; moving parts have a very dynamic aspect to them, and share some of the core elements of the definition itself.

Image 6 – Falling leaves is a common sight here in the Fall and Winter in Eugene. I wanted to capture this dynamic action by staging a falling of the leaves of my own. This action is very natural (in nature of course) however I believe my staged version with dramatic lighting captures the dynamic element of this process very well.


Image 7 – This image of a lighter goes along with the idea of dynamics in nature and the anti-thesis of the water shots. Fire, or oxidation for that matter, is a natural representation of dynamics by changing chemical forms into different ones, also providing heat and light, both very dynamical things indeed.

Image 8 – This image of the River by the Autzen footbridge captures the feeling of being right down there in the Fall yourself. I used the same dramatic lighting to capture a change in time and space, creating a very dynamic atmosphere.


Image 9 – This picture of my skateboard is another representation of the dynamics with moving parts, as with the fan and the bike gears. This is a very important mode of transportation for me, and so many different aspects about this subject are dynamic to me.

Image 10 – This shot of the train was very risky on my part; I wanted it so bad and had to wait for so long for the train to arrive. Once it did, I risked life and limb by getting close enough to it that I could capture the dynamic parts of the train’s movement through space. I think it was well worth the risk.




Monday, November 16, 2009

Critical Mass - Contact Sheets




Project 3 - Critical Mass

In this project, I focused on analyzing the different shapes and textures that surround me in my everyday life. It was interesting to see how shapes compliment each other naturally and how they contrast as well. I am very excited to see this actually put together because I believe there is a lot of power in the collection of images. I feel like I learned a lot while shooting this project, and trained my eye to see compositions and elements where I might not have looked before.









Monday, November 2, 2009

Project 2 - Singular Image




For this assignment, I experienced some technical difficulties early on, which included my hard drive crashing and losing the first 100 and something shots I took. However, despite the frustrating loss, I believe I actually gained a lot from going out for two other shoots and rethinking my project process.
I was very set on doing an HDR image of somewhere in Eugene that means a lot to me at first. After shooting at a few locations, I decided that the river/Autzen footbridge was somewhere that I have frequented over the past 3 years, and it has delivered me to and brought me back from many exciting football games. I actually live right near the river now, which is really nice because it's one of my favorite places to hang out.
After getting menial results with my HDR setup, I explored the possibility of doing a panoramic image. I used my fisheye lens for most of my shots in this project, which allowed me to capture as much as I could in the frame. I really enjoyed how the footbridge looked through the viewfinder, so I started thinking about the extremes of what I could do with the shot. Seeing as how I couldn't fit the whole bridge in a single shot even with the fisheye, I starting taking photos to set up a photomerge panoramic image. As soon as I starting working in Photoshop with the images, I knew that I had found my source images.
I really think that this panoramic captures the feeling of crossing over the river and the length of the bridge. I was impressed with Photoshop's ability to merge the photographs, even though it took a while to find the most successful merging option. After some retouching of the curves and color balance, along with some helpful clone stamping, I was done!













Thursday, October 22, 2009

Work Day Thoughts

So far, I have made some decent progress in my design project, studying addiction and how it affects a person's behavior. I was having some trouble coming up with an idea that related to design in this area, instead of just performing an experiment and analyzing/reporting the data I got back.
In light of the great book tutorials that have been demonstrated in class by some of our talented peers, I have decided to design a booklet that will allow for people in treatment to map out their day-to-day activities and how they relate to their recovery. One specific point I will be attempting to unveil is how specifically exercise and physical activity affects their recovery, since it has been proven that this is one of the most effective ways of returning a person with an addictive personality back to a more normal physical and mental state of being. Exercise has also been shown to help the chemistry of the brain become more balanced; most addicts have very unbalanced brain chemistry.
I have been attending meetings myself along with some friends to gain a more personal insight to the routine of an addict, and have selected a few people whom which I will give a booklet to. Obviously, it is up to the other people to use the book and see if it actually helps them at all. I am hoping that I can finish designing something that will not seem too daunting and overbearing, and just ask them to map out and record perhaps three days as a starting point. If someone feels that it has actually benefited them to have the short version of the planner, I can make a more extended version for them. I have a feeling if I gave them a month long day planner and asked about very specific details, I would wind up with almost no usable results, but as long as it remains relatively simple and I can convince them that I am just trying to help and leave that up to them to decide, it will be a success. At least one person I have spoke with is somewhat looking forward to my booklet... :)
Other than that, I will post pictures of my booklet making process when I finalize my design!

Michael

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Pizza DIY!

I don't know why blogspot wants to tell me bad request so often and refuse my posts, but I really don't enjoy it.

I decided to make a homemade pizza for my DIY project. It was both fun, and delicious!



ingredients! (pizza dough, tomato sauce, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, salami, cheese)



Dough ready to go!



Sauce it up




Rest of the toppings...




Et voila! Little heavy on the crust, but still a good first attempt.