To begin I started by researching and exploring the use of the rule of the thirds. The rule of third is used to create a more balanced and dynamic composure within the image. Our eyes are naturally drawn to areas just off centre so the rule of thirds use this to their advantage.
The rule of thirds is the most commonly used guide when it comes to composition (it is even available to be used on the default camera apps on smart phones). The rule of thirds draws the viewers eye to key subjects within the image. It has been used by many artists in many different mediums. Here are some examples below that display a variety of artwork that use the rule of thirds.
As these images show, the rule of thirds is used very commonly within any scenario and not limited to photography. The painting on the left is called the 'Fighting Temeraire' and is a very famous painting that I wouldn't have even noticed used the rule of thirds if I hadn't of been researching it. The middle image is a freeze frame from the move 'Joker' during one of the most well known scenes from the movie, this is an example of how the rule of thirds is used within modern media and films. I feel that the use of the rule of thirds in this scene of the film created a dynamic shot with clear indication of what the focus of the image is.
The rule of thirds works by trying to align important elements of the photo on or near the lines of the guidelines. This forces the photographer to think and consider the angle of location that you take the photo more carefully. The rule of thirds is commonly used within landscape shots, as to distinctly create a contrast and divide between the land and sky.
I began doing some quick test pictures to see what it was like to experiment with the rule of thirds. I went out onto the grass area just outside of the university first and took some photos of anything that I thought could produce an interesting composition, not much planning went into these first pictures as I was just getting a feeling for how to use the rule of thirds. I experimented with the use of perspective and direction, I discovered I quite liked taking photos from a lower perspective.
The photos would all look better if I had decided to go into photoshop and give them all a bit of a touch up with some colour grading and curve gradient filters, but I had decided against it as these were only to get a grasp on using the rule of thirds.
The last two pictures I took were taken within the DM room I was working in, using Dan as my model. These images were inspired by the painting 'Morning Sun' by Edward Hopper, I wanted to include the use of a window so that I could consider the lighting coming through it like Hopper did in their paintings.
I knew that I wanted to pursue working on the last two images and edit them somehow within photoshop, although I really didn't have a plan on what I wanted to do with them.
This was my first attempt at editing one of the photos and it didn't meet my goals or expectations at all. I was hoping to produce an image set during the night in which there was some ominous glowing light coming through the window. I ended up just overloading the image with different colour and contrast filters to the point where I was making it harder to get the result I was looking for.
After this image I decided to try and come up with a more clear idea and design for my next photo to edit. This time I knew that I wanted to include some sort of abandoned and apocalyptic aesthetic where nature is reclaiming back the building. This attempt at editing was so much better then the previous even though it still needs some work until I'd be happy to call it complete.
These are all of the textures and images I combined to create what you see above. The dirt and grime textures as well as the cracked wall texture were simply overlaying these textures above the original background layer and setting its blending option to multiply. A similar approach was used for the other textures but with varying blending type and opacity, for example the dust particles and subtle light rays had a low opacity of about 20% or less with the lighten blending mode. The rest of the effects were produced through colour grading, saturation modifiers and painting on mossy plant textures.
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