Digital Photography ＆ Imaging - Project 1: Collage and Digital Imaging

Digital Photography and Imaging - Project 1: Collage and Digital Imaging

21/4/2025-30/5/2025（week1-week5）

Yuan Xiaoyue ,0367988

Digital Photography and Imaging 

Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

Instructions：

⁠Process Work：

Week 1：

Exercise: List down your 3 favourite graphic design work from Pinterest. 

Explain why you like the designs?

（1）：

Descriptions: 

I like this design because it is very simple, but has a strong sense of emotion. The screen uses a large area of ​​white space to frame the blue sky and white clouds outside the window, which reminds people of the refreshing and quiet feeling of summer at first glance. The color tones are mainly blue and white, which are clean and comfortable, and fit the theme of "summer breath". The font layout is also restrained, not eye-catching, but very clear, and the overall unity is very memorable.

（2）：

Descriptions:

I like this design because it combines people, flowers and words in a very special way. The overall color tone is soft green, and the bright orange flowers give the picture a retro texture and a sense of fantasy.

The large area of ​​"TEMPLE" letters and characters overlap, which does not destroy the balance of the picture, but enhances the sense of mystery. Small details such as stars, lines, and text layout make the whole picture more layered, and it looks rich but not messy.

（3）：

Descriptions:

I like this design because it is really simple and healing. The blue sky and white clouds, coupled with two kittens with their eyes closed and very satisfied, make people feel relaxed. The font is round and a little playful, bold, and paired with the warm phrase "IT'S OK", the whole picture is relaxed and full of positive energy, which makes it easy for people to feel comforted and relaxed when they are under great pressure.

Week 2:

Exercise:

1. Choose and identify your collage's design elements to be cut out and compose it into your own concept & story.
2. Pre compositing your collage's design elements into a composition.

3. Take 3 photo of your collage pre-composition  and insert it on the section below. Please use    CAMSCANNER apps to take pictures of your collages. 

 

1. PRE-COMPOSITION 1:

My thoughts: This work reflects the theme of exploration, time, the relationship between nature and people. It combines elements such as portraits, animals, clocks, plants, etc., with a bright yellow background. The overall composition is bold and rhythmic. The watch in the center is connected to the dolphin, symbolizing the flow and connection between time and nature. The human face and hand silhouettes above are matched with brushes, and the plants and geometric patterns at the bottom form a contrast and balance in the picture layer.

2. PRE-COMPOSITION 2:

My thoughts: The theme of this work is "Against the Current". The overall style combines street culture and youthful rebellious spirit, showing an independent and non-conformist attitude. The main subject of the picture is a young man wearing a personalized printed T-shirt, surrounded by childlike images such as cartoon bears, foxes, and umbrella girls. The black background and text strengthen the visual feeling of rebellion and freedom.

3. PRE-COMPOSITION 3:

My thoughts: This work combines characters, clothing and fonts to create a visual effect full of fashion tension. The yellow and blue clothing silhouettes are the focus of the picture, showing a strong contrast of colors, symbolizing the interweaving of the power of sunshine and tranquility. Some English words are looming in the background, giving the picture a sense of layering and narrative. The overall style is full of modern fashion and personality, reflecting the exploration of self-expression, female power and artistic beauty.

Week 3：

1. Download all of the images here to your computer:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1cGcbENrjSksAaMQK9np2jb6ZaM7Y-81l?usp=sharing

2. Follow this tutorial demo as reference to create your digital collage:

https://youtu.be/BlW7F-fTsbE

3. Create 3 different composition digital collages from the images that you’ve downloaded. 

4. Create A4 canvas size (vertical) on Photoshop and start to do the compositions.

5. Take 3 photo of your digital collage compositions and insert it on the section below

6. Submit (Turn In) this file in Google Classroom

COMPOSITION #1：

This collage combines urban architecture, interior space, natural elements and dreamy fish, showing a scene where reality and imagination merge. High-rise buildings symbolize modern urban life, while floating plants and colorful fish break the conventional logic of gravity and space, injecting fantasy and surrealism into the picture.

The exaggerated shape and bright colors of the fish form a sharp contrast with the cold building facade, showing the release of free imagination and inner emotions in daily urban life. The real-life scene in the elevator hall at the bottom is like a door to a fantasy world, symbolizing people's desire to escape reality and pursue poetry and freedom in their daily lives.

COMPOSITION #2：

This work shows the relationship between information flow and urban order. The typewriter symbolizes the traditional way of information production, while the abstract black and white texture represents the chaos and diffusion of information in the modern digital age. The rigorous and calm buildings in the picture symbolize system and order; while the people shuttling back and forth in the subway station and the speeding trains represent the rhythm and fluidity of daily life in the city. This design method of juxtaposing reality and abstraction expresses a reflection on the state of contemporary urban life.

COMPOSITION #3：

The symmetrical architectural structure in this work symbolizes the rationality, calmness and norms of the city, and among these rules, the freely swimming fish symbolize the vitality of life and the emotional expression of individuals.

The flowing tail fin of the fish contrasts sharply with the rigid lines of the building, strengthening the collision between "rationality" and "sensitivity", "stillness" and "dynamics". At the same time, the rust texture above and the smooth and clean ground below constitute the dual dimensions of time and space, allowing the viewer to think about the survival status of individuals in the urban environment.

Week 4：

DIGITAL IMAGING EXERCISE:

1. PROJECT 1B - PART 1: Hearst Mansion 

- Follow instructions from the W4_HEARST MANSION: 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Uc5UY-PjqTCImigtHk8qh6vUuutTZw8qAjJHiNXjPOM/edit?usp=sharing  

This week we learned how to use Photoshop to combine photos of people into a specific background. Under the guidance of the teacher's video teaching, we first practiced cutting out the "Shazam" character in the poster and placing it in the background image of the "Hearst Tower". Then, by adjusting the hue, grayscale and brightness, the overall style of the character and the background was made more coordinated and unified.

we also added shadow and reflection effects to make the characters blend more realistically into the background.

Exercise Demo - SHAZAM:

After completing the demonstration exercise, the professor asked us to use our own photos to composite with the background of the "Hearst Tower".

Exercise - My Reflection:

PROJECT 1B: PART 2 A (Recolouring B & W photo) Demo exercise

2. PROJECT 1B - PART 2: Recoloring Black and White Follow instructions from the W6_RECOLORING BREAKDOWN: 

EXERCISE 1: (Tutorial Demo in Class)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iYbFpDqdTjdHzkBpLWLkFwPJut6N8ItA/view?usp=drive_link 

In addition to the above exercises, this week we also learned how to add color to black and white photos using Photoshop.

Under the guidance of the teacher, we used the selection tool to outline the area to be colored, and then colored it by adding a mask and a solid color fill layer. Then, we adjusted the blending mode of the layer (such as overlay, soft light, etc.) to make the coloring effect more natural and coordinated.

The following is the final demonstration exercise completed according to the teacher's teaching steps:

The final demo practice of the B&W recolouring：

PROJECT 1B: PART 2 B (Recolouring B & W photo) Extra exercise

EXERCISE 2: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bmNokgEamSgp0wzdGl-6sggcNrVI1JtY/view 

After preparing the demo image, we need to select a black and white photo from the gallery in Google Drive. In the end, I chose a photo of model Pooja Hegde from many pictures as a sample for this coloring exercise:

4. Reflection：

In this project, I explored how to transform creativity into visual expression through both manual cutting and digital collage. Manual collage trained my sensitivity in composition and material selection, while digital collage familiarized me with basic skills such as layer management, blending mode and light and shadow adjustment in Photoshop. Although the two methods are presented in different ways, they both emphasize the relevance and visual rhythm between images, which gave me a more comprehensive understanding of visual narrative and prompted me to pay more attention to the theme coherence and aesthetic balance in design. During the practice, I tried to place the characters in a new background and make the picture more realistic by adjusting the light and shadow and tones. In addition, I also practiced recoloring black and white photos to improve my observation of skin color, texture and details. These attempts not only improved my image processing ability, but also enhanced my understanding of atmosphere creation. Although there were some challenges in the process, especially in color matching, I still need to improve, but repeated experiments and adjustments brought valuable experience and creative inspiration. This study made me realize more deeply that design is not only a stack of technology, but also a combination of patience, thinking and creativity. I look forward to transforming these experiences into more mature and expressive works in the future.