Contact Sheet

This was a perfect first project. It helped me get comfortable with using Photoshop, since I had never even touched it before. I encountered some difficulties with this project, but I can go into that later. First, let me explain the project.

Row 1 (Resolution): For this row, I used a picture that I took of my friend Amy (which my sister says looks like an ad for Volvo). We had to put the picture into 4 different resolutions, 72 dpi, 300 dpi, 600 dpi, and 1200 dpi. With each increase in dpi, the image gets sharper. The difference in sharpness between 72 dpi and 300 dpi are very obvious, but the differences in the others are less prevalent, but still there. I wasn't quite sure how the resolution changes would effect this picture especially, because it was taken with cross-processed slide film, therefore it was scanned onto the computer and not taken digitally. Aside from that, it seems to have worked fine.

Row 2 (Format/Mode): For this row, we had to take a picture and format it into different color modes. I took a color photo (normally in RGB color mode), and put in into CMYK mode, greyscale, removing all color except black and white, and then duotone, which consisted of black and one other color. The photo I chose to use was one that my sister took when she was in the Czech republic. I chose it because I not only loved the colors, but the composition of the image itself. Also, there was another version of this picture that she took in black and white, so I knew that this version would look good in black and white/duotone.

Row 3 (Orientation): This has to be one of my favorite pictures of my sister and I. For this row we had to take a picture and crop it to change it into a portrait, a square, and landscape. I chose this picture, not only because I love it, but I wanted to use a picture with people in the center of it, so the cropping was obvious.

Row 4 (Cropping): For this row, we had to take a picture and close up on one thing in it, then gradually show more and more of the picture to finally reveal the whole image. I chose a picture that I took because I wanted to show one person, then zoom out (if you will) to reveal the rest of the picture and how it is really just the one person with a lot of space around her.

Row 5 (Content): For this row, we had to take an image and crop a section of it to make and abstract image and slowly reveal the rest of the image until it was representational. The image I chose to use was one that I took of the King Phillip Hotel/Apartment building, behind CVS. I chose it not only because I felt that the complete image looked very forboding, but because of the lines and angles of the picture. I had a little trouble figuring out a good crop to be completely abstract, but after some trial an error, I decided on a crop that, hopefully reads as abstract enough.

Row 6 (Purpose): For this row we had to take a picture and format it into different artistic modes. I decided to chose a picture my sister made that encompassed many lines, so that it would be interesting and easy to see the different artistic modes and formats. The artistic formats I chose were Fresco, Dark Strokes, and Neon Glow.

I really enjoyed doing this project. One reason is that I liked finally being able to learn how to use Photoshop, and also because I got to look at great pictures while doing it. I had some problems along the way, but I guess that is just part of the process.

My favorite photo in this project (although I like all of them) is probably this picture that my sister took. I just think it is a beautiful and very odd photo. She's just a great photographer.