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Above: Student Projects
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The Altered Portrait An introduction to magic realism
Form: For this assignment, you will use the lighting studio or home lighting to photograph yourself using another person as camera controller. If you are on campus, pair up from the class. Use good lighting and manual controls on your camera to control light and shadow, depth of field, frozen or blurred movement, etc. You will then edit and manipulate your own portrait as you learn more about Photoshop. Start with a photoshop canvas that is at least 11x14" at 300 dpi. Take at least one shot with crisp outlines (deep depth of field) for practice in detailed selections, but you don't have to use this as your final image. This portrait is not meant to be too exaggerated. It is magic realism, not surrealism. It should be odd or almost believable (for example slightly enlarging or shrinking elements, changing tone or texture). Don’t plan a narrative. Work intuitively. Review the artists below. Content: What does your distortion make the viewer ask or think? Looking back after working, (not beforehand) can you imagine why you chose to do it one way and not another? Write in your journal about this. Artists: Rudd Van Empel Loretta Lux Janine Antoni Aziz and Cucher Ron Mueck Ines Van Lamsveerde Motohika Odani John Stezaker Nancy Burson Tibor Kalman Gillian Wearing Eve Lauterlain Cindy Sherman Keith Cottingham Janina Tschape I am not asking for "creepy" but that is certainly a contemporary issue about distortions and artificial intelligence:" As artificial representations of humans become more and more realistic, they reach a point where they stop being endearing and become creepy”—a point known as the uncanny valley." Photoshop now has an ability to use AI to change the "mood" of a portrait. You are welcome to play with these filters but don't use them to complete this assignment. As in any canned filter, they will not be as original, nor teach you as much as your own manipulations. | ||||