The End.

The end of my class but the beginning of the rest of my life - so much has happened while I have taken this course it's just amazing! Before I get ahead of myself I need to catch up school post wise and share with you the final project.


As previously posted the final was to choose a haiku from a list and photograph one. We were told to use what ever techniques we wanted. Let me tell you there were some AWESOME pictures!! I knew I was surrounded by talented people but some of the work was just amazing. We're talking fake blood, mob hits, ghosts, delicate flowers, memorials and surreal pictures. Nothing was left untouched, just beautiful images passing before my eyes. I guess you could call it eye candy!


One thing I learned from this final about myself is that I'm not really a haiku kind of person. I just don't get a lot of the poetry and it really has to be explained to me. Is that a bad thing? I hope not. I decided to use one of my friends who you might recognize from my Dave & Steph (plus one) shoot.


This one haiku seemed to make the most sense to me even though it means something totally different to me than what it does to Prof K!


On nearing the surf Every footprint becomes That of the sea


This is my take on it: If we are the footprints and the Lord is the sea, we all follow a set path and eventually become one.


I had one picture of Steph while we were shooting her maternity session where she was just so peaceful and sitting with her unborn child snuggled in her womb... it was just a moment where I felt a greater power. Life is so amazing it sometimes overwhelms me! I know that Steph was raised in the "footprints" of Christ and she will continue her path to the "sea". I also know that together Dave and Steph will raise their child to follow similar footsteps. I know Prof K read it slightly different than I do but I think one of the great things about t his project was that there are no wrong answers! So I win! Right? Oh no, I hope I passed!


Anyway... the original shot posed a few challenges. I wasn't able to clear the beach of people and debris before the shoot. You would not imagine how many people just stand in your frame watching you try to shoot! Other times there are people ducking and diving trying to stay out of your frame when you're shooting something waaaay up high! Go figure.


Here is my image SOOC.




What were they all thinking... getting in my shot?! I have no idea what that white thing to the left is either. I probably don't want to know! Besides the people and debris, the over all picture is a little under exposed... Steph is a little dark for my taste.


Steph one oops - Step one! Involved straightening up the horizon and cleaning up the beach. I used the repair patch and clone to cover up the unsightly objects.





Step two: I lightened up Steph's face and fixed some tones through out the sand, water and sky. Everything is very subtle.







Step three: this is where things go a little off my regular programming. It involved me and a cemetery. I trolled cemeteries and mausoleums looking for the perfect statue of Christ. I wanted to superimpose the image just barely visible into my picture. This is the one I chose. RIP Robles. Thank you.





I almost wanted to put an "insert Jesus here" label on the picture but thought against it!
I carefully cut and transposed this image onto step 2. Using a number of layers I was able to place him behind Steph and make him transparent.



Can you see Him? You might have to move around your screen depending on your settings.



Step four: I moved the Jesuslayer over behind Steph and inserted the haiku.

Voila - C'est fini!

So what do you think?

As far as grading went this last project was done on the fly and I think everyone passed. The ending of class was awkward. I didn't know how to say goodbye to a couple of people, we had after all just spent the last 8 weeks together. Do we hug it out, shake... nod? I said my farewells and best wishes and boogied outta there. It would be interesting to know how some of them turn out... where they go from here. Did they learn as much as I did? We may never know.

I do know that this is only the beginning for me... you haven't seen the last of me yet!