PHOTO SHOOT FIVE - INSPIRED BY TODD HIDO:
After looking at the images that Todd Hido created with the simplistic beds against the plain walls and the dark, shadowy effects around the bed to create a particular atmosphere I decided to recreate some images in this style. To achieve the same style image as Hido I will be using Photoshop to create the shadows and light gradients that make his images look so elegant and effortless. I edited all of the images in very similar ways to achieve the same look to all of the photographs I took as I wanted to recreatethe same vintage style that Todd Hido has created in his images. The contact print below shows all of the images I took for this photo shoot and from these images I have chosen a few to edit in the style of Todd Hido's work.
PHOTO ONE:
This is the first image that I edited in the style of Todd Hido's series of images named 'Occupied Homes'. I wanted to edit the images in a very similar way like Todd Hido did, creating the darker shadows around the bed and adding the sepia style photo filter to create the same warm colours that Hido created in his images. I think that I used the editing techniques well (I have explained how I created the shadows and applied the filters below) as the final outcome of this image looks the way that I wanted it to: the image looks traditional and vintage which is one of the elements that I wanted to incorporate from Hido's work.
I also wanted to ensure that the set up of the bed was right: to create a series of images that appeared to be forgotten but occupied at the same time. I think that I have achieved this well within this image as the screwed up pillows and the messy blanket suggests to the audience that the bed is in use but the dark, suffocating shadows and the fact that the bed hasn't been made suggests that the occupant left the house in a hurry and forgot about the room. This is another element of Hido's work that I wanted to incorporate into my own as I feel that the contrasting and dark shadows against the warm and inviting looking bed create a very simple yet effective image: I wanted to re-create this style to show another side of isolation that I hadn't yet explored within my project. This side of isolation still shows an emotional side but without a subject there to coney it to the audience. Instead, it is conveyed through the use of an object and the positioning of it to create the initial response from the viewer and then the use of editing and cropping to help create the atmosphere. I think that I have done this well and created the atmosphere that Hido creates in his work through my use of positioning the bed sheets in a used but forgotten fashion and then editing my image in a similar way to create the same finish. I also go on to take images in my own style but to edit them in a similar way to create the same atmosphere as Hido but with my own interpretation. |
I then used the same bar to change the opacity of the black shadows that I had painted on. This time I changed the opacity to 49% so that it appeared to be darker then the shadows at the top of the image.
After I was happy with all of the shadow work I had done I went to 'layer' then 'merge visible' which merged all of the layers I had created down to one layer so that any further editing I did to the image affected all of the layers in the same way and didn't separate any work I had done on the shadows.
The next step I took to try and recreate the look of Todd Hido's images was to put a photo filter on my image. The traditional and vintage look to the images was created by using sepia style colours so I decided to put a sepia filter on my image to give the same effect.
The last touch I did to finish off the image was to add a layer of levels to help pick out any natural shadows that appeared in the image and to add some highlights to the pillows and bedding to ensure that they were the initial thing that the viewers eye was drawn to: I wanted it to naturally be the centre of focus.
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The first step to editing these images was to unlock the background layer that the image was on. I then duplicated this layer for the next step: this meant that I was able to make changes to the image without going over the original file so I could easily delete the changes I had made if necessary.
The next step was to choose the paint tool on the left hand side column on Photoshop and to paint around the outside of the image to create some shadows. I chose to do this because I wanted to create the same sort of atmosphere that Todd Hido creates in his images with the dark shadows surrounding the bed to make it the centre of focus. I then changed the opacity of the paint so that it looked more like shadows and had a faded appearance. To do this I used the bars above when the layer I had painted was selected. I changed the opacity to 40% and it gave the illusion of shadows around the image.
The next step I took was to add another duplication layer to allow me to paint over the bottom corner again with the same tool as last time. This was so I could make this shadow darker to cover over the furniture that was in the corner and to mimic the style of Todd Hido.
I then created a fourth layer and used the dodge tool that is found on the left hand side tool bar to paint over the bedside table that you could still see through the bottom shadow. This is because I wanted to create the dark and empty shadow that Todd Hido has in his images and the dodge tool was dark enough to remove this from the image.
I chose to put the photo filter at 93% intensity as it gives the warm tones to the image that I was looking for and created that simplistic vintage feel to the images that Todd Hido effortlessly creates.
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PHOTO TWO:
This photograph uses the same editing tecniques that I used above to create the shadows at the bottom of the image and in the top, right hand corner. I took this image in my own style but edited the image in the style of Todd Hido's work to keep with the same theme: I created an image that looked striking based on the positioning of the pillow and the crumpled sheets at the bottom of the photograph. I think that this image is very effective as the same theme was kept within these images so I was able to create an image that looked as if it were occupied but there are certain elements about the photograph which suggest that it has been forgotten about by the occupant.
I think that the composition of this photograph is very effective: I have allowed the viewer to see that the image was taken of a bed by allowing the shadows to be slightly lighter in some places and I have highlighted the pillow in the centre of the bed to that it became the centre of focus to the viewer. I think that this method of conveying my theme of isolation has been very effective and I have been inspired by ther work of Todd Hido to create a series of images that I believe convey the same level of emotions as an image with a subject in them.
I think that the composition of this photograph is very effective: I have allowed the viewer to see that the image was taken of a bed by allowing the shadows to be slightly lighter in some places and I have highlighted the pillow in the centre of the bed to that it became the centre of focus to the viewer. I think that this method of conveying my theme of isolation has been very effective and I have been inspired by ther work of Todd Hido to create a series of images that I believe convey the same level of emotions as an image with a subject in them.
PHOTO THREE:
The composition and framing of this image is in a completely different style to any of the work that Todd Hido creates but I wanted to take an image that uses the same techniques of using shadows to create the atmosphere of the piece and to use a bed that looks like it's somewhere between occupied and forgotten but I also wanted to take an image that looked a lot more elegant and 'happy' then my other images. I think that I have done this well by using the bed pole to create an initial focal point and used shadows to create a peaceful but forgotten atmosphere at the same time.
I particularly like how the wall and the window behind the bed are out of focus due to the depth of field and how the bed sheets in the foreground are also out of focus: this allowed me to then work in some shadows at the very bottom of the image so that the only light coming through the window was highlighting the part of the bed that was in focus and the left hand side of the bed pole. I think that by doing this I have created a very strong atmosphere within this image: I have reflected my theme of isolation by creating a view to the audience that the room is dark and empty apart from the small patch of light that is shining on only a small part of the room.
I particularly like how the wall and the window behind the bed are out of focus due to the depth of field and how the bed sheets in the foreground are also out of focus: this allowed me to then work in some shadows at the very bottom of the image so that the only light coming through the window was highlighting the part of the bed that was in focus and the left hand side of the bed pole. I think that by doing this I have created a very strong atmosphere within this image: I have reflected my theme of isolation by creating a view to the audience that the room is dark and empty apart from the small patch of light that is shining on only a small part of the room.
PHOTO FOUR:
This is the last image that I took i the style of Todd Hido: this one was more in the style of the work that he produces, using the same editing techniqes as before to create that atmosphere that is present in this photo shoot. The basic composition of the bed reflects the simplicity of many of Todd Hido's images and that dark shadows that are around the outside of the bed are one of the main conventions of Hido's work that I have incorporated into these images.
The setting of the bed has been done in a way that gives the audience the impression that the occupant has slept in the bed for a night and then left it when they woke up in the morning but I hvae created the shadows to give the illusion that they are smothering the bed and engulfing it. This then suggests to the viewer that the occupant hasn't been at home in a long time and has forgotten about the bed: this is the main concept of the 'Occupied Homes' series and it is omething that I wnated to capture in my won work and I feel that I have done this well. I feel that the dark shadows isolate the bed from the rest of the room and makes the viewer feel as if it is the only thing in the room which is something I also wanted to achieve to tie this photo shoot into my theme of isolation: I think that I have done this well as I feel like the concept has been a good development through this project.
The setting of the bed has been done in a way that gives the audience the impression that the occupant has slept in the bed for a night and then left it when they woke up in the morning but I hvae created the shadows to give the illusion that they are smothering the bed and engulfing it. This then suggests to the viewer that the occupant hasn't been at home in a long time and has forgotten about the bed: this is the main concept of the 'Occupied Homes' series and it is omething that I wnated to capture in my won work and I feel that I have done this well. I feel that the dark shadows isolate the bed from the rest of the room and makes the viewer feel as if it is the only thing in the room which is something I also wanted to achieve to tie this photo shoot into my theme of isolation: I think that I have done this well as I feel like the concept has been a good development through this project.