Wheels: A Junior Conceptual Transport Project by Sarah Haslem (2017)

For our first project in Design at Freestyle Academy we were asked to use composition, lighting, and our camera skills to create a photo including a mode of transportation with wheels. One of the requirements for the photo was to not use motorized transportation and the other was to take our photos outside. By taking photos of non-motorized objects we were able to show objects that were frequently used in the past. Our focus on different time periods allowed us to stray from our current technologically advanced world and get back to the basics.

The mode of transportation that I chose to take photos of was rollerskates. To make the photo more interesting, I shot from the below; looking up at the wheels. By taking the photograph from the bottom I was able to put more emphasis on the wheels and include a more interesting background. If I had shot the photo from the side you would see lots of random things in the background: birds, tops of trees, clouds, and etc. Also shooting from the side is the same as shooting at eye level, which is the perspective we see everyday. Often we never see objects from the bottom because we are always looking directly at them. Since I wanted the emphasis to be on the wheels, using the background of a trellis with plants allowed me to keep the focus on the rollerskate, instead of on random objects. Furthermore, the pink on the rollerskates contrasted with the white background of the sky, while the yellow wheels contrasted with the green vegetational background. The contrast of the wheels and background allows more focus on to be on the wheels and for a more interesting picture overall. When looking for a place to take my photo, I picked this trellis because of its’ partial exposure to the sun. By keeping my rollerblades out of the full sun, they were not too bright and therefore the brightness was not a distraction from the main emphasis: the wheels. All of these elements helped focus on the wheels and the mode of transportation. When editing my photograph in Adobe Photoshop, I wanted to make sure that all of my selections were exact, allowing me to make my edits blend in rather than stand out. Since I focused mainly on my selections I was able to practice my skills using the Magic Wand Tool, the Quick Selection Tool, and the Layers Pallette. Using my prior experience in Adobe Photoshop, I was able to advance my skills with these tools and make my selections more precise. I discovered that while editing my photos with my prior techniques and methods was easier, it was also helpful to keep an open mind to the methods I learned in class. By using keyboard shortcuts, making selections was more efficient and had less error within them. The new skills I obtained in class and my prior Photoshop skills helped me to subtly change aspects of my photograph. By taking advantage of photo filters on selected parts of the photo, I put more emphasis on the wheels and the white flowers. Specifically using Brightness, Contrast, Hue, Saturation, Shadows, and Highlights. These effects helped me make my photo more realistic after the changes I made to the wheels. Overall this project helped me learn important things I will keep in mind in the future. One thing I learned besides new Photoshop skills is that sometimes I might not always like elements I add to the photo, but there are many tools to modify the problem or delete it completely. As a takeaway from this project I will always remember that even though others might make suggestions it is always important that I (the artist) like it. Even though my expectations for the result may be higher than my final product, it is always important to accept my work and acknowledge the challenges I faced. Most importantly, the ability to know that I learned a lot from each piece of artwork I created and to not give up on the artwork just quite yet.