My diptych The Sword of Time is a visual representation of my personal essay that I created in English. In my essay I described about a wonderful adventure inside a medieval MMORPG video game where I become oblivious to true life obligations.

For the diptych I expressed the story in two pictures. In the first picture I (played by my friend) am holding a sword outward similar to a first person video game. In these games the main character is usually not shown except for their arms and a weapon. The sword is pointing outwards as if I was charging into battle. In the second picture I am sitting in a chair in my room staring blankly forward at the computer screen. I am immersed into the game, and next to me, books and homework are piled up with a timer on the top to represent that time is passing by.

For the photo shoot I took the pictures at night to get a dark eerie feel that I had envisioned. I had to crank up the ISO and use a flash to get the picture bright enough. I bounced the flash off the top of trees in my backyard to achieve a more realistic light effect. I even brought out a fog machine to add texture to the picture. However the wind in my backyard completely negated my attempt. In post-production, I evaluated all the photos I took in Adobe Bridge and brought them into Camera Raw for adjustment. I darkened the colors slightly, applied a cooler temperature, and added a slight tint to create a more mystical feel. I also lightened the sword and added a glow to direct focus towards it. In the second picture I lightened the books and the timer to make sure they were noticeable.

Photography is a relatively new experience for me, and I have only started getting involved in it recently. I am attracted to photography, because it allows me to express a vision in a way that can easily be seen and interpreted through different angles, colors, lighting, and depths. Throughout the process I learned a lot about taking photos. I realized that I need to take photos with more lighting to reduce grain, and utalize interesting camera angles.

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I AM

I am heroic and immersed.
I wonder what it is like to confront the beast.
I hear the clash of steel on steel.
I see my chance.
I want to seize triumph!
I am heroic and immersed.

I pretend that time is mere imagination.
I feel glued to the battle.
I touch the cold metal.
I worry that my adventure will soon come to an end.
I cry over what I lost.
I am heroic and immersed.

I understand that I must break away.
I say, "farewell."
I dream about the "world".
I try to make sense of both realities.
I hope to move forward.
I am heroic and immersed.