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Little Red Riding Hood

After deliberation of my previous 'final piece', the image didn't look in the end as I had hoped it had been. I had tried to make the image darker, and more eerier, but this didn't work out, when my LRRH didn't look very realistic amongst the area of trees and snow.

So here below are more screenshots and images of which I used and manipulated to eventually get my Final Piece.

This photo shows a lot more emotion and brings more atmosphere to the image as she looks more scared and when using the actually image in my final piece i can use to the tree as well to help set the scene more.

Here I began by cropping out Little Red Riding Hood from the original photo to edit into my final piece. I used the magnetic loop tool to begin with to get a vague outline of the section i wanted. Once selected, I dragged it on to my background and placed it where i thought was best.

Here it just shows that I duplicated the layer so i could make changes to the copied layer and erase through.

Here is a tool that can blur an image or section; so on my 'copy' I decided to blur the whole picture.

Once I had blurred the 'copy' I made sure it was above the original so when erasing through, it was the correct layer. This then meant that when erasing through the blurred image, it was showing the original layer. I made sure that the sections of the image that I wanted to be noticed and focused on were the sections of erasing through.

Here shows another image that I used. I included it to add texture to the image, once uploaded on the my final piece, it was a separate layer, and in order to get I wanted I did lots of 'brightness and contrast', 'erasing' and 'opacity' adjusting.

Here shows my making the adjustments once uploaded the image to my final piece.

Here shows all three layers; original, blur and texture. This shows me erasing more from Little Red Riding Hoods face as I wanted to make sure that the face and cloak were very strong in there colours compared to the whole picture. With the original photo her face was very pale, so once added on the blur layer I erased through to it. I did this to show her innocence and emotion, as well as showing off the red in her cloak as it symbolises danger and blood.

This is my final screenshot to show my final image but with a border. The very last thing I did was add a border to the image to ensure the overall appearance of the piece is framed nicely.

Here is my final piece :)

I am very pleased (finally) with my outcome; I feel although I did make lots of changed and decisions my final piece in the end works well and looks much more effective than my previous one. For me it is still a learning process as I am still realising there is more i could to and how I could do it.

Little Red Riding Hood (Take 1)

So for my final piece I am putting together pictures of which I have taken to do with my tale, and of which I would like to manipulate in my final piece from this task.

Originally I took photos of 'woods' to represent her walking to her grandmothers, that I took in the snow. I did this as the white snow could represent Little red riding hoods innocence.

(Here is the image I chose to use as my scene)

For this tale there is obviously a wolf, this was difficult for me to decide on what to do as I would definitely find it difficult to get a picture of a wolf, so fortunately while I was out taking pictures of the snow there was a dog which may have worked perfectly. So when manipulating the photo I will find out. But while practising, then I will use a silhouette of a wolf, which could create more of an eerie atmosphere.

As you can see here, this was a practise to show if the wolf silhouette worked. I thought it worked well, but not as I had hoped. I darkened the scene to give a colder, darker, and more vulnerable feel to the 'woods'.

Obviously the main concept of the scene, is little red riding hood, this is an image from the Internet to test out whether it would work with the scene, as well as trying out ways of standing and positioning on the image. The way that this specific LRRH is standing shows shes scared and vulnerable so I may use this idea for my own character.

Here below is the first practise I did with the images that i took as well as from the Internet:

Above shows the original practise in colour and the second practise darker in black and white. I tried changing the colour to see if it looked more realistic and possibly add a more gloomy and eerie 'woods' feel to the image.

I moved around the wolf and little red riding hood as it seemed to be right side heavy on the original practise, so i made the wolf smaller and moved LRRH in more to the left.

Then I changed the darkness of LRRH individually first then the whole picture.

Here are a few screenshots:

All these changes and ideas i will use in my final image.

Here are some more screenshots of what i have been doing in order to achieve my final image.

Here is the image of my little red riding hood of which i have been using in my final piece.

As you can see above I am now using my own character/image for Little Red Riding Hood, as well as using the 'dog' for the wolf. When photographing LRRH I was thinking back to the Internet image for inspiration as she was positioned perfectly for what I had planned.

So to the photo, I have made many alterations. I kept trying to make the image look realistic, but also dark and eerie.

So I mainly used brightness and contrast to balance out the colours, but also decided to try it out in black and white.

Here below are different variations of what the image could look like, with this one being the lightest in colour.

This one being a lot darker compared to the previous one.

And the last one being in black and white.

Practise For LRRH task!

Before creating the perfect final outcome I wanted, I needed to practise first. So from images from the Web and from people I know, our task was to manipulate the photos in order for the image to look real enough to be that character or person.

So I started off with manipulating a young girls face to an old lady. This is the photo I found from the web:

I used this ladies face- to create a more older look to it

I used this ladies top and blazer- to create more of an older dress look to it.

Here are a few print screens to show my process to my final outcome:


Here shows the initial process of rubbing out the younger face over the top to show the older face from underneath layer 1. This was done basically all around the face to the hair.


Here shows simply the face once all rubbed out. I was going to leave it like this but then i thought that the clothing was still too young for the lady, as she is meant to represent a old lady or even the grandmother from LRRH.

So as mentioned from above, I then decided to change the clothing into something more appropriate. So I found the image on google images and matched the colour to the original image then erased it in just like the face.


Here is my final outcome of my old lady practise:

Research for LRRH

The next thing I completed for this task was research on other artist or photographers that could link to my tale.

The first artist I found was ANNIE LEIBOVITZ; she is an American photographer, She has done lots of other pieces of work but one which she has done recently was one that she worked on magazine photography and shot celebrities dressed up as fairy tale characters for a Disney campaign. This works and links very well with the task that I am completing, as the photos that are below show how lots of manipulation and work would have gone into it to create such realistic images of which are animated. This links with our task as the idea of the photos is very much similar and to do this, photo shop is needed.

Peter Pan and Pocahontas

Cinderella and Snow white

Another artist was SANDY SKOGLUND; she is an American photographer and an installation artist. Her work is very abstract and shows a obvious use of manipulation. She creates surrealist images by building her elaborate sets. Her images consist of many overwhelming colours capturing the differences between night and light, contrast is the main element.

For Sandy and many other artists base their work on relying on photo shop manipulation and also creating their own sets which is exactly what our task is to do. For example: LRRH set is possibly in a forest, or cottage and the photo shop needed would either be the wolf or granny.

Here are a few photos from Sandy's Work:

Radio-active catsFox games Revenge of the Goldfish

Both the artists are good example of showing how well using manipulation can work and the outcome that could come from it, if it all turns out well. So in our task, so far I am finding it a challenge to get used to using photo shop as my main element rather than just taking the photos and being done. It is shown how the use of photo shop works well in many images and the manipulation on the colour, morphing and so on shows a different aspect of photography and that it brings excitement and different feelings to the photos. But with practise will bring those, hopefully, to my photos from this task.

Little Red Riding Hood

Our task was to create an outcome using our knowledge of photo shop; by morphing together my own photos with images from the google images. In order to create our own imaginative narrative image of a nursery rhyme or fairy tale.

There are many steps to this task and first I needed to mind map a few ideas of rhymes or tales of which I could use.

After planning out a few ideas, I decided on Little Red Riding Hood; I chose this one because it was the idea I had thought of originally but seeing as it was a popular decision I was conscious for using it but in the end I found it the most interesting and fun to base my work on.

So next was my research on the tale; I found out many things and interpretations which were very intriguing.

Little Red Riding Hood (LRRH) has a far-reaching and arguable history; it is the most studied and interpreted fairy tales. Commonly the story goes like this: The child is to bring custard/biscuits etc to her grandmother who to be believed ill. On the way she meets the wolf and he wants to eat her right there and then, but fears the woodcutters nearby. She answers, not knowing that it is dangerous to stay and hear a wolf talk. The wolf takes a short cut to the cottage while the girl dallies picking up flowers. The wolf eats her grandmother and disguises as her, in her clothes, in her bed. When LRRH enters the cottage, the 'grandmother' tells her to come to the bed. At this point there is much talk on the features of the wolf. Depending on what story, depends on what ending is told. The common ending is that LRRH tries to leave but gets tricked and eaten by the wolf, but this is different for many different interpretations.

One moral of which I found is that little, gentle, precious girls should not talk to strangers no matter who they are or how nice they are; the quietest ones are the most sly.

Another interpretation consists of cake and wine instead to the sick grandmother. Both cake and wine are symbolic to the christian communion. This shows a significant shift in variations, where the child bringing cake and wine (religious context) instead of bread and milk which symbolise mother/feminine figure.

For different sections of the story there are many different interpretations and above are a few to give a background and history of how the tale would and could have been told or understood. For the younger generations to them its just another tale amongst others of which they hear, but for adults they read into things much more due there developed way of analysing things. For example: the cloak that she wears; its red and this could symbolise danger or even the blood from the wolf.

Documentary Challenge!

This challenge is all about developing confidence, relationships/ people skills, preparation/ planning, persistence and Independence. As well as developing our technical considerations for our camera: shutter speed, aperture, lighting, flash and focus.

So below are photos from my task, this shows how I interpreted what place I was given.

The place I was given was a the RSPCA: the cattery. :)

When completing part of this challenge it helped me develop my people skills when interacting and talking with the person or people at your specific place, as well as general confidence, and Independence. I was there long enough to be asked if I would like to see the laundry/ and shower room. With persistence this was possible. Luckily the lady of which was supervising me was very nice and chatty.

While I was there I was trying to develop my people skills and relationships while there as I found out a lot of information while there:

• Any animals that are brought in will be immediately scanned for a ownership chip, if unchipped they will eventually be chipped prior adoption. Meanwhile they will be flied and vaccinated and if necessary neutered prior to re-homing. Some animals that may have been ill-treated or may have been stray for a long while may need greater veterinary attention. it is always the RSPCA to rescue and re home animals, but sometimes this isn't always possible.
  



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  The cages get cleaned after cats removed




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  They are handled, stroked, cuddled many times everyday

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  They sometimes rename cat
  



• They complete a was every 45 minutes from all the bedding etc

Below are the photos i took:

As well as visiting the RSPCA I also went to a home run cattery which looks after cats for families when they are away on holiday etc. So here are photos of Bournemouth Boarding Cattery: this place was a lot different from the RSPCA but cared and catered for the cats just the same.