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Minimalism Art movement research.

Minimalism art movement by the artist Tony Smith called `Die` in 1962. Tony Smith was an American 20th century sculptor and visual artist. The artist's specifications for the sculpture were as follows: "a six-foot cube of quarter-inch hot-rolled steel with diagonal internal bracing." The dimensions were determined, according to Tony Smith, by the proportions of the human body. I think, Tony Smith showed the idea of a minimalism action pretty well, as he has a provided one simple cube, however, I found this art slightly boring because the colour is not providing any impressions. 

Donald Judd was an American artist, whose rejection of both traditional painting and sculpture led him to a conception of art built upon the idea of the object as it exists in the environment. Judd's works belong to the Minimalist movement, whose goal was to rid art of the Abstract Expressionists' reliance on the self-referential trace of the painter in order to form pieces that were free from emotion. Judd was an important theoretician for Minimalism and one of the key proponents of enlivening gallery spaces by placing objects in a non-conventional manner, in his case by hanging art vertically on the wall. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Judd created multiple versions of this untitled work, always retaining the same scale but never using the same color or materials. I like the idea of using colours between those blocks which providing quite surreal look.

`In honor of Harold Joachim` by  Dan Flavin  created in 1977.  Flavin's works differ in some ways from those of other Minimalists, who shared the same interests in prefabricated materials, transforming the traditional viewing experience, and honoring the influence of Russian Constructivism in their use of repetitive, modular forms. In Flavin's work, however, the work of art is not comprised of the material itself, in this case the fluorescent light fixtures and colored tubes, but is instead the shape and color of the light emitted by the tubes. Flavin literally sculpts and defines spaces with colored light, creating a completely new form of art that is most notable for its lack of materiality, yet seemingly solid presence that almost appears to invade the viewer's space.

Art called `Pumpkin` made by Yayoi Kusama. This is the first forays into outdoor sculpture. Made specifically for the Benesse Art Site on Naoshima Island in Japan, the giant, yellow pumpkin sculpture is painted with rows of black dots fanning out from large to small around the gourd. The pumpkin's bulbous, organic form and grand scale gives the work a cartoonish appearance, highlighting how strange the natural world appears in modern culture. Created when she was living in Japan, the work also reflects a shift in Kusama's artistic practice from her earlier aggressive and politically charged works to the more kitsch works that consume her art later in life. This shift can be attributed to the transition in Japanese culture from rigid and militaristic to a full on embrace of the ridiculous and tacky, as seen in the Hello Kitty cuteness of Kawaii culture. In my opinion, Kusama is obsessed with sircles, and for me her work look more surreal rather than minimalist, because she`s isung a lot of circles different shape on her arts and nothing else. Using those circles everywhere on everything makes her work look a bit boring, as everything looking similar. 

`I found my silience` by Eiko Ojala.  Eiko Ojala is a renowned artist and illustrator with graphic design background. He lives in Tallinn, Estonia. In the word full of information and noise Eiko creative process is rather reducing than adding things. This leads to sharp and clear ideas where main focus is in everyday things and situations while looking for universal beauty. Eiko works mostly digitally but draws everything by hand. Within his work process Eiko likes to study the forms of simple shapes and to work closely with light and shadow. He likes to keep his illustrations minimal and well-advised and combines consummate craftsmanship with a healthy sprinkling of wit. I like this art because it minimalist and surreal at the same time. I also like how colours compliment each other. This artist, same as Kusama used circles on the art, however, there are only few shapes different colour, and the rest of his work is different from this one, so it is enterestig to look at. 

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Evaluation of the final piece

To create a final piece i did a research on the minimalism product photography. As a product i decided to use cactus because these plants look for me pretty interesting, as they have different sizes from the very small ones to the massive ones, they dont need much water, and they can survive in very dry weather, they`re not smooth at all, however, they still look cool. 

Before I start my actual shoot I had slightly different idea of creating a minimalist cactus photography. I thought to shoot them separately, however, the problem i faced was not finding the right props for the idea. So, i developed my idea a bit more, and ended up with this. 

To create these photographs i started up with setting up the composition. I took 3 different cactus out of the soil and places it into the ball shaped bowl, after i placed cactus there and placed around a big, gold, ball garland whick i cut in some parts previously to be able easily place it inside between cactus as well. 

To create good shots i played with lighting a lot, and i also played with gels to reach more interesting composition. 

For the first image i used small studio which is used to the product photography, because it has the curve from the backdrop which allow to avoid the sharp line at the bottom. I had a flach at the left side and a softbox from the top because it creates less reflection of the glass. In the photoshop i edited this image in raw. i changed some brightlind and contrast, then using brush I separately edited to gold garland and cacus, by changing highlights, shadows and clarity i made them brighter. After, removed some reflections and the badly cleaned dirt from the glass by spot healing tool and the clone stamp on the new layer. The settings for the camera in this studio was f/8, shutter speed 1/60 sec, ISO100. 

For the second photograph i used bigger studio, where the backdrop didn`t create a curve, so i managed to remove the sharp line in the photoshop. I used the same composition, however, i added the red gel over the softbox, so it creates very smooth pink shadow. Apart from the softbox and the umbrella from the bith sides, i also had a snoot at the bottom whit was pointed at the backdrop to highlight it and make the bowl stand out. The camera settings for this photograph was f/9, shutter speed 1/125 sec., ISO 100. The softbox had 3 stops and 0.0 tenths, and an umbrella had 1.0 stops and 0.0 tenths. In the photoshop, I edited the photograph in raw first, i correct some brightness and contrast, and separately correct the gold garland smoky look by changing shadows, highlights and clarity using brush. After, in the main photoshop, i removed the reflection from the glass using eyedrop tool to pick the colour, and the brush with the opacity less than 15% to blend all the lined, and ake some light reflections as smooth as possible. Using stamp tool on the separate layer i cleaned background and blended in the sharp line from the table at the back. Finally, I selected all 3 cactus with marque tool and made them brighter, so they stand out more. 

For the 3rd image I used the same settings as for the 2nd one, however, i removed an umbrella and placed the blue gel on the top and an orange gel over the snoot at the bottom. In the photoshop i also removed some disturbing stuff from the background using the spothealing tool and the clone stamp on the different layers. 

I think, that my last piece met the theme - product photography, and an action - minimalism, which i picked, quite well. However, next time, i would plan the shoot a bit better, so i would have a plan B if something will go wrong, i will try to find all the products that i thought of firstly, and try not replace them, and finally, defentely use a curved backdrop to avoid a sharp line at the back.

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Lightroom for the fimal piece

First of all, I placed all the raw images into folder called `17.11.17 Minimalist ptoduct photography` using lightroom. I created 4 subfolgers: capture, master, select and output. 

I placed the photographs I like into capture folder. Then i edited some photographs in the Develop tab and placed them as the PSDs in the select folder. 

In the photoshop I opened the PSDs from the select folder and edited them as i need. I used a lot of layer, where i cleaned background and the glass, added some colour to the background, selected cactus and make them brighter separately from the background.

Finally, i saved them as a TIFF in teh master folder, because this file type saves all the information and all teh detaild, so the photograph wont be damaged if you will resave it somewhere. 

In the lightroom JPEGs are saved into master folder with a low resolution and a watermarks on if the photographs are going to the customers after. 

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Scanned Negatives.

For the pictures i used 35mm black&white film, shutter speed 400. ISO 400 is the best for the photographs in the day time, It is quite fast and doesn`t contain much grain. The theme was Street photography, observing streets. 

1st image i took on the Market square, in Nottingham. I took a picture of the dog, because i found him cool, as i don`t meet a lot of Akita dogs in England overall. In the post production i changed a bit of contrast, exposure and levels, to make the image a bit brighter and bring out more details. I also used spot healing tool to remove some disturbing objects. 

2nd and 3rd images are the random photographs of the people different race on the street who living different life style. I like 2nd image because it is well exposed and you can see most of the details pretty well, however, it has a bad composition because it`s not interesting at all.  3rd image didn`t went well, because it is out of the focus and the contrast is a bit too high, so next time i must be more carefull when i`m taking a picture, and focus well. 

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Product Photography. 

For the product photography i chose to shoot citrus because they`re bright, colourful and juicy. When i look at such images i feel fresh and it reminds me of spring. 

Image 1: ISO 100, aperture f/5.6, shutter speed 1/125 sec. 

Image 2: ISO 100, aperture f/5.6, shutter speed 1/125 sec.

Image 3: ISO 100, aperture f/5.6, shutter speed 1/125 sec. 

To create these photographs we setted up the samera from the the top, zoomed in as much as we need and placed the sliced friuts on the black cardboard. We had a softbox from the left and an umbrella from the right to create a soft light for out product. To save time we tedored our camera to the laptop, to be able to use Capture One program, and shoot the products withut touching a camera. We also put a paper with different examples under the camera, so we could look at them, and quickly change fruits afound to make another composition. 

In post production i picked 3 best shots and edited them in the camera RAW where i changed some lighting settings, such as, contrast, clarity, highlights, shadows, etc. to make fruits look brighter and the background darker. Then, i selected all fruits using pen tool and painted thebackground in black, by using eyedrop tool to select the colour from the darkest part of the background, and the brush to paint in. 

For the next time I would like to try white background and play around with the lighting and shadows, to reacj some interesting and maybe abstract effects. 

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Evaluation of the shoot.

Why are these the best images from your shoot?  What went well?

These images are best from the shoot because they composed the way our gtoup likes the most. We have the right objects on the right place and the background. Lighting settings setted correctly, so the objects are not over or under exposed, and some shadows from the objects are seen clearly.

We had a good team work, where everyone had their own job, someone was thinking about the compositions and placed the objects around and changond background, someone hold reflectors, someone looked after a camera, if it`s standing properly and the composition in the camera, and someone took a pictures using capture one and controlled the camera settings. 

Did you end up developing your original set designs / compositions?

Yes, we kept the idea minimalistic, but we changed the design by mixing the colours and brought in different objects, and chandes the background. We also decided to add 2 reflectors from the both sides.

What didn’t go so well?  What would you do differently next time?

Sometimes we had tedoring fail and the camera didn`t connected to the Capture one program, so we wasn`t be able to make photographs at the beginning. Also we didn`t managed to think of a lot compositions before we start to shoot.

Next time i would definitely plan the shoot better, how to make composition interesting, how you can set objects so you can add the slogan, how you can make the minimalist composition eyecatchig, etc. 

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lightroom/resolution

1. how do you create your own presets in lightroom? In the Develop module, click the Create New Preset (+) button at the top of the Presets panel or choose Develop > New Preset. Click Check All to select everything or click Check None to deselect everything, and then click to select each of the settings to include in the preset. 2. what is resolution? Resolution refers to the number of pixels in an image ( how much dots per inches there are ). Resolution is sometimes identified by the width and height of the image as well as the total number of pixels in the image.  why it is important?  It is important because you can decrease the resolution but you can`t increase it. You can`t print low resolution images in big formats, as the loose their quality as it don`t have enough of information.  For example, if you providing a photographs for your client, you must to have low resolution images to make sure you can easily and fast sent them to the customers trough online, so they can have a look if they like them or not. And you must to have high resolution images to send them to your clients, so they`re able to print them in bigger formats and still have good quality photographs.  which contains more pixels, a 12x8 image at 72dpi, or a 6x4 image at 300dpi?  12*8*72=6912 6*4*300=7200 6x4 image at 300dpi contains more pixels What is web resolution?  72ppi  what is print resolution?  300ppi if you scan an image at 1200dpi, how much bigger the original can it be printed? 40  times bigger.  disadvantages - slow the process down ( the bigger the file is, the better the resolution will be, the bigger space they will take, the longer they will transfer.) 3. what are snapshots and why are they useful? what are virtual copies and why are they useful? why stack?  Snapshot – you can use to record the editing of the picture, for example, if you edited the photographs, but after you decided that you want to try something else, you create a snapshot, reset the current preset, and try other. It is useful because you can compare easily your photographs, and pick out the one you like.  Virtual copy – a copy which exists only in a lightroom, which is not taking any space.

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Ligtroom recap.

Lightroom. Library – cataloguing Develop – editing, batch process.   When you use lightroom? – Organizing photographs, and editing in RAW changing colour and tones. When you use Photoshop? – Photo compositing, removing destruction (more re-touchy stuff), gradient map. DPI/PPI = resolution 72ppi = web resolution (the lower the resolution the lower the file size the quicker it loading up) 300ppi = print resolution ·         All RAW files going to the CAPTURE folder · ��       To move files, select the needed ones holding shift, and drag them to the capture folder ·         Pick the RAW file, press D to go to the develop to edit them ·         In the SELECT folder we have PSD files ready for Photoshop ·         Pick your photograph > file > export as PSD to select folder ·         Open Photoshop > edit image as you need > save as a TIFF in a MASTER folder ·         In the OUTPUT folder you have JPEGS for web or client preview ·         Select file in MASTER > file > export > change the settings > ad a preset called “client preview”

·         Right click on the image > create a (2) virtual copy(s) ·         Go to your snapshots > select all images > export them where you need ·         Press N to see all 3 edits at the same time ·         Press L to change the view (drop out the background) ·         Press E to reset one picture at a time

·         To group the edited picture > select them > right click > stacking > group into stack

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Workflow.

Workflow – get from the beginning to the end as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Workflow is important because it minimizes the stress and maximizes enjoyment. Workflow for being a good photographer: 1.       Planning and time management 2.       Systematic cataloguing 3.       Batch processing 4.       Get it right in camera Step-by step process: ·         Open Photoshop > window > actions (ALT +F9) – it allows you to record your steps and apply to other photographs afterwards.

·         Create a new action called `B&W high contrast` ·         Convert image to black and white using adjustment layer > another adjustment layer of `levels` >press stop

·         File > open image > apply saved `B&W high contrast` action

·         File > scripts > image processor ·         Select folder > pick a folder with photographs > press ok ·         Select a location where to save processed images > select your hard drive > file type select as JPEG > quality over 8 ·         Preferences > play action > `B&W high contrast` > run

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Scanning negatives

Epson 2480 scanner

·         Make sure you placed your film the right way into the 35mm insert ·         Lint it to the needed part in the scanner (from `A` point on the insert to the `A` point on the scanner)

·         On the laptop select `professional mode` ·         Original selection > film type > B&W Negative film; document type > film ·         Image type > 8-bit/16bit greyscale ·         Resolution > over 300 dpi ·         Adjustments – no Preview ·         Select the shot you want to scan ·         Select the area on the photo that you want to scan On adjustments > go to `levels` > bring ends to the ends ·         change the resolution to 3200 dpi and increase scale to get 35MB image size ·         select TIFF type of file (because it doesn’t losing any info or details when you resaving or making copies) After scanning ·         Open in Photoshop > unlock the layer ·         Duplicate the layer ·         CTRL + L and reline the edges ·         Experiment with brightness and contrast ·         Change curves and exposure ·         Gamma correction working with black colours on B&W photographs

Why do photographers scan their film? Photographers could scan their negatives to have the digital copy of a photograph in case if something happens to a negative. Also, to be able to present the photograph on their websites and social media e.g. instagram, facebook.  Why did you deselect any adjustments presets automatically set by Epson? Because the program might detect the wrong lighting to improve the photograph and make it worse. Why did you adjust the histogram levels? To get back the details from under/over exposed parts on the image.  Why did you choose the specific DPI and SCALE? To increase the resolution to high and reach the photo size of 35MB. What are the differences between TIFF and JPEGS? TIFF is similar to RAW, however it`s saving much more details and info, so the photograph doesn`t damaging when you resaving it.  JPEGS doesn`t save much of information, so every time when you resaving it or sending it to someone, it`s loosing the details. 

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Lightroom.

·         Open Lightroom > create new catalogue > choose a hard drive > create a folder `photos` >file name `lightroom catalogue` > create ·         Import > pick images > choose a device where you will save them > select needed images > copy as DNG (DNG file type keep all the details and info same as RAW files, but they`re smaller in size) > organise by date ·         Add a name – to be able to find a needed photographs on future ·         Create sub-folders: capture (all your RAW files), select (PSD files from Photoshop editing), master (final edits in TIFF file format ready for print), output

·         Select all and put all photos to the capture folder holding shift ·         Develop tab > press D

·         Using white balance tool find any colour close to white on the photograph to improve colour balance ·         Press Y to see before and after

·         Select the pictures you like and export them from the library to the `select` folder

·         File > export settings to PSD before saving ·         Your folders must to be synchronized ·         Open image in Photoshop and do the needed editing

·         File > save as > `master` folder > save as TIFF > call a file > ok (Save PSD files to output folder Edit them in Photoshop and save them at master folder) ·         File > export > pick the output folder to save photographs > untick `put in subfolder` ·         Rename to > file name ·         Watermarks > edit watermarks > pick needed settings > save ·         Image format > JPEG ·         Resize > 1000 pixels > 72 resolution ·         Sharpen for screen ·         Add > preset name `client previews` > create > export

Presets: you can get them from online - VSCO or presetlove, etc.

download the preset > unzip it cut preset > create a folder `presets` in a lightrom folder

in the lightroom > create new preset > create new folder `vintage effects` > import the preset

Disadvantages: you attach to them, your work can look the same as other people works, it will become out of fashion after some years. Advantages: you can change them or create your own, it is easy to use, saving time. 

When would you use it over Photoshop?  When i need to pick some several photographs to edit (things such as; contrast, colour balance, levels, exposure, etc.) or apply a preset.  When would Photoshop be better? When you need to edit the photograph in more detail, such as; remove/add something (e.g. spots) or to work over a particular area of the photograph (e.g. apply more contrast on the eyes, dodging & burning, etc.). * What is the potential of presets? What are the limitations? Presets are saved combination of settings (lighting, white balance, contrast, hue, saturation, etc.) together which creates a particular tone that you can apply to the photograph straight away. Using presets is the easiest way to correct many undesirable lighting conditions. They can make a photographs look stylish by applying the specific tone to the image. However, that style can become out of fashion after couple of years. 

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Best photograph for Montana photoshoot.

I like this image because it is well composed and all the objects are standing straight. It is minimalist because it has a lot of negative space where i added the logo and Montana`s slogan. I also found it interesting because we mixed colours of the objects, and the background consist of two colours. To make this photograph we had a softbox from the left side, a flash from the right side, and the camera in the middle. In post production i corrected to contrast and levels, removed come disturbing parts, such as dirt, and added some text. For the next time i would play with the lighting a bit more, trying to make the less shadows.

Post-production for the best shot:

First of all, i removed all destructive parts, such as dirt and the holes  on the background, dirt on the objects, and the line on the bottom left corner, so the image has more clean and professional look. I used spot healing tool to clean the background and some objects, and i used a clone stamp tool to clean the frame and save the straight and sharp edges.

Second of all, i decided to remove all the shadows, because on the examples that Montana company gave us to have a look at, was very low amount of shadows. To remove shadows i used pen tool to select the area where the shadow was, made a selection, and used brush tool to paint them out. I used an eyedrop tool to find the right colour for each of the areas. 

After, i added a slogan: `Paint & Create` separately from each other to be able to place them on the needed area, apply different text font and size using a text tool. I tried different fonts and sizes, placing the text on the different areas, however, a photo seems for me slightly empty, so i decided to cover most of the space with `&` sign. 

To make photograph look good, i get back to the edited background duplicate and selected the frame and the bottle using pen tool, and made them as the new layers on the top of the text. 

Finally, i place embedded Montana logo, removed the white background using magic wand tool. 

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Set up process.

For our set-up we had: some products and the background placed on the table, the camera on the tripod in the front, a soft box on the left side and a flash on the right side.  

We also used two people as the assistance to hold two reflections from both sides, to make the light a bit stronger. 

We also had a person you composed the objects and make sure they look nice together on the right colour background. 

Finally, we reviewed images on the monitor straight away as we took thew, to see, what we need to change: any settings, lighting or composition. 

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Preparing for the shoot.

First of all we cleaned all the products using baby wipes and paper towels to make sure the paint is laying on the top of the object very neatly. 

After that, we prepare some masks and gloves for health and safety. We used mask to avoid any chemicals to get into the lungs while we sprayed the paint, and gloves to avoid the paint to get on the skin. 

Before using the spray, we need to shake it well to mix all the chemicals inside.

Then, we found a place where we can spray the paint on the object to be able not to damage any objects around. 

We tried to spay out the paint very neatly, kept the distance between the spay bottle and the object, so the paint lay on the object evenly. After, leave the object to dry for 30 min. 

Finally, we practiced to compose as many images as possible, and picked the best one to shoot using the Capture One program. 

Why was it important for you to experiment with the composition and layout before setting up the studio lights / camera?

You must to make sure that your composition will work, it is not looking to messy or empty, so you`re not wasting your time. Also, as we used Capture one program, our camera was placed on the tripod most of the time. you must to make sure that your compositions are not mixed up, so you`re not taking the camera off the tripod and put it on again, and again.

Why is it important to discuss the set ups with other people?

In a group work you must to make sure that everyone is pleased with all the composition, because everyone have diffeterent taste, and the more people will like it, the more chance you will have that the customer will like your work as well. Also, other people can throw some good ideas that you didn`t thought about, sometimes that gives you more interesting compositions to use. 

Here are some photographs of the sompositions we try to compose. We try the composition with plain colour and the mix to see what lookg interesting and what will met the customers brief. 

I like first image because its quite minimalistic apart from the second one, however, i dont like that we used the same colour for the background and products at the same time, our team decided that it is quite boring. 

On the second composition we played well with colours, however, i think there are too much objects especially at the bottom. So for the final shoot we would use mixed colours and less objects. 

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Making patterns using Adobe Illustrator

1.       File > new > print > standart A4 format

2.       Pick the rectangle tool, hold shift and sraw a square

3.       Pick any fill colour, and remove the stroke of your pattern

4.       Pick the delete panchor tool and make a triangle from your square

5.      

6.       Pick the selection tool (V), hold alt and make the duplicate of the triangle

7.      

8.       Ctrl + D to repeat the step

9.      

10.   Select the raw of triangles and duplicate them

11.  

12.   Select all the triangles > ctrl + c > paste them to the Photoshop as a smart object

13.   Scale the triangles holding shift all over the images  

14.  

15.   Ctrl + click on the thumb nail of the triangles > turn the visibility off

16.   Select the background layer (photograph) > apply the mask

17.  

18.   Duplicate the background layer and mask it out

19.   Hold shift and resize it to reach the interesting image manipulation

20.  

* Why did we use Adobe Illustrator for some of these experiments? What advantages does it have over Photoshop?

We used Adobe illustrate because it allow to create patterns easily by duplicating them and repeating the previous step. It saving the time, as in the Photoshop it would took much more time by making the patterns separate. 

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Using new guide layout on the portraits.

1.       View > new guide layer > Creating guide lines avoiding the lines on the eyes

2.        

3.      M for marquee tool and create some blocks leaving the guiders > adding some more blocks by holding shift

4.       

5.    When you finish selecting, apply the vector mask    

6.     

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Symmetry experimentation.

Following the same process 

I made 2 rows in the new guide layout

first, i select the right half of the image

ctrl + J > drag the duplicate to the left 

edit > transform > flip horizontal 

turn the visibility off

select the left half 

hold alt and drag it to the right 

edit > transform > flip horizontal