This first section of PWDP is all about learning and applying colour control at various stages throughout a digital photographic workflow. At first glance it is a highly technical course, and if that is purely how the course is approached, then that is all it will be. But there are so many different elements involved. I spent most of my time during the past few months getting more familiar with Photoshop, and then applying the techniques I learnt during the first 8 projects, to my images. To guide me through this, I used various Photoshop manuals as well as online tutorials.

Even though I spent most of my time during this section of the work on technical skills, I did not want to loose focus of the broader picture. To me, the broader picture is that this PWDP course will guide me not only through how to produce better images, but will help me shape my ideas and personal philosophy on image alteration and enhancement. Before I started this course, I had some ideas of how I felt about this. Social documentary is my passion - it is important for me to show the true. But having said that, I am easily enchanted by exceptional quality surreal (fantasy) art. And I realise that the two are on exact opposites of the scale from each other. And that is ok. I don’t feel that I should only focus on one area of photography at this stage. I also don’t feel that my mindset and philosophy over what is acceptable and what isn’t, using image alteration programs, has to be exceptionally rigid at this stage. Fluid is good, as I am still learning what is and what is not possible. Up to yesterday, my mindset has pretty much been to “keep natural natural” and to be as creative as possible with what is obviously surreal. And then I discovered Kelli Connell. And I realised again how easily that line is blurred for me at this stage, as her images are definitely natural and “real”, yet her entire approach is based on image alteration by using Photoshop to scan and manipulate two or more negatives to create a “believable situation” . Her work is reconstruction. It’s about creating a story. I relate well to that approach. I like story-telling through images, not purely from a narrative style, but through emotion, symbolism, and the underlying elements of an image. So, having discovered her work, I have not only gained an admiration and more inspiration, but I have realised once again how good it feels to have my boundaries pushed.

With regards to this specific assignment, I chose the four different images in this set for specific reasons. There is a harmony in them all being nature shots. When we think of seasons and of change, we think of nature. The interior of a room changes colour when it is painted, but outside in nature, everything changes as the earth makes its orbit around the sun. It’s a natural process – so naturally that I often instinctively turn to nature to find evidence of these changes, which we call seasons. And during this project it was no different. While making decisions about what to shoot for this project, it was easy for me to imagine what something that actually exists would look like, and then to change the picture accordingly. I thought of how, what I was doing with Photoshop is similar to what actually happens in nature – changing colours from one to another. It wasn’t about creating something obscure that does not exist. And it wasn’t about changing the picture to colours that don’t exist naturally. It was a subtle and realistic process and end-result. If you look at the four different images I use in this project in the following order:

• Path
• Reflection
• Leaf
• Abstract Drops

as a set, they go from a landscape, to a more intimate still-life scene, to a close –up, to an extreme abstract macro. It’s almost like an anatomical progression from Full Body, to Torso, to Close-Up, to extreme eyeball macro. Personally, I like this change in scope. I like the narrowing in and becoming more selective. I also like that the use of colour evolves, and becomes far more selective and intricately chosen/refined as the images progress through the selection.

In Path, the colour change is meaningful and has quite an effect on the feel of the scene, but isn’t necessarily a realistic application if viewed up close. It’s a purely aesthetic change, and feels that way, too. But the colour change is effective in representing seasonal change.

In Reflection, the change is similar, though the end result is far more “believable” as far as the entire scene goes, and begins to really feel like the 4 seasons - not just to the eye, but you can really start to feel it.

In Leaf, the colours were meticulously chosen to be as realistic as possible and on inspection; each depiction of the leaf seems to have been chosen from the season which it represents.

In Abstract Drops, the colours themselves become as important as the image, and are therefore exaggerated a bit beyond what might normally be found - particularly with winter. In such an abstract, limited scope of view, it falls almost entirely on the colours chosen to pass along the changing of seasons. Subtlety won’t do in that case - its presence needs to be unmistakably felt - the colours tapping into a more emotional level than the rest. And so by comparison, where we’re back to using colours that may not be considered “realistic” (just like in the first image) the final choices are considerably more profound, and feel like it.

So as a whole, the set progresses, just like the seasons do. And the closer we get to the subject, the more intimately we examine, the deeper the connotation of colour and colour change becomes. All 16 images can be seen in the gallery.