FINAL

 

So previously we had the wall at the back. We thought the TV looked good from the back but then we also thought it's away from people who walk past to look at it. We moved the photos away from the TV so that there is a break/gap between the video and the photos. If I had the photos closer to the TV then it's almost as if the TV Is in the way and blocking the photos. So we thought that would work out. I wanted to try and utilise the window space as well. It was hard because the air conditioner square box was placed right in the middle of the wall so we have to try and work around the space and utilise it really well. I think we would've been able to manage another fourth image but wasn't too sure. I'm happy with the outcome though there are certain things I would change but I think I have already mentioned it. 

Final Images 

I am quite happy with the outcome of the project. I think my editing could've been a lot better trying to make the colours warmer especially with my top image. I think that in this journey it has been amazing. I have learnt so much being on this journey and I feel so much closer to my culture. I know as a New Zealand born Samoan I have been so distant to my culture especially not knowing the culture. I have always felt "plastic" but I feel like researching about the Taualuga it makes me understand the values/traditions my family try to uphold and carry on with the next generation for example like family, trust and support. I also had fun reading about the stories and how things became about in our culture also the history and how much it has changed with a westernised influence. I appreciate being in a collaborative project as well it has taught me so much about time management, the do's and dont's and shows me how different people work.So overall our work was about how the dance shapes and display us as a culture and how it relates to what our families encourage us to uphold especially about supporting one another, being strong in whatever you do and being humble. It's been an incredible journey! 

video of how I edited

Heres a video of how I have done my edit. This cut was rough but it was just to give you and idea on how I did it and put my photos together :) 

Tools I used

- Brush tool 

- Move tool

When rubbing out the edges the trick is to use the soft brush so that the part that you erase isn't obvious. The reason why I use the soft eraser is so that the colours fade into each other and to that it looks like it's one whole wall. 

This was the outcome of the photograph 

Work from the Class

 

This is just a few photos taken of the class work. I really enjoyed looking at everyone's work and how well they have done their work and to complete it. Proud of the classroom :) everyone did really well. 

Contact Sheet

This is just a Contact Sheet from our last photo shoot. Just showing the development of our shooting.
How well our lighting went and how some of them didn't turn out the best. We have two images where the light didn't go off.

 

Part of Final

This was the final moving image. I really like the way it captured every movement slowly as her actions moved you pay deep attention to her hand actions and her arms which I thought came out alright. Next time we will most probably work on lighting.

Feedback

Some feedback I received from Rebecca was when shooting on Camera Raw I should have edited my images. I notice that I like the warm colours that come through the previous photos so I played around with the photos to look at the difference.

You can see the difference in the warm colours the raw image is the right white balance but when I edit it's exactly what I wanted. It's a learning thing for me so next time I think I will look at editing before I print. I think because I was feeling so rushed I don't think I thought about it. It's a learning curb for me. 

Notes from my book

 

 


Research from my book with a few points and things I researched a few things Rebecca told us in class and just noted down.

Another Edit - I didn't use

This was just another experiment I had. 

I like the warmth of the image, I really like the reds and the oranges but unfortunately this image didn't capture exactly what we wanted. I didn't use this image as a final because there's a few mistakes I didn't realise. 

The editing turned out better than I thought. I don't like the way the headpiece cuts off in this work. I like the positioning of how it set up. 

Buddy System

Coming up to the end of our assignment 

Me and Peter have had our challenges due to time managing but overall I'm happy to have worked with Peter over the past semester, It's something different to me especially working with someone I don't usually work with. I didn't really get to know Peter until this year which is really good because I know in the future we are going to need to build relationships with other artists and I definitely have done this with Peter. I've gotten to know his strengths over this semester. I am thankful for the work he has put in when he could. I know that people have other things going on and it's a real good learning experience when working in a collaborative project.

I am thankful though for his talents and for bringing forward his great ideas and skills throughout the semester. I also have to say thanks because he thought it was a good idea to collaborate without Peter we wouldn't of had most of the costume for the project. I did learn about time management as well it was hard at first but we managed to get around it.

Another Experiment

This was another experiment that was still a bit challenging to edit. I enjoyed the process of creating these works expanding my skills in photoshop a lot more. It still looks rough looking the hard part was trying to figure out how to show each action. I tried playing with the opacity but I'm not too sure about the look.

Just some documentation from our last photoshoot playing around with lighting where to place it. Playing with where the lighting falls on her skin. 

Manakitanga

Coming up to assignments hand in. Pascal needed a hand on screen printing his skills onto the window. It was cool to see another Medium and the process of that certain medium. Loving everybody's work and can't wait to see all the finals.

 

Advertising Pascals work. We slaying! haha this is just for the LOL's shout out to barbara for the camera work. 

Tutorials

This is just one of the videos I used to help me try and figure how to edit my photos into one. It really helped me in terms of editing or how i would approach editing my photographs.

Sound

This was one of the songs I wanted to use in the moving image. I wasn't too sure about having sound. I had trouble deciding due to not knowing the understanding of the song, until I got a Samoan Teacher from Southern Cross Campus to help me translate.

Translation:

I’m now ending my performances

I’m leaving my soul/spirit has been quenched/ satisfied

Lord be my guide on my journey

And our last thoughts are of our happiness

I have not come to seek things, I have not brought things nor am I here to ask for things

But I came so that we can (rub shoulders- colloquial) together

As our Lord had proclaimed we should be.

The end (of our programme, of our fellowship) has arrived

When we part (I will leave and you will stay behind)

Do not forget our partnership (fellowship)

Full of kingly (royal) displays of behaviour and attitude that is satisfying

May blessings fall from the sky upon our night

This song relates because when it comes to the end of an event or special occasion the Taupo always dances. The song talks about the ending of things, closing. It also talks about remembering/reminding yourself how you should act as a Samoan. 

Experimentation with Photographs

We did another shoot together me and peter took a few more new photos. It was a really good and productive photo shoot we had. I appreciate him coming in when he can. We are getting closer to hand in day I hope to be able to print my last finals tomorrow hopefully. This is another image we edited and just trying to work with layers in photoshop. We are aiming to finish sometime this week or hopefully next week.

Experiment with Audio

This is just another experimentation we are working on. I wasn't too sure about the lighting but we have run out of time to reshoot. I did want to go with the lowkey lighting and it looks alright I'm not too sure about it but I am willing to work with it. I'm slowly starting to get the hang of working with the tools and premier on how to do this. Looking forward to working on this a lot more and installing hopefully.

Experimentation

Experimented with the moving image. I played with photoshop and worked with the tools like

- Opacity

- Position 

I will keep working on this till Friday Monday hopefully. Not to sure if we want to work with audio or not. I really like this certain song but not too sure If we can use due to copyright. I'm enjoying experimenting with this type of work. 

Week Schedule: Things to do

Tuesday:
- We had a working Bee in Taarati room trying to clean it up. We sand down the walls and wiped down and tried to wash of finger marks off the wall.

Edit Photos

Wednesday -
Last Photoshoot with Phiaddra including trying to do our moving image. I will be walking in and out and working with Peter.

- Podcast Launch Event @ Lunch Time.
- Editing Photos

- Test Print Hopefully depending on time.

Thursday -
Print Finals

Friday -
Illustration is due - Tshirt and Editorial is due!
Hopefully we will start to install our work by Friday. Monday is not the best day due to class all day with Garry unfortunately.

Email Taarati

Recieved an email from Taarati today, we also went to meet her to see what we needed to do and a what needs fixing in the room. We may need to re think how to set up as we can't put anything under the air conditioner as it always leaks. We may want only three photographs for our final work and a Moving Image. I'm hoping to book studio this week to do final fix ups and final re-dos and our moving image hopefully. 

Experimentation

This is just another experiment I am working on. Since we are looking at the idea of movement I tried to put the photos together almost like a film strip. We know that film strips display some sort of movement in a movie so just playing with different ways of editing and how we can display this type of work. 

Some of the shots in this image are blurry and kinda out of focus but we can reshoot this and work on it. I'm not too sure If I will use this but me and peter will come together with our edited images and see which ones work best for our final exhibition. 

Buddy - Contact

Still trying to keep in contact with Peter and seeing if we are on track hopefully. 

Tarati Room - Booked

We have booked Taarati Room for final display. We have a working bee with Taarati on the 20th of June and will be helping her sand the room down and repaint as well. 

 

Nifo Oti - Strength

The Knife Dance (The Nifo Oti)

The Weapon/Knife is a unique design to Samoan military history. It is a blade like weapon which has two sides with primarily opposite functions. On the one side, there is a serrated edge with a hook and on the other a smooth edged blade. It usually gives balance to the blade. 

The Nifo Oti is to display the strength of a Samoan Woman. The Taupo's movement is to show her strength and also display that she can be just as powerful as a man. It is to show leadership. Some people have believed that it should be carried with grace.

I don't like the shadows in the back so we may need to go back and edit it or either reshoot which I am planning. I currently am in a situation where people want to work with Phiaddra as well where as we are trying to work around her as well.

Another edit I worked on. 

Francesca Woodman

Francesca Stern Woodman was born April 3, 1958 - January 19, 1981 (died) she was an American Photographer and was mainly known for her black and white images which featured females and either herself. Woodman used a lot of long exposure times in her work the use of blur and obscured faces. Years Later Francesca Woodman killed herself at the age of 22. I like the work of Francesca Wood the use of blur. 

I may want to experiment with this next time I have the studio. 

I really like the effect that Francesca has in this image with movement. 

Keeping Track on Instagram

The image below where we have Phiaddra in a sitting position. The dance movement she does in this photograph is a canoeing/rowing action which represents the value of family and helping each other. We row together, work together as family to get things done or just as Samoan people we must support one another. So when you are in a canoe or boat all paddlers must work together in order to move forward. 

I'm trying to relate her actions to the customs and values that our families try to uphold. It not only displays the beauty of our Culture but the important values we carry within our culture. So movements that we have recorded in our photographs we will be trying to relate the movements to how it shapes us as a culture. 

I have been documenting some of my experiments/work on my Instagram account @lenskillah

so follow me and I'll follow back haha.