LIS5313

Jane Barrager

From Sadness to Happiness

“Providing clean water to millions of people” by DFID – UK Department for International Development is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Frozen Rain in Ohio by Isaiah Chavez is licensed under CC0

From Sadness to Happiness. The reason why I created this blog is that many a times we can find that glimmer of hope and turn sadness — to happiness.

The Original

The original photo is of a reduced-income town that was provided a first clean pump for them. We have it lucky here in the United States that we have clean water in our homes, sinks and more. In other places around the globe, they aren’t as fortunate. This speaks to me because I didn’t come from a well-income family. Actually, I was in the foster care system for quite sometime before I was lucky enough to be adopted. Hence why from that glimmer of hope… could become happiness.

The Derivative

What I did was crop the water splash that looks like frozen rain. You see icicles forming while drops of frozen rain comes crashing on said icicle (using the rule of thirds). The texture to the photo adds to the 3D-effect (I believe because the photo was taken at a slower speed, as my resolution of my cropping is sufficient) This reminds me of a beautiful time in Ohio. The weather outside was very cold and the roof already formed those icicles that you see in that photo. I was inside the house at the time while viewing this beauty while my hands were turned to the fireplace. Christmas was nearing and you feel the warmth of the holiday. Your family makes hot chocolate for you, you are warm, happy, and everything is right with the world. Hence why I named it “Frozen Rain in Ohio”.

January 26, 2023 by Spring 2023 Student Posts 2

Ready, Set, Read

Original:

“Person Holding Person Holding Kobo E-reader” by Perfecto Capucine is licensed from Pexels under free to use.

As a second-rate Bookstagram influencer, I am always perusing different websites for book inspiration. Because I am an advocate of budgeting, I’m not willing to spend money on additional props to capture the perfect shot. Perfecto Capucine’s photo caught my eye because it came across as more natural and authentic than some of the other hygge-like images. I can recall sitting outside in several different settings and capturing very similar photos. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with “Person Holding Person Holding Kobo E-reader,” a few alterations would make it more suitable for my purpose, which is to promote my E-reader and/or share about a book I have recently finished.

Derivative:

“The Kobo E-reader” by Taylor Wilson is licensed under CC0.

Using the rule of thirds, I decided to crop the bulk of the person’s identifying features from the original image. Since I am viewing this through a social media perspective, I felt removing the tattoos and some of the chunky bracelets allowed for more viewers to relate with the person holding the main subject. I also chose to emphasize the E-reader by removing one of the blurred individuals on the right-hand side. In doing this, my eyes wander less and are more drawn towards the Kobo. An edit like this still allows for an aesthetically pleasing image, but it helps the viewer understand that I would rather them focus on the act of reading over everything else.

January 26, 2023 by Spring 2023 Student Posts 1

One Little Monkey Jumping On The Bed

The Original (Before):

A toddler jumping on a bed by Pavel Danilyuk is licensed from Pexels under free to use

I choose this image because it made me smile and it brought back a sense of lightheartedness. This toddler is clearly enjoying themselves and is caught mid-jump. My daughter is roughly the age of the toddler in this photo and also enjoys jumping on the bed (or couch, or dog bed) and every time she does I have a big smile on my face. This image is sweet, and soft in its color pallet and lighting, but could benefit from some slight enhancements.

The Derivative (After):

Toddler Jumping on Bed By Nicole Damstetter is marked with CC0 1.0.

I played around with a few composition ideas, like cropping super tight to only the toddler’s feet (looked too creepy), and cropping tight to the toddler’s head (which lost the sense of whimsy not knowing they were jumping) before selecting this final version. I enhanced the original photo, by taking the toddler and adjusting him as the focal point to the left side of the image, per the rule of thirds, creating some more movement and intrigue in the photo. The higher crop removes the side walls from the photo which adjusts the sense of space in the room. Uncentering the toddler creates a sense of intrigue, is the toddler jumping towards something or someone on the other side of the bed? Will that person or pet catch them? The focus of the photo is clearly on the toddler with the tighter crop, and it’s easier to see that they are in mid-jump with less distraction from the room walls and pillow on the ground.

If I were to take a photo like this, say of my daughter jumping on our bed, I might play around with the angle of the shot, getting down low on the ground and snapping the picture from below, or snapping it straight on looking at her face as she’s jumping. These would be fun variations of this photo’s sentiment.

January 26, 2023 by Spring 2023 Student Posts 2

I’m dreaming of…

“Seychelles – Beach” by Scarygami is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
“Birds next to my house.” by Mafon2 is licensed under Attribution 4.0 License.

I couldn’t help but look for a picture of a beach because I am currently dreaming of…a vacation! I am planning a trip to Tobago with my family, the first weekend in March, because I soon will not be able to go on a plane due to my pregnancy. I think a bit of a respite would be nice before the big day.

I couldn’t find a true picture of a Tobago beach but the water is at least similar in color. Honestly, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference if it wasn’t for the caption. Initially, I thought typical Caribbean music would have paired nicely with this but it was too cliche. Instead, I decided to focus on another aspect of this picture which was the lush vegetation surrounding the beach. Where there are trees you’re bound to hear birds and this audio was quite relaxing to hear while looking at the serene turquoise water.

January 25, 2023 by Spring 2023 Student Posts 2

Media Lab 03: Intense motocross action

“Two Riders at Motobros in Okeechobee, FL” by David Baker is licensed under © “All Rights Reserved 2022”

This image was taken of myself and another rider at Motobros Motocross park, located in Okeechobee, FL. The original image has two riders shown riding across some rollers on the track. I am the rider on the right side of image, aligned closer to the center of the original photo. I decided to crop the rider on the left from the photo to simplify the image and bring the rider on the right more into focus for the viewer.

“David Baker at Motobros in Okeechobee, FL” by David Baker is licensed under © “All Rights Reserved 2022”

To crop this photo I brought the focus towards the right side of the image and cropped the rider on the left out of the image. I followed the rule of thirds and placed the upper left grid line intersection across the riders chest. This tighter crop brought the rider closer to the viewer and allowed more focus on the riders eyes and hand position on the handlebars more prominent. It also made the roost off of the back tire more visible to the viewer.

January 25, 2023 by Spring 2023 Student Posts 3

Top of the World

Man Standing on Building Top by Berti Weber is licensed as free to use

I love this image because it shows a male figure standing on a tall building where he can see his surroundings below him, making him feel like he is top of the world. He is so high up in the building that the other buildings look so tiny. With how great the picture looked, I felt it could look even better. Some things I noticed are that the male subject is located at the center of the image and doesn’t really draw the attention of viewers of the image. Also, the space dedicated to the sky is also quite a bit excessive and eats quite a bit of the picture.

Top of the World by Adam Alhassan is licensed as free to use

I wanted to create an illusion from the picture where people who look at the picture can actually visualize him walking. Cropping the image using the rule of thirds let me accomplish that, this also drew more attention to his shadow to give it more depth. Now you can see the background around the male figure pop even more, giving it more depth. I also decided to reduce the space at the top of the picture as I thought it showed too much cloud space. Now it shows just a little and isn’t distracting to people looking at the picture.

January 24, 2023 by Spring 2023 Student Posts 2

The Movement of the Sea

“Jelly” by Travis Wise Licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
    “P C III – earth2earth (Creative Commons Instrumental)” by Pipe Choir Records Licenced under Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)

    The movement of the sea is unpredictable and can be calm and serene. This photo paired with this audio presents a sense of peace and tranquility that can sometimes be the deep blue world. Viewing this image with the paired sound, one can imagine the jellyfish floating up, down, and sideways in its mercurial buoyancy. Together they represent life both literally and figuratively, in the way that life often is rather unpredictable. Jellyfish seem to have it figured out by working within the currents and going with the flow in grace.

    January 24, 2023 by Spring 2023 Student Posts 4

    I miss the early 2000’s internet.

    “Lucha Libre Masks” by annekarakash@gmail.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
    “Typing super fast on a computer keyboard” by pfranzen is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

    Did this image and sound combined dredge up any memories for you? Let me take you on a small walk down memory lane, because I’m feeling nostalgic.

    The year is 2003, and you’re playing Kid Pix on your mom’s Windows 98. Spongebob is playing on the TV behind you, and your little sister is just learning how to walk. You get a ping on Yahoo! Instant Messenger. It’s your dad, calling you into the family room – “You’ve gotta see this!” He always sends you silly jokes and shows you the best chain emails, so you know it’s gonna be good. You jump off your swirly computer chair and run into the family room.

    You’re greeted by the smoothest animation early 2000’s Flash could offer – it’s HomestarRunner.com! You’ve seen some of these before. Today, your dad clicks the “email” button, and shows you a silly guy in a luchador mask replying to emails, loudly clacking away on his keyboard. That’s not what you expected!

    You don’t know it now, but you’re never going to forget about these moments. You’re still going to quote these silly videos, even while you pay taxes, go to grad school, and work in your cubicle. And you’ll always want to thank your dad for showing you the cool and fun parts of the internet early on.

    A Small Postscript

    A few weeks ago, I got my 9th tattoo. Are you familiar with Trogdor the Burninator? January 13th, 2023 was the 20 year anniversary of the video. You can find it here on YouTube. It still makes me laugh!

    When choosing a tattoo to remember someone by, you have so many types to choose from. And I think it only made sense to get a fun one to honor my dad.

    January 24, 2023 by Spring 2023 Student Posts 4

    Run, Rabbit, Run

    “Creepy Doll” by felicia.day is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

    Let’s Make A Record
    by
     Sister Gertrude Morgan
    Preservation Hall Recordings (VPS-06)

    Okay, I’ll share. I wasn’t sure what to write and more often than not that is okay. At first, I wanted to incorporate this old project that I did when I was in high school. I worked so hard on it. I had taken black and white pictures and there’s one of my sister-in-law in her wedding dress kind of blurred so you cannot observe everything in the photograph. Also at the time I was reading Stan Rice the husband of Anne Rice, he was a poet and painter. I thought his poem “Tragic Rabbit” went so perfectly with the image. Apparently my English teacher did not as the entire portfolio was similar and this could have been a way to get back at her, but I couldn’t make that work. I mean, I still decided to write about it. Just because someone’s ideas might not mesh with your idea of creativity doesn’t mean that you’re wrong, being different is a blessing.

    So I started putting in random words as search terms until I found this picture with Felicia Day, at first I thought she was calling herself a “Creepy Doll” something about knowing she is anything but creepy and knowing her personality somewhat as an actress and person made this description of herself just seem right and humorous. Then you notice the doll she’s holding and it feels that it’s hidden in the picture on purpose. We do not always notice what it is meant to be noticed at first glance. My mom seemed to always do this, if it was looking at clouds she’d notice figures. One day I was walking in the grass not too long ago and from her car, she noticed a snake. They were never mean they were always happy figures in a medium like a wood fence that you wouldn’t always notice. The other day I stopped myself because I saw a small finch-like bird stop on a tree downtown, it made me think about how everything is alive and around us, and I’m only noticing this one bird, but how much am I not observing, like at first glance this doll who if you look closer is beautiful and no longer lost.

    The first time I heard Sister Gertrude Morgan was during an episode of True Blood, “Power”. This raw soulful sound of pure energy coming at you. A singing prayer, a nun with rock and roll, bluesy and honest. So different from the images and sounds we normally would see. A piece of me loves that music and it resonates.

    January 24, 2023 by Spring 2023 Student Posts 2

    The human, the mind, the thinking.

    “criminal minds” by gato-gato-gato, Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
    “simple jazz-hop track + capoeira” by Alittlebitdrunkguy, Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

    One thing, I will always tell people is, I have an Analytical mind. Flat out. It’s honestly an issue because sometimes I overthink the simplest things.

    Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so.

    Is it a good thing? Maybe sometimes.

    The picture above reminds me of one of my favorite nights hanging out with my best friends walking in the city of Chicago at night talking and thinking about the world together, listening to the sounds, the music, seeing the arts, and life in the windy city. Similar with the song, life is about having fun man and it also feels like a great representation about how I think about things. Sometimes you just gotta turn your perspective of the world around or realize you got to think about things in a different light or way. Night/Evening, is one of my favorite times and honestly a reason I call myself a “Thinking Night Owl”. I feel like I can learn so much more and have those random “I’m gonna Wikipedia this just cause I thought of it moment…”. I think back to that night previously mentioned all the time because I felt like I learned a thing or two about life from the people of Chicago, my closest friends, and myself. I’ll always remember that night of just wanting to talk about different subjects like politics, world geography, the human mind, how we perceive the world, and how to make the next day better.

    January 24, 2023 by Spring 2023 Student Posts 1