Adbusters

This image which is a spoof advert, shows how people are constantly feel on edge and are under pressure to conform to what we know at 'beauty'. Even in the most provocative of circumstances when are vulnerable and leave ourselves open to judgement upon appearance. This image has been retouched to accentuate the arch of the persons back as well as tones used in the piece present us with the sense of unease.

Gregory Crewdson- Brief Encounter

Here is a picuture taken in Pittsfield Massachusetts. It looks and feels like a cinematic picture frame. But is the result of many props, lighting and actors carefully positioned to create the mood of the final photogragh.

After many photos throughout an 11 day shoot they are only after creating one single perfect moment to visually show a certain effect.

He has built a reputation in hollywood for his outstanding work and unlike most of his predecors he makes a substantial amount more. This is helped by of course the advances in photographic technology and the demand for his type of inspirational work.

Henryk Ross- Playing as Ghetto Policeman, 1943

Political Propaganda

In this picture we see a happy, well-fed Jewish elite and scenes that show some uncomfortable truths about the ghetto system, like a little boy dressed up like a policeman, in his own ghetto-made uniform, playing a game of 'arrest your best playmate'.

Alexander Rodchenko- White Sea Canal, 1933

Radical photographic style was combined with cutting edge graphics in a magazine called 'USSR in Construction'. Designed by Rodchenko, it was a showcase of political propaganda glorifying the achievements of the Soviet system. 'USSR in Construction' displays Rodchenko's mastery of photo-montage, a graphic technique that took its cue from cinema montage. Rodchenko's photo-montages treated photographs as raw footage, suppressing their individuality, collectivising their energies, cutting, pasting, re-touching and re-photographing them to conjure up dizzying visions of the future.

Rodchenko harnessed photography to greatest effect in an issue of 'USSR in Construction' devoted to the White Sea Canal, trumpeted at home and abroad as a triumph of Soviet engineering and enlightened Soviet penal policies. The canal would be built by criminals and other social undesirables who would be rehabilitated through labour. Rodchenko travelled to the canal to take the photographs that would provide the raw material for this masterpiece of political propaganda.

"We can see in the Rodchenko book how the original picture looked – rather grey and flat. Of course, the montage is altogether much more successful as a picture. He's able to put in the text, give more impact for the crowd of workers and of course the figure in the foreground gets more impact in the way he has heightened up the contrast between it and the backdrop. You can see all these different components have been put together to make the picture and although when you look at this you wouldn't think its particularly a montage, its only when you see the original, and you see how its changed in its intention and its meaning that you really understand how photo-montaged this is." (Martin Parr, photographer)

But Rodchenko's virtuoso post-production conceals a grim truth. These determined-looking workers were mostly political prisoners and the White Sea Canal, a 140 mile long gulag. And far from being rehabilitated through their labour, 200,000 of them would die as a result of it, a reality that can still be glimpsed in the unsmiling faces of the untouched original.

Dorothea Lange -Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California

In 1935 a number of leading photographers were commissioned to produce propaganda images for the Farm Security Administration, set up to ease the effects of the depression in rural America.
"Since these photographs were taken at the behest of the government, in order to support Government relief efforts, there's an obvious strategy involved to portray the Government in a very positive light. Not only the Government, more important than the Government, were the recipients of relief, so the most famous examples occur with the idealisation of the 'Dustbowl' refugees, for example, in the photography of Dorothea Lange. In the six photographs of the series, she proceeds to reduce the size of the family which is identified in her captions as seven people down to three young children, one of whom is an infant and thereby the family suddenly conforms to middle class standards on family size." (James Curtis, Photo-historian)

Bichonnade Leaping Jacques- Henri Lartigue

All the jumping and flying in Lartigue's photographs, it looks like the whole world at the turn of the century is on springs or something. There's a kind of spirit of liberation that's happening at the time and Lartigue matches that up with what stop action photography can do at the time, so you get these really dynamic pictures. Most of the time these people look elegant but they are doing these crazy stunts.

Andre Kertesz

Kertesz's 'Meudon' captures something of the elusive genius of photography. With a photograph we can't help but wonder who the figure in the foreground is, where he has been, what he is carrying and where he is taking it. But Kertesz's photograph has no definitive answers. How can something that reveals so much keep so much to itself? There is so much to look at yet we're drawn back to the key figure at the bottom hoping to bring a sense of meaning as the viewer to the overall piece.

David Cole

This shows his photo manipulation in a natural art media style. His digital painting has a very contemporary feel . Using these young girls in this piece hes showing there fashion in today's modern culture. He changes the the whole feel to the artwork using brush techniques and highlights that brings the artwork to life. This gives the piece a more controlled relaxed tone.

He minimises key areas and exsenchuates others using airbrush techniques to give the artwork a sense of professionalism.

Alex Barber

Here he is promoting a brand for a particular company using artistic figures almost as models. The retoucher has added these elements and has taken out areas of the piece which he thought congested the feel to the advert.

Alex Barber

Here are are images illustrating where i could venture in my work. Taking a texured image and adapting it into a retouched main figures and background.

Ethan Izzarelli

From bringing these original pictures together he was able to construct an image which has been manipulated into the one piece. He has altered most things here and has toned down the initial colour saturation. Brought out imperfections into the key figures and the hockey puck to all compliment the lighting. All of these elements have combined to create a finished piece.

Ethan Izzarelli

He shows a progressive thought process, adapting new features using new layers of images and embedding them into the original retouched image. This creates the scene from a bland view of a skyline into a finished piece.

He also adds slight but affective changes o the background, especially the drift of the palm trees which brings intensity and motion to the relative objects in view.

He starts with the original image then he alters around the centred atmospheric feel which this image omits to the other additional images.

The overall visual effects i hope to recreate for the next stage in my development to produce my own digital artwork.

Isley Brothers- CD cover

This is another CD cover which ive experimented on to illustrate my thoughts further. I have again taken a figure out of the original image and changed the appearance of the photograph using airbrush techniques. Also creating a solo artist who was before in a group from altering words and imbeded them into the image.

Timbaland -CD cover

In this experiment i have taken the music artists 'Timbaland' out of the original. My intentions from doing this was to see whether i was able to take a figure out of the image to create my own background using the resources which are found in the picture. As well as this I've airbrushed certain areas aswell as adjust the lighting in the piece to emphasise the shadow image.

Controversial Editing in Media

Here is an image used in journalism world as controversial photo manipulation.

Pictures as this have triggered debates throughout media on what is appropriate in journalism, the argument against editing was that the magazine depicted something that did not exist, and presented it as fact.

This cover shows quite clearly the mugshot taken of a man who is yet to be convicted is depicted on the cover of 'time' magazine as almost a criminal through the colour saturation which had been tampered with to affect O.J Simpson's innocence which he attained with the overall constrasting look on the cover of 'Newsweek'. It shows the endless lengths media will go to to portray anything they want us to believe.

I have looked to experiment with this idea in photoshop. After looking at many retouched photographs , both from present and past. I'll be delving into experimenting equipped with the knowledge of the fundamentals of the area, maybe only lacking a few key skills which would allow me to refine the retouched pictures with precision and accuracy.

Photo Manipulation

This shows photo manipulation used for political propaganda during Stalin's rein as dictator during the 1930's. It illustrates a picture involving himself as well and the commissar Nikolai Yezhov. One image where he appears, however in the retouched photoshop he is not seen. Also there is more detail put upon Stalin and that half of the picture, whereas the other side onto the river it has been faded out and therefore has less relevance to the piece which is what the retoucher intended.

Joan Wood

This artwork is a result from two images as well as a textured outlay for the work to be set upon. They all lay on top of each other to uncover a genuine original stamping of the piece related to its era.

Joan Wood obviously took to emphasis the female figure in this work as it was intended and centred for women as a possible advert. She adds a authentic look which has originated from a more contemporary look blended in with a landscape artists work which brings the piece to life.

It has a renaissance feel because it was inspired from that in particular era. We instantaneously know it is because like many artworks from any popular art era it has an immediate impact as a recognisable styled piece; e.g. modern culture.pop art.

Glenn Feron- Retouching artist

This is showing a retouched face, where blemishes are cleared leaving you with a smooth looking complexion.

Airbrushed from the face to background it shows deep work into key areas which are either exaggerated or reduced to finish with a completed piece of work.

I have an intermediate to advance knowledge in photo shop and am intrigued by the results from learning such techniques in digital art. I am enhancing my skills in order to refine pieces of photography which will enable me to create a finished piece of art.

This is a picture which illustrates my point on adjusting lighting, clearin up imperfections.

You can see where he has brought out colour to almost surround the car with the pavement to the motorway beams directly above.

I feel he has done an excellent job on holding onto realistic lighting. Aswell as this it seems he has managed to create the illusion that the bridge is not engulfing the car which it seems in the original.

Glenn Feron

This is a retouching artists work which is showing on image with just the woman in an original, but what he has done is arrange a couple of pictures to create his piece with the cat placed next to the cat litter tray to emphasise his idea in the constructed piece.

My idea is to explore the whole concept of whats real and fake portrayed through media and digital artwork which illustrates my thoughts.

Ill be touching on aspects of work that delve into the idea that nothing is what it seems. e.g magazines, cd covers and in general digital that has inspired me to uncover that truths and lies within current media as we know it today.

We all have our own beliefs of what should be placed in media and to not give our young generation miscontrude thoughts on what we look at and idolise. However in reality advertisers are our very own modern day hypnotisers where only superificial ideals are shown as perfection but what we do not see are the originals which would show blemishes, scars. The media is able to create its own reality excempt from our own. No-one is truly perfect but its coming to the stage where everyone is aspiring to complete faultlessness justified through media control.

Also photo manipulation may be a main focus from branching out from the whole notion of what is not real. Gathering images then adjusting parts, lighting to construct my own feel to a re-mastered piece.

I came to this idea from looking at media having the ability to place anyone into a picture e.g celebrities; which stems i think from political propaganda where people were constantly put into a photograph at a certain time to fool their allies.