For the general Pensioner stage of life, I decided to use the photograph of the two cameo necklaces, as these are often considered vintage and aged (especially before they came back into fashion) and are often seen worn by the older generation, whether on necklaces or brooches.
I worked a little extra on this photograph. First I altered the hue of the image so that it had a sepia tone. Following this, I blurred the photo and added an overlay blend so that the photo appeared to glow a little. I then added a darker tone to the corners of the image, as if they had coloured with age. I then added some noise and a grain effect so that it looked as if there were dust and scratches on the image. Finally, I adjusted the levels of the image so that I could make the black areas a little bit lighter and the white areas a little bit darker as if they had faded with age.
I think these effects work well on this image as it gives the idea that the image is old and has aged with time, representing that the stage of life that it is for, is not at the start of life, but rather, near the end.
Time Taken: 45 minutes
Total Time Taken: 11 hours 15 minutes
This pocket watch was one I came across when looking for inspiration for my photos. I saw it and instantly thought of retirement - the reason for this is that it symbolises time is running out in the work place, and a lot more time will be on the persons hands after retirement. Also a watch is often given at retirement.
To edit this picture I duplicated the watch image and then reduced the hue of the background so that this was less prominent. I then increased the hue of the watch so that it was more obvious and added a bit of a blur for mystique. Following this I created a dark shadow of the watch and placed it directly upon it. Retirement usually happens towards the end of a person's life (though with increasing life expectancy this is not often the case any more) and so this shadow suggests that something is catching up with them, the end of their life is approaching.
I had to take time out due to other work and commitments but now I am getting back on track with working on the project.
Time taken = 45 minutes
Total time taken = 7 hours 30 minutes
Unfortunately I was forced to take another short hiatus in January as I had 6 GCSE exams which I need to revise for, however while waiting for my results (which I will receive in March) I am able to continue working on my Challenge.
These photos were ones I took and edited right at the start of the project, however I have finally decided what to do with them. Though they are the same picture, I have decided to use them both in the project as their meanings are quite similar and the final product of the photographs are quite different.
The first photography was done simply by using Photoshop CS3 and using the filter 'Coloured Pencil' and then altering the pencil thickness and stroke, and I left the saturation and colour intensity alone. I am planning for this photograph to be for the Illness part of the Pensioner age. The photograph isn't block colour, there are bits of colour everywhere as if something was inhibiting the person colouring it in. Therefore I think it works for this part of life as during illness, especially during old age as this is when illness affects us more than others, thinks inhibit us from working properly and we often don't feel whole, or complete and some parts of us don't feel right.
The second photography was also a simple edit. Using Photoshop CS3 I increased the saturation and then altered the light curves to accentuate the reds in the photograph. For this photograph I hope to use it for the Death stage. The bright yellow on the background at the right hand side, gradually changes to a dark red and finally to a black, as if suggesting the life running out from the fullness of adulthood through old age and finally to death. The flower itself, when I took the photo, was in its dying stages and this can still be seen in the photograph and so emphasises the meaning. Furthermore, the red glow around the flower suggests a life burning out.
Time taken = 30 minutes
Total time taken = 5 hour 45 minutes
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