Classwork
Past Process
One of the most fun parts of this elective was the ability to take photos hands-on. Although I am grateful for the resources and images I have found online, it was nice to have creative control over certain composition.
For the past matte painting, I decided to photograph Shad Thames. Shad Thames is one of London’s few area that has maintained its look for centuries, and I felt it would be an appropriate setting for the past. It was interesting to see how I can adapt its modernity to fit the aesthetic of the past. Luckily, there wasn’t much of a crowd on the day I went out, so I did not have to alter the image in that context. Additionally, the cloudy skies provided flat lighting, which helped create a simple base I could edit.
I ended up not editing too much of the image in terms of objects in the scene. I relied heavily on sky replacement and brightness to place the setting in the past. Something I learnt during this process was the use of blending modes to create lighting. I was able to successfully light up the lanterns on the street and create warmth within the image.
I used free-use vintage images I found online to populate the scene. I was able to capture time-appropriate clothing this way, and it gave the composition a shadow-puppet theatre feel. I leaned in on this collage effect in my other matte paintings.
Present Process
I wanted this image to be as down-to-earth as possible. While exploring the area around London Bridge, I found it interesting how there was a balance of historic buildings, such as the Tower Bridge, right next to modern office buildings. I wanted to delve into this theme of old-timey architecture being overshadowed corporate glass buildings.
I first created a collage to help get started with the process:
While I liked the look of crowded buildings, I did not like how undefined the image was. I soon decided that changing the aspect ratio of the matte painting could help me achieve this effect.
I wanted the classic architecture to be constrained within the bottom third of the image, while the other buildings tower over. I also wanted to reduce the amount of sky in the image, making the viewer feel suffocated. I also played with colour and saturation to emphasize the divide between the two architectural styles.
Future Process
Going into the last matte painting, I felt like I had no direction. I made several experiments to help find something to go off of.
After making this collage, I decided that I wanted to lean further into the collage look, and took heavy inspiration from retrofuturism.
I touched upon the theme of climate change, while also trying to illustrate the impermanence and persistence of modern architecture.
Final Images