Photo Montage

Starting off for this week’s blog I’ve developed a simple cross-fading project that includes pictures that I took at the recreational park located in downtown Lawton. Although I don’t consider myself a professional photographer, I do enjoy getting out and taking pictures of nature. The overall theme for my cross-fade project is tranquility of nature juxtaposed with mankind. The first half of the video shows both of these subjects; however, artificial devices are concealed by elements of nature. Following this, I display rust and decay of the man-made objects. I finish the video by further emphasizing the relevance of nature and how both coexist with one another.

Rationale
The reason that I created this cross fade project was to improve my photography skills and showcase my skills in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Instead of creating a static image gallery, I thought that it would be beneficial to create an intriguing video. I believe that an animated video will capture and engage others.

Materials Used

I started by first taking images using my Nikon CoollPix L120 camera. I imported the images to my computer and reduced the size using Photoshop. I then developed the cross-fade video in one of my favorite video editing programs, Adobe After Effects (AE).

Technical Difficulty
Surprisingly, the video editing task was not as difficult as I assumed it would be.  I’ve had similar projects in the past where I had to develop cross-fading videos using Flash. This process is somewhat time consuming because I would have to keyframe each image to fade in and out. However, AE had a very handy Effect that I dropped on each of the pictures; the process was basically done for me. Moreover, AE has so many different features that I never had the chance to really explore  the various plugins and effects that the program has to offer.

Closing Thoughts
This was also a reflective process for myself. I not only learned how to use effects in AE more effectively, I also improved as a photographer.  As I was integrating the images into the program, I singled out the best photos that I had and discarded the ones that were not up to par. I considered content, contrast, use of elements, and theme. As you will notice in many of my shots, I incorporated some long-shots and quite a lot of close ups. I believe that close ups to me are very personal and allow the viewer to get a better feel on the intended content. A lot of my photos have are closeup shots.

Tips or Other Comments
I recently learned about AE when I took my first 3D course at Cameron University and I fell in love with it! For those of you who aren’t familiar with the AE, it is a digital motion graphics and composting software program that can be used for 2D and 2.5D animation.The program offers a variety of features and plugins to make video editing a less daunting task. Of course, it has its draw-backs--one being that it is very CPU intensive. However, it is overall a great program that I would recommend.

Final Product

Introduction

Hello, my name is Dominique Thomas and this is my first blog. My I’ve never thought of making a blog before. Personally, I prefer to keep to myself; however, I’m open to new experiences.

More specifically, I’ve created this blog for my Theory/Pedagogy/Tools-Online Learning class. Although this is my first blogging experience, this is not my first time being a part of a Virtual Community. A virtual community is comprised of individuals who share common interests, ideas, or feelings. These individuals interact over the Internet or other networks.  Virtual  communities also consist of diverse individuals from different cultural backgrounds who have various skill sets and motivations. A community that does not foster individual thought makes little room for advancement (socially or academically). This is because there is no further inquiry being made beyond a particular topic. Although it is good to have a shared sense of identity in a given community, it is also prevalent that the participants of a virtual community  have his or hers own individual identity. This autonomy allows the individual to submit mindful and personal posts on a designated topic.
 
Throughout the course of this semester, I will list some of my hobbies and develop projects about my learning experiences. The purpose for this assignment is twofold. I will not only reflect upon what I have learned, I will also provide an insightful understanding of how I reached a certain end product. This blog will also help others better understand who I am. I hope that my posts can inspire or change the mindset of others, improve the community relationship, promote self-reflection, and participation. I hope that this blog will be an open experience for all who are willing to join. Remember, if you have questions or concerns, please feel free to email me. As always, stay tuned for future posts.