Sorry it took so long to write. I've been pretty busy.
Your project is very well on a conceptual level, but I notice several inconsistencies in the execution:
1) I don't really understand how the planes of your assembly are defined. Photographically, it is highly unlikely that all elements are in focus. The distance should make objects in the back slightly more light-hearted than those in front.
2) It is not clear to me where the main light source is in the overall scene. For the girl and the mill the sun seems to be above and to the right, but for the mountains it is to the left. For the bubbles I have no idea because some have the glitter on one side and others on the other.
3) The mill must be gigantic because it is practically the size of a small mountain. Were you targeting that? If so, does that ratio apply to the girl as well? Is she that giant?
4) Soap bubbles are basically reflective spheres with iridescent colors and precisely for that reason they should reflect their entire environment not just the elements that are close to them. The problem is that its surface is very unstable and generates distortion in reflections in addition to spherical distortion. In simpler terms, the bubbles are not flat mirrors, they are spherical therefore all that is reflected is not a faithful copy but a spherical distortion as if it were a super wide angle lens contaminated with litmus colors.
5) In a scene with so much green the light that bounces off the grass and the trees causes that the elements nearby have a slight green-blue coloration, especially when the light comes from a clear blue sky. It is subtle but it must be there.
As you can see, most are details of aesthetic consistency and coherence in the behavior of light on different surfaces. If we want our montages to look truly real, we must be very observant of how light behaves and try to replicate that behavior in our montages. For that, I recommend working with a real reference photograph that has a background with the light conditions that you want to emulate. So when you put together your background make sure that the light source (s) are consistent and that all the elements of your background obey those consistency rules and that they look like in the reference photo.
When we simply cut out photographs and compose them on a canvas in a random way (this happens when we use the first photos that we come across - as if any photograph would work for us) we are actually making a photographic collage and not a photomontage. In a photomontage there must be that coherence and consistency in the behavior of the light that I am talking about. This is why your project looks more like a collage to me. Note that there is nothing wrong with photo collages. It is a valid technique and there are brilliant people who do it. But it is not the technique that I try to teach in my course. I am aiming for the sale of an optical illusion to those who look at our work. Fool your eyes for a second into believing that what you see is real. This is complex. It requires an extensive study of perspectives, the behavior of light under infinite conditions and the effects it produces on color.
You are on a very good path, I don't want you to be disappointed. On the contrary, I can guarantee that your next assembly will look better if you pay attention to these details. The next one will be even better and in less than what you expect, you will intuitively notice those inconsistencies. That's what it's all about, gradually progressing.
Hi Carlos, very good observations and constructive criticisms that I will certainly apply to my next jobs as I plan to turn my hobby into my profession. I would like in the future to develop the technique and do great jobs. I hope I can keep in touch because the more criticism someone's work has, the more it impacts the way any future work is carried out.
Thank you very much for the course, sincerely it helped me a lot to use certain tools of the program, as well as some basic techniques that I will add to my designs, that you are well Carlos, and although I only know you for the course, and for the short time that I've been following on your social networks, I admire you very much for the work you do and for the goals you have achieved. I also hope in the future to represent the community of Mexican designers around the world.
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displayname1187557
Teacher PlusHello Jesus,
Sorry it took so long to write. I've been pretty busy.
Your project is very well on a conceptual level, but I notice several inconsistencies in the execution:
1) I don't really understand how the planes of your assembly are defined. Photographically, it is highly unlikely that all elements are in focus. The distance should make objects in the back slightly more light-hearted than those in front.
2) It is not clear to me where the main light source is in the overall scene. For the girl and the mill the sun seems to be above and to the right, but for the mountains it is to the left. For the bubbles I have no idea because some have the glitter on one side and others on the other.
3) The mill must be gigantic because it is practically the size of a small mountain. Were you targeting that? If so, does that ratio apply to the girl as well? Is she that giant?
4) Soap bubbles are basically reflective spheres with iridescent colors and precisely for that reason they should reflect their entire environment not just the elements that are close to them. The problem is that its surface is very unstable and generates distortion in reflections in addition to spherical distortion. In simpler terms, the bubbles are not flat mirrors, they are spherical therefore all that is reflected is not a faithful copy but a spherical distortion as if it were a super wide angle lens contaminated with litmus colors.
5) In a scene with so much green the light that bounces off the grass and the trees causes that the elements nearby have a slight green-blue coloration, especially when the light comes from a clear blue sky. It is subtle but it must be there.
As you can see, most are details of aesthetic consistency and coherence in the behavior of light on different surfaces. If we want our montages to look truly real, we must be very observant of how light behaves and try to replicate that behavior in our montages. For that, I recommend working with a real reference photograph that has a background with the light conditions that you want to emulate. So when you put together your background make sure that the light source (s) are consistent and that all the elements of your background obey those consistency rules and that they look like in the reference photo.
When we simply cut out photographs and compose them on a canvas in a random way (this happens when we use the first photos that we come across - as if any photograph would work for us) we are actually making a photographic collage and not a photomontage. In a photomontage there must be that coherence and consistency in the behavior of the light that I am talking about. This is why your project looks more like a collage to me. Note that there is nothing wrong with photo collages. It is a valid technique and there are brilliant people who do it. But it is not the technique that I try to teach in my course. I am aiming for the sale of an optical illusion to those who look at our work. Fool your eyes for a second into believing that what you see is real. This is complex. It requires an extensive study of perspectives, the behavior of light under infinite conditions and the effects it produces on color.
You are on a very good path, I don't want you to be disappointed. On the contrary, I can guarantee that your next assembly will look better if you pay attention to these details. The next one will be even better and in less than what you expect, you will intuitively notice those inconsistencies. That's what it's all about, gradually progressing.
I hope this information helps you, greetings!
Carlos J.
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displayname3013650
Hi Carlos, very good observations and constructive criticisms that I will certainly apply to my next jobs as I plan to turn my hobby into my profession. I would like in the future to develop the technique and do great jobs. I hope I can keep in touch because the more criticism someone's work has, the more it impacts the way any future work is carried out.
Thank you very much for the course, sincerely it helped me a lot to use certain tools of the program, as well as some basic techniques that I will add to my designs, that you are well Carlos, and although I only know you for the course, and for the short time that I've been following on your social networks, I admire you very much for the work you do and for the goals you have achieved. I also hope in the future to represent the community of Mexican designers around the world.
Greetings.
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