Photo Illustrations

Ah, the world of photoshop. This week I dipped my toes into the deep deep waters of photo manipulation, and worked on creating a photo illustration. Our goal was to create an image that was clearly maniplulated, and portrayed a deeper meaning.

I chose to make my photo illustration about the recent abortion ban in Alabama, as it has weighed heavily on me. Other states have created similar laws following, but none as strict as Alabama’s.

I chose to use the famous image of the astronaut, as this ban feels like a large moment in history, a large step back if you would. I chose the background of the map because the bill was passed in Montgomery, Alamaba, and I liked the idea of not making it about the state as a whole, as many people oppose the bill, but rather turning the view towards those who made and passed the bill. This includes Gov. Kay Ivey who had the final say in signing the bill.

As far as technical aspects with this photo illustration, I struggled with photoshop a lot to get this final image. In fact, I made a whole other image, and accidentally made it black and white. I watched so many tutorials, asked so many kind people, and no one knew how to get it back to color. So, I had to start all over again. I think I spent a total of 5 hours in the Student Technology Center just to get this one image! Pretty brutal.

However, I do feel like I have a much better grasp on Photoshop after this project. I am still a little initmidated, but excited to learn more and work on other photo illlustrations or fun projects with my new skills!

Below I’ll include my outtake, which caused me so much grief. I actually like my final version a lot more, so it was all for the best!