Cresencia Overlay

I went ahead a combined the 3 action shots of wife and dog, and these are the results:

This first one is just a straight overlay of 3 layers. Cool, but too dark and too blue.

Then I cut out my wife and dog in two of the three images, combined them, and then reduced their transparency. My intent was to try to get more of a sense of 'time lapsing' in this one... not sure if I completely succeeded. But I do like this one the best out of the three.

Then I played with the luminocity, and it is mostly greyscale with the frisbee and her leg being in color (you have to click to see the larger version to see the color). Again, I like it, but the contrast is weak without the color.

Compilation

In celebration of the end of yet another term, here is a PDF overview (2.5mb) of all the photo explorations – in no particular order – I have done in quest for the 'awe' effect.

(Just remember that none of these images are finalized yet, and in some, the typography is especially pathetic)

Foundation Variation

This is not the other variation that I mention last week to my thesis advisors that I still wanted to do, but it is due to a suggestion made by my instruction, Professor Nelson...

I still have two more variations of this one I have in my head. Hopefully I will find time this week to do so...

new shoot

I finally convinced my wife to partake in this project, and here is a short list of potential photos:

#1

#2

#3

#4-6
Action sequence (have already combined these three)

#7

#8

I just threw this last one in here because it is a great shot
(the black lab, Blue, is our dog. The scary-looking Rottweiler mix, Smokey, is our friends' dog... they actually get along superbly, and this is how they play (rough))

#9

Pushing it...

Since I have been somewhat reluctant to intrude too much into the photos I have been taken (out of a (misguided or not) sense of letting the photo represent the true space of each participant), Professor Zeller asked me to try pushing an image beyond what I was doing... to put more of a "Greg" stamp on it, and see if I liked it. Below are three variations.

One thing to remember is that these are shrunken from the 'final' size of the photos. This is to help viewing the large images on the web, for which I have yet to find a good  middle ground.

The current size of these is 13.3" x 10".

For a sizing reference, the size of the type in the main quote is 36pt in the middle pic, and 16pt in the last pic, eminently readable (I tend to think the type is still too big)...

Here is a full transcription of part 1 (of 2) of an interview with Dr. Cook, taken 4 days after her photoshoot.

Background info:
Over 600 pics taken, deleted 200 immediately dues to out of focus, bad composition, etc.

The number of photos that I liked where the focal point is Dr. Cook, about 32-35
I whittled it down to 21, then whittled it down again to 8 or 11. I had three final pics from which I chose the end image.

INTERVIEW, part 1:
______________________

So you are?
My name's Andrea. Hi everybody.

What do you do?
I play volleyball

Professionally, what do you do?
City Climate Change manager

Why do you like what you do?
Because I feel like I'm helping people, and the earth... I'm making a difference.

What was your first reaction when I asked you to do this?
Its a no brainer, I thought the project was cool, kinda like you, so why not?

What about the project interested you? Did it intrigue you at a certain level?
I believe in sacred places, I've been in many. It can be really simple places... in the woods, at the beach, sunset, communicating with a person, doing volunteer work... all kinds of ways to be sacred.

For me, the nature has been really sacred, one of these escapes, so I think sacred paces... can be really varied. For me, its not the church. Its not not the church. It could be, but its not.

What do you think of when you hear the word "sacred"?
I think of places like indian burial grounds. I think of places like churches. I think of watching the surf. I think of watching the sunset. I think of ruins, sort of ancient ruins. Some friendships are sacred, some communications are sacred. Those kind of things.

What does it mean to you, on a personal level, abstractly?
It means there is a power greater, or an energy greater, or a sphere greater than ourselves that is awe-inspiring in someway, whether it is looking at how a painting looks, or how ruins look, the ocean or anything.

Talk to me about your sacred place. Why did you choose what you chose?
Well in this case I chose volleyball at the beach. Because it is a sacred place that has always been with me since seventh grade... a place I've always gone, a volleyball court, to meet people, to exercise, to watch sunsets, to experience the outdoors at the beach. It is fun, something I can really rely on in my life, one of the strongest themes that is there. It brings relief, it brings friendships, exercise, and is free to do and available to do and I need to live by. You know, I moved back to San Diego to live at the beach and play volleyball because it grounds me, having a commitment to play certain days, times and places.

It's sacred time, I don't trade it in for hardly anything, you know? It has to be something really big if I am going to give up my volleyball time, you know. So I hold it sacred as a commitment in my life so I have the break, so I have the free time, so I have the exercise.

And then the motion, you can play... I can play without paying attention, instinct at some levels. I don't have to think or process much. My body knows what to do, things happen on instinct. It's out of... It doesn't have to be effort. So I like it.

You said before that when you are out there, you like playing more more more. How do you feel like when you are playing, when you are "in the moment"? What is that experience when you are playing?
I love it. It just feels like you are in the game, and exercising and having fun and hitting this ball around. Yeah, I don't like to sit out, I don't like to sit and watch the game. I like to be involved in the game, and involved in the game in high level. Meaning, you know, its not the same if you're playing with six people on a side, or you're playing co-ed... women's twos has the most comfort and fluidity. And I feel happier playing. I like to feel tire, I guess, by the end of it. Like I've really worked out, worked out hard... that I really tried at whatever. And it does so many things at the same time.

Book interior

Here is a potential interior spread of the book.
The page size is conditionally 15" x 10.5", and the type is mostly greeked, as I have not had time to transcribe my interview with Dr. Cook yet.