My Starting Point

My first idea was to experiment with part of my idea, which is the idea of animals and humans. To the left is the result of my ideas and my first photoshoot for this exam unit. I created this image using PhotoShop, carefully removing the head of the dog from the photo below left, and placing over the head of the girl, below right. I've tried carefully using my editing skills to combine the images seamlessly. To extract the head from the first image I used the selection tools, with a slight feathered edge to cut it out of the picture. Then, I took this in to the open window of the second photo and pasted it on a new layer. In order to make the image fit I had to rotate it to the correct position following the posture of the subject within the second image. One thing I had to adjust within the second picture was the hair of the main subject. I knew that when the dog's head was placed over the top, there would be hair sticking out, so I decided to use the clone tool to change this. 

In the background I have covered over any visible hair using the clone tool with the cabinet behind. The same has been done with the front of the subject, and her chest. I have extended the neck of the t-shirt that she was wearing, and have also used the clone tool to select colours from the first image of the dog to replace the bare chest area, and create the idea that the neck continues down further.
The levels of light within both the images were slightly different so I have tried my best to adjust these accordingly too to make the head fit in better with the background surroundings. 


I think the message I have aimed and have achieved portraying within this image is that of animals being a very focal part of our everyday lives, that pets are almost more than that, they are more like family members. Maybe we groom and look after them too much, they have become more like accessories in modern society.

This has proved a really effective starting point and a way to express and show my ideas that I have. There isn't a great range of examples here, however it does create a good starting example from which to further my ideas. I will now go on to develop further with more combinations of animals and humans, and will develop this idea. I am going to try out double exposures with film, combining images in the dark room through old fashioned methods, as well as more digital combinations.