"Growth" [Week 2 - passing of time] iPhone photography. Made by flicking drops of water onto an old fashioned projector and projecting onto a wall. To me, the word growth evoked images of bacteria and mould, but I didn't know how to capture this without a microscope and lab sample. While playing around with a projector screen, I became fascinated with the way objects project onto blank space, and found that water droplets gave a similar effect to what I wanted. The blurriness enhances this, in my opinion, as it seems almost otherworldly. #oneperday2017

"Mushroom rotting 1" [Week 2 - passing of time] A quick 1min drawing as part of in-class task. I think the rough nature of the drawing lends itself to the subject matter as it is earthy and raw, while still clearly displaying what it is supposed to be. It was challenging to put some detail into the drawing in such a short time, and to draw without a reference image. #oneperday2017

"Mushroom rotting 2" [Week 2 - passing of time] 1min drawing, continuation of class task. This progression shows a mushroom degrading and rotting over time, with this image being the rotted version of the initial sketch. The imprecise sketches work well to illustrate this, as it was drawn from imagination and little knowledge of what a rotting mushroom does look like. #oneperday2017

"Mushroom rotting 3" [Week 2 - passing of time] Quick sketch, continuation of previous two images. I chose to continue the image series at home with a third image, as two felt incomplete, and I wanted to display further decay and how this makes the object unrecognisable. The fast, messy pencil strokes display this well, with the lines being darker and stronger than in the previous two, to show the rotten blackness of the produce. #oneperday2017

"Time blur" [Week 2 - passing of time] Canon EOS 7D photography f/22 isoAuto ss3. Shaking the camera after taking a photo. After experimenting with the camera and different settings, I discovered that I liked the way lights appears to move in different shapes when the camera moves, so I took this photo of a friend standing on some stairs. The blurred nature is meant to represent movement in time, and how it blurs together into memories. The person being in the shot gives it a human, and therefore more relatable presence and more context. It was challenging getting a good formation of light without the photo being too blurry to comprehend the subject. #oneperday2017

"Purple light" [Week 3 - a classmate] iPhone photography, using purple/pink flashlights. This photo was mostly an accident in the experimental lighting process during class, but I liked the way the pink light hits the highlighted areas of cheek and arm, and the casual posing, so that this could have been a photo taken in a bar or club. #oneperday2017

"The Unwilling Muse" [Week 3 - someone I live with] Canon EOS 7D photography, auto setting with B&W brightness/contrast photoshop edits, next to a bright window for Rembrandt lighting technique. I wanted to create an authentic image that would allow genuine personality to shine through, so I told jokes and caught the candid 'in between' moments. My partner (subject of the image) was also reluctant to model and was unsure how to pose following direction, which made a more staged photo seem awkward and uninviting. I liked the slight blur to the image that makes it seem softer and more intimate. A challenge was getting the right amount of light from the window to create shadow. #oneperday2017

"Stranger" [Week 3 - a stranger] iPhone photography, using a reflector and diffuser for butterfly lighting effect. The photo was taken in class of someone I have never met before, in a candid moment. I tend to prefer less stages photos, as they can be awkward without a professional model, and they sometimes fail to capture the person's essence. I also liked the empty wall space and shadow contrasted with the bright shirt, which gives the otherwise fairly uninteresting image a little bit of pop. It was a challenge focussing the iPhone camera in the slightly dimmed lights, and capturing a non posed moment. #oneperday2017

"Illustrated self portrait" [Week 3 - self portrait] 2min drawing without lifting the pencil from the paper. This was drawn as a part of an in-class exercise, looking at myself in the mirror. I liked the continuity and imprecise nature of the drawing, and the mixture of dark hard lines and softer sketchy areas. #oneperday2017

"Windswept" [Week 3 - self portrait] Canon EOS 7D photography using 2 second self timer, auto setting, camera placed on a shelf, brightness/contrast edits in photoshop and of the raw image. Using a hairdryer for the wind. While styling my hair one day this week, I noticed the interesting shapes that hair makes when being blown around, and the unpreventable screwed-up facial expressions we make when directly faced with gusts of air, and I wanted to capture this. The background setting is my bedroom, which I thought was fitting for a self portrait as this is where I spend most of my time. The messy hair served also as a kind of metaphor for the thoughts that constantly blow around my mind, uncontrollable. It was challenging to use the self timer and being unable to quickly check and adjust camera settings as the photos are taken. I ended up with many photos, but chose this one as I liked the hair formations. #oneperday2017

"Hot Food Bar" [Week 4 - Ekka] iPhone photography with photoshop adjustments. As I walked past this display at the end of the night, I noticed the vibrant neon lights and how these really sum up the vibrancy, excitement, and indeed sensory overload, of the Ekka experience to me. It was difficult focussing the iPhone camera on the bright lights without overexposure, while still capturing the depth of shadow. I chose to offset the stall in the frame because it made the 'hot food bar' neon sign the centre focus, and I thought the contrast the shadowy dark alley gives made the colours pop forward more. #oneperday2017

"Sheep Feeding" [Week 4 - Ekka] iPhone photography, cropped. Feeding the animals is a staple at the Ekka, and this year I was looking to capture the true desperation the animals have for their food - they will pull the cup out of your hand if given the chance. While this image is not technically advanced, it was the craziness in the sheep's eye and the in-your-face nature that drew me to it. It was difficult getting a aesthetically pleasing photograph, as the animals cannot be controlled, and the lighting is strongly artificial, but in the end I like the frantic looking blurriness. #oneperday2017

"Hot Food Express" [Week 4 - Ekka] Combination pen tool in Illustrator and colour Sketch photoshop effect, drawn from iPhone photography. For me, a large part of the Ekka is getting the greasy hot food - a dagwood dog is a once-a-year must have. I took a photo of the food, but decided I wanted to experiment more with different image making techniques and produce a digital copy that eliminated background noise and focussed on the food. I decided this was a good image to draw digitally as the food could be easily simplified into shapes, which worked well. I like the strangeness of having hands seemingly floating in the air, and the simplicity it brings. #oneperday2017

"Blue sky" [Week 4 - Ekka] iPhone photography, no editing. This photo summarises the Ekka in my opinion - carnival games, food stands, the ferris wheel, huge crowds, and bright sunny days. I found the gradient of the sky particularly interesting in this image, as well as the 'V' composition the trees form. I also liked the simplicity of the image. Originally I wanted to capture the winding masses of people in the street, but this did not quite show up on the iPhone camera. #oneperday2017

"Clean up" [Week 4 - Ekka] iPhone photography with cropping and minor adjustments. Generally I enjoy capturing candid and unexpected moments in photography, especially with people, instead of posed and staged photos. I liked how this photo showed the not often thought about side of the Ekka, which is the hard and dirty work that goes into it - not just the bright lights and showbags. I found the juxtaposition of the lady emptying the rubbish bin and the man carrying a handful of bags interesting, and also the lady's face of acceptance. It was challenging to create an aesthetically pleasing and well composed image, because the moment only lasted a few seconds. #oneperday2017

"Cadbury Milk Chocolate" [Week 5 - wrapper of favourite treat from teenage years] Right hand brain style drawing (using a grid) from a photo of the wrapper, drawn with charcoal pencil and eraser on standard A4 paper. I always like the way labels warp and crinkle when opened, and when put in black and white, they provided a very interesting contrasted image to draw. Cadbury is also a classic favourite chocolate of mine - nothing beats it. It was challenging, but a rewarding exercise, to draw only the shapes and different shades, square by square instead of looking at the bigger picture. #oneperday2017

"Tag" [Week 5 - a diagram of a game I played in Grade 3] Drawn in Illustrator using pen tool, shape tools, and text. When trying to remember which games I used to play, the first that came to mind was the classic game of tag, sometimes also called tiggy. I wanted to draw a very simple diagram of the game, to reflect how simple and easy it is to play, so I kept the shapes and colours basic and blocky. I put slightly more detail into the middle image since this is the focal point of the game, and I felt it needed slightly more explanation. It was challenging to create this image for many reasons. Firstly, it was hard to come up with a way to simply yet clearly illustrate the game. It was also tricky using Illustrator with my limited knowledge, and to decide how much detail to put in. Overall I think this diagram clearly shows how to play tag, so I'm happy with the result. #oneperday2017

"Clouds" [Week 5 - picture of the sky] 2:51pm at Norman Park, Brisbane. iPhone photography with brightness/contrast edits. I liked the drama of the sun behind the clouds, and how this makes the clouds appear thick and multi-dimensional. I also found it interesting the way the clouds look somewhat dark and stormy and the sky is darker at the top of the image, but in other parts it is bright and blue, so the weather at the time is unclear. Unfortunately I couldn't quite capture the depth and full effect of the shot with only an iPhone, but I wasn't somewhere with a DSLR readily available. #oneperday2017

"Bedroom" [Week 5 - draw a place from childhood from memory] Staedtler triplus fineliner black ink pen and chalk pastel on A4 paper. When i tried to remember a place from my childhood, the first place I though of was the bedroom in my childhood home. I saw a friend drawing a picture of a landscape scene similar to this using the fine tip black ink pens, and thought it looked nice and wanted to try it for myself, which became the base of the image. I was planning to only have the black line art, however when I was drawing I found it difficult to remember some aspects of the room, and the pen was too precise to convey this. So, I decided to try and display the fuzziness that was in my head through multi coloured pastels. This also doubled as a kind of crayon look, to emphasise the childhood element. #oneperday2017

"My house" [Week 5 - the house I live in when I started at QUT] Series of polaroid photographs using Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 and varying exposures. I wanted to experiment with a different medium, and thought that the polaroids would give a nice soft look to the images. I decided on a series because with photos that are taken so quickly with little room for adjustment, and that capture such a small moment in time, one photo didn't really cover what I had in my head that my home is. I like how when using a polaroid camera, something that would seem irrelevant and boring on a DSLR can turn into something interesting and moody with relatively little thought or consideration. I tried to utilise light and shadows in the photos, and interesting lines, to show a different side to a house rather than 'real estate' shots. #oneperday2017

"Dog" [Week 6 - see that thing] iPhone photography. I noticed one afternoon that the books and ornaments on one of my shelves formed the shape of a dog head (the snout pointing left, the paper crane makes the ear shadow). Taking the photo straight away was important since shadows can change very quickly as the sun moves, and since I didn't have an SLR on hand, the photo quality is not as high as I would've liked, so the shape is not as clear. #oneperday2017

"Flamingo" [Week 6 - see that thing] iPhone photography, Photoshop editing. I noticed that the curves of my desk lamp looked like the neck of a bird, and the pink colour led me to thinking it could be a flamingo. The only thing missing was longer legs. To more clearly illustrate how the lamp looks like a flamingo, I moved it to a more open and well lit area to photograph, and drew in some more details. I like the simplicity of this image, and how it is very clear what the lamp is supposed to look like. There wasn't much more reasoning behind the photo except that it looked like a flamingo. #oneperday2017

"Angry car" [Week 6 - see that thing] iPhone photography, Photoshop drawing. One of the things I do to pass time on road trips is look for the car 'faces' as they drive past. I noticed that this Mazda (belonging to a friend) has a particularly angry face. The headlights are the eyes, the bottom vent the grimacing mouth, the Mazda badge is the nose, and the license plate could be a moustache. The two side vents make angry lines around the mouth, just like a human gets. I decided to add eyebrows because I thought this would make it even more expressive. I like the way the paint tool doesn't try and seem too real - it is simply drawing on a photo - which I think suits the theme better. #oneperday2017

"Flour" [Week 6 - see that thing] iPhone photography, minor photoshop edits. I had seen this type of technique on the internet using a variety of mediums - tea, salt, water - and am always intrigued by the double image, and how it can trick your eyes, so I decided to try it out using flour. While it is admittedly very clear that this photo is staged, I still found it interesting and challenging to create, and I think it is interesting to look at. I decided not to make the face too detailed so it was not as apparent when first looking at the image, adding to the illusion. It was challenging to get the negative space to look just enough like a face that it could be seen. #oneperday2017

"Elephant tree" [Week 6 - see that thing] iPhone photography with drawn editing in Photoshop. I took this photo from out of the car windshield driving down the street, as I noticed that this tree looked like an elephant stretching over the intersection. It was challenging to get this photo at the right angle while driving in a car, but I like how it turned out. I decided to add the drawn elements as the elephant shape isn't immediately clear, especially with lots of background objects that surround it on the street which distract from the shape. #oneperday2017

"Droplet" [Week 7 - light and scale] Canon EOS 7D photography - f/2.8 iso100 ss1/125. Cropping and minor editing in Photoshop. I originally tried using water to create a droplet photo after seeing examples of this photo style in tutorials, however the water either didn't form drops or it slid off too quickly to capture the shot. So, after investigating solutions online I used glucose syrup, smearing it on the leaf and waiting for it to drip. This image took a lot of trial and error with camera settings, angles, and methods to achieve the final result. I liked the stretch look of the drop in this shot, and the curved smear that tracks a path down the leaf, leading the eye down the centre of the image. I also liked the upside down world that is created inside the drop. For obvious reasons this image was very challenging to create, and if I were to do it again I would experiment with different backdrops to create patterns in the droplet, since this is slightly more advanced. #oneperday2017

"Red light" [Week 7 - light and scale] Fujifilm XT-20 photography - f/22 iso100 ssT. Using 2 red iPhone torchlight screens to light paint. When experimenting with light painting and long exposure, I liked the abstracted shapes it can make, and how you can't be fully sure how these will look until the photo is taken. I liked the ambiguous nature of this particular photo, and the depth given from different amounts of light in the trails. I also like how the background is almost completely dark, which creates nice contrast with the red. Small amount of blue give a bit more energy to the image as well, in my opinion, since it is not just flat red and black. The vertical swirled nature of the light allows the eye to follow a path downward and toward the centre where the most focussed light is, giving the image more purpose. #oneperday2017

"Clog" [Week 7 - light and scale] iPhone photography, cropped and adjusted in Photoshop. I was interesting in the idea of making small things seem larger using perspectives, and wanted to give it a go. I trialled many different objects, but settled on this small (about 5cm) clog-shaped magnet from Amsterdam. I set it on a slight ledge so that the camera could view it straight on, and then got my friend to sit about a metre behind it. It was challenging to line up the feet with the rigidly shaped clogs, and to maintain focus on both foreground and background objects. I was a bit unhappy with the graininess of the photo, but without a DSLR it would be hard to improve. Overall, I think that the image is successful in that the magnet looks like it is a proper sized shoe until closer inspection. #oneperday2017

"Silhouette in light" [Week 7 - light and scale] Canon EOS 7D photography f/5.6 iso100 ss30. Cropping and minor colour edits on Photoshop. Setting the camera on the ground outside at nighttime, then running and tracing the figure with the iPhone torch. This image took a fair bit of trial and error, since it's hard to tell what it will look like until it's finished, which was challenging. I was looking at images of light painting on the internet after experimenting in the tutorial, and found that I liked the photos where objects or humans are outlined the best. I'm not entirely certain why this is, but in this image I like how the person is clearly visible, and the light gives it a sketchy feel. I chose not use a tripod because I liked the way the light reflected off the wooden beams, and how it seems a bit less posed - like the camera is just a spectator abandoned on the floor. #oneperday2017

"Macro threads" [Week 7 - light and scale] Canon EOS 7D photography maximum zoom, f/5.6 isoAUTO ss1/100. A macro photograph of a door mat. I was searching for something that would look different or interesting up close when I noticed my fraying door mat. I experimented taking pictures of different parts of the rug but decided on this section as I liked how it displayed each individual fraying strand, with one highlighted strand standing up. This gives a unique perspective since you wouldn't usually notice such detail in the rug - only the larger pattern. It was a challenge to get the camera at the right angle and focus simultaneously, since the rug was on the ground and it was hard to get low enough to highlight the strands sticking up. #oneperday2017

"Koi pond" [Week 8 - pattern drawn by me] Digital drawing using Illustrator. To draw this I used the pen and paintbrush tools, copying the original white fish into lines, then reflecting these both horizontally and vertically. I used the ruler tools to measure distance between the fish before rotating them on an angle. After creating the white fish pattern, I decided I wanted more depth to the image, so I duplicated the fish, resized them, and added another layer so that I could work on the different aspects more easily. I made the background fish a lighter colour so that they would blend in better, but then wanted something contrasting, so I made every second fish red. I decided to do a pattern of koi fish after seeing a pond with a couple large fish in it, and I liked the way the koi fish especially can look graceful and flowy when slightly stylised, especially the fins. While the final design isn't what I originally set out to do, since it was challenging to create what I had in mind with my limited Illustrator skills, I like how the multi layered pattern turned out, and I think it could easily translate into a print on a product. 

"Fur" [Week 8 - texture from nature] iPhone photography, minor editing in Photoshop. I took this close up photo of my dog's fur because I liked the way the light was creating different colours, which adds to the textural look, and how the hairs manage to look both soft and bristly at the same time. It was challenging on the iPhone camera to get the photo to focus, but in this final image I like how some areas are more sharply in focus than others, as it enhances the look of the different textures. #oneperday2017

"Mirror" [Week 8 - man made texture] Rubbing on paper with Medium hardness charcoal pencil. I created this rubbing on the frame of a mirror that has been in my family for several generations. I was hoping to get a little bit more detail using this method, since the frame has amazing filigree patterns, but it was difficult to get this detail because the frame is not flat - I had to try and curve the paper around the shape. While it is not as detailed as I would have liked and does not much look like a mirror frame, I ended up liking the ambiguous nature of the shade and light in this image. The charcoal and seemingly random shapes make it seem much moodier than I anticipated, almost like storm clouds. I also found it much easier going back to making images with pencil and paper after several weeks of only photography, which is not one of my strengths. #oneperday2017

"Tree stump" [Week 8 - pattern from nature] iPhone photography. A birds eye shot of one of the posts holding up a fence in my backyard. I chose to photograph this post because I love the concentric circles inside tree stumps, and when this one was wet it made the circles stand out even more. I also like how the cracks add to the pattern, and I find it incredible that nature can make near perfect circles in a piece of wood. I also liked the rays of light on the left hand side of the photo, which adds another layer of pattern. I don't think this photograph is of particularly high quality, so I would want to find a similar object with a more aesthetic surrounding if I could, and use a DSLR. #oneperday2017

"Wood blocks" [Week 8 - texture made by me] Canon EOS 7D photography of wooden puzzle toys, arranged in Photoshop. I wanted to create a texture that was interesting and not typical - I wanted it to be more 3D than flat, and be almost confusing to look at. I found the shapes and colours of these puzzle blocks on my desk very intriguing, and I wanted more so that I could create a full texture with them. I first took a photo of the two puzzles close together, then used the polygonal lasso tool to cut them out and delete the background. Then I copied and pasted the shapes close together over and over, using the transform tools to resize and reorient them to make the image more interesting. Originally I tried using the clone stamp tool to copy the shapes, but realised I wanted to be able to resize them so switched to copying. I am very happy with the end result - a geometric texture that boggles the mind. #oneperday2017

"Cactus head" [Week 9 - image manipulation] iPhone photography, edited in Photoshop. Took separate photos of my face, hand, and the potted succulent. I then used the quick selection and lasso tools to isolate each object, changed the brightness, contrast, and saturation, and used the spot healing brush tool and clone stamp to edit the face. I used a picture of the water at the beach as the background to create a subtle texture. I don't really know where the idea for this image came from - it just popped into my head. I was interested in images which remove or isolate objects, and I liked the idea of something unexpected coming out of a person's head. I also thought this would represent my world well since sometimes it's almost as if I do have a plant for a head, instead of a brain, and it represents my more quirky side. Originally the image only included the face, plant, and background, but I later added the hand so that the head wasn't aimlessly floating, and because I liked how it added to the pot plant image. I also added the cityscape to make it look more surreal, and also to link it more with the theme of 'my own world', since the picture was taken from my house. Since I didn't have a model, I was forced to take selfies on my iPhone camera. I tried using the self timer on a DSLR but it proved too difficult to get exactly what I wanted without seeing the images as they were being taken, since I had a very clear image of what I wanted in my head. I think that the iPhone photos turned out high enough quality though. Another challenge was trying to make the fingers seem as if they were gripping the face. I think in this respect it could be improved - I think the thumb has the best realistic quality. Overall, I really like the aesthetic of this image, and I'm happy with how clearly it looks as if the head is a pot plant. #oneperday2017