Connecting Essay 1

Internet Photograph

This is a photograph of an extremely artistic cake from online, that presents the illusion of skittles being poured out from the packet and overlapping each other in a pile over the top of the cake. This photograph caught my eye because it has surreal elements that defies reality. The skittles are coming out of the packet in a waterfall style, when they'd usually fly out in an irregular pattern with plenty of space in between each piece of candy. Them being grouped together makes for a more neat and appealing photograph, as the composition is tidy and well structured by the photographer. Natural lighting has been used in this piece, coming through a window from the left hand side of the frame as there is shadow to the right of the frame. This photo could have been more effective if studio lighting had been used, illuminating both sides of the cake to make it look extra indulgent. The contrast of rainbow colours with dark brown works extremely well in this piece as tone, form and colour are formal elements that are strong when used together.

My Photograph

In my photograph, I used Photoshop to piece this together. The M&M packet, M&M's and Danielle's face were all originally separate photographs, that I merged together as one through using the select, drag and transform tool. I wanted to create a pattern that was realistic, which is why the M&M's are dispersed in an irregular flow that consists of plenty of space. There is no particular order to the colours of the chocolate because I wanted this piece to contain some realistic elements along with surreal elements. Furthermore, I increased the saturation of the chocolate and packet to allow there to be the connotation of tasty confectionery, as colour represents positivity, and chocolate can usually be the answer to everyone's cravings. This piece was successful in engaging a consumer as there is a person in the frame catching the chocolate in her mouth which could tempt the person looking to do the same thing. Moreover, I used a white background for this piece because this also has the connotation of positivity, opposed to black, but also to allow the chocolate and Danielle to stand out from the composition as they are the focal point of the image.

The Connection

There are many connections shared between both of these photographs, along with a few differences. The main connection is the premise of the photo; confectionery being poured from its packet. The skittles are rushing out whilst the M&M's are being exposed practically one by one, but both have a destination at the end of stream. In the Internet photograph the pattern is evident on top of the cake, and in my photograph the pattern is evident in the flow of chocolate. Both pieces of confectionery are presented in an irregular arrangement, displaying a variety of colours to the audience to look extra appealing and advertise an assortment of flavours. Both images also have white backgrounds to enhance the outline of the subject and stand out with their bright appearance, therefore allowing the formal element shape to be apparent. On the other hand, the lighting of the two photographs is different as I used studio lighting for photographing the background and Danielle's face, along with brightening the overall image on Photoshop. In the Internet photograph, there has been no editing which affects how captivating it is, yet the subject is indulgent enough to engross a hungry audience.