Group Project Reflection and Analysis

The Group:  

Although this assignment was not the first group project of the semester, it was definitely most intensive.  The task required that the work be delegated and the members of the groups work cooperatively.  This was not a strong suit for team bullshark.  Some members of the group failed to take this assignment seriously and cooperatively correspond with others.  Although group projects are inherently difficult, it was especially challenging to coordinate schedules and get everyone on the same page.  In future group projects, it will be important for the group to meet in the preproduction stage to distribute the work and set intermediate deadlines to ensure success.  

Despite this group’s cooperative challenges, shown through the pictures in the portfolio, the assignment was fulfilled well.  The photographers produced images that were appealing independently, but also worked within the portfolio.  The coloring and lighting techniques were similar.  There were some irregularities, but the group worked well with Photoshop to streamline the portfolio.  This grouping of photographs, as well as the Powerpoint it is presented on, depicts the word ‘chic’ successfully.  The subjects are different, but they are combined with photography techniques such as lighting, point of view, and color to portray the same word.  

Technical and Productive lessons were learned through this assignment.  Because the task involved photography, many of the group members set up controlled photo shoots.  Page 258 in Photo Idea Index helped with this, but creative ingenuity was also required.  If the subject was too bright, for example, one might be required to shoot in a dark dorm room with only a flash for lighting.  The ability to shoot both professionally and creatively is quite important in the communications industry, and this assignment helped provide those tools.  Productively, as mentioned above, team bullshark learned how not to run a group project.  The group members will work ahead in the next assignment to ensure that lines of communication are open from the pre to post production processes.  

The Photo: 

Above is a particularly successful photograph that was shot by a member of the bullshark team.  It works well within the portfolio in visually displaying the word chic, but also is interesting independently.  The item arrangement, colors, and lighting make this photo great.  

In this photo is a string of pearl beads, a cufflink, blush, and an eye makeup brush.  Although this scene would probably not be arranged naturally, all the items suggest glamour and class.  These attributes point to the word ‘chic’.  The arrangement is placed deliberately, following the rule of thirds by avoiding the center and following the nine divisive invisible lines (p. 82). Consistent with this rule, the contrasting line of the brush moves the eye from left to right, allowing the viewer to travel through the items (p. 102). 

When one thinks chic, they think classic, understated, and visually appealing.  Knowing this, the photographer made the decision to include colors that represented these words.  It would have been easy to avoid all color, but the blush pink adds interest to the image while maintaining the sense of classic glamour.  The business fabric backdrop (p. 52) and lack of bright color brings the image back to classic chic.  

Finally, the lighting in this image is quite chic.  Although the photographer could have made dramatic, dark shadowing either through backlighting or harsh, direct light, those shadows would not have been chic.  Instead, the lighting was diffused by other objects to achieve soft, elegant lighting with little shock (p.272).  The color is highlighted, and the cufflink is able to beautifully reflect the pearls.  Beyond this, however, ‘chic’ kept the photographer from taking dramatic risk with lighting.