After selecting the photographs for my final project, I began to create my final piece using InDesign.

Following a discussion with my tutors, I decided to do a magazine format, rather than a website. The target publication for my piece was the lifestyle and home magazine, Country Living.

In order to create the appropriate format, I purchased several gardening-inspired magazines, including Country Living and Gardens Illustrated. These have been a great help thus far for inspiration in regards to layout and design.

I am now looking forward to publishing my final piece.

The focus of workshop task seven was reflection and improvement. We were instructed to repeat the task from week one, using the skills and knowledge we have learnt throughout the module, in order to reflect and illustrate our improvement.

For this task, I chose to document my meal at popular Leeds eatery- Doner Summer, and review the experience.

When photographing the burger, I adjusted the camera and used a shallow depth of field. This meant that the burger was in focus, while the background was slightly blurred. I chose to do this in order to emphasise a specific part of the image, in this case it was the burger.

Moreover, I used a fast shutter speed to capture the shot of the person eating the burger. This meant that the motion of the subject eating the burger was frozen. Therefore, the image was clear and wasn’t blurred.

Also, in order to improve from the task I completed in workshop one, I made sure to include a person in my shots, as I didn’t do this in week one. This added more life to the review.

Once I had selected my best photographs from the shoot, I inserted them into Adobe Photoshop and began editing.

I used the adjustment layers to improve the images, increasing the exposure and the saturation in order to make the photographs more suitable for publication.

I saved the images in JPEG format, 1920 pixels wide- the ideal format for online publication.

Yorkshire favourite, Doner Summer, has been at the heart of Leeds city-centre since 2020. Specialising in plant-based goodness, the restaurant boasts a 100% vegan menu- inspired by the street food of Berlin.

After following their Instagram page for almost a year, I decided it was finally time to take the plunge and have a bite of Doner Summer.

My lunchtime companion and I, opted for the the special lunch deal, available in the eatery Monday- Friday, 12-5pm.

Our order consisted of a ‘classique’ burger each, accompanied by skin-on-fries. For an extra £1 there was the option to upgrade and add a special sauce- we both chose the ‘What’s Garlic In French’. Alongside our mains, we both had a Rhubarb & Custard soda, only an extra £1.50 each with the lunchtime promotion.

Situated in Leeds hotspot, Call Lane, it’s no surprise that the the tables quickly filled up for the lunchtime rush.

After sipping on our sodas, our food arrived-gorgeously presented. It was now time to take a bite.

The plant-based chicken was delicious. Crispy buttermilk-fried batter, with tender guilt-free ‘chicken’ inside- it tasted almost as good as the real thing.

The tasty seasoning sprinkled on the fries meant that they were the perfect side.

The meal for two came to just under £20, and it was totally worth it.

A meat-free lunch has a whole new meaning.

For workshop task six, we were instructed to take a series of photographs in both RAW mode and JPEG, and then compare the images.

When zooming in, and reviewing the photographs, there were clear differences, and the RAW files appeared to be of a higher quality.

I then inputed the images into two separate Adobe Photoshop windows and began editing, adjusting the various levels in order to produce more appealing images.

I made a series of adjustments to the JPEG image, including increasing the exposure and saturation, as well as decreasing the contrast level. However, on reflection, I think I decreased the contrast too much as it softened the image, blending the light and dark areas slightly. This created the affect of a more flat photograph. Therefore, when editing in the future, I will be more conscious when adjusting the contrast.

Moreover, I then began to edit the RAW file. I felt the image needed more warmth and thus I increased the saturation which added more pigment to the photograph. I also used the cropping tool to adjust the image, ensuring it followed the rule of thirds. This resulted in a more well-composed shot.

However, in order to improve the image, I would reduce the saturation. I think that I increased the saturation level too highly which resulted in an unnatural-looking image.

Overall, I found the workshop task very insightful, and after reviewing the difference images, I would opt to use RAW mode in the future, as opposed to JPEG.

In workshop task five, we learnt to use a series of post-production techniques on Adobe Photoshop.

The editing platform chosen isn’t a tool I have previously used. Therefore, I enjoyed learning how to use elements of the application and experimenting with the various adjustment levels.

I think this particular workshop was my favourite so far, as I enjoyed adjusting the images and seeing the effect the different changes made to the photographs. For example, I increased the saturation level on all of my photographs in order to make the colours appear bold, which made the shots appear more striking.

Experimenting with the various adjustment levels was interesting, and I liked trialling the various filters to see what complimented the photographs most.

For example, I trialled the cool filter on the photograph of Sapphire. However, the filter was too harsh. Therefore, I tried the warmth filter instead, and this created a more aesthetically-pleasing effect, complimenting the orange and red colours in the photo nicely.

In conclusion, I am looking forward to experimenting with different photographs, using the various adjustment levels to enhance my shots, and I am hoping to continue to expand my knowledge of Adobe Photoshop further.

In workshop five, we experimented with picture editing using the adjustment layers on Adobe Photoshop.

Using a series of post-production techniques, we adjusted a selection of photos we have taken throughout the module- cropping, editing and colour-correcting our images.

Cropping and colour correction one:

I began by using the cropping tool when editing my first photo, in order to remove the person on the right-hand side of the image. I then increased the brightness level from 0 to +60, as I felt the photograph was too dark.

I also experimented with various filters, including the cooling filter and the warming filter. After some consideration, I decided to use the warming filter as I felt it added depth.

Moreover, I then decided to increase the saturation of the photograph to +5 and the vibrance level to +40. This was very effective as it complimented the shot well, and boosted the warmth- making Sapphire’s hair even more bold.

Using the various adjustment layers, I was able to make the photograph appear more more striking and eye-catching.

Cropping and colour correction two:

My second photograph was taken in an office that contained lots of dark furniture. Therefore, when editing this image, I began by increasing the brightness level to +20 which instantly made the image pop.

In addiction, I felt the original photograph appeared to be fairly cold. Therefore, I increased the saturation level to +20, and also added a cyan red tint which made the image appear warmer.

Cropping and colour correction three:

For the third photograph, I began decreasing the brightness to -10. As the photograph had been taken using the flash setting, I felt it needed to be made darker in order for the pigment of the flowers to appear stronger.

Moreover, I then increased the vibrance level to +50 and the saturation to +10. These big increases were necessary as they made the photograph more colourful and bold.

Experimenting with the different adjustment layers meant that, after a series of changes, I was able to create a more aesthetically pleasing image.

Once I had edited the photographs on Adobe Photoshop, I resized them before exporting.

Extra Credit Task: Post-production “before and after” task

For the extra credit task, I chose to take a series of portrait shots of my cousin on a quiet street in Leeds city centre.

The image below was the best shot from the selection, and therefore, I chose to edit this one first.

Following a series of adjustments, using Adobe Photoshop, I was pleased with the final result.

I shot the images using a Canon EOS DSLR camera. I chose to use the creative auto mode because I wanted the effect of the background blur, as I felt it made the subject the primary focus of the shot.

In order to improve the image, I increased the exposure to make the image brighter. I then increased the saturation and vibrance levels, which helped to add more life to the photograph.

I was pleased with the composition of the shot, and felt the subject was positioned well, and thus I didn’t feel the photo needed to be cropped. Therefore, only a few adjustments were needed to be made to improve the image.

Once the photographs had been edited, I saved the images in the correct format for online- JPEG.

This image is another test shot I chose from the selection. I used the creative mode once again for this shot, as I wanted the subject to be the central focus.

I made a series of changes using the adjustment levels to enhance the shot. I increased the vibrance and saturation levels which helped to make the image pop, adding more pigment to the shot and making the colours more vivid.

Overall, I really enjoyed the extra credit task. I liked experimenting with the different camera modes until I found one which produced the best image.

Editing the photographs was also fun. I felt I was able to enhance the images using the different adjustment levels and further improve my knowledge of Adobe Photoshop.