"KIDS THESE DAYS" HELEN MEADE, GRADE 12
My sustained investigation was guided by the idea of Kids These Days, in the way that others see us and how we see ourselves. I practiced with this by first exploring how our behavior seems to others not privy to our culture, then moved on to experimenting with my materials when it came to an inside look to our mindset. Piece 1 is an old and new way of researching. I put consideration into the clothes and pose of the model. With 3 I wanted to convey the act of not paying attention to the news due to being desensitized. I realized that this wasn't necessarily clear, so I reshot the picture as piece 7 in a living room with differently aged models. 4 was shot with the intention of creating a feeling that most Gen Z kids have experienced in their lives, a feeling of numbness and fuzziness. 5 has to do with too much schoolwork that children pull all nighters to finish. In 8 I narrate a fear that every child now has to carry to school with them. 10 is a portrayal of modern day Jesus.
SUSTAINED INVESTIGATION:
Size: Height x Width, 14 x 11Material(s): DSLR camera, iPhone, white bedsheet, 3 books, LightroomProcess(es): I placed the items side by side for comparison.
Size: Height x Width, 14.4 x 21.6Material(s): DSLR camera, daylight lighting panels, white vinyl backdrop, student models, Lightroom, PhotoshopProcess(es): I used Lightroom to make the purple tint and Photoshop to erase the eyes and make them white.
Size: Height x Width, 24 x 18Material(s): DSLR camera, warm light, black vinyl backdrop, student model, Lightroom, PhotoshopProcess(es): I used Lightroom to desaturate the image and make it blurry and Photoshop to blot out the face.
Size: Height x Width, 20 x 24Material(s): DSLR camera, black vinyl backdrop, Chromebook, student models, Lightroom, PhotoshopProcess(es): I used Lightroom to make light from the computer brighter and Photoshop to put the photos together.
Size: Height x Width, 20 x 24Material(s): DSLR camera, sister, mother, Lightroom, PhotoshopProcess(es): I put my models on the couch, tinted the pic purple in Lightroom and edited out eyes in Photoshop.
Size: Height x Width, 20 x 24Material(s): DSLR camera, tripod, myself, peer, red paint, white paint, brush, backpack, white vinyl backdropProcess(es): I used the paint to put a target directly onto the back of the backpack, collage made in Photoshop
Size: Height x Width, 17 x 11 Material(s): DSLR camera, Photoshop, Lightroom, student modelProcess(es): Background was made in Photoshop and put in stained glass filter. Model is in a Jesus pose.
SELECTED WORKS:
Idea(s): I wanted to capture the feeling of summer in a high contrast picture.Material(s): DSLR camera, 2 oranges, Photoshop.Process(es): One picture is of me holding the oranges and one of the sky. I used Photoshop to put them together.
Idea(s): I wanted to visually demonstrate how I see America as an African-American living in society today. Material(s): Two peer models, white vinyl backdrop, daylight panel, DSLR camera, PhotoshopProcess(es): I put one student model on a chair to create the height difference that I needed.
Idea(s): I wanted to make the most of a simple food like lettuce.Material(s): Light table, DSLR camera, lettuce leaves, PhotoshopProcess(es): I layered the lettuce leaves on the light table to create a back-lit scene.