Select Color Portraits

Below are my select color portraits. The original image is to the left while the edited version is to the right. The edits are not listed, because the only edits made were in photoshop to bring out certain color in the images. My artist statement is at the bottom.

In this glorious exploration of taking portrait photos, photo editing using more advanced programs, playing around with color/black and white, and using the rule of thirds composition rule for some, I took a total of 7 photos featuring a person (however, two of them feature my pets.) Once these photos were selected, I used photoshop to bring out certain colors in the images, leaving everything else in black and white. Selecting certain colors that pop out really enhanced the photos and made them more appealing to the eye/interesting, and it makes it so much more interesting. The finished products can be seen above, and comparing the differences from the original images to the edited, select color versions is nice. It was a bit complicated at first, as the composition of the photo now could also rely on color and which spots of that color are visible, but overall this project was enjoyable and unique for me. I liked bringing out multiple colors to give some balance to the background yet not distract from the subject. One edited version of a photo I found interesting through the editing process was the one of my cat standing on the leather couch. It may not be the best portrait image to me, but there is one thing that engages me– my use of select color editing was essentially reversed. This is because the only thing in the photo showing remote color is the wall (the background, basically) instead of my cat or the couch, which are both gray-ish. A nice touch was that the shadow, also, is untouched by color, despite it technically being a part of the wall. Leaving the color out now makes it more visible and interesting, and in this image the black and white parts are the main focus. The wall isn't a vibrant enough color to distract from the subject, which is nice. I particularly enjoy the portrait(s) of me in my flower costume for a ballet dance production during a dress rehearsal, because the flower I am is a buttercup– which means parts of the costume are a noticeable yellow. This color was perfect for bringing out in the editing process, and it made the image(s) look very nice. I'm pleased with how the final products turned out, but more so of the exploration process, and how much I learned from this one project. Finally, it was incredibly fun.