Photo Illustration

For Digital Imaging class we had an assignment to find an article from a news source and come up with a concept to photographically illustrate the main point(s) in the story. Using our own photographs we were to make a composite in Photoshop to make one image that did not look like a documentary photo or a scenario that could have been captured in one photo. 
For many reasons, I was drawn to an article I read through Color Lines: "66 Percent of Hate Crime Victims Targeted Because of Anti-Latino Bias". In the article it states that the statistic is up 11% from last year, but it also accounts only for crimes that are reported. Many go unreported if the victim is undocumented out of fear of deportation. In my illustration I wanted to capture many different aspects, but this is a very complex issue and almost impossible to cover, in context, in a single photograph. My friend, Fidel, was nice enough to pose for me. 

Using an off-camera light source, I side lit him because I wanted part of him in shadow. After several poses, I decided that profile with his eyes down would help convey sadness. I layered two copies of the same photo of barbed wire to represent a barrier, both real and metaphorical. I chose to have the photo in black and white to add dramatic effect. Also, it helped emphasize the American flag pattern that was wrapped around his shirt (he was not wearing a shirt with that pattern--I used a technique that sampled the image I had of the flag and wrapped it around the shirt he was wearing in the main photo, which was a solid color). It was stressful putting it all together, but overall I am happy with how it turned out. Apart from the article it may seem difficult to understand, but paired with the article I feel that it is a good representation of the issues covered in the article. 

Sports Composite

Our final project for Digital Imaging class involved shooting a subject as an athlete and then taking them out of that scene and placing them in a separate HDR image that pertains to their sport or that makes for an interesting background. This is my friend Zach Lail, who works with and races for Mock Orange Bikes in Winston-Salem. The background was taken on the paved trails at the Reynolda House (since Zach was on a road bike!).