davide ferrari placement report

Placement report

Davide Ferrari

Placement Report

Contents

Section-0 : Intro

4 Introduction: My placement

Section-I : Career management

6 Career tools - CV

10 Covering letter

11 Online portfolio

Section-II : Project Outline

24 Project Outline with images

25 I - Cross Processing

34 II - Texture Overlaying

44 III - Retouching

54 VI - Film Scannings

Section-III : Social Media

64 Use of Social Media

Introduction: My placement

When I started looking for a placement, I was asked if I would be have been interested in working online for an image group company called IML. This company, based in Athens - Greece, produces, modifies and sells photography all over the world. I was glad to accept and have the possibility to improve my post-production’ skills.

Due to the distance that separates me from Greece, what I was asked to do was to retouch and modify photos using photoshop.More specifically some of my tasks were to change photos’ resolution, to crop and straighten images, to fix levels, curves and colour correct them while car-ing not to lose details, and again to remove dust and marks from scanning’s process.In order to work smoothly with large tiff files, I was given an account on their ftp server through which I was able to download raw images and upload them once corrected.

Despite the fact that I was not working along with other persons, I have to say that IML follows the Artist Placement Group’s concept that “Context is half of the work”. I worked with more than one member of the staff based in Ath-ens and I was receiving suggestions by email. I also collaborated together with one other member of the team in a creative and satisfactory project.

I mainly learned all the technique I needed to accomplish my tasks alone, using Internet based tutorial and two books I bought for the occasion. I feel satisfied and enriched by this useful experience that enormously helped me to improve my photoshop knowledge. I have to say that it is a real pity that due to copyright problems I am not allowed to show my work in public environments. The images I used for my personal project are a testimony of the techniques I learned and used.

Placement Reportpage6 NT

Career tools - CV

DAVIDE FERRARI

88 Nimrod Road, London, SW16 6TG1

Telephone: 020 8835 9094 (Home); 0750 6179 039 (Mobile)

Email: [email protected]

Professional Profile

An enthusiastic and motivated Photographer, who enjoys being part of a successful and productive team as well as working on his own. Quick to grasp new ideas and concepts, and to develop innovative and creative solutions to assignments. Able to work well on his own initiative and can demonstrate the high levels of motivation required to meet the tightest of deadlines. Even under significant pressure, pos-sesses a strong ability to perform effectively.

Objective

Now looking to gain experience and build up an extensive range of technical skills within a suitably chal-lenging role. Keen to achieve professional development.

Key Technical Skills

Photographic Knowledge Graphic Expert Knowledge Good Working Knowledge

Full frame cameras Adobe PhotoShop Adobe Flash

MF Cameras Photomatix PRO Microsoft Excel

Uses of lights/Flashes Adobe Lightroom Microsoft PowerPoint

Studio Equipment Adobe Bridge Adobe InDesign

Academic Career Summary

2007-Currently Studying: Digital Photography (BA), South Bank University, London

Modules Included:

• Photographic Index:

Photographic Index is a unit that examines the nature of the photographic image through critical methodologies and practice-based research project. It focus upon understanding the photographic representation of contemporary youth culture both in terms of the representational aspects of photographic imagery and as a cultural practice.

• Digital Image Fundamentals:

The aim of this unit was to introduce us to the practical production of digital photographic images. During the semester we learnt to use various technologies, processes and devices that together make the basis of digital photography.

• Sites and Practices of Photography:

In Sites and Practices I had the opportunity to learn about the various uses of photography in contemporary life and examine the influence of photography on our environment. In this unit we directed our attention to the theory and history of photography.

• Developing the Digital Image:

This Unit allowed me to improve my Apple Macintosh PC software knowledge, acquire advanced skills and photographic techniques in Adobe Photoshop, it introduced me to an advanced use of studio’s camera lights as well as medium format professional digital cameras.

• Photographic Rhetoric:

In Photographic Rhetoric I had the possibility to improve my skills in visual and theoretical research and project planning, to develop the ability to undertake a ‘finished’ project in a very short period of time and to experience of directing an assistant as well as assisting a photographer.

• Photographic Culture:

Photographic Culture has been designed to introduce us to a set of photographic cultures identified as self-publishing, amongst which the photobook occupies a central stage. In this unit I examined the concepts of artist’s book and photobook and its relation to printing technologies, through theoretical texts, case studies and presentations. I also produced a photobook and made it available on a print on demand platform.

Selected Portfolio

http://davide.clickgarden.net/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davideferrari/show/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davideferrari/sets/72157609539107805/show/

Placement Report

http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=3158578

Formal Qualifications

Technical Diploma in Electronics and Telecommunications

Institute of Technology, Milan, Italy (1998-2003)

Personal Details

Date of Birth: 18/12/83 Languages: English & Italian

Nationality: Italian Health: Excellent; non-smoker

Interests & Activities

Currently include: Photography, Environmental problems, cinema.

Placement Report

Covering letter

I was not required to write a covering letter as I already know one of the member of the staff.We had the possibility to meet in London for a chat and I subse-quently called her and discussed about my competences and level of knowledge in photoshop and post-production in general. I also sent my CV to her to be examinated.Aftwerwards I was immediately informed about the tasks I was sup-posed to do and I received instructions on how to download and up-load photos on their server.

Online portfolio

Placement Report

Placement Report

Project Outline with images

Since I was not directly involved in the process of tacking photographs but my duties were rather related to the post-production and also due to the fact that I would not be allowed to use any photograph outside the working environment, I decided to base my project on my own photos and to apply to them some of the techniques I learned during this experience. Firstly I would like to point out that thanks to this work placement I improved and refined any technique I previously knew, from knowl-edge of the selection tools to the retouching skills.I had to spend a lot of time using photoshop and this let me get really acquainted with the program. Tasks such as white balance’ adjust-ment, curves and levels’ correction and exposure compensation, are under my control and I can now use them with confidence.

After this initial period , I started working with some technique among which :

I Cross ProcessingII Textures OverlayingIII Retouching

I also get interested in film photography since many of the photos I was working with, were made with film cameras.Below there are some picture that illustrates the photoshop techniques I was using, while the last section is dedicated to some examples of medium format and 35mm scanning I made.

IV Film Scannings

I - Cross Processing

The Cross Process is a technique originally introduced and used in the film camera’s era. It consists in deliberate processing of a film using a chemical solution that is supposed to be used with different type of films.For instance positive reversal films (slides) were developed using the C-41 chemical, that is intend to be used with negative film. Vice versa negative film could be developed using the E-6 chemical, which is in-tended for slides.In modern times, in the photoshop’s era, these results are achieved manipulating opportunely each RGB channel using the curves tool.The final appearance of the photo could be very interesting under many aspects, I really like the colours and the sense of melancholy that they assume.

Placement Report

Placement Reportpage34 NT

This technique is used to give photos an older aspect, as if the have been crumpled. It adds grain and a real texture to the picture, it is very effective if used with Black and White photos but it could be used with colors images as well. It is obtained by scanning a crumpled sheet of paper and over-laying it to the photo. The effect is visible in the following photos.

II - Textures Overlaying

Placement Report

Placement Report

III - Retouching

As soon as it concerns the retouching, I have to say that I mainly had to remove scratches and dust from photographs, nevertheless I used some of the techniques described in the books I have been reading, to modify some photographs for other university project. Here I present some examples of these modifications.

Placement Report

Placement Report

IV - Film Scannings

These photographs have been taken with an old Medium format bel-lows camera and a 35mm film camera. All of them have been scanned and digitally retouched and modified to obtain the desired result.I wanted to explore the world of analogical photography because during this work experience I have been surprised by the quality that these devices are able to deliver. The results confirmed my suspicion that film cameras are still able to produce amazing results.

Placement Report

Placement Report

Use of Social Media

Despite my efforts to try to use social media such as twitter, to com-municate my progresses to everyone, I found really difficult, and un-der certain aspects not so helpful, to update the site constantly.My tasks, which were really systematic and similar, were not so suit-able to be translated into short messages.Rather than overload my social space with useless and repetitive mes-sages on what I was doing, I found it much more useful to add some links to photoshop tutorials that might have been useful to everyone.

Placement Report

davide ferrari placement report

Documents

photoshop knowledge

artist placement groups

personal project

satisfactory project

raw images

internet based tutorial

intro4 introduction

creative solutions