Continuing to Create my App

It has been a while since my last post but I am now back on track and starting to look at how my app will look on my website and how I will finalise my app.  It is difficult to see the listings on the mobile phone screen shots so I thought That I may use the ipad version of teh app for screenshots so that I can add these to my website:  So far they look like this:

This is from the Mapplethorpe listing - the whole idea of these is that they can be improved and added to - this project was just a simple development of the idea and this give an idea of how it will look for this project.

 This is the Stehi - as you can see the Mapplethorpe works better here with image and text and the text on teh Mapplethorpe is longer so I may change the Stehli images and add to the text before the final upload.

Biteable Practice Video

While testing out different software for classes and for different continuation routes I also made a quick Biteable Video

I went into the Biteable site and signed up for the free stuff only!  This does mean that it will contain the watermark and it cannot be downloaded however it can still be embedded and used as a link.  Biteable works on templates like wix so you can edit a template as much as you wish to create what you are after - please note as I was just practicing this and trying out this is not a high level piece of work - so no judgement please!  This is how I did this ..

Go to the Biteable site

Click on Create and choose what sort of animation, cartoon, video you would like to make - I chose an explainer video as this would work for what I intended...

I clicked into the link and chose a template as below..

The template I was using was an IT support ad but it had elements that I liked and wanted to use....I began changing some of the wods, the fonts and the colours - I also changed the audio and added a scene at the end - as this is a quick edit I would like to show you this in class.

you will see the purpose of the logo in my final edit...

I got the embed link to be able to link this anywhere - I could add to my website as I showed previously on my last post or I could show you as a link here...

Practice Video: De Montfort Uni

Creating a FlipBook: Yumpu

Here I will explain how I created a flipbook using Yumpu - the idea here is that I was testing this online software and how this could be used on my Wix website.

I chose a fairly simple book to create - a little book of light painting...

The first things I needed to do was create the pages fro this book on Photoshop.

I first created a title page - this was done through creating a new A3 canvas with a black background at 300dpi.  I then used Tragan Colour which is 3D gold lettering as I though it suited the light painting.

I then began creating the pages from archived images of light painting that I thought would come together well as a collection. 

I wrote an introduction using the same method as above with same typeface...

I then began adding images to pages so I created a new A3 Black canvas in landscape at 300 dpi for each page.  I then changed the original image size to fit the page.  I went into Image - Image Size. I then adjusted the image and made sure that it worked on the page and then added text where I felt was appropriate using the Text from the toolbar menu and adjusting the size of the font accordingly. 

Here is one of the pages as an example - I will not post all pages here as you will be able to see this as the full flipbook in my website.

I then select all the files I would like to create into a book and I convert these file to PDF format as this is what the Yumpu needs...

I used an online jpeg to pdf converter to achieve this 

After converting these files I can then upload my files in pdf format to Yumpu which converted these into a flipbook. 

  I then went to the embed and used the embedded link on my website pages like this...

I went to menus and pages and instead of add page I went to the link icon.

I then added the embedded link from yumpu and then this created a new page with an embedded link on the menu - I changed the name of the page and then clicked on done.

I then could test this out by previewing the link and it took the user directly to my light painting flipbook. 

I like the idea of a flipbook for some projects as I think this would work well - in this case I had to create a story with the photographs so that there was a reasoning behind the images and this brought them together - again with more time and different images I would probably have made a more portfolio book of images which would I think be an improvement.

Major Project Plan: Photographers Compendium App

Please find here my Major Project Plan.

You will see that I will be updating this as I carry out the tasks each week. 

Check out this video by Masha Vasyukova of some of Hans Bellmer's work.  Hans Bellmer made these dolls and then photographed them, he enjoyed the moment between childhood and adult and he tried to capture this in his dolls....

Click on the link here to see the video: Hans Bellmer Dolls

Website Creation One

As I had already completed the website prior to this course beginning I will discuss the updates and improvements I have made to ensure that the website is absolutely at its best. First I checked my overview to ensure all the correct settings are inplace and enabled. 

This is important as I want to optimise the website as much as possible to make it easy to find in a search and that all details are correct. Some settings are only available on a Premium Plan - at present I am sticking with the basic plan.

I checked my homepage and I am still happy with this configuration the navigation is good and works well - I am happy with the colours and the scrolling images.

I then started to add metatags and descriptions to the the settings on my gallery pages this is so that it will be easily found on search engines and will be much more user friendly.  I also enabled cache rendering so that again the site is kept clean and smooth for the user.

Next I changed the page settings to ensure again that the page itself is easily searchable and added further tags for the gallery page.

I then added an introduction to the work itself so that there is a concept fro the work that the user can read. I will repeat this with my other gallery page.

Website Research

Robert Mapplethorpe

I have been researching photographers websites and the first website I looked at was Robert Mapplethorpe.  This website is run by The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation as Mapplethorpe died in 1989 of AIDS.  Mapplethorpe spent his early career developing his skills as a photographer through the use of polaroids and he studies art at the Pratt Institute near Brooklyn. Mapplethorpe's use of polaroids gained him some attention in his first exhibition in 1973, at the time he was living with Patti Smith in The Chelsea Hotel which also housed a number of artists who would go on to become well known for their works - this circle of artists and friends Mapplethorpe used as his subject and after his first exhibition Mapplethorpe acquired a Hasselblad camera which he also began ti use in his work.  Mapplethorpe's work ranges from portraiture where he emulates Greek Sculpture to beautifully sensual images of plants and flowers.

The website The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation is consistent and well laid out withe the headline of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation appearing on each page along with the menu which appear as you scroll over the top. Below you can see screenshots from the site - I was most taken with the first image on the home page - simple and beautiful - filling the page and with scrolling images so the image changes every few seconds.  The portfolio page is easy to use with the images in thumbnails so you can just click through.  The About page is informative and explains the foundation and there is a well written biography page with images.   Overall this website is easy to navigate, great for information, consistent and I am pleased to see the artist and his work represented in the best way possible online.

Helmut Newton

The second website I researched was Helmut Newton which is also from a Foundation The Helmut Newton Foundation - I thought it would be in keeping to look at two foundations to compare.  Helmut Newton I have written about in a previous post and looked at this website for information.  In terms of the look of the website this is much less impressive.  The website firstly appears quite small on the computer screen page.  The home page image is okay however does not really represent the body of work Newton created.  Going further into the site as you can see below the image on the page to go into Newton works is a  picture of himself which is not really the nest image of the man.  The Biography page is just black with writing and the navigation is more awkward as you have to go into 'Helmut Newton' to get his biography, exhibition and works which really I think should be easy to find on the main menu.  The header is consistent but not very exciting or inviting - overall this could be far more impressive considering Newton's body of work - disappointing!

Research: Helmut Newton

This week I intend to concentrate on researching all my dictionary listings therefore I will begin by looking at the photographer Helmut Newton.

Helmut Newton Photographed by Irving Penn

Helmut Newton was born in Berlin in 1920 as Helmut Neustadter, Newton left Berlin in 1938 and found work in Singapore on the Singapore Straits Newspaper, following this he travels to Australia and serves five year in the Australian army. Newton became an Australian citizen in 1946 and marries the model June Brunell a year later. From 1956 to 1964 works for various fashion magazines including French, British  and Australian Vogue and Elle magazine.  In 1971 Newton suffers from a heart attack and convalesces in New York. From 1974 to his death i 2004 Newton has a variety of exhibitions around the world and is awarded the commendation to “commandeur de l’ordre des arts et lettres” by the french Ministry of Culture in 1996. (Helmut Newton Foundation)

Newton's work is  combination of art and fashion photography, Newton used models that were; 'statuesque and sultry models, postures as solid as stainless steel.' (generatorhostels.com).  Newton also photographed iconic images of celebrities which are immediately recognisable in his cinematic iconic style.  Newton captured the essence of cool, rendering all those in front of his lens into icons.  The models in his images are almost hyper-real statues that dominate the landscape, you eyes are drawn inescapably from the form they present. The images are sensual, erotic, beautiful and a times disturbing.  Newton understood how to entice the viewer into his world and looking at his images you become the ultimate voyeur, you are complicit, you cannot look away...

The Erotic Stylish World of Helmut Newton

Catherine Deneuve, photographed for Esquire magazine, 1976.

David Bowie by Helmut Newton

References

Bal Harbour Shops (2018) Helmut Newton: Exposed [Online] Available From: https://www.balharbourshops.com/fashion/culture-watch/5719-helmut-newton-exposed

(Accessed 22nd October 2018)

Generator Hostels (10/08/16) Explore Helmut Newton's Legendary Iconic Photography [Online] Available From:  https://generatorhostels.com/parallel/articles/amsterdam/explore-helmut-newton%E2%80%99s-iconic-legendary-photogra (Accessed 22nd October 2018) 

Helmut Newton Foundation (2018) [Online] Available From: http://www.helmut-newton.com

(Accessed 22nd October 2018) 

Watergatexy (16/02/15) The Erotic Stylish World of Helmut Newton  [Online] Available From: https://watergatexy.wordpress.com/tag/helmut-newton/ (Accessed 22nd October 2018)