Week #8 UOP – PB#3 Execution
This week was huge for PB #3; it comprised a re-plan, shooting, editing and post-processing!
On Sunday night Daisy found out that the teahouse would be closed on Monday because of the public holiday, so instead we went in on Thursday morning. This worked out perfectly as we went from the teahouse to the music school in Eltham, (where I work) and I started work at 4pm.
The shoot at T Hub in South Yarra went very smoothly, I comfortably got around 200 shots in about 2 hours. The lighting in the place was beautiful due to the huge frontal windows. Daisy’s friends Saile and Terry were very sweet and allowed me to take as many photos as I needed whilst they drank and made tea over and over. I tried some tea and Chinese snacks which were delicious. I asked them questions about their culture and the tradition of tea-making and they were open and helpful. Daisy was fantastic to collaborate with, other than finally settling on a time, we enjoyed photographing each other’s world and each other’s company. I think it was a strength to work with someone at random in class as I think I’ve learnt more than I would have if otherwise. A limitation might have been the location difference, South Yarra and Eltham, but we made it work just fine.
The editing process of selection was tricky for me, especially with the 10-14 images scope. I started out by choosing my absolute favourite shots – around 8 shots, but filling in the gaps to make a narrative was not simple. After much fiddling with the sequence, I finally found 14 shots I was happy with.
I used Lightroom to post-process all images. I shot using ISO 6400 to establish an ambient mood though I noticed this created a some grain. After making colour adjustments early on, I decided to just go with it, and added grain to all my photos. The total sequence has a fuzzy grain, emphasis on oranges, a dehazed filter and vignettes.
After placing the images into Google Slides I played with the sequence order one last time and finally arrived at my finished visual story. The story tells Saile’s skill in tea making, the social element of drinking tea together, and the enjoyment of traditional music afterwards. Some shots of the setting weave through to reinforce the still and cultural atmosphere. I decided to title the sequence ‘The Masterful Tea n Chill’ to merge a cultural and relaxed social mood.