My Graphic Design Journey

5 Locations for Exciting Photo Opportunities in Lakeland, Florida Background Lakeland, Florida, is a city with a blend of natural beauty, historical charm, and vibrant community life. Situated between Tampa and Orlando in Polk County, it’s known for its many lakes—hence the name! Here’s a look at Lakeland's photo-worthy locations, focusing on the aesthetic opportunities each offers from a graphic design student's perspective: Locations 1.  Lake Mirror Promenade and Hollis Garden Photo Opportunities : Lake Mirror Promenade provides strong lines and symmetry, ideal for capturing compositions that feature architecture and reflection. Hollis Garden’s botanical layouts and fountains add elements of color, texture, and organic shapes that are fantastic for inspiration in design work. Access : Open to the public and free, but Hollis Garden has hours (typically 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.). Best Times : Mornings and late afternoon offer softer lighting, which enhances colors and reduces harsh sha...

Creativity Exercise 7: Creativity in Action  Background We have made to exercise number 7 in Regina Pacelli's book, Whole Lotta Creativity Going On . Exercise 7 is categorized as "Creativity in Action". The assignment is as follows: Write a short commercial jingle to boost sales for a horrible tasting, but miraculous and quick-acting cough syrup. Image generated in Photo Shop using the following prompt:  a product photo of a horrible tasting, but miraculous and quick-acting cough syrup Yesterday, I introduced myself in ChatGPT, the same as I did in my other online courses because I was previously advised by my graphic design professor that the chatbot works better when you're polite. Here are the three responses we generated: Option 1 (Upbeat, catchy tune) 🎶  "It’s not the best, we’ll admit it's true, But in seconds flat, it’ll fix up you! One little sip, and you’ll say goodbye, To that cough that keeps you up all night!" (Spoken with enthusiasm) "...

Aerial Photography: A Fresh Perspective in Visual Storytelling Background Aerial photography has changed the way we see the world. It’s all about capturing images from above, offering a bird’s-eye view that reveals new patterns, shapes, and landscapes that we might never notice from the ground. Whether it’s through drones, planes, or even satellites, aerial photography opens up fresh possibilities for storytelling and design. Perspective Shift One of the most exciting things about aerial photography is its ability to shift our perspective. In design, we’re always looking for ways to surprise the viewer or evoke emotion, and aerial shots are perfect for that. They offer stunning visuals of natural landscapes, cities, and even abstract shapes formed by everyday objects—giving us an entirely new way to see familiar surroundings. Drones Drones, in particular, have made this art form much more accessible. With lightweight, portable drones equipped with high-resolution cameras, both professi...

Background Color plays a vital role in shaping the emotional impact of an image, as different hues evoke specific feelings and associations. The way color is used, including the intensity and combination of hues, can dramatically change the overall mood. Here’s how color, contrast, and selective use of color affect an image: 1.  Color and Emotion: Warm colors  (reds, oranges, yellows) typically evoke emotions such as passion, energy, warmth, or aggression. Cool colors  (blues, greens, purples) tend to convey calmness, tranquility, melancholy, or mystery. Neutral colors  (blacks, whites, grays) can have a grounding effect or emphasize form and structure without overwhelming with emotion. They can also serve as a background for more vivid colors, making them stand out.   Have you ever noticed that fire hydrants vary in color? While strolling around Lake Mirror, a red fire hydrant caught my attention. Per the National Fire Protection Association, public hydrants sh...

Background  On October 9, 2024, the city of Lakeland was hit hard by Hurricane Milton while still recovering from the destruction left behind by Hurricane Helene just one week prior. One of the first areas cleaned up by the city was Lake Mirror. I took an afternoon trip out to the lake to catch some photos for an assignment. While strolling around the lake, I was able to snap a few photos of a group of ducks, probably in search of food. I borrowed a Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera with a DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens, set the priority to shutter speed, and started shooting.  The given assignment was to submit a picture to tell a story. I used ChatGPT to write an actual story to go with the photo using the following prompt: "You are a creative writing student. Create a brief story about 5 ducks swimming on a lake, looking for food, on a sunny afternoon." The Story Five ducks floated lazily on the lake, their silhouettes dark against the fading afternoon sky. The water was cool bene...

 Creativity Exercise 6 - Snap Portraits Background For each of the below, perform a short pantomime or pose yourself in a manner that clearly captures the essence of the listed personality, mood, or situation. It may help if you position yourself in front of a mirror. Try to come up with a few different ways of demonstrating each item in the list. You can also work as a team with other people to do the exercise if you prefer. A bored commuter A prima donna The Grim Reaper Someone who is completely clueless A know-it-all Listening to an incessantly annoying sound coming from you-don’t-know-where You just know trouble’s brewing somewhere! Waiting for what seems like forever when you’re in a hurry. An eager, unappreciated philosopher Someone who is a delight to be around I want to use this exercise as another opportunity to practice using AI. Therefore I am creating a team consisting of myself, ChatGPT and Photoshop to complete this exercise. I began in Photoshop by prompting the...

 Composition Background During the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, I went outside to assess the damage. What I found was that a very large and old oak tree had been uprooted, and the trunk split in two. The tree fell on our back neighbor's house, the fence, and our side neighbor's tool shed. Rule of Thirds My current focus when talking about photo composition is the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is the most popular and simplest rule to follow regarding photo composition. In the following two photographs, I attempted to position the top part of the fallen tree in two grid lines that intersect on both the portrait and landscape shots. Foreground Interest and Depth Foreground interest and depth are other composition elements in photography. In the next photographs, I attempted to demonstrate these elements with the tool shed and again with the top of the tree. The photo with the tool shed in the foreground helps us understand the scale with the remaining tree towering above. P...

Exercise 5: Snap Solutions Background Continuing through Regina Pacelli's book,  Whole Lotta Creativity Going On , I was given the following scenario.  Scenario "You are the owner of a small grocery store. Recently, business has been getting worse. Many of your customers are now going to the much larger grocery store that opened up nearby instead. Come up with at least ten (10) different ideas for bringing business back to your store. Describe them in as much detail as you can." Being from Lakeland, my immediate thought was, "What would Publix do?"  I came up with six ideas before my thoughts drifted to my personal problems. Then, I went to ChatGPT for assistance. The chatbot generated many ideas similar to my own.  Here are 10 ideas to bring business back to the small grocery store: 1. Personalized Customer Service    Small businesses have an advantage in providing personalized service. Train staff to greet regular customers by name and remember their pref...

Perspective Point-of-View The most important thing about design that I have learned thus far is about point of view. If a hundred people walked into a room to view a single artwork, there would be 100 different points of view for that single artwork. But although the point of view can be infinite, I find it difficult to change my initial point of view. I enjoyed our first class exercise, where we were tasked with taking thirty different photos of a single subject from thirty different angles.  New Chapter For my subject, I chose my car. I recently bought a new car. I have had mixed feelings about this process. On the one hand, I was glad to have more space and peace of mind about the maintenance issues I was beginning to have with a 5-year-old car with over 100,000 miles on it. I was also not excited about starting over on my car loan or the attention that currently comes with driving an electric car, especially a Tesla. Cool Mini Van On the other hand, this machine allows me ...