The target audience for the photo I created are males from 15 to 25 that currently lift weights or are interested in starting. I wanted to motivate young men by not only showcasing a great physique but adding some other slightly more abstract messages. Some of my target audience may think that the only requirement for building a great physique is simply going to the gym, however that is just the minimum. I am trying to convey to them that diet plays a huge role along with time. Consistency with a healthy diet along with lots of time grants results such as the man in the photo here. Obviously not everyone wants to be that big but having a more muscular person in the image portrays the potential a body can reach when having the proper nutrition along with consistency over time. I wanted to convey this message to young men because there is a lot of misinformation in thinking that a bodybuilder is only big because they take steroids and other performance enhancing drugs and that may be true in some cases, but the majority of muscular gains are made in the kitchen through proper nutrition.
The man in the photo appears to have a muscular physique and vegetables as his skin. This is to convey the message that health is the number one priority and the only way to get substantial results in the gym. That is why he is the main focus of the image. Next the background is a gym where one must train and tear down the muscles in order for them to grow and get stronger. I also snuck In a little clock on the bottom right hand corner to remind the viewer of the image that getting results like this takes time. There is a lot of orange and green saturation throughout the photo to signify vitamin c for immune health and green vegetables as well. Also lots of blue because the majority of muscle tissue is made from water and is a key part of a healthy physique.
There were several steps involved in creating this final image. First off by bringing in four different images together to one canvas. The initial step was cutting out the image of the bodybuilder by using the brush tool to edit the background leaving only him in it. I then added another layer of a photo with the vegetable assortment and created a clipping mask to put the vegetables inside of the bodybuilder. I also lowered to opacity to make it more transparent to make the man seem more alive and keep some of his features. I then added a gym background behind the combined image. I also lowered the saturation to give it the orange and green glow. Next, I used the Lasso tool and the content aware tool to remove some distracting boxes that were at the bottom of the image. In order to do that I had to first rasterize the gym background. Lastly, I added a clock by first using the lasso tool to cut it out of the original image and placed it on a new layer in the photo I was creating. I adjusted the size using command t and made it look as if it was there all along.
The lessons learned throughout the journey of creating this project is that photoshop is a very powerful tool and that any image you may see can be highly altered from the original. There are limitless possibilities from what you can imagine and then create with photoshop that allows one to be able to express themselves in various ways. I also learned that a lot can be said without the use of text. An image can be a better way at portraying a message than words can. I found myself taking a liking to photoshop and wanting to continue learning how to use it. I think that it can be used as an extension of our ideas and thoughts put into either very simple or complex images. Communication can be done in so many different forms and it can get exhausting having to do it via the same source by either speaking or writing. Having the ability to use photoshop is something important to have under my belt.
The message involved in this project is one of much importance in my life. I do want to keep the message the same. I could have gone to a more direct message by having protein and vegetables in the background however I wanted to provide some shock factor to my photo. I wanted to showcase the capabilities of photoshop and create a totally unique image. My original draft included some text that I now deleted, and I think that the text can take away from how the viewer interprets the image. I want to keep on track with the health and fitness route, but next time might show a physique a bit more attainable and not so out of reach from most people. I want to convey that motivation comes and goes but discipline is a skill that can last a lifetime and that is what it takes to get your dream physique. I want to go more in depth on certain aspects of weight training as well as diet because this image was broad. I think I could provide more insight and have less on the surface messages.