My Personal Project: Love and Loss
My story, Love and Loss, follows a man who experiences a devastating breakup but finds solace through reflection and clarity. Every detail in this artwork was intentionally chosen to guide the viewer’s emotions and convey the story’s overall theme. I wanted a gloomy, dreary atmosphere, so I utilized rain and lighting overlays to create the feeling of a rainy night. The left side of the sky has darker, grayscale tones, achieved with a rectangular marquee and layer mask, while the right side is brighter, almost blinding, created with a hue/saturation adjustment layer clipped to the buildings. This contrast symbolizes the balance between despair and hope. In the sky, a transparent woman appears in a dreamlike state. I used blending modes to suggest that she is holding hands with the man, creating a haunting memory of an unsuccessful relationship. Bright lighting on her and the buildings evokes clarity and guidance, further hinting at acceptance and moving forward. I made the man the focal point using the bokeh and spotlight overlays, masking the buildings and road to guide the viewer’s eyes upward through the composition. This allows the audience to experience the scene from his perspective, walking the same emotional path he is. Motion blur on the rain and subtle noise emphasize movement and a dreamy, almost illusion-like quality. The usage of combining masking, overlays, color adjustments, and careful composition captures both the emotional weight of heartbreak and hope found in reflection, further creating an immersive, impactful story for the viewer to analyze and interpret
Photos Utilized
