Untitled

[jarlinwu]

Final reflection

Finishing the Remnants of Home has been a really meaningful process. looking back, I can see how my photography and thinking developed over time. What began as an experiment about "Home" turn into something deeper-a visual diary about identity and memory.

The biggest challenge was staying consistent with my theme and not overcomplicated it. i learned that the simplest images often carry the most emotion. I'm proud of how the final photobook feels calm and personal, like quite conversation between my past and present.

this project made me more aware of how photography can connect personal feeling with visual storytelling-and how even far from home, its remnants are still everywhere.

[jarlinwu]

Designing the photo book

Once I finalize the image set, I started building the photo book in Adobe InDesign. I paid close attention to how the image flow-how one leads into another. I realized the sequencing can completely change how the story feels.

I kept the layout simple: clean white backgrounds, small margins and quite spacing between photos, I wanted the viewer to have room to pause and reflect between images. Working on this layout helped e understand how design and photography work together to express emotion.

[jarlinwu]

Editing and fine-tuning

Editing has been a huge part of shaping the final look of Remnants of Home. I used photoshop to adjust brightness, contrast and color balance, mainly to bring warmth and subtle nostalgia into the images.

At first, I was worried abut over-editing but I found a good middle ground-keeping things natural while enhancing the atmosphere. I especially focused on lighting, since it helps communicate emotion. Looking back, my editing style has become more minimal and confident compared to when I started.

[jarlinwu]

Selecting the final images

As I moved toward the final stage, I reviewed all the photos I'd taken and started narrowing them down to the stronger ones. I focused on images that best represented my emotional connection to Guangzhou-those small moments that felt honest and reflective.

Some photos were visually nice but did not carry the right feeling. So I removed them. The final selection now is more consistent in tone and mood. Each image says about familiarity, memory and stillness. Seeing them together helped me realize how this project has grown from my early ideas.

[jarlinwu]

Editing Progress & Next Steps

Recently I’ve been focusing more on editing my photos in Photoshop. I’ve adjusted colors, brightness, and contrast to give the images a stronger emotional impact. Sometimes a simple adjustment — like making the tones warmer — changes the entire feeling of the photo.

The editing stage has helped me see which photos are strong enough to be “hero shots.” These will probably become the centerpieces of my final photobook. I still need to shoot more to make sure I have enough variety, but editing what I already have has been encouraging.

My next steps are:

Take more photographs to build up a larger selection.

Refine my best images through editing.

Continue working on the photobook layout and test different sequences.

I feel like the project is really taking shape now. What started as just an idea about memory and place is slowly becoming a set of images that express something personal and meaningful.

[jarlinwu]

Prototyping the Photobook

One of the big steps in my process has been experimenting with how these images could be presented in a photobook. I’ve been using InDesign to test simple layouts and see how the images work next to each other.

What I’ve learned is that sequencing is really powerful. An image on its own might just look nice, but when paired with another, it creates new connections and meanings. I’ve been experimenting with page spreads, white space, and scale to figure out how best to tell my story.

Even though my prototype is still rough, working on it confirmed that a photobook is the best outcome for this project. It feels like the right way to pull everything together into one finished piece.

[jarlinwu]

First Photoshoots (Hamilton & Auckland)

After developing my ideas, I started shooting in both Hamilton and Auckland. I mainly used my iPhone 14 Plus because it’s convenient and produces high-quality images.

In Hamilton, I looked for small details in everyday surroundings — walls, textures, and architectural shapes that reminded me of Guangzhou. In Auckland, I focused more on street views and larger buildings that carry a similar urban energy.

Not every shot worked, but that’s part of the process. The important thing is that I’m beginning to see links between these places and my hometown. Even when the resemblance is small, it’s enough to spark the feeling I’m trying to capture.

[jarlinwu]

Research & Style Development

Before taking my own photos, I spent time looking at different editing styles and photography approaches. I wanted to see how other photographers capture atmosphere, memory, and place through their work.

From this research, I realized that color and light play a huge role in shaping mood. That’s why I’ve been experimenting in Photoshop, trying out adjustments like saturation, contrast, and subtle filters. My goal is to make the photos feel more vivid and emotionally charged, not just technically correct.

Research also gave me a clearer plan. It showed me that my project doesn’t need to be overly complex. Instead, it’s about staying consistent with my style and building a body of work that feels connected from image to image.

[jarlinwu]

Topic & Inspiration

For this project I’ve been focusing on my emotional and cultural connection to Guangzhou, my hometown. Even though I’m living away from it now, I still find myself drawn to small things that remind me of home — certain colors, objects, or the way a building looks.

I want this photobook to be a way of reconnecting with that feeling of belonging. It’s not about literally recreating Guangzhou, but more about finding fragments of it in my current environment, whether in Hamilton or Auckland.

At first, I felt unsure how to start, but I realized that architecture is one of the strongest triggers of memory for me. A roof shape, a doorway, or even the texture of walls can take me back instantly. That’s why I’ve been photographing objects and buildings that echo Guangzhou in some way.

This topic feels personal but also universal — we all carry memories of “home” in our minds, and it’s interesting how we try to reimagine them through art.

[jarlinwu]

Reflections on Memory and Distance

As I continue working on this project, I’m beginning to see how powerful visual storytelling can be for processing displacement. Being away from Guangzhou has given me more than just longing—it’s offered clarity on what I value about the place. The shrines, alleyways, riverbanks—these weren’t just backdrops. They were part of how I understood home.

By working through family archives and layering them over images from today, I’ve realised how much of identity is tied to visual memory. What we see and remember often defines what we feel connected to. This project is, ultimately, not just about Guangzhou—it’s about memory, belonging, and the effort to hold onto disappearing places.

This process has also made me rethink the role of the artist—not just as a documentarian, but as a translator of emotion. I hope the finished photo-book will speak to anyone who’s ever felt far from home and still deeply tied to it.

[jarlinwu]

Visual Techniques and Style Choices

In terms of style, I’m leaning toward a poetic visual approach. Here are some choices I’ve committed to:

Warm Tones: To suggest nostalgia, comfort, and emotional distance.

Selective Focus and Blur: These will represent the imperfection of memory—how some things stay sharp, while others fade.

Framing: I’m experimenting with doorways, window frames, and street corners to symbolise transitions and boundaries.

Overlay and Collage: Key to representing the layering of past and present, especially when using personal photos over urban scenes.

I’m not aiming for visual perfection. Instead, I want to embrace fragmentation and emotional ambiguity. That means allowing flaws, leaving rough edges, and intentionally using “imperfect” compositions. In a way, the project mimics how we remember: non-linear, emotional, and selective.

[jarlinwu]

Tools and Materials

As I begin constructing my visual narrative, here’s a look at the tools and materials I’m working with.

Digital Camera: iPhone 14plus Editing Software: Adobe Photoshop Archival Material: Architecture photographs, Objects relate to my place of origin

Each piece of material plays a unique role in seeing memory. While the digital camera helps capture present-day environments, the archival materials allow me to emotionally bridge the past. By integrating these tools, I begin to form a multi-layered map of home, fragmented but heartfelt.

[jarlinwu]

Inspirations from Kevin WY Lee and Wing Shya

Two artists have helped shape the vision of this project: Kevin WY Lee and Wing Shya.

Kevin WY Lee’s Conversations with Time project inspired me with its ability to collapse memory and modernity into one frame. He overlays archival material onto modern cityscapes, visualising how places transform while the emotions attached to them persist. I’m adopting a similar technique by integrating family photos into new digital layers of Guangzhou’s present-day landscape.

Wing Shya’s photographs deeply resonate with the way I want my visuals to feel—moody, cinematic, and intimate. His manipulation of colour, light, and framing turns everyday urban scenes into emotional spaces. I want to create that same layered atmosphere: nostalgia clinging to the edges of modern concrete.

[jarlinwu]

Reconnecting With a Disappearing Home

It feels strange to think of Guangzhou as both home and memory. As I began shaping this project, I was struck by how much of the city exists now only in fragments—in old photos, overheard stories, and half-formed visuals in my mind. The rapid urbanisation of the Pearl River Delta has erased many of the landmarks that once anchored my sense of place.

This project was born from that emotional gap. I wanted to explore how the physical absence of home can be transformed into a visual narrative—a reimagining through images. Instead of returning physically, I’ll use memory, digital archives, and photographs to reflect what Guangzhou means to me now.

This photo shows Shangxiajiu Road Pedestrian Street in 2013. When I was a child, I go there often.

[jarlinwu]

Final Reflections: What I Learned Through This Project

Looking back on this project, I realize how much I’ve learned about communicating ideas through different forms of media. Starting with posters allowed me to focus on visual design and simplicity, while the video project helped me develop skills in scripting, voiceover recording, and video editing.

One key lesson was the importance of balancing creativity with clarity. It’s easy to overcomplicate visuals or scripts, but simplicity often has a stronger impact. For the video, I made the decision not to add background music to keep the focus entirely on the narration and visuals. This choice helped maintain a clean and direct presentation style, which worked well for the serious topic.

If I were to do this project again, I would allow more time for recording and editing, as these phases took longer than expected. Overall, I’m proud of the final products and feel more confident in my ability to deliver professional, well-organized media projects.

[jarlinwu]

Voiceover and Video Editing: Bringing It All Together

Recording the voiceover was one of the more technical parts of the project. I used Canva’s built-in recording tool, which made it convenient to match my narration to each slide. I aimed for a clear, steady tone throughout the video, ensuring that the voiceover was easy to follow and matched the timing of the visuals.

Editing the video focused on setting the correct duration for each slide and syncing the voiceover smoothly. I paid special attention to pacing so that the information was not rushed or too slow. Since I decided not to add background music, I made sure the voiceover carried the flow of the video on its own. This choice helped maintain focus on the content without any distractions.

This phase of the project taught me a lot about basic video production and the importance of clear audio delivery. It also showed me how small adjustments in timing and narration style can make a big difference in how professional the final product feels.

[jarlinwu]

Scripting the Video: Turning Ideas into Storyboards

Once the posters were finalized, I began planning the structure of the video. My objective was to turn the same key ideas into a cohesive narrative. I started by writing a script that outlined the problem of declining birth rates, introduced three policy solutions, and included real-world examples from countries like Sweden and France.

The biggest challenge was condensing the information into short, clear paragraphs that would fit within a 5-minute video. I created a basic storyboard, mapping each section of the script to specific visuals or poster images. Canva proved to be a helpful tool for this stage, allowing me to organize slides, visuals, and timing easily. Overall, scripting helped me shape the flow of the video and maintain a balance between informative content and visual simplicity.