Assignments 2021Water: Due Jan. 22
Capture some of water's different qualities: calm and still, rippling, splashing, falling, cascading, moody, etc. Watch for interesting reflections on calm water; for water interacting with other objects (people, animals, rocks); for how water affects and is affected by its environment; for water as an environment; for drops of water on leaves, glass, metal, etc. Try looking into the water for fish, pebbles, discarded bottles or whatever else you might find. Make at least 30 photos of water. More is better. If it were me I would take 100! Make a contact sheet of all of the images you take. Pick your best one and turn in both the image and contact sheet to the OneDrive Inbox. Student Examples of Water Photographs
Spring 2020 Project 5: Lighting Challenge! - Due May 15th
This assignment, should you choose accept it, is meant to challenge you a bit. I am giving more time on this one, not to encourage procrastination, but to really give you time to explore the most fundamental concept in photography--Light! Research, shoot, evaluate, shoot, evaluate and shoot some more. That is how we get good! And nothing will help your photography more than really coming to an understanding of light and how it works. Photography, broken down into its Greek roots, phōtos and graphé means "drawing with light." In order to really understand how to create great photographs, we must understand light. It is the only way for us to become consistent in our image making. The great Master Photographers all have a solid understanding of the principles of light. In this challenge project we will look at the characteristics of light and hopefully begin to recognize the differences in quality of light and how light can be used to set the stage and even create mood and feeling in out photographs. The first thing we want to look is the source of our light. Natural light comes from the sun, artificial light comes from electronic lighting devices. For this project, I want you to make photographs with both types of light sources. Quality of light describes how hard or soft the light is. This can be determined by looking at the shadow transition. A hard light creates a shadow with a very defined edge whereas a soft light has a large transition area between the highlight and shadow. Think about it this way. The light from the sun, on a bright, cloudless day at noon, throws a shadow with a very hard edge. That's hard light. Now on a day with light overcast skies, the shadows are much softer with a less defined edge. That's soft light. Here are some websites with good information on light: Masterclass Canva Cambridge in Color The other characteristics of light that we need to understand are: 1. Quantity - How much light there is? 2. Direction - Where is the light coming from? 3. Color - What color is the light? Before starting on the assignment, research light a little so that you have a grasp on how it plays a vital role in creating meaningful photographs. The Assignment: Make at least 25 photographs (If it were me I'd take 100+) Try to get one showcasing each of the following (There may be overlap which is okay): 1. Artificial Light 2. Natural Light 3. Soft/diffused Light 4. Hard/direct Light 5. Front Light 6. Back Light 7. Side Light 8. Top Light Edit and turn in your best 5 photos, showing at least 3 different types of lighting. Student Examples: Project 4: Pick either 4a or 4b - Due May 1st
Project 4a – A Response to Covid-19
Covid-19 has affected all of us in one way or another. It has affected how we do business, how education happens how we live our lives. Some of us have been affected directly and others indirectly, but we have all been affected. Before photographing for this project, consider the following questions. How has this virus affected me and my family? How has it affected others close to me? What visual evidence is there of the changes of lifestyle and activities I am involved in due to this global pandemic? Now take out your camera and use it as a visual sketch book. Make images that portray the change that has happened over the past few weeks. Tell the story in photographs. Keep your camera with you and take pictures every day for the next 5-7 days. Then edit and share your best 3 images with me. Project 4b – Quarter 3 Relief Project Use this week to make up one of your missing assignments from last quarter. Assignments that are eligible to be made up are: Forced Perspective, 100 Pictures, Hands and Feet, and Portraits. Below are a brief set of instructions for each. Forced Perspective: Making objects look bigger/smaller/closer/farther away than they really are through optical illusion. Here is a short tutorial: https://youtu.be/nGisejk2wVc Also, this website has great examples: Forced Perspective The key to successful Forced Perspective photographs is in hiding any reference to distance. Notice in Wire Hon’s photographs, most hide the feet, thus disguising special reference. 100 Pictures: Take at least 25 different pictures each of 4 different subjects. Shoot from different angles. Shoot close-ups and from a distance. Truly explore each subject. By doing this, you will find a unique picture in each subject. This project is all about learning to see. Finding extraordinary views of ordinary things. Edit and share your best one of each subject. Hands and Feet: Take at least 60 photographs of hands and/or feet. Take 20 of the hands/feet by themselves, 20 with them interacting with organic (natural) things and 20 interacting with inorganic things. Edit your best one of each. Portraits: Make portraits, not snapshots, of humans. Remember our discussion as to what a portrait really is. It should say something about the subject, not just be a roadmap of their face. Explore your subject. Take many photographs. The more you explore, the more you will say. Remember, a professional photographer may spend one or more hours with a subject to get that one great image. It probably won’t happen in five minutes. Watch lighting. It is critical to successful portraiture. Study the masters and see how they photographed, then try to mimic that. A few great portrait photographers to look at would be: Arnold Newman, Yousef Karsh, Mary Ellen Mark, Diane Arbus, Annie Leibovitz and Steve McCurry, just to name a few. Project 3: Pattern - Due April 21
We humans are creatures of habit. We like patterns in our lives. For that reason, we will be exploring pattern in our photography this week. Sometimes we look at repeated elements as boring. How can we make it not so? That is what we want to explore. If we look, we will find patterns all around us. The image in the header of this page contains pattern. Where else can you find patterns? The Assignment: Check out the following three web sites (actually read them and digest the images) and see what they say about pattern. Then I want you to take a 20-30 minute walk with your camera (notice the pattern here!) and look for and photograph patterns. Do this at least twice. Then, after you have at least 30 different photographs of different patterns, edit your favorites (at least 3) and share them with me. DPS Patterns Light Stalking Expert Photography Project 2: Color - Due April 14
Color has meaning and can add to the feeling exhibited by a photograph. A couple of photographers that are well known for their color work are Joel Meyerowitz and Jay Maisel. Look at their work online to learn more about how color can influence your work and then do the following: 1. Research the meanings of individual colors (red, yellow, blue, green, purple, orange, etc.) 2. Pick a color, maybe your favorite color, and message me (Remind or email: [email protected])) what you have selected and what its psychological meaning is. Also include your thoughts about Joel and Jay's work. Do you like/dislike it and why. 3. Take a 30 minute "photo walk" (or 2 if you can!) and look for your color. Make photographs where that color is dominant. Try to get close to the subject so that the background blurs out. Take as many photos as you can on your walk. 4. Edit your favorite images, make an album and share it with me. I want to see at least 3 edited photographs. Project 1 Shoot and Share: Take a 20 minute walk with your camera (smartphone). This can be around your house, neighborhood, wherever you feel comfortable walking. Take photographs. Try to find interesting views of ordinary things. If possible, do this when the light is good and interesting. Edit your favorites (at least 5) in Lightroom (on your phone) and share them with me ([email protected]). All of this can be done on your smartphone. DUE APRIL 3rd
Instructions for creating and sharing an album |
ResourcesInstalling Lightroom
Creating & Sharing an Album Sharing a Collection from LR Classic Video Tutorials Sharing a Lightroom Album on your school device Reading Comments in a Shared Album Sharing a LR Album from your Phone Vocabulary
Photography Composition Exposure Mode Dial Program Mode ISO White Balance Exposure Compensation Histogram Clipping White Point Black Point Adjustment Layer Global Adjustment Local Adjustment Layer Mask Blend mode |