Compare Contrast

So the "notes" for the photo book coming right after the "make sure to save all files as psd's and jpg's" are as follows:

Create a large venn diagram (two circles which overlap somewhat) and make as detailed of notes as possible of the similarities and differences between the following two images.

Please make sure to label each with the artist and title.

Harry Callahan - Chicago

and



Michael Kenna - Walking on the Moon

LG Photos Due

As stated for the past two weeks, your LG Photos are Due on Thurs, 12/16 (Per. 2/4/6) and Fri., 12/17 (Per. 3/5).

It needs to be:
8x10"
B/W

Make sure to pay attention to contrast, dodging/burning, and levels especially.
Also make sure to look at your print when you pick it up before you pay for it to make sure you are satisfied with the outcome.

Remember the categories: architecture and "elements".

You are only required to turn in one image, but getting one from each category would give you even more of a chance to participate in the showcase - and thus win a prize.

Lifestyle Beginnings

As we are preparing for taking more photos for the next assignment/competition, architecture, I hope, is coming most easily.
Don't forget about zooming in and out for more expansive shots as well as details.
Don't forget to walk all the way around something (including buildings) and search for points of view you are not used to.
Don't forget to think about vertical and horizontal.
Don't forget to think about APERTURE!!!

And also go to parts of town that are not "downtown". LG doesn't just consist of two or three streets - however photogenic those may be.

But "lifestyle". What exactly does that mean.
In the broadest possible sense, and this is just how I'm looking at it for this assignment, it means "life".
Which means you will probably have some sort of activity that will probably include people in the image.
But these need to be consciously thought about - meaning you have to edit (get rid of unwanted elements such as cameras if you are using classmates). You should be setting the scenes up and not have them look staged.
For example, not everyone will be facing the camera. Having an out of focus "back" (someone with their back to the camera/viewer) helps tremendously (which means you need to pay attention to aperture - f4 would be good here).
Having those people doing something and/or engaging in an activity helps (drinks, frisbee/games, etc.)
Putting those people in a cool environment (next to or including an interesting building and/or some great fall color) is such a great way to go. But don't have them just standing there. Have them walk the same path over and over. Put them in a circle to have a conversation that at least looks like it's engaging and funny. Remember, these are still images - there will be no sound.

You might also have "workers". People around town and in businesses doing things (their job, for instance). If possible ask if it is ok to take their pic.
And still think about composition and take your time to set the image up.

Some really (really) great places to look are HERE on the masterfile.com stock photo agency site, and HERE
This last link is for Jason Jones. The photographer I assisted for my first job after college. At the time he was based in New Orleans, but has since moved to Canada (thank you Hurricane Katrina!). He has a great eye and works with people most of the time. Take your time to peruse his still images and you can learn a lot. I know I did.

And if you have any more questions, please let me know.

Multi Part Assignment Turn In

What you need:
1 8x10" image
2 5x7" images

You should have used three subject ideas from the left column of the handout (available online) and paired them with three techniques from the right column.
Each should be used once, and not repeated.

Please look for contrast, composition, use of layers for the PH techniques we've discussed, etc.

Your prints will be due at the BEGINNING of class (I will collect them and then we will go back out to photograph for our LG assignment).
If you have any questions, please email me so I can help you before the end of school on Thursday.

LG Shots!

Thank you to everyone who had their permission slip today ... which was everyone, actually.
Weather permitting we will be photographing again next time we meet. Make sure to have your battery charged, and plenty of space on your memory card (and/or extras of both).

For Wed./Thurs., 12/1, 12/2

Permission Slips for photographing downtown LG must be signed and returned.
If not, you will probably get some really tedious and annoying assignment to do in the library - and have to turn it in to me before the end of class.

Photo book activity CHANGE for #1

With the photo of the day being not as easily findable as we would like, you are encouraged to follow these steps for #1 of the photobook activities for the third grading period.

1. sign in to flickr.com
2. click on "explore"
3. on the R., where it says select a month, please do so
(for ex., I will choose Nov.)
4. on the day of the week that you need (ex., Nov. 15), click on that day
this will bring up a smaller "box" of six photos
5. click on one of those six images for your photo of the day
6. press Cmd+Shift+4 (on a Mac) and drag the "cross bar" across the image
this will save that portion of the screen to your desktop
you may, alternatively, download the image by Ctrl + click-ing on it
7. drag that image into a word doc. and resize
8. continue for the next 6 days with the above 7 steps
9. make sure to write a one sentence description of each image
10. print out that page
11. tape it into your photobook
12. bask in the done-ness of it all

e-Contact 3

Due 11/22 for per. 3/5
Due 11/23 for per. 2/4/6

In Class

For Tues. 11/16 & Wed. 11/17

Demo and notes for Vignetting using Smart Filters

Announcements:
all photographing for Part 3 of the Multi. Part Assignment - and any re-shooting for Part 1 & 2 needs to be done before next week...
we will be using the photo lab in the library so that everyone can be on the computer at the same time to ...
prep/show e-contact sheet #3
prep images from parts 1, 2, 3 for print
get practice with ...
levels, burning, dodging, spot healing, healing brush, vignetting, etc.

All 3 images are tentatively set to be due at the beg. of dec. - stay tuned for more details.

Today's Notes

While these won't be graded until the 3rd grading period of the semester, there were some notes taken about basic "darkroom" techniques.
Before anything else, remember, SUBTLE SUBTLE SUBTLE ... seriously, I can't stress that enough in regards to burning and dodging.

Make sure to create a new layer for burning and one for dodging by option clicking on the new layer icon in the bottom of the layers palette.

Choose your default colors; choose your brush tool; make sure the opacity is BELOW 20%.
Make several passes to lighten and darken the necessary areas.

Of course the notes in class are more specific, but these will be the first of the notes for the last grading period of this semester.

Wow, 1/3 of the way through the year (nearly)!

Photo Book List for 2nd Grading Period

In addition to the four photobook activities that you should have completed, when your photobook is due on 11/12/2010 I will also be checking for the following notes/activities we have taken this grading period:

Contact Sheet Notes
Cropping Notes
Green Amex 1/2 sheet rough draft
Custom Canvas Notes
Venn Diagram (compare contrast 2 photos)
B/W Conversion Notes
2 4x6 prints (one was 4x5 on 4x6)
1/2 sheet multi assignment handout with def. for abstract & non objective art
Misc. Photoshop Notes 1 - introduced Levels
Some Lingo to know - blown out, clipped, contrast, flat
Healing Brush Notes - Spot Heal, Standard Heal, Red Eye

First Check In

Thursday, Oct. 28th will be the first chick in date for the new project.

You should have a minimum of 25-30 photographs that are batch renamed and on a contact sheet.
Please create a folder named after the portion of the assignment, and use that same title - abbreviated, of course - for the batch rename.
For example, your folder might be called Abstract_NonObjective and the photos, after batch rename, would be called, AbstNonObj_01, AbstNonObj_02, etc.

Make sure to match the idea/subject matter from the left column of your handout with one of the technical skills from the right hand column.
So if I'm using Abstract/Non-Objective from the left column, I may choose to pair that with B/W Conversion on the right.

And all of the photographs from this assignment should be taken in either Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority, or Manual mode - yes, I know we haven't discussed Manual Mode yet, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't play around with it.

If you don't remember the categories, and your photo book is here at school, no worries, that handout can be found on my teacher page on the lghs.net website.

Happy weekend and happy photographing!

Photo Book Notes

To be up to date on the current photo book notes for the second grading period, you should have:

Contact Sheet Notes
(with 4 dbl. page spreads before cropping for the photo book activities)
Cropping Notes
Green 1/2 sheet rough draft of amex questions
Custom Canvas/Image Size Notes
Venn Diagram Compare/Contrast
(this was of Francesca Woodman and Graham Nash)
B/W Conversion Notes
Cropping Exercise 1
(this is your two 4x6" prints - one that is 4x5" with 1/2" white border on two sides)
Goldenrod 1/2 sheet handout from multi-part assignment

If you do not have all of these in your photo book by the end of the week because of absence(s), etc., please make sure to utilize tutorial - or your friend's notes - to get caught up.

Notes on the Current/Ongoing "Multi-Assignment"

For the series of project choices coming up, some reminders:
Do a Batch Rename for each set of images;
Make an Electronic Contact Sheet for each set of images;
Create a MINIMUM of 25-30 different photographs for each set of images;

There should be variety within the sets of images;
You will be randomly posting these photos and discussing them;
There will be periodic "check-in" due dates for the contact sheets;
You will be turning in a series of 8"x10" prints at the end of the process.

HW for Fri., Oct. 22

Your selected vertical self portrait from your contact sheet should be cropped, printed, and ready to use in class.
You may opt to convert it to black & white using the method shown in class today (Monday), or you may leave it as a color image.
Make sure to Prep and Print early in case there are tech problems!!!!

HW for Mon., Oct. 18th

Prints that need to be turned in:

8x10" contact sheet from amex self portrait assignment (remember, these should be batch renamed in br/ph)

2 @ 4x6" prints - choose a photograph from your self port. or pers. impact or other assignment (but if it comes from another assignment it needs to be a really strong image); the first should be a "regular" 4x6, the second should be the same image, but cropped to 4x5" and centered on a 4x6" print

Settings and Reminders

USB Due Date Tues., Oct. 12th.
You need to have your contact sheets from the Personal Impact and Photobank assignments in your Digiphoto folder - and rename them in the form of:
ContactSheet_PersonalImpact, or ContSheet_PersImpact, or something like that.
And you NEED to use the drop down box to change it from a .psd file to a .jpg file as well.

For the self portrait assignment, remember:
vertical
self timer is ideal
take MANY images with slight differences
and try different "set ups" as well
you don't have to be mugging for the camera but
you do need to be the focal point

Aperture Exercise Details

Aperture Exercise 1
Photograph, with classmates, using as many different apertures on your camera as possible

Aperture Exercise 2
Set up at least 3 "scenes" (that don't change) and photograph at all available apertures from
your notes (for ex.: f/4, f/5.6, f8, f11, f16, etc.)
Rename files: Title_f#_lastname.jpg

Aperture Exercise 3
Photograph a portrait or personal object using both wide open and fully stopped down
apertures.
Remember to consider composition - rule of thirds, leading lines - as well as the e.o.a./p.o.d.
Rename files: title_f#_lastname.jpg

USB Reminders

As we come upon the second due date for the usb drive, I thought I'd take the time to remind you of what you should have on that drive before you turn it in - with some reminders of how it should be organized as well.

I need to see sub-folders set up like:
DigiPhoto
Main Bldg.
Elem. of Art
Balance
(may have separate folders for symmetrical and asymmetrical)
Eggs
Aperture Exercise 1
Aperture Exercise 2 (with renamed files)
Aperture Exercise 3 (with renamed files)
Personal Impact
PhotoBANK
Contact Sheet* (Personal Impact Assingment)
Contact Sheet* (PhotoBANK)

* We will be going over the contact sheets in class this week, but you will need to make two of them for next week

HW for Mon., Oct. 4th

Personal Impact Photograph
- tell me/us something about yourself
may be a portrait / object(s) / environment
aim for some response from the viewer
be informative
make the image as visually interesting as possible
- use Aperture priority on your camera
- use at least 3 elem. of art/princ. of design

HW for Thurs. Sept. 30th

First Prints!
Use two images from Aperture Exercise 3 (or re-take new images if you are feeling more creative now!), print the same "set up" at the wide open and fully stopped-down apertures on 4x6 paper.
I am printing mine at Wolf Camera (www.ritxpix.com), which is over by Lunardi's and The Wooden Horse.
They can be on either glossy or matte paper for this assignment, but need to be ready to use in class immediately following the aperture quiz.

Photo Book Due Date

The first round of photo book assignments is coming due. Make sure to have all three exercises completed and easily labeled for grading.
The due date will be Mon., Oct. 4th (3rd/5th per.); Tues., Oct. 5th (2nd/4th/6th per.)

In addition to those three exercises, make sure all of your notes are up to date (including interesting titles for each page of notes).
And remember, we're nearing 1/6 of the way through the school year!

Homework for next week

This is due at the BEGINNING of class on Mon.(per. 3/5) or Tues (per. 2/4/6):
Step One: Set your camera to Aperture Priority Mode ("A" or "Av")
Step Two: Photograph eggs
Step Three: Make sure there are at least three eggs visible in each image
Step Four: Take a minimum of twelve images
Step Five: Have them on your memory card, ready to deal with and view at the beginning of class

And a few reminders:
Keep balance, the other principles of design, the elements of art, etc. in mind when dealing with these. Note that you set this up so you can make it look like pretty much whatever you want. Have fun with it!

Beginning of the year info.

Almost one week down!
For a first post on the digiphoto class blog I'd like to take a few minutes to discuss the issue of your camera.
We have been fairly specific about the type of camera you need for class, but in reality, the "type" or the brand matters little. What is important is the functionality of the camera itself. While there are certain cameras that will make your life easier on you and allow you more flexibility, there are no hard and fast rules pertaining to the camera you use.

For the first couple of weeks, either a "point & shoot" or DSLR will work. Unfortunately your cell phone camera will not work.
After the first couple of weeks, you will need a camera that allows the user to manually set a variety of f-stops and shutter speeds.

Camera companies commonly use the following designations to denote the types of exposure modes that we will most frequently use in class:
Manual = M
Aperture Priority = A or Av
Shutter Speed Priority = S, T, or Tv

You still need to check out the camera and/or owners manual to make sure that those letters do in fact allow for multiple settings to be changed.

It is true that a DSLR will make the creative/learning process easier, but this type of camera is not "required". You do not need to by a new camera for class, but you will need access to these functions in order to complete the required assignments.