Student Gallery

Some amazing work from recent journals....

Hanna DeRoche

Larissa Downs

Taylor Vincent

Nesta Cooper

Journal 9 and Grade 12 3-D Assignment

Grade 11 Journal 9 "Pareidolia"
"There is an universal tendency among mankind to conceive all beings like themselves, and to transfer to every object, those qualities, with which they are familiarly acquainted, and of which they are intimately conscious. We find human faces in the moon, armies in the clouds; and by a natural propensity, if not corrected by experience and reflection, ascribe malice or good- will to every thing, that hurts or pleases us." --David Hume




This weeks assignment is to see faces in inaniamate objects. On one level it is kind of a silly fun assignment on another level it is about seeing negative space in a new way and looking closely at the world around you.

Grade 12 Journal 9 and 3-D Assignment
Part one of your assignment will also be your journal for this week. I would like you to take several photos that will create an interesting 3-D image. Subject matter should have a number of "layers" ie: objects in the for, middle and background. It also helps to have a focal point which stands out clearly from the background. 

Examples:

To take the photos you must take a left and a right eye photograph. The photos above were taken with specially rigged "double camera" that took two pictures at the exact same time from the approximate distance of your two eyes. We will not be doing this approach, we will only use one camera and take 2 subsequent photos. Therefore you are encouraged to do a still object instead of a person/pet.

Grade 11 Unit 3 Technical Test and Grade 12 Technical Manual

Grade 11's Study Guide for the Unit 3 Test 

Part One
Lighting Techniques
Review Reading from the Cindy Sherman Unit

Part Two
Photoshop Terms and Techniques
Terms to know (You should understand how to manipulate/use each in Photoshop)
Resisizing Canvas, Crop, Gaussian Blur, Layer Blending, Colour Cast, Levels/Histogram,
Noise Reduction, Feather, Inverse

Study the following buttons and menu options in Photoshop that are related to "Selection". You should also be able to to understand when they are the most effectively used and how to add and subtract from a selection.

Selection Tools

Extended Options in Lasso Tool

Selection Menu options for working with your selection

Grade 12's Technical Manual

Grade Twelves, in place of a written test you will be required to put together a Technical Manual on creating a Cinemagraph and Lighting Techniques. Everything will be Posted Online as a single post entitled Technical Manual.

Part One
This will be like a step by step tutorial that will explain how to create a cinemagraph with tips from your own experience. This will be created online and posted to your blog. Include links to any websites sited as well as many example photographs. You may want to include screen captures of your photoshop screen like I have above.

Required Elements:
1. A brief Explaination of what a Cinemagraph is with your favorite examples as well as your best Cinemagraph.
2.Written Instructions on how to create one. (Clear and concise)
3. Images used for explaining your points.
4. Links to external Websites if you refer to them.

Part Two
Using the photocopied Lighting Techniques package you were given during the Cindy Sherman Project create an "Infographic" in Photoshop informing people of essential Studio lighting techniques.

Required Elements:
Inverse Square Law
Red Eye Reduction
Bounce Flash
Fill Flash
Studio Lighting Arrangements illustrating  key lights, fill lights, accent lights(The diagrams showing where different lights go)
Light Feathering

What is and Infograhic? Check out the following examples, here, here and here.

Student Gallery

Journal #5 Compositional Tools

Lily White-Mitchell
Lead-in Lines

Abby Brinkman
Lead-in Lines

Journal #6 One Object 4 Ways

Larissa Down

Emery Vanderburgh
One Object 4 Ways



Journal 7

Grade 11
Black on Black White on White
This is an exercise in getting perfect exposure. If you over or underexpose your image a black object on a black background will either disappear or look grey. Here is an example of an asssignment from a few years ago that was completed really well. Notice the use of contrasting textures used to make the image pop.


Harley White

Grade 12
Ombre and or Colour Gradations
(äm′brā′)

adjective
shaded or graduated in tone: said of a color

This photo journal is a combination of two elements of design. Value and gradation as well as colour. The term Ombre has become popularly associated with the hair style but the term existed prior to this and refers to a gradual gradation of colour from one to another. You may actually have to arrange items for this assignment OR look for natuaral occurences or this effect. Examples of this are below:

I took this one with my phone of old linoblocks from a printmaking assignment.

Naturally occuring colour gradation "Getty Images"

Constructed Ombre Image: Design Sponge

Grade 11: The Photo Montage Assignment

We will be learning how to blend several  photos into one image over the next week. We will be creating a scene in which a human subject will be repeated in the space in different poses. The end product (thank-you Grade 12's!) will look like this....

Begin taking photos for this project right away! You only need a model, a camera and a tripod.. But be sure you take all the photos in one photoshoot to be sure that lighting doesn't change.

Practice activity..

In order to prepare you to do this I have a fun challenge for an in class activity. Look in the O drive under photography and open everything in the Spongebob folder in Photoshop. Take the real life Spongebob and Patrick and put them into Bikini Bottom. You may continue decorating the space with other elements like realistic sand texture or square pants for your sponge. Prizes for two categories: Most creative arrangement and most technically proficient. We have 3 in class days to work on this.

Grade 12 Project Cinemagraphs

What is a Cinemagraph? The difference between this a simple animated gif is subtle. The animated gif is simply a series of photos when played in rapid succession produce a moving image just like cartoon animation or claymation. The cinemagraph uses the same technology but animates only one element of the picture. What results is a strange mix of movement and a single frozen moment in time.
All examples on this post were produced by fashion photographers Kevin Burg and Jaimie Beck on their Tumbler site, From Me To You.

In this article they discuss the increasing popularity of this art form and what their work-flow is like.

The estimated due date for this assignment is Friday Nov. 23rd

Journal #6

OK! After a brief hiatus from Journals we are back! Let's get this one in on time!

Grade 11
One Object in Four Ways
The premise of this Journal is fairly simple, take an object, any object and photograph it in four distinctly different ways. Things to alter might be angle, light source, setting, distance/zoom and focus. Or you can physically altering the object itself. For example if you are photographing a kiwi you may have a shot of the whole kiwi and then one as "slices". I will be assuming at this point you have mastered the technical aspects like clear focus and correct lighting so pay attention to your image quality, not just your object. Use our lesson on photoshop and put all four images on one "canvas" and submit as a single JPEG file.


Grade 12
Photograph Shadows
I would like you to experiment further with light, specifically shadows falling on the surface of objects. Challenge yourself to find new and interesting ways to use a the shadow as part of your composition; to either created directed movement or to be the focal point itself.

You are officially invited to the opening of the

Cindy Sherman Project Exhibition

 Rodman Hall

There will be refreshments (no open bar!!) provided and general hob-nobbery and schmoozing going on. Parents are encouraged to attend but if they cannot please discuss transportation with me. There will be some people speaking around 4:30-5:00 pm as well. Consider dressing up a bit because you may have pictures of you published in the Brock Study or possibly the newspaper.

Follow this Link for directions
(look on the 2nd page for a more detailed map)

Cindy Sherman Project: Shot Types

Some shots are very formal (Notice both formal shots have the subject look at the camera):

Full Body

3/4 Shot

(The Classic Portrait)

And Some are much more informal:

Alot of what determines how formal a portaitis has to do with body posture and gaze.

Other example of shot type are long and close-up shots.

Photo of Cindy Sherman  by Martin Schoeller

EJP Photo





Cindy Sherman Project: Lighting Techniques

Grade 11 Required Reading
Questions

A Guide to Photographing Fall

In this beautifull, very photographic season there are some basic tools you can use to improve your images. Check out this link for some great tips.

A Helpful Guide to Proper Exposure

Courtesy of FilmakerIQ.com
For a larger image click here.

Journal #5 - Compositional Tools

Grade 11 Compositional Tools

Using the Techniques discussed in the last post and related Required Reading take three photos. You should use a shallow Depth of Field for every picture. A shallow Depth of Field is created by using a large aperture like f2 or f4. Choose your focus carefully.
Picture: One Rule of Thirds
Picture: Two Lead-in Lines
Picture Three: Framing

Grade 12 Foreground Interest

You will be focusing on a variety of technical elements as well as Compositional. Read this article on composing a shot with foreground interest.
Use the techniques discussed in the article to take a Landscape photo with:

• a low view point
• a small aperture (f11-f16) Pay attention to where you focus.
• take two images from exactly the same spot one with an exposure set for the sky and one set for the forground.  
• If you have a wide angle lens use it, if not zoom out as much as you can

We will work in Photoshop to add a simulated "Graduated Filter" in a lesson later this week. See this tutorial for a step by step guide in creating this effect.

Creating Visual Interest Part One: Compositional Tricks and Tools

So far our focus in class has been how to get a well exposed picture which has primarily been about learning to use the camera as a technician. As we have discussed, it is necessary to know these things but this will only get you so far. We are going to build on the technical and move into the more artistic realm now.

Part One will focus on Compositional Tools. Contemplate the pictures below:



John Alexander Photography

Dougie Cunninham

 

Phillip Colla

 
All 4 are well exposed Landscape shots but I would argue the last three are more visually interesting than the first. Why? Because of some simple Compositional Tricks, Lead-in Lines, Rule of Thirds and Framing.

Required Reading

Grade 11: Born Into Brothels Extended Cut

All information in this post has been gathered from the Amnesty International Curriculum Guide for the Born into Brothels documentary.

Gour, 13 "Running"

Kochi, 10 "Babai"

This lesson focuses on the power of art as a form of personal expression in the transformation of the lives of children who have suffered painful or traumatic pasts. Experiencing traumatic circumstances can lead to overwhelming feelings of chaos, helplessness and fear, and any form of art can serve as a means to overcome such feelings. In an interview with Zana Briski, co-producer of the documentary, she explained what this process meant to her. “For me personally, photography is a means of transformation. It is very personal and regardless of the project that I did—I taught photography because I am a photographer, it could have been music, it could have been dance, any form of art. And at Kids with Cameras, we really encourage people to take whatever skill they have, whatever knowledge they have, and to have it…[A]ny form of art can be used as a means of transformation…It isn’t really about how to earn a living. It isn’t about taking a formal portrait. This is expressing yourself and being open to what is around you and just learning.”


 Please read the case studies on this link.

(You may skip the last section on pg 34 about the "Fugees Soccer Team")

Using information from the film and the case studies complete the following activity. Post your responses in a new blog post titled "Photography with a Message".

Kids with Cameras Gallery



Kochi, 10 "Up the Stairs"