Portrait assignment

This can be the assignment you have been looking forward to or the one you have been dreading all semester, but you will never know what you are capable of until you try. If you are the type that finds connecting with people easy and natural, you may want to challenge yourself and photograph people you have never met. For many of you however, photographing family and friends is going to be the way to go. There are three types of shots I would like to see you capture with this assignment...

1) The window light portrait

2) Direct and indirect gaze

3) Non-traditional portrait ( a portrait which does not involve the subject’s face)

For the first shot, look for an ideal location. Try to find a window that lets in ample light and work at the time that is best for that location. You may want to use a reflector for this project.

For the direct/ indirect set, try shooting someone looking directly into the camera. Then try the exact same shot with everything the same except the direction of the subject’s gaze. This time have them look down, or up, or away, or anywhere except for into the camera. Keep all the other elements the same. It is interesting to see the difference such a small change can make in an image.

In the non-traditional portrait, think about what tells us something about this person besides their face or facial expressions. There are many ways to interpret this idea, one of the most successful has often been by photographing the subject’s hands. Besides the face, hands are one of the most expressive, and unique parts of our physical selves. Think about how you can communicate something about your subject by photographing a part of them besides their face.

As you shoot these images, think about the other concepts we have discussed and you have used in this class so far. Try to incorporate these elements into your work. Remember to watch for...

Rule of Thirds
Framing
Sweet Light
Selective Focus
Real Lines
Implied Lines

I hope you all have fun with this assignment and find the end results rewarding. I am looking forward to seeing what you create this time. Keep up the good work!

Class notes

We discussed story our story ideas this week in class. If you were not there, or did not have an idea, please be ready with an idea by Tuesday the 18th or Wednesday the 19th. The story will need to be completely shot by the first week in December. We will look at contacts in class that week, so have your images ready to view.

We also discussed the portrait assignment. The print from that assignment will be due on Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th.

I am really excited to see what everyone produces in these final projects. They should be a culmination of what you have learned so far. Have fun shooting!

Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger Hunt Assignment
You may shoot a 24 or 36 exposure roll. You may choose to use more than one roll. In the end, you will be looking for at least one image of each of the following...
1) Detail
2) Happiness (can not be a face)
3) Pattern
4) S
5) Fear
6) Tall
7) Gross
8) 6am ( or something representative of early morning)
9) Window
10) Texture
11) Self Portrait
12) Environmental Portrait
13) Beauty
14) Abstract
15) Quiet
16) Circles

Let me know if you have any questions. Have fun shooting!!

Cheat sheet for trivia game

When you underexpose your film you produce a thin or thick negative?

If you have thin negatives, your prints will be contrasty or flat?

Which dial allows you to add contrast in the darkroom?

What are the three chemicals used for print development?

How long does a print need in the developer?

Which film is fater, 100 or 400?

Which aperture represents a larger opening, f-5.6 or f-16?

How many stops are there between f-4 and f-8?

How much more light does f-4 allow in than f-8?

Which shutter speed would freeze action, 500 or 30?

Which is a wide angle lens, 14mm or 200mm?

Does subject to camera distance affect DOF?

What is DOF?

Which has higher DOF, f-22 or f-2.8?

Do you need a negative to make a photogram?

Can you use a negative when making a photogram?

Who is famous for his photograms?

Selective focus assignment

Shoot a roll of 36exp (TMAX 100) film.
Decide what the subject of your image will be. Then, try to get just that object in focus, while the other elements of the image are out of focus. Remember, there are three things that affect you DOF (depth of field)...

1) Aperture (lower f-stop gives you a more shallow DOF, i.e. 2.8)

2) Subject to Camera distance (the closer you are to the subject
the more shallow the DOF)

3) Lens length ( long lenses have a more shallow DOF/200mm is longer than 14mm)

Just a few tips...
Try to compose your images so that the elements that are out of focus support, or at least do not detract from you main subject. Think of the image with the sandy toes in the foreground and the little girl with goggles in the background. Don’t forget about the rule of thirds or other compositional elements. When composing your shot, try to come up with the most interesting way of presenting what you see. You may try a very low angle, or something differnt than eye level. Eye level may be what works best,but don’t just let it be an automatic default. This is a great assignment to emphasize texture. When shooting an object with texture, side light, rather than light that is straight on, can really bring out the details.

Aim to keep you meter balanced for each shot. If your subject is in totally different light than the rest of the image, meter for the subject exclusively. You can do that by keeping the subject in the light it will be photographed in, but moving in close to fill the frame with the subject and get the meter reading just off of them instead of the whole scene. Then step back, recompose, and shoot with the reading you got off of the subject. If the lighting is relatively the same for your subject and the rest of the scene, meter as normal.

Be creative. Give yourself some dedicated time to work on this assignment. You may generate ideas ahead of time, or just let yourself become inspired and inquisitive as you begin to shoot-but allow yourself to spend time shooting. That is the only way you will develop your skills during this semester. Some people are inspired by hanging our with friends, others by taking a walk in a field. Part of being creative is giving yourself the space you need to get the creative juices flowing. Whatever it is that inspires you, make time for it this week- that’s part of your homework. Then, produce images, not snapshots. Let yourself have fun and enjoy this process.

Cool sites

Just thought I'd pass along some awesome websites compiled by a friend. If you have favorite sites, feel freet to add on.

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