ALL CLASSES: Lit Magazine

Lit Mag

I would like all of you to complete a Prompt Shoot outside of school. This is unusual because we are working with the staff of the Bowie Literary Magazine to get some images for their publication. The Literary Society has been working hard to revive this publication and I am a complete supporter of their efforts.

You will have until Monday, Feb 5th for this outside shoot assignment. It will also be a MAJOR grade for me. You are NOT required to submit your effort to the Lit Mag, but if you want, I will work with you on getting it over to them. You will be required to turn in THREE (3) images, each representing a different prompt listed below.

The best way to shoot this type of images is to not overthink, but you do have to plan. Below you will find a list of "prompts" in the form of the name of the poem/written piece. Your job will be to interpret it however you think, very similarly to what we do with prompt shoots. This is a fairly long list because it would be great to have images representing a number of these to help the literary magazine staff have options when piecing together the product. You will get credit in the Lit Mag and your name will appear in the magazine. This is a great publication opportunity.

Here is the list, in no specific order:

As gentle as the ocean
If childhood had a flavor
Reading Stephen King
A Sunday Night in my Bed
drifting
Daily Routine
Urgency to Escape
The Ugly Boy and The Green Bean
Reality Eludes Me
Honey
Past Secret
Chickens and an old deer in a Broken Aluminum Train Car
Those Cobblestone Streets
Twilight Hour
One last word
The Temptress
Room 223
I am a nail
A nail (3rd person)
Sheldon
A Box That My Childhood Could Fit Inside
Life is Full of Disappointment
Silver Linings Interrupted
A Pessimist's Autumn
A Summer
Unclear solutions
The Floppy Dog
Her Again
Placebo Effect
The Inconspicuous Night
Fairy Lights
Coffee Mug

In addition, there are sections to the Lit Mag this year and potentially there could be images created to go with those divider pages. The theme this year is based on the zodiac. Here are the working section titles:

Fire Signs:
Aires the Ram, Leo the Lion, Sagittarius the Centaur

Earth Signs:
Taurus the Bull, Virgo the Virgin, Capricorn the Goat

Water Signs:
Cancer the Crab, Pisces the Fish, Scorpio the Scorpion

Air Signs:
Aquarius the Waterbearer, Gemini the Twins, Libra the Scales

Linked below is a googledoc that has descriptions of these signs. Each sign will be its own section. If you are interested in shooting photos for the dividers, you should go take a look at this document:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14gITW5bE085K46WT9sRQ6TQQN4NUQ-Gt/view?usp=sharing

Your submission must be school appropriate, but other than that, it is up to your interpretation. If you want to talk about ideas with me, I would be happy to work with you. If you decide to send in your work, you may chose to include a title of your piece, or it will be listed as "untitled".

You may use all of my equipment, including specialty lenses if we talk about your ideas. I also have tripods if you need them.

Last year the theme was:

See how creative they are - find a way to do this!!

Here are some examples from last year:

Prompt: Child
Photo by Julia Provenzi

Prompt: Cosmic Planning
Photo by Caroline Ritter

Prompt: Fruitless trail
Photo by Addyson Hibdon

Prompt: I believe in make up
Photo by Katheryn McClanahan

Prompt: In the woods
Photo by Arunav Lamsal

Prompt: Safe Haven
Photo by Connor Reilly

Prompt: Things you don't notice, but I do
Photo by Carlos Canepa

Prompt: Breathe

Photo by Hannah Hartley

ALL CLASSES

Check out our guest speaker's website and write down 5 potential questions and post them to your blog by the end of the day FRIDAY.

http://www.ruizpic.com/

Advanced Commercial Photography 4th 6 Weeks

Mixed Media Portraits DUE January 19th

You will be producing an 8x10 portrait using old and new photographs. I can help you with printing for this project and if you bring your materials, this can be something you can easily complete in class. I also have a scanner in the classroom you may use.

David Hockney Photo DUE January 26th

David Hockney was a famous painter and photographer, specializing in a cubism style. I want you to take three of your photographs (new or old) and create a Hockney style photo with it. Below is a tutorial on how to create this effect, although there are several other ways you can go about this technique.

https://www.practicalphotography.com/learning-zone/landscapes/articles/2016/6/27/piece-together-a-david-hockney-collage

Mixed Media Open DUE January 30th

I want you each to produce 1 8x10 image using mixed media. I can help you with printing for this project and if you bring your materials, this can be something you can easily complete in class. I also have a scanner in the classroom you may use.

Video Project DUE January 30th

Photographers and videographers go hand in hand so this semester we will be adding several video assignments. You will be creating a short film of your choosing so be creative and have fun with it! The video needs to be 3-5 minutes long with audio and we will be showing these in class. You may work alone or in a group of 2-3. You all are already very familiar with composition rules, which apply to video as well, but take a look at these 2 sites to help guide you on video composition and how it can differ from still photography.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/video/tips-and-solutions/filmmaking-101-camera-shot-types

https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/12-most-popular-camera-shots-actors-should-know/

Group STUDIO Shoot DUE February 2nd Team up with two other students (making teams of 3 please), and start brainstorming ideas you have for this shoot. You need to prepare a theme, think about who your models will be, and start planning when you can get this done. BE CREATIVE!!

On your blogs please create a new post that includes the following information:

1. Who is on your 3 person team?
2. What is your theme? Include in this any props, costumes, etc you will need to acquire or create to get this shoot done.
3. Who will your models be?
4. How quickly can you be ready to shoot?
5. Finally, supply at least 3 example images you find on the internet that are at least close to your ideas.

Free Shoot (kind of!) Due February 5th

Check out the following website and develop a shoot/project from one of the ideas shown. I am open to suggestions if you have another idea in mind after looking at the website but you must discuss it with me first.

https://www.studentartguide.com/articles/creative-photography-ideas

Commercial Photography 4th 6 Weeks

File Formats DUE January 10th

Directions: Check the following link to read a discussion about the differences between a RAW file format and a JPEG file format.

http://digital-photography-school.com/raw-vs-jpeg/

Find the list of characteristics for each file type and answer the following questions:

What are three advantages of a RAW file:

What is one disadvantage of a RAW file: 

What are three advantages of a JPEG file:

What is one disadvantage of a JPEG file:

Read the following explanation about why photographers would shoot using RAW file format at the link below and answer the following questions:

http://photography.tutsplus.com/articles/quick-tip-what-is-raw-and-why-might-you-need-it--photo-8436

1. Under the first heading "Capturing the Images," how much of the data does a RAW file retain after it is captured by the camera?

2. Under the second heading "Processing the Files," what are some of the things that a RAW file enables a photographer to edit after the image is taken?

3. Under the third heading "Practicalities," what are some of the factors that photographers must consider when deciding to shoot in RAW?

4. Under the fourth heading "Which one is for you?" why would an aspiring professional photographer need to know how to work with RAW files?

If you are interested in more about the two file formats - click these links below.

This one really shows you what the two files look like as the processing happens:

http://www.slrlounge.com/school/raw-vs-jpeg-jpg-the-ultimate-visual-guide/

This one is just another comparison with pros and cons:

http://photographylife.com/raw-vs-jpeg

This one is a little "mathy" and goes into some detail about the RAW files themselves, but it has some good visuals:

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/RAW-file-format.htm

Next up for our discussion is file formats. It is important that you understand the various types of file formats we will be using in class, which are appropriate for what, and what some of the problems you will run into if you use certain file formats.

Go take a peek at this website:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_file_formats

On your blog please answer the following questions:

1. Which file formats discussed have you used in the past?

2. What is the difference between a Raster and a Vector file?

The most common file formats we will use in class are .jpeg, .tiff, .psd, and either .dng (Canon) or .nef (Nikon)

Look up each and answer the following questions for each:

1. Is this format lossy or lossless?

2. What are common uses for each? By this I mean where would I publish each of them for the highest quality.

3. Can you create this type of file in your camera?

When everyone is finished we will continue our conversations of how Lightroom works with Raw files.

Free Shoot DUE January 17th

I want you to post 5-10 images for this assignment. There MUST be a theme of some sort, if you need inspiration or ideas please ask me or feel free to look at the advanced students blogs for ideas.

Painting Recreation DUE January 19th:

First go to these two websites and check them out:

http://justsomething.co/22-famous-paintings-revisited-as-photographs/

http://www.boredpanda.com/famous-painting-remakes/

I want you to pick out a famous painting and recreate it. I want you to go look at some paintings and post 3 of them that you might consider recreating so I have an idea of how I can help you complete this task. I am open to similar concepts if you have one in mind, so please approach me if you want to talk about an alternative assignment. Obviously there are nudes in the famous paintings list, so please plan accordingly and don't choose one of those....thanks!!

Here are some links to help you in your search:

http://www.brushwiz.com/most-famous-paintings/

http://www.topofart.com/top_100_art_reproductions.php

On your blog please complete the following:

Post the three paintings that you picked that you might want to recreate.
Under each please answer the following questions:

Where is the light coming from?
How can you duplicate that light?
What other non-clothing elements appear in the painting that you will need to duplicate?
What kind of angles did the painter use to compose the image?
What clothing will you need to acquire/create to duplicate the painting?
Who would be a good model?
List the details you see in the painting, specifically the things the model will be wearing, poses they will need to hold, etc?
What will be the three most difficult things to duplicate, in your opinion?

Portraits DUE January 26th

Using inspiration from the tips below, I want you to post 5 different portraits on your blog.

https://digital-photography-school.com/tips-portrait-photography/

https://petapixel.com/2017/12/04/7-easy-diy-light-modifiers-creative-shadows-portraits/

https://petapixel.com/2017/12/20/shooting-pro-portraits-window-light-tiny-home-studio/

Bokeh Effect DUE February 2nd **We will be doing this IN CLASS the week of Jan 22nd-26th

Check out the following tutorials and post 5 images using the Bokeh technique on your blog.

https://www.diyphotography.net/diy_create_your_own_bokeh/

https://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-achieve-better-bokeh-4-simple-tips/

https://petapixel.com/2016/01/20/create-beautiful-bokeh-aluminum-foil/

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/bokeh-for-beginners.html

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/photograph-the-classic-holiday-light-bokeh-effect.html

Funny Portraits/Self Portraits DUE February 5th

This assignment MUST be shot in the studio so plan accordingly and schedule time with me. Check out the link below for some inspiration. You must post at least 1 portrait and 1 self portrait, they can have similar ideas but must be different from each other.

https://petapixel.com/2018/01/03/8-ideas-funny-portrait-photos/