Practice for Composition Test

 

Tues Sept 27

A great video on children who were taaken away from their parents and sent to Residential schools.

I want you to watch this video for its deeper non-verbal cues that suggest emotion.

 

Mon Sept 26

COMPOSITION LINK: https://petapixel.com/photography-composition-techniques/

Portraits 

Working with a model of your choice, you should plan to set up a portrait shoot. You will need 20 different shots of one model. Plus you will include one selfie photo that portrays you in an interesting way...maybe tells us a little about you. Plan to shoot a variety of different shots including but not limited to: a couple of head shots, several full body shots, creative shots using the lcd projector/costumes/props etc. Study other portrait photographer's work and learn how to effectively pose your model.

This assignment is worth 40 marks. 20 marks for your portraits posted to Mdrive, 10 marks for your selfie portrait included in the slidesho and 10 marks for your portraits put into a slideshow, set to music for viewing.

 If you do not meet the deadline for the slideshow, you will receive a zero for the presentation portion of the assignment.

Tips:

• plan your shots/shoot
• be aware of where the light is ( best times to shoot dawn and dusk)
• choose a good background
• use a prop ( umbrella, hat, scarf, pumpkin etc)
• shoot people in their element ( skateboarder with a skateboard at the skatepark)
• create a rapport with your model and direct the shoot, which means tell the model what you want them to do.

So maybe you can research posing and plan your model and location. If you have done your shoot, you should spend some good quality time editing. If you are doing your portraits at school, find someone to photograph and get busy. There are lots of places to shoot around the school. ( skate park, woods, garage door near the soccer clubhouse, metal storage containers on the soccer fields, Ms Chase's white wall in the art room ) 

McKinnon Photography Portraits

Start at 3:45

Thur Sept 22

 Reminder assignments 1 and 2 are due on Friday.

Some examples of Elements of Composition: Rule of thirds, rule of odds, fill the frame, leading lines, framing, using triangles in composition, texture, symmetry, simplicity, empty space. 

Resources available.

Mon Sept 20

 Composition Continued: Framing, lighting etc.

DEADLINE: This weeks deadline for assignment 1 and 2 is Friday Sept. 23, but you can come up and have the assignments marked whenever they are finished. 

This week's focus is on scavenger hunt, trying to find a product idea to shoot, portrait model, and great shot for your magazine cover. Also feel free to get started on Black and white shoot.

Wed Sept 14

 Policy on using old photos

Digital SLR Cameras: How to use: New students get some help from Ms Chase

video on how to use a camera

NEW assignment 20 marks

Scavenger Hunt: 10 items

• mushroom or fungi
• your first and last initial as an object
• a photo shooting through something
• up close water droplet
• a conceptual photo that conveys an emotion
• a crystal ball or marble shot
• a shadow shot
• a photo of something beautiful
• a person jumping in mid air
• a close up of a pet from an interesting angle
• YOUR CHOICE BONUS

Tues Sept 13

 Today's work

 1. Review composition

 2. Guidelines for photo

• when working in partners or groups produce your own photographs unless specified
• avoid taking photos of other people's artwork...create your own art with your photos
• photos cannot be reused for different assignments if they are already being used for an assignment
• use the time you are given in class
• you will be expected to do some photography outside of the class on your own time
• if you are struggling with an assignment for whatever reason let Ms Chase know as soon as possible

 2. Planning ahead: Photos that can be taken now....upcoming work getting a head start

• Portraits ( 20 photos of one model)
• Vertical shot at very high resolution for magazine cover (1 photo)
• Product shoot of an object shot 10 different ways (10 or more shots)
• High contrast Black and white photos (20 photos)
• Best work (20 can be pulled from all of your work)

 3. Intro to editing in Photoshop: bring to desktop CROP and LIGHTING

 4. Work on assignment 1 and 2 and get them looked at by Ms Chase, editing and put into folders on the M drive

Mon Sept 12

"Composition is the strongest way of seeing." —Edward Weston

"A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” —Ansel Adams

Composition noun com·po·si·tion : the way in which something is put together or arranged : the combination of parts or elements that make up something.

Welcome to the wonderful world of photographic composition. In its most general terms, photographic composition is the art of composing an image through framing. And there exists the problem. How is it that one thing that almost everyone agrees is critical to the success of a photograph is completely subjective—an art unto itself? Composition is in the eye of the artist, however we know there are many techniques to help with good composition.

You Create Composition

There are three basic ingredients to a good photographer: knowledge of camera, an eye for composition, and artistic vision.

Today’s cameras have such amazing technology that they can do everything but make a great photograph for you. That “but” refers to composition. Composition is the aspect of the medium that is 100% dependent on your efforts as the photographer. It is the one part of photography that the camera cannot do on its own. Therefore, good composition is not something that can be achieved by expensive photography gear alone. Along the same lines, you may have the most astute eye on the planet, but, without the aptitude to effectively use your camera, you may lack the ability to make the photograph that you perceive in your mind’s eye. Photography is a technically based art form. Even the world’s best composition can be ruined because the image is out of focus, badly over- or underexposed, or the victim of some poorly chosen camera settings.

Up to 7 min.

Free Phone Photo Editing Apps

1. YouCam Perfect
2. YouCam Makeup
3. PhotoDirector  
4. VSCO
5. Picsart
6. Snapseed
7. Adobe Lightroom Mobile
8. Photoshop Express Photo Editor
9. Canva
10. Instasize Photo Editor
11. Airbrush
12. Pixlr

Time to work on photo assignments from last day.

Friday Sept 9

General Classroom Routine: Lesson or Review, Take Photos, Upload, Edit, Organize,Teacher Viewing, Mark work. Assignment Complete, Move On to Next Assignment.

Assignment #1:

• Take a photo of an object or subject from 5 different perspectives, label: perspective 1,2,3,4,5
• Take a photo of a new subject or object from a distance and up close, label: close, distance
• Take a close up of a face, then half of the face, then change one into black and white label: face 1, 2,3
• Find something of interest and shoot to tell a story, label story1

LINK: perspective

Criteria: take focused, well composed shots, subject or object is well chosen, be conscious of lighting. Sometimes you will nedd to take many shots to get the right one. Do not delete any photos unless the are unclear.  Marks 20

Assignment #2: 

In a group of 3, take photos of the flamingo and duck or them together in 5 locations in the school. Get creative and have fun with this assignment. Again, you might need to take many shots to get 5 good ones. Put in a folder called: duckandflamingo

Criteria: Focus on clear, creative shots that tell a story. Marks 10

Using your phones, upload these photos into your folder on the m drive.

Intro to Photography

 

“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.”

― Dorothea Lange

10 questions to ask yourself when taking a photo

Welcome to Photo 11/12

 Photography is not about the camera but how you use the camera. You can have an expensive camera and still take bad pictures. The focus of this course is not on the many technical aspects of how to use a camera but rather on how to compose great shots and extending your knowledge into creating using photography as a medium. 

We will be learning how to use and expand the use of Photoshop and other editing programs to create advertising, a magazine cover, videos, and conceptual photographic art.

The visual world is becoming part of our everyday life. Most people on the internet are focused on photos and video to get across ideas. Logos and photos are an instant way for people to get an idea across. It is important for young people to be able to navigate the ever increasing world of visual literacy.

Requirements of this course:

• a decent digital slr or camera phone for taking photos, school cameras will be allowed to go home with permission.
• a usb drive and/or an extra phone cord for use at school for transferring photos 
• a card reader/phone cable at school for transferring photos to the school computer
• a 16 gb card that can be used for taking photos with the school camera
• the ability to use some of your time to take photos outside of school 
• a desire to learn and grow through digital media
• ability to work with others and be a good model
• time management skills
• You may want to install the Flickr app on your phone for faster digital uploads, but this is not a requirement

Assessment:

This course is assessed based on student's ability to push boundaries, meet assignment deadlines and progress in their ability to become better photographers/videographers and visual artists. Students are expected to push themselves at the level they are at to improve and produce quality work. A high standard is expected, and poor quality work will not be accepted. You will be asked to Re-do an assignment if it does not meet expectations. 

FYI:

Photos showing as HEIC instead of JPEG/JPG Sync uploads the photos as they are saved on the device. With the release of iOS 11, Apple replaced JPEG with a new image format called HEIC.

What is HEIC?

HEIC is the file format name Apple has chosen for the new HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) Standard. Using advanced and modern compression methods, it allows photos to be created in smaller file sizes while retaining a higher image quality compared to JPEG/JPG.

This new file type, however, may not be compatible with all devices. Even earlier versions of OS X (pre-High Sierra) will not be able to open HEIC files by itself.

To set your Apple devices to take photos in JPEG/JPG instead of HEIC:

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap Camera
3. Tap Formats
4. Tap Most Compatible

Let's get to know you. Partner Interview

1. What were you up to this summer?

2. What type of photography is your favourite?

3.What brand of phone do you have?

4.What is your favourite food?

5. Tell us anything else interesting about you.

Group brainstorm: How is Photography used in our world today?

As photographers and videographers we are learning to embrace the technology for multiple uses in our world. List some of the potential jobs someone with photo experience could get...or put another way what jobs involve a photo or videography skillset?