When composing shots you should think about...

A Checklist for composition

1. Is the horizon straight?
2. Is the subject strong and obvious within the image?
3. Are the edges of the frame clean? Is anything poking into the frame that distract the viewer? Are there elements of the image that lead the eye out of the frame that could be positioned better?
4. Is the background clean – are there distracting elements like a car parked in the background, or a fence or a house that doesn’t fit? Can you move or change the angle to remove that element?
5. Is the foreground tidy? Are you shooting a landscape or natural scene where there might be branches or leaves or twigs in the foreground that could be tidied away?
6. The position of people in the shot. Do they have a lamp post or a tree growing out of the top of their head? Have you chopped heads, feet, arms, or legs off?
7. Eye contact – when shooting a group of people, do we have eye contact with all your subjects?
8. Camera position – are you at the right height/angle for the best composition?
9. Point of focus – when taking photos of people/creatures/animals have you focused on the eye? Do you have a catchlight in the eye?
10. Is the Rule of Thirds being used effectively?
11. Do you have a sense of scale – particularly valid for large landscape scenes?
12. How does the eye travel around the image? Where does it go first? Where does it end up? Is that the story you want to tell the viewer?
13. Lens choice – does the lens you are using affect the composition in a positive or negative way? Would a different lens be worth considering?
14. Less is more – what truly needs to be in the frame? What can you leave out?
15. Is it sharp? Do you want it to be?

Week ending Sept 21

Fall shots using angles as a focus: 5 shots focusing on a fall theme ( think color, leaves, decay, rain etc.) Put into an album on Flickr, title it Fall Shots. Looking for shots to be taken from unique angles.
Marks 10

link to article on angles

Selfie Portraits are due next Thurs. Sept 27. Post all three selfies onto Flickr into an album called Selfie Portrait. Choose the one you want to use as a final portrait, print out and mount onto black paper and also post in the album entitled Final copy or good copy.

Update Boundary Project

Meeting with the woman from the Magenta Foundation Skype in class Tues Oct. 2 . 11am
Boundary research and brainstorm sheet to be handed in Thurs Oct 4

Mon Sept 17

Video Imagery: The power of an image. Are you aware of the images when you watch videos?
Looking at the video 7 Years, we will discuss the following:

What works in this video?
Do the images work with the lyrics?
What images were recurring in the video?
How does the video create an emotional response?

Review of Portrait Assignment showing sample ideas. (See links below)

Boundary research:

Time to work/Ms Chase to mark first Flickr assignments.

Selfie/Portrait Assignment

Selfie/Portrait Assignment: You are to take 3 practice shots trying out different looks and techniques ( maybe try: projection, reflection, lens cover, props, black and white, spot colour etc.)
Once you have created the shot think about what makes you unique, who are you, what is your style, likes/dislikes. Add these ideas of who you are into the self portrait manually or using Photoshop.
Criteria: In your album on Flickr include all 3 practice shots and your final shot. The final shot should involve either manual or Photoshop manipulation, should be well composed, and  define who you are in some way. You will also print out a colour copy to be showcased in the hallway. Include a brief description with your final shot describing what you were trying to communicate in the image.
Marks: 20 marks

Check out the following links for ideas:

self identitiy portraits

google search self identitiy portraits

double exposure portraits