Here's an extra credit opportunity:
Up to 20 points to do a 2nd illustration assignment. Here are a couple more categories to chose from for extra credit (or you can use one of the original categories)
Investigating haunted house/ghosts
Are you a morning person?
Are you smarter than a 5th grader?
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Illustration assignment
Photo Illustration Assignment
8x10 color or b&w (Due April 28) -- with headline.
Your task is to illustrate a concept through photography, and, if you want, Photoshop.
You can pick from these ideas:
Crime on college campuses
College students trying to live on a small budget
Computer frustration
Avoiding getting sick
Anger management
The stress of parenting
Kids playing too many video games
Getting in shape
Living environmentally conscious
You can illustrate a specific issue based on one of these ideas: for example, with "Computer frustration," you could illustrate too much email spam and someone being frustrated by it. Then you could have a headline like, "How to cut spam out of your computer diet."
Think about these ideas from different angles and use wordplay. For example, for living on a budget, you could try to convey the concept of literally "pinching pennies." You get the idea. Use a visual metaphor (see p. 342 in the book) or an archetype (e.g., Mother Nature, knight in shining armor) as a visual shortcut.
Carefully select your colors and lighting. Does it call for high key light? Moody shadows? A backlit alley? You'll have to say a lot with your image for the reader to understand your point quickly and clearly.
Your background will also add to the mood of the scene. You can use a simple backdrop or even use a composition in Photoshop. Remember, if you use Photoshop, don't incorporate someone else's work.
Picking the right model and props will also be key. Make sure your props are accurate enough (if you need to fake it, that's fine if we don't notice!). Like a good actor in a movie, your model should make sense in the role.
See p. 345 for thinking creatively. Brainstorm with a friend or classmate. Play with words and puns. Don't rely on overdone cliches. Try to put a new spin on them.
8x10 color or b&w (Due April 28) -- with headline.
Your task is to illustrate a concept through photography, and, if you want, Photoshop.
You can pick from these ideas:
Crime on college campuses
College students trying to live on a small budget
Computer frustration
Avoiding getting sick
Anger management
The stress of parenting
Kids playing too many video games
Getting in shape
Living environmentally conscious
You can illustrate a specific issue based on one of these ideas: for example, with "Computer frustration," you could illustrate too much email spam and someone being frustrated by it. Then you could have a headline like, "How to cut spam out of your computer diet."
Think about these ideas from different angles and use wordplay. For example, for living on a budget, you could try to convey the concept of literally "pinching pennies." You get the idea. Use a visual metaphor (see p. 342 in the book) or an archetype (e.g., Mother Nature, knight in shining armor) as a visual shortcut.
Carefully select your colors and lighting. Does it call for high key light? Moody shadows? A backlit alley? You'll have to say a lot with your image for the reader to understand your point quickly and clearly.
Your background will also add to the mood of the scene. You can use a simple backdrop or even use a composition in Photoshop. Remember, if you use Photoshop, don't incorporate someone else's work.
Picking the right model and props will also be key. Make sure your props are accurate enough (if you need to fake it, that's fine if we don't notice!). Like a good actor in a movie, your model should make sense in the role.
See p. 345 for thinking creatively. Brainstorm with a friend or classmate. Play with words and puns. Don't rely on overdone cliches. Try to put a new spin on them.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Photo story assignment
One quick note.. since we won't be able to print at school because of the budget, we'll make the photo story/arrangement assignment prints 5x7s to save some costs. Remember, it should be 5-7 photos.
Updated schedule
Week 7
Tuesday February 24
Chapter 14: Illustration
Assign: Illustration Due April 28
Thursday February 26
Digital Darkroom (workday)
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Week 8
Tuesday March 3
Digital Darkroom (workday)
Thursday March 5
Chapter 15: Ethics
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Week 9
Tuesday March 10
Chapter 16: Law
Thursday March 12
Scoop/Spot News assignment due (bring to class, we'll share)
Quiz
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Tuesday March 17 SPRING BREAK - NO CLASS
Thursday March 19 SPRING BREAK - NO CLASS
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Week 10
Tuesday March 24
Portrait assignment due
Digital Darkroom (workday)
Thursday March 26
Chapter 9: Strobe
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Week 11
Tuesday March 31
Digital Darkroom (workday)
Thursday April 2
Chapter 12: Multimedia
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Week 12
Tuesday April 7
Digital Darkroom (workday)
Thursday April 9
Chapter 13: Video
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Week 13
Tuesday April 14
Digital Darkroom (workday)
Thursday April 16
Chapter 17: History
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Week 14
Tuesday April 21
Digital Darkroom (workday)
Thursday April 23
Chapter 18: Turning Pro
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Week 15
Tuesday April 28
Photo Illustration due
Digital Darkroom (workday)
Thursday April 30
Digital Darkroom (workday)
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[Finals Week May 4-8] No class May 5
Hand in portfolio on Thursday May 7 during class time
Portfolio will include:
All 8x10 prints (I will hand back your portrait and scoop prints) with captions
Also, all 15 weekly assignments will be handed in by this time on Flickr or CD
Lastly, your 70 clips from newspapers (10 of them with a short critique)
Tuesday February 24
Chapter 14: Illustration
Assign: Illustration Due April 28
Thursday February 26
Digital Darkroom (workday)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 8
Tuesday March 3
Digital Darkroom (workday)
Thursday March 5
Chapter 15: Ethics
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 9
Tuesday March 10
Chapter 16: Law
Thursday March 12
Scoop/Spot News assignment due (bring to class, we'll share)
Quiz
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday March 17 SPRING BREAK - NO CLASS
Thursday March 19 SPRING BREAK - NO CLASS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 10
Tuesday March 24
Portrait assignment due
Digital Darkroom (workday)
Thursday March 26
Chapter 9: Strobe
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 11
Tuesday March 31
Digital Darkroom (workday)
Thursday April 2
Chapter 12: Multimedia
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 12
Tuesday April 7
Digital Darkroom (workday)
Thursday April 9
Chapter 13: Video
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 13
Tuesday April 14
Digital Darkroom (workday)
Thursday April 16
Chapter 17: History
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 14
Tuesday April 21
Digital Darkroom (workday)
Thursday April 23
Chapter 18: Turning Pro
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Week 15
Tuesday April 28
Photo Illustration due
Digital Darkroom (workday)
Thursday April 30
Digital Darkroom (workday)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Finals Week May 4-8] No class May 5
Hand in portfolio on Thursday May 7 during class time
Portfolio will include:
All 8x10 prints (I will hand back your portrait and scoop prints) with captions
Also, all 15 weekly assignments will be handed in by this time on Flickr or CD
Lastly, your 70 clips from newspapers (10 of them with a short critique)
Portrait assignment
Portrait assignment
2 color or b&w 8x10 (printed on 8 1/2 x 11) with 1-2 sentence caption telling about the subject.
Due March 24
One candid in their natural environment (home or work)
One "posed" portrait
Each should give an indication of the story or character of your subject. For the posed shot, you'll want to include a prop or two to help illustrate why the reader would be interested in your subject.
Tips:
• Make small talk to put the subjects at ease.
• Try using a remote shutter release or cable release to maintain a connection with the subject.
• Lighting is key: Think about if you want high key (few shadows) or low key (moody, dark lighting), or something in between (maybe using some kind of pattern).
• If you're setting up lighting, remember the standard three point lighting setup (key-fill-backlight). The key and fill should be at about a 45 degree angle off the camera. The fill should be about 1/3-1/2 the power the key. The backlight adds a halo affect around their head.
• You can also use "glamour" or "butterfly" lighting with the light in direct line of sight of the subject and camera, raised slightly above eye level (this really only works with soft light, hard light with this method won't be flattering).
• Usually soft light is best (especially for the fill light), but also consider hard light.
• Be on the lookout for locations that have interesting lighting without having to do any setup
• Sometimes a reflector is called for to add some fill light. You can use anything from a white sheet of paper, foam core, aluminum foil, or a (real) store-bought reflector. Attach to a stand for added control.
• Avoid busy backgrounds; Use open apertures and/or telephoto lenses to blur the background (a 50mm f1.8 is a nice portrait lens)
• To make your background more out of focus, pull your subject away from it.
2 color or b&w 8x10 (printed on 8 1/2 x 11) with 1-2 sentence caption telling about the subject.
Due March 24
One candid in their natural environment (home or work)
One "posed" portrait
Each should give an indication of the story or character of your subject. For the posed shot, you'll want to include a prop or two to help illustrate why the reader would be interested in your subject.
Tips:
• Make small talk to put the subjects at ease.
• Try using a remote shutter release or cable release to maintain a connection with the subject.
• Lighting is key: Think about if you want high key (few shadows) or low key (moody, dark lighting), or something in between (maybe using some kind of pattern).
• If you're setting up lighting, remember the standard three point lighting setup (key-fill-backlight). The key and fill should be at about a 45 degree angle off the camera. The fill should be about 1/3-1/2 the power the key. The backlight adds a halo affect around their head.
• You can also use "glamour" or "butterfly" lighting with the light in direct line of sight of the subject and camera, raised slightly above eye level (this really only works with soft light, hard light with this method won't be flattering).
• Usually soft light is best (especially for the fill light), but also consider hard light.
• Be on the lookout for locations that have interesting lighting without having to do any setup
• Sometimes a reflector is called for to add some fill light. You can use anything from a white sheet of paper, foam core, aluminum foil, or a (real) store-bought reflector. Attach to a stand for added control.
• Avoid busy backgrounds; Use open apertures and/or telephoto lenses to blur the background (a 50mm f1.8 is a nice portrait lens)
• To make your background more out of focus, pull your subject away from it.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Class next Tuesday
No class 2-17, we'll be heading up to Boone for the game. Email me if you'd like to ride up in the van.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Obama poster
Associated Press alleges copyright infrintement over "Hope" poster. What do you think? Could it fall under Fair Use?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Arragement assignment
Photo Arrangement /Essay/Documentary/ Story assignment
For this one you'll turn in: 5-7 photos printed 5x7 color or b&w
Due: Finals Week
Your task is to tell a story through photos. Much of the time, photojournalists have to try to capture the story in just one image. For this one, you can tell the story with the best seven photos to bring as many angles you can (literally and figuratively) to the reader.
Find someone with a story. Maybe you know someone with an unusual (and photogenic) job. Maybe it's someone who faces an everyday struggle. Maybe it's someone who is trying to make a difference. Think human interest. Conflict. Complication. Inspirational. Struggle. Unusualness. Humor.
Coordinate a shooting schedule once you find someone. Maybe you will follow them around for a day. Maybe you'll stop by over the period of a week or a couple weeks. It depends on the timeline of your subject story.
You don't have to follow a single subject, either. Your story could be a certain issue or problem that affects different people. Keep an eye out for stories about trends in the paper, maybe you shoot one person as an example of a trend.
Do whatever research you can to plan how much equipment you'll need with you (a flash? telephoto lens? tripod?)
Remember to include descriptive captions for each image. Feel free to break the typical 2-sentence length. Type up and print out each caption and include it with each photo.
Each photo should be of a different "event" or "moment." For example, you wouldn't include a photo and then another one taken a few seconds later from a slightly different angle. Pick the best one to represent that moment. Think of each photograph as a different chapter of a book.
You'll want to mix close-ups, medium shots and wide shots.
Arrange the shots in the sequence that makes the most sense. It's not always chronologically how they were shot.
If it's between the less perfect shot that better tells the story or a nice shot with less story, pick the one that best tells the story.
Use a title for your photo story.
And remember to edit and crop all images as needed.
For this one you'll turn in: 5-7 photos printed 5x7 color or b&w
Due: Finals Week
Your task is to tell a story through photos. Much of the time, photojournalists have to try to capture the story in just one image. For this one, you can tell the story with the best seven photos to bring as many angles you can (literally and figuratively) to the reader.
Find someone with a story. Maybe you know someone with an unusual (and photogenic) job. Maybe it's someone who faces an everyday struggle. Maybe it's someone who is trying to make a difference. Think human interest. Conflict. Complication. Inspirational. Struggle. Unusualness. Humor.
Coordinate a shooting schedule once you find someone. Maybe you will follow them around for a day. Maybe you'll stop by over the period of a week or a couple weeks. It depends on the timeline of your subject story.
You don't have to follow a single subject, either. Your story could be a certain issue or problem that affects different people. Keep an eye out for stories about trends in the paper, maybe you shoot one person as an example of a trend.
Do whatever research you can to plan how much equipment you'll need with you (a flash? telephoto lens? tripod?)
Remember to include descriptive captions for each image. Feel free to break the typical 2-sentence length. Type up and print out each caption and include it with each photo.
Each photo should be of a different "event" or "moment." For example, you wouldn't include a photo and then another one taken a few seconds later from a slightly different angle. Pick the best one to represent that moment. Think of each photograph as a different chapter of a book.
You'll want to mix close-ups, medium shots and wide shots.
Arrange the shots in the sequence that makes the most sense. It's not always chronologically how they were shot.
If it's between the less perfect shot that better tells the story or a nice shot with less story, pick the one that best tells the story.
Use a title for your photo story.
And remember to edit and crop all images as needed.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Game Wednesday
There is another basketball game this Wednesday, I'd like to try to take a group. It's a 7pm game so we'd leave at 6pm. We can meet 5:55-ish at our classroom this time to make it easy. We'll try to be back by 9-9:30.
The first 6 people that reply have first dibs on a spot in the van! We can make another trip if you miss out.
The first 6 people that reply have first dibs on a spot in the van! We can make another trip if you miss out.
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