Assignment #9: If Photography is an art, what about capturing "art" as a photograph?

We all have favorite artists, favorite paintings, favorite sculptures.  Sometimes, wouldn't it be nice to get inside the head of the creator and see what they did as they were making their creation?  Now you will.

Choose your favorite painting, sculpture, artist, and recreate your favorite piece using whatever photography means you feel you need.  The sky is the limit.  Pose your friends, use the studio, Lightroom or PhotoShop as you see fit.  Your assignment is to "re"capture the image using your own tool - your camera.

What I'm looking for:

1.  Lighting
2.  Composition
3.  Accuracy (within reason)
4.  Attitude (serious?  humorous?)
5.  Research TWO artists and the work they create that you are interested in "re"capturing through the medium of Photography.  Post both artists and their images on your blog and give them due credit.
6.  Your final piece will be saved at a resolution of 300 , not larger than 8 x 10, and posted, side by side, with the original art/artist you selected.

You can work with a partner ONLY if both of you are in the final capture, and upon teacher approval.  Set up and location is important so choose your image carefully.  Think about using the Photography Studio and think about needed props to make the image come alive.

5.  Have fun, please.  Always important…

Due date:  10/18

Pot Pourri”, Herbert James Draper – recapture by Tania Brassesco and Lazlo Passi Norberto

Girl with Ice Cream Cone”, Wayne Thiebaud – recapture by Stephanie Gonot

Le Désespéré”, Gustave Courbet – recapture by Stefano Telloni

                                                     Self Portrait 1889″, Vincent van Gogh – recapture by Seth Johnson

Girl reading a Letter by an Open Window, Vermeer - recapture by Wanda Martin

                                      Portrait of a Lady, 1640, Rogier Van der Weyden - recapture by Hendrik Kersten

Assignment # 8 ...so now that you've done the hard stuff...

...let's have some fun!

The Assignment:  To capture letter forms that make up the alphabet.
The Final Project:  Create a QUOTE you find particularly meaningful using those letter forms.
The Rules:  
1. Capture images that LOOK like the alphabet letters
2.  Do NOT capture existing letters (from signs, buildings, billboards, etc.)
3.  Create a new artboard in Photoshop that will fit the entire quote and place the letters you've captured on it, sized and cropped correctly.
3.  Due 9/27, posted on your blog.

Assignment #7 - What color are you?

When you think of who you are, what color do you see?  For this assignment, think about who you are and capture the color in one fabulous, portfolio quality image.

Some rules:
1. When you capture the image, leave enough room for the color "word" you've chosen.
2. Once you've captured the image, create a new document in Photoshop approximately 12 x 18 (your "shape" may be different but not larger than those dimensions.
3. Place your image and design the word so that is is evident but not obvious.  Think about the opacity and color of the word itself.  Think about the font as well.
4. Post on your blog and include a paragraph explaining/describing the image and color you selected.

Due date:   A Day - 9/20, end of class
                  B Day - 9/21, end of class

Assignment #6 - How do you see Polar Opposites?

Earth and sky.

In photography, a diptych is a pair of photographs placed side by side to form one single artistic statement or comparison. The images can be identical or similar in composition, they can show different angles of the same scene, or they can demonstrate polar opposites such as morning and night, old and new, or before and after.

The Assignment:

Photograph two subjects which you consider to be polar opposites.

Create your diptych using Photoshop by cropping each image to 5 x 7" (or 7 x 5") with a 180 resolution.

Place both images together in one document sized accordingly (11 x 15") and 180 resolution and post to your blog.

This time include a 300 word reflection that discusses your original concept and how well you executed it.

Due Date:  September 22, end of class

Assignment #5: How can you feel TEXTURE when it's in a photograph?

What?  Feel texture in a photograph?  I can SEE the texture, and it looks so DIMENSIONAL…but how can I make the viewer actually FEEL it?

So that’s the challenge in this next assignment.  You now have proven you can compose like a pro – so what about the other areas you need to really think about in taking the leap from snap shot to art?  Here goes:

1.     Capture 5 images that show texture – make them DIFFERENT – not 5 in the same location.

2.     Make sure you are shooting on the manual mode (M) on your camera metering dial.  If you can’t get the settings right, what should you do  (hint…it involves your MANUAL – the instruction book…).

3.     Make a folder on the computer desktop and upload your images.  Label the folder “Texture 101”.

4.     Edit your images in Photoshop – this is the time to play around with the image adjustments drop down menu:  levels, curves, color balance, hue/saturation, brightness/contrast.  See what each of them actually does.  Remember to use Command J before you edit and save!

5.     Save each image as a jpeg and rename them so you know what they are.

6.     Post your two BEST captures on your blog and make sure you include your technical information (ISO, f-stop and shutter speed, camera mode).  This post is to be called Texture 101.

7.     Along with your images, find a capture that you think shows incredible texture and under your images post this.  Explain why you selected this image, what makes it texture-perfect and who the photographer is.

Dues date:  Friday, September 15, end of class

Assignment #4: How DOES a great photographer create great composition?

Can you match these images with the list of compositional tips below?

How does a photographer arrange the elements in a photo to make it eye catching to the viewer?  Contrast, balance, rule of thirds, leading lines, diagonals, alternative camera angles, clear subject of interest, texture, patterns and lines, geometric shapes, framing...to name a few.

1. Read this link (and refer to it in your own reflection) about composition before you begin: 
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/04/12/10-rules-of-photo-composition-and-why-they-work/

2. Capture 5 images that show strong composition using the list above.

3. Edit in Photoshop using adjustments or the cropping tool to make the best composition possible.

 

3. Post the 5 images to your blog and select the 3 you feel are the best composition.  Include the technical information (ISO, f-stop and shutter speed, and camera mode) in the caption of each photo. 

4. Under each of the 3 "best", write 3 sentences reflecting on why you feel the photo has strong composition and why it is eye catching to the viewer making sure to label what elements you used from the link.

Due Date:  Thursday/Friday, September 7/8, end of block.