The Final - Me then and me now

photographer Chino Otsuka 

photographer Chino Otsuka

What do you remember about yourself from when you were a child?  Where did you go, what did you do?  Do you ever go back to the same places?  Picture yourself than and now and then together again in the same place.  Your final assignment is to do just that, realistically.

Look through your old photographs of when you were a child.  Take a good look at the composition and location, the lighting and the age of the image.  You are going to be placing the you of today with the you of that time and location.  This will involve Photoshop and definite digital manipulation, along with creative vision for lighting and structure of the image.  Give yourself a number of options as you will need to photograph yourself for placement in the final images. 

This will be a series of three.  You may use three different ages, three different locations - think of the final piece as a work to be viewed together.

Due May 14th.

Assignment 18 - DIY

Photo by Yulia Pletinka

What would you like to do with your camera?  How would you like to challenge yourself?  

Now's your chance.

In Assignment #18 I would like you to think of a project/photograph/portfolio quality image you would like to purse.  Here are the stipulations I am going to set:

1.  You will have two weeks

2.  Your project must be created on campus

3.  You must write a proposal to be turned in both physically and posted on your blog

4.  You will be displaying the image(s) within NDB, the location to be a part of the project

Be creative.

Be thoughtful and thought-provoking.

Be impressive.

Due date:  April 25

Assignment 17 - The 5 Senses

Soft Touch by Tom Baker

What are the 5 senses?  How do we perceive them when we actually have to see them?  Your assignment is to capture all 5 senses in 5 images.  A series, if you wish, that will be displayed together - or mixed into each others' works.  Think outside the box.

Sight

Touch

Smell

Sound

Taste

Due April 12, end of class.

Assignment 16 - The Playing Card Project - a mini concentration

Playing cards are interesting.  They have different meanings depending on the use, the location, and the audience.  They also have a unique visual appeal and look.  But what if you were to see a playing card out of context?  What would you think?  What would you suspect or do? 

And this becomes your assignment.  Using playing cards - one card or an entire deck - you will create a mini concentration that might or might not create a narrative.  The images should work together, in the end, but the individual images should be strong, striking, interesting, and above all, unique.

Due:  March 28, end of class.

Assignment 15 - The Low of High Fashion Photography

High fashion photography.  That usually seems to conjure images of elite models, clothes a normal person can't afford, and destinations far beyond our wildest dreams.  But what if we could switch this image to be something just the opposite.  What if we took all these components and created high fashion photography using regular people, a location that was "everyday", with clothes that might not be deemed "high" fashion (or even fashion at all?  What would that look like to you?

Your assignment:  Create a series of fashion images that would be suitable for Vogue, Cosmopolitan, or any other fashion magazine.  Think outside the box and, with your knowledge of cameras and settings, compose a unique look that would be a show stopper.

Due:  March 14/15

Assignment 14 - Oh, Those Clever Librarians and Their #Bookface

Bookface photographs by Ray Delara of the Burlingame Public Library in California

How complicated can it be to take a photograph of a book cover for the purpose of posting it on Instagram? Fairly complicated, particularly for those trying to create an image in what has become known as “bookface” style.

Bookface involves strategically lining up your face or another body part alongside a book cover that features a matching body part so that there appears a melding of life and art. The minitrend is giving a boost to the digital presence of institutions that are, by definition, purveyors of analog information.

Your assignment:  create a #Bookface of your own.  You may do this solo or as a group.  Take special care to compose thoughtfully, with attention to great composition and lighting.

Research books in the NDB library today and post the final image not later than 2/27.

Assignment 13 - 3 in 1

Assignment 1: Up Close

This assignment encourages you to get close and personal with your subject. It is an exercise in viewing a common object in a new way and examining its finer details.

• Choose an object that you see or interact with every day.
• Focus on a small part of it, get as close as your camera will allow you to focus and shoot away.

• Try to capture different angles and unusual lighting to add to the mystery of this tiny world.

From the whiskers of a cat to common soap bubbles, there is an entire world that we often overlook because we don't get close enough.

Assignment 2: Motion

Photography is a static medium - it doesn't move. Conveying a sense of motion is often crucial

to capturing a scene or emotion and it is an essential skill for photographers to practice.

The goal of this exercise is to understand how shutter speeds can be used to convey motion.

• Choose a subject or series of subjects that will allow you to convey motion in your images.
• It can be slow motions like that of a turtle or fast motion like a speeding train.
• Blur it, stop it, or simply suggest that there is motion in the photograph.

Challenge yourself to capture the same motion in different ways. For instance, you might go to a race track and stop the movement of the cars completely in one image, then leave the shutter open and allow them to blur out of the frame in the next. 

Assignment 3: Color Harmony

Color is essential to photography. This exercise requires a knowledge of color theory.

Do you remember art class in elementary school? You may have learned that yellow and blue make green, but color theory goes beyond that. There are cool and warm colors, complementary and contrasting colors, neutral colors and bold colors.

It can get quite complicated and photographers should have a basic understanding of color so you can use that when composing photographs. You don't have to study color like a painter would but can use tricks used by interior designers to influence your color decisions.

• Once you have an idea of color theory, take another photo excursion and put what you've learned into practice.
• 1. Capture photographs with the primary or tertiary colors.
• 2. Look for complementary colors then contrasting colors to photograph.
• 3. Try finding a scene to photograph that is filled with neutral colors, then one that uses a bold color to 'pop' from the scene.

This is an advanced lesson, but one that any photographer working with color images will find useful. 

Due Friday, end of class.

Assignment adapted from Liz Masoner.