Wednesday March 31, 2010

please print out or e-mail me your compositional analysis responses to the images today.

(Liz, you have until tomorrow!)

Monday March 29, 2010

Your personal photojournalism project. Please see Friday's blog.

Remember: these are to be ready for presentation on Monday April 5.

If you were absent from class last week, I can make a copy of the powerpoints on your thumb drive if you wish.

Please take a moment to read the following:

What Makes a Great Shot by Andrew Hudson

Photography is the perfect companion to travel. It encourages us - as travelers - to discover an area; it provides tangible memories of the trip; and it is an enjoyable way to express ourselves in art.
A camera is really an excuse to delve deeper into a place than we otherwise would. Looking for a good shot forces us to seek out the unique features and scenic beauty of a location, to explore further, and to interact with our surroundings. When you press the shutter release, you're making a personal connection to the place and it's people. You are there. Photographs preserve the memories of our trip. We can show others the exciting places we've been, the wonderful scenery, and the great people we met. Our minds are triggered by images and reviewing our photographs helps everyone on the trip relive its adventures and misadventures. Taking pictures is also a very accessible artform. With a little thought and effort you can create captivating images of your own creation and interpretation.
The Secret of Photography
Fortunately, taking good photographs has little to do with owning expensive equipment and knowing technical data. The secret is in seeing. Ask yourself: What do I look at, and how do I see it? A good photograph has qualities that display the skill, art, interests, and personality of the photographer.
What Makes A Good Photograph?
A photograph is a message. It conveys a statement ("Here we are in ..."), an impression ("This is what ... looks like"), or an emotion. You are an author trying to convey this message in a clear, concise, and effective way. But how?
Like any message, you first need a subject. This may be your traveling companions, a building, a natural vista, or some abstract form. The subject is the central point of interest and is usually placed in the foreground of the shot (towards the viewer). Now we compose the message by including a second element, a context, which is often the background. The context gives the subject relevance, presence, location, or other interest. It is the combination of the two elements - subject and context, foreground and background - that tells the message.
Just as important as knowing what to include, is knowing what to exclude. Anything that isn't part of the subject or its context is only a distraction, cluttering up the image and diluting the message. So eliminate extraneous surroundings - usually by moving closer to the subject - and make a clear, tidy shot. A painter creates art by addition - adding more paint - whereas a photographer creates art by subtraction - removing unnecessary elements.
The recipe for a good photograph is:

"A foreground, a background, and nothing else."
What Makes A Great Photograph?
A great photograph is piece of art. It captures the spirit of a subject and evokes emotion. Bob Krist calls it "The Spirit of Place." You are an artist that can use subtle tricks to appeal to your viewer's senses. Let's see how.
A picture is a playground, with places for our eyes to wander and investigate, plus spaces for them to rest and relax. When we first see something, we are defensive. Our eyes instinctually find light, bright areas, and look for people, particularly their eyes and mouth. Do we know the people in the picture? What are they feeling, and how does this relate to us? Are they drawing attention to something? If so, do we recognize it (a building, a landmark) and what does it look like? What is this picture about? What is the main subject or objective? How big is the subject? We determine scale by comparing elements to something of known size, such as a person, animal, or car. Once we've checked for people, we turn our attention to more abstract features.
We first notice the subject's color or tone. Firey red, calming blue, natural green, foreboding black. Then we see shape. Soft curves, hard edges, sweeping lines. How the light strikes the subject gives subtle hints as to its three-dimensional form. You, as a photographer, can manipulate this by searching for shades and shadows, shifting intensities of tone and hues. How is the eye drawn into the picture?
Form leads us to texture, how the subject might feel to the touch. Is it soft, is it smooth, hard, or rough? Does it have character and warmth? The way the elements are juxtaposed and affected by the same light, makes us consider their qualities and interrelation. Balance draws our eye from one element to another, investigating their unity, contrast, and detail, each item adding pleasure to the next. What is the relevance of everything?
The overall composition, the proportions of layout, denotes importance of the elements. As the artist, you can decide which features appeals to you, and how best to emphasize them.
The recipe for a great photograph is:

"Consider how the parts interrelate with the whole".

In class work for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Written assessment of your understanding of photo composition and lighting techniques. In a word document, write a short paragraph for each of the 15 images. Begin with a description of what you see in terms of people, place, time of day. Be very descriptive. Taking your time with this will help you visualize your own photos. Next analyze the photo as to why it works. Note depth of field, use of a fast or slow shutter, fill in flash, shadows, focal points and how movement is captured on a flat plane. This is writing assignment, so take your time. You may use the handouts I gave you.

Friday March 26, 2010

So far we have looked at photographing buildings and landscapes. If you were absent, please bring in your jump / thumb drive and I will copy the images we reviewed for you. In class today, we are looking at photographing people. Again, I can give you the images, if are out.

ASSESSMENT PROJECT: Due Monday 5 April.

You are creating your own photojournalism project. There is no assigned topic, but your images should have a thematic or narrative unity. As well, they should demonstrate you understand the fundamentals of composition. You should have 20 photos. Keep in mind that with the computer, you have some flexibility to manipulate your images. Be prepared to explain your photos: what were trying to accomplish or even what did not succeed.

How to Photograph People

There are several factors to consider when photographing people:
Location
The first thing to do is find your location. Choose a spot with a simple, medium-toned background. Tree foliage, grass or the ocean works well. For darker skin, look for a similarly dark background to keep the highlight (and thus the camera's exposure) on the face.

Minimize patterns, shapes and colors. Keep that background simple, or include a famous landmark.
Lighting
Get the sun behind you and to one side. If it's bright, put people in the shade (harsh, direct sunlight washes out the face). If it's dark in the shade, use the fill-flash feature to brighten up the face.

The best time is the late afternoon as it gives a nice, warm, golden glow. At other times, with an SLR camera, you can simulate this glow with an 81B or C filter.

A popular technique is to put your subject in the shade, then use fill-flash to lighten up the face. Bring a small reflector or white card reflect sunlight into the harsh shadow areas.

Occasionally, having the sun shine from behind the subject (backlighting) looks good as it creates a halo through the hair, showing form and drawing the face out of the background.

If you're shooting indoors with an SLR, 'bounce' the flash off a wall or ceiling for more natural lighting. A separate hand-held flash is best and can be positioned far enough away from the lens to avoid red eye.

Lens
If you have an SLR, use a 135mm or similar lens for the most pleasing perspective. Use the widest aperture (lowest f-number) to blur the background and highlight the face for a movie-like look. If the background is important, use a small aperture (high f-number) to get everything in focus.
Positioning
Get close. Don't include their full body but zoom straight in to the face. For close ups, crop out the top of the head and overfill the frame. Being at eye level usually works best, so for children, kneel down.
Proportion
Generally try to keep the eyes, not necessarily the head, in the center of the frame. If the person is looking slightly to one side, add extra space to that side.

If your subject is to one side and there's a lot of contrast in the shot, you might need to control the exposure. To do this, zoom or close in on your subject (perhaps a person's face) then press the exposure lock button. Keep this button pressed down while you recompose and take your shot.


Relax Your Subject
Get your subject relaxed and happy. For friends or family, remind them of a silly event. With children, give them something to play with. For local people, ask them about the location, their job or skill, or complement their clothes. People hate waiting while you adjust your camera so always plan the shot and adjust your camera first, before asking people to pose.
Fun Shots
To add fun and action to a shot, hold the camera at an angle - 30 degrees with the right side up works well. It looks as though the photographer was caught off guard, emphasizing danger and action, and is great for parties! Stage a joke shot by pretending to interact with a statue. Or use a wide angle lens to distort the face.
Action
If your subject is moving (on a cable car or bicycle), deliberately blur the background to emphasize speed, excitement and urgency. Track the subject with your camera and, if you have an SLR, use a medium to slow shutter speed (1/60s). This will blur the background and, optionally, also your subject. Using the flash (particularly a 'rear-curtain sync' feature if your camera has one) helps freeze the subject in a moving background.

Wednesday March 23, 2010

Over the next three days we are going to look at photo compostion. This information should help your eye practice how you wish to frame your photos. It is not necessary to have an expensive camera to take gread shots. This information will be employed in the photos you take for your own projects.

How to Photograph Anything

Buildings
To minimize the angular distortions of looking upwards, always look for a high viewpoint. Ascend stairs, stand on top of another building or the crest of a hill. If you can't get high, stand far back.

Use the widest angle you have (24-30mm). Bright blue skies are to offset the gray of the building. A polarizer cuts down on window reflections. Try to include people for scale and human interest.

Look for interesting details, often around the doorway, columns or windows. Zoom in and isolate the detail. Here the diffused light of an overcast day works best.
Interiors
Stand well back or shoot from outside through a window. The low-light dictate a long exposure, so load up with fast film. Bring a tripod if they're allowed or, if not, find a support (a wall, your friends shoulder, or lean against a doorway). Use a cable release, or the self-timer to avoid moving the camera.

Remember to switch off the flash if it is not allowed. If it is, you can bring up dark areas by firing a hand-held flash into them while the shutter is open. Natural lighting casts shadows for a tranquil atmosphere. Expose for the highlights.

Landscapes
Always have something in the foreground. This gives depth and scale - using a person also adds human interest. Look for a high vantage point such as a hotel balcony, roof-top restaurant, or wall. Late afternoon is usually best. Use a polarizer to enhance the sky. Haze increases with distance and this aerial perspective gives a subtle impression of distance and depth. Ansel Adams declared landscape photography to be the supreme test of the photographer.
Water
With sprayed water, use side- or backlighting for a translucent look. This also works well with smoke, grass and leaves.

Experiment with a slow shutter speed, perhaps 1/30 to 1/4s so that the rushing water creates a soft, romantic blur. I like 1/8s. A tripod or other support is necessary. Be careful with a polarizer - it can enhance the colors but it also removes reflections that you may want.

Sunsets
The best times are when the sun is just about to touch the horizon, and the afterglow 10-30 minutes after the sun has set. Usually automatic metering works fine, but with high contrast, meter off the brightest part of the sky. Try adding a person in the foreground (they'll appear as a silhouette) for human interest, depth and character. Either include a reflection from the ocean, or eliminate the scenery and keep the horizon low in the frame. A zoom lens is useful and you'll need a tripod or wall for support as the shutter speed will be slow.
Dusk and Night Shots
Dusk shots are best about 15-30 minutes after sunset, when there is still some color in the sky. To add depth, shoot from one end of a bridge or find some other feature coming towards you. A tripod is a necessity. Auto exposure usually works fine but also try manual exposure using a cable release and the 'B' (bulb - open) setting. Take several shots with 2, 4, 8, 12 and 16 seconds. Use an FL-D magenta filter to overcome the effect of tungsten lights on daylight film, and to add a pink to the sky.
In Bad Weather
Bad weather doesn't mean bad photographs, it just changes your options.

Overcast skies reduce contrast and are preferred for trees and foliage. Colors may appear cool and bluish so add an 81A, B, or C filter to warm up the image. If the sky is boring, disguise it with an overhanging tree, or exclude it completely by raising the horizon in your frame. When low clouds or rain reduce color saturation, try black and white film to emphasize the range of gray tones. You may need a faster film (ISO 200 or 400) since there's less light.

Storms and heavy rain add drama and power to an image. Dusk shots are improved with reflections of neon lights in puddles. Clouds create moving patterns of interesting highlights, particularly when a storm is clearing. Fog makes lakes, rivers and valleys look ethereal and primordial.

Rain or snow makes people, kids especially, wear colorful clothing. Cover your camera with a coat, umbrella, or even put it in a plastic bag. In snow, give a slight overexposure (slower shutter speed or '+1') to keep the whites free from appearing dirty gray.

Thursday 18 March 2010

John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Annie Liebowitz's photo for the cover of Rolling Stone

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NOAH

Tuesday March 16, 2010

UPDATE: presentations for your pojects are this Friday 19 March, Monday 22 March and Tuesday 23 March. Previous instructions apply. See yesterday's blog.

3rd period

Liz - Dithpran

Noah - Tim Page

Carolyn - Steven Alvarez

Elanna - Marcus Bleasdale

Claire - Manoocher Deghati

Melissa - Russell Klika

Felisa - Altar Qadri

Emily - Carol Guzy

Amy - Corky Lee

Katy - Pogus Caesar

Lyla - Zoriah
Michelle- Pep Bonet
Rasheed-

Jonathan - Manuel Alvarez Bravo

Joe -Spider Martin

Justin- Lewis Hine

Tyler- James Nachtwey

Jala- Mohamed Amin

Owen--Roman Vischniac

Nate- Jim Richardson

Denisha- Jacob Riis

Michelle- Pep Bonet

Nastaslia- Kenjanji

Amanda- Andre Kertesz

Suzette- Margaret Bourke- White

Stephanie- Tim O'Sullivan

Zthori- Pablo Barthomew

9th Period

Yanni - Andre Kertesz

Peter - Manuel Alvarez Bravo

Vanessa - Danny Lyon

Harriett - Robert Doiseanu

Maya - Zoriah

Amber - Pep Bonet

Devonte - Kenjanji

Yusuf - Pogus Caesar

Chandel - Sebastio Salgado

Dennis - Spider Martin

Krissy - Matthew Brady
Lashaunte- Lee Miller
Ian- Eddie Adams
Jessica- Hansel Mieth
Michael- timothy Allen
Josh- Stephen Alvarez
Brittany- Timothy O'Sullivan
Dionna- Andre Kertesz

Monday March 15, 2010

photo by Dan Budnik

We are beginning a unit on photojounalism. We'll begin by looking at specific photographers, moving onto aspects of composition and finally your own work. Please read the following carefully.
Monday and Tuesday are exploratory days. By the close of Tuesday in class, hand in your list of three people and on Wednesday, I'll let you know which one is yours. The objective is not to have duplicates.

Photojournalism / Photojournalists

1. Spend Monday and Tuesday exploring the works of the following photo journalists.
2. Choose three that appeal to you and write down their names in order of preference.
3. On Wednesday begin working on the assigned journalist. There should be no duplicates.
4. Project:
Research the biographical information on your journalist, noting significant influences in their work and philosophical perspectives.
Create a power point presentation consisting of seven slides: a title slide that includes an image of the photojournalist with his or her name and life dates, followed by 6 images taken by the journalist. Put your presentation on a jump drive!
Monday-Wednesday next week, you will present your research to the class

With accompanying notes, you will give an historical overview of your journalist, noting particularly the significance of their work. As well, you should be able to 1) accurately and objectively describe the images and 2) know the historical context of the work.

Again, you must have your work on a jump drive!

Possible topic choices. If there is someone else you wish to research, please let me know.


1. Eddie Adams
2. Timothy Allen
3. Stephen Alvarez
4. Moahmed Amin
5. Pablo Bartholmew
6. Felice Beato
7. Marcus Bleasdale
8. Margaret Bourke-White
9. Mathew Brady
10. Dan Budnik
11. Pogus Caesar
12. Robert Capa
13. Joseph Costa
14. Paul Couvrette
15. Manoocher Deghati
16. Sergio Dorantes
17. Clifton C. Edom
18. Roger Fenton
19. John Harrington
20. Deborah Copaken Kogan
21. Andre Kertesz
22. Russell Klika
23. Danny Lyon
24. Don McCullin
25. Spider Martin
26. Enrico Martino
27. Susan Meiselas
28. Hansel Mieth
29. Lee Miller
30. James Nachtwey
31. Kenji Nagai
32. Lucian Perkins
33. Dith Pran
34. Altaf Qadri
35. Reza
36. Jim Richardson
37. James Robertson
38. Ingac Sechti
39. Josef Jindrich Sechtl
40. W. Eugene Smith
41. Melissa Springer
42. Juliea Tutwiler
43. Roman Vishniac
44. Zoriah
45. Jacob Riis
46. Carol Guzy
47. Corky Lee
48. Stan Honda
49. Walker Evans
50. Lewis Hine
51. Robert Doisneau
52. Manuel Alvarez Bravo
53. Alfred Eisenstadt
54. Roy DeCarava
55. Sebastio Salgado
56. Timothy O’Sullivan

Thursday March 11, 2010

Writing an obituary. Assignment Due tomorrow, Friday 12 March
Please read the introductory material, followed by the writer / barrister John Mortimer's obituary from this past December.
While there are templates that one uses everyday in the paper- a standard 7 lines, those people who are considered socially significant warrent much larger memorials. And so shall youi. Model your own obituary in the sytle of Mortimer's. Note public and personal life. Be imaginative and creative. And have fun!

Please send your completed obituary as an e-mail attachment.

By the way, the slang expression for an obituary is the Irish sports page.


Writing obits. For generations, the journalism culture demanded that young reporters cut their teeth on obituary stories – “writing obits,” we would say. The thinking was that obituaries were easy to write and possibly not very interesting or important. Today, in many newspapers (except for the larger ones), the obit story has been relegated to a classified advertisement. But writing obits is important work. It always has been. Bert Barnes spent 20 years at the Washington Post writing obituaries before retiring in March 2004. He has written an article for the Post about his experiences on the obit desk. In it he says:

I loved that work. It taught me that even in the monotony of the daily grind, life could be funny and beautiful, surprising and strange. Death is no big deal if you don't love life. I only wish I could have met more of the people I wrote about.

One of the first exercises I had in a beginning news writing class in college was to write my own obituary. All of us in the class had to do that, and we had a lot of fun with it. I remember trying to figure out who the pallbearers would be. I still think that’s a good assignment for a beginning student because they have all the information available without having to interview anyone or look anything up.

Sample obituary:

Obituary: Sir John Mortimer

Sir John Mortimer, who has died aged 85, was a celebrated barrister, author and raconteur. He often used his legal exploits to fuel his writing, and his most famous courtroom creation was Rumpole of the Bailey.

"I was raised , educated and clothed almost entirely on the proceeds of cruelty, adultery and neglect," he said of his upbringing as the son of a successful divorce lawyer.

Sir John's prodigious career was shaped by two events at a young age. His father lost his eyesight, and it became the youngster's duty to describe the world and keep his blind father entertained.

His father made it clear he expected his only son to take over his legal practice, and so Sir John began a career in law, later becoming a Queen's Counsel.

He first came to the public eye when he successfully defended Oz magazine against charges of obscenity in 1971.

He had already acted for Penguin Books when they published Lady Chatterley's Lover by DH Lawrence. Later, he successfully defended the Sex Pistols when their Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols album resulted in an attempted prosecution.

Permissive society

Sir John became a beacon for the permissive society, but also defended high moral standards. "Liberty is allowing people to do things you disapprove of," he said.

Already the author of several plays and novels, Sir John wrote Voyage Round My Father in 1971. A loose set of anecdotes about his childhood and late father, the play was later adapted into a successful television film starring Laurence Olivier.


Two instalments of autobiography, Clinging to the Wreckage and Murderers and other Friends, followed.
Displaying his offbeat view of life, Sir John revealed in the latter how he found murderers "really the most relaxed people" he had come across.

"Generally, they had disposed of the one person that was irritating them," he said.

Sir John rose at 5am each morning to write, and his prodigious workload brought him success in many fields.

As well as the adaptation of Voyage Round my Father, he brought his own novels Summer's Lease and Paradise Postponed to television.

'Breakfast with a fraudster'

In 1981, he translated Evelyn Waugh's classic novel Brideshead Revisited into a phenomenally successful television series, and wrote the film screenplay of the 1999 film Tea with Mussolini.

A celebrated member of the literati and one-time chairman of the Royal Court, Sir John led a self-professed double life for many years.

He described a typical day as "breakfast with a fraudster, down to the cells to see a murderer, and off to rehearsals at the end of the day".

When he left the Bar, Sir John channelled his adversarial energy into his character, Rumpole of the Bailey, portrayed on screen by Leo McKern.

After making its debut as a BBC television play in 1975, Rumpole became an ITV series in 1978 and brought its creator fame across the world. In 1980 it was adapted for radio with Maurice Denham in the lead role, with Timothy West picking up the part in 2003.

Sir John was the quintessential champagne socialist, a champion for reform and permissiveness, who nevertheless lived in the wealthy Chilterns and backed the monarchy and fox-hunting.

Despite failing health, he remained active well into later life, attending the February 2008 launch of his play, Legal Fictions, in a wheelchair.

He told The Times: "One of my weaknesses is that I like to start the day with a glass of champagne before breakfast. When I mentioned that on a radio show once, I was asked if I had taken counselling for it."

Large and idiosyncratic

He remained disappointed by the modern Labour Party, saying, "we don't ask for much, but it would be nice to have a spoonful of socialism".


He was married twice, the first time to author Penelope Mortimer. After their marriage collapsed, her autobiography detailed infidelities and rows.
Sir John would say only that "marriage between two writers is always difficult".

His second wife, Penny, was a model booker when he met her, and 23 years his junior. Sir John was able to explore this true life theme of age difference in his novel The Sound of Trumpets.

Although he constantly borrowed from his life to enhance his writing, he remained as large and idiosyncratic as any character he created.

In his novel, Felix in the Underworld, the book's central accusation is that the novelist expects others to live out dramatic moments for him.

From the clapboard home of his childhood to the wooden benches of the High Court, the same could not be said of Sir John Mortimer.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/1023315.stm

Published: 2009/01/16 12:27:37 GMT

Monday March 1, 2010

Please blog in detail your project: group, title, angles...and what you have accomplished so far. Only one person in your group need do this.

After you have completed your newsletter, begin working on your powerpoint, which will be presented beginning next Monday.

The powerpoint should augment the articles. This should be between 7-9 minutes. Everyone in the group should be presenting.