SPRING BREAK homework

self portraits!!!



The Art of Constructing a Self-Portrait

A self-portrait comes from within. Injecting 'those we love' into the portrait steers one away from the harder task to trying to reveal self without adornment.

If you eat, sleep, and live for speed then your self-portrait should reflect motion and movement as one of its cornerstones.

If you are a reflective type, then reflections and patterns and their intersections should occupy a primary space.

If overall you feel more flawed then whole, then you wouldn't want to go about photographing the most pristine parts of yourself; you would want, instead, to capture your essence in a manner that describes and defines you without complaining. I say that because the essence of self-discovery requires you to be a benign observer of self so as not to hone in too closely on this or that part.

A sense of 'wholeness' is difficult to capture at best. Indeed, wholeness is almost impossible for some people to even understand -- let alone capture in themselves -- because their persons and their lives are so fragmented, so disorganized in general.

But that is what self-portraiture is all about, capturing the whole -- the whole of who you are as a person.

Try to be unforgiving in a benign and neutral way. Study yourself in the mirror and photograph what you see there. Then go inside yourself and photograph what you see there.

You will shoot four different good self-portraits over break (it will take LOTS of images to achieve 4 good photos). You need to pick four photo types from the following six categories.

1. A self-portrait where color is emphasized. Color may include wardrobe, location, props, or natural objects. Think of your picture as a one or two color concept picture.

2. A picture that emphasizes lighting and shadows. This will be a grayscale self-portrait.

3. A self-portrait that showcases your interests and hobbies. In this picture we learn what you like to do away from school. Think about what interests you and transfer that into a photo.

4. A fantasy self-portrait. Dress up and use costumes. In this self-portrait you can use Photoshop to enhance your picture in any way, shape, or form. Transfer yourself to Hawaii or become a Viking like you have always wanted.

5. The Supermodel self-portrait. Dress up like a GQ or Cosmopolitan magazine model. This can be a grayscale or color picture. You will use Photoshop to airbrush and enhance this photo.

6. An abstract self portrait that focuses on textures, shapes, and interesting lines and patterns. You must be the subject of this image, but represent yourself in a creative, abstract and unique way where you are only partially recognizable...

First of all, I want you to look at the photos on the following websites for self-portrait ideas and then answer the following questions. Please use text edit, Abi Word, or Word and drop the answers into the proper class folder.

• http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGall2.asp?catID=441

• http://www.teachingphoto.com/school_work.html

Also, go to Getty Images and do a portraits search (self-portraits on getty show people taking pictures of themselves. We do not need to see the camera)

• What four categories do you think you will pick? Why?
• What are your interests and hobbies that you can showcase in your self-portrait?
• What colors will be the best for you to work with for self-portrait where color is emphasized? What are your favorite colors?
• Do you have any costumes or props you can use for the self-portraits?

Hints for self-portraits:

Use colors or lighting to create a concept.

Costumes or uniforms work great.

Change angles.

Use props.

Vary the lighting.

Try different emotional looks.

Pose in action.

Most importantly for this assignment don't forget your composition rules. Use framing, leading lines, rule of thirds, color contrast etc. to enhance your photo. Fill the frame.

PHOTOMERGES!

Your assignment over the next eight days:

You will create Photomerge pictures. These are 3-5 pictures that overlap to show a wide landscape or cityscape or ??? be creative! (one big picture).

Your four Photomerges should be taken at four different locations at different times of day: sunrise, afternoon, sunset, dusk, etc.

Use a tripod if possible. Remember to manual adjust white balance or select something like "cloudy" or "sunny" on your camera.

Summary

• Four locations
• One Photomerge from each location
• make sure each Photomerge is taken at a different time

Schedule: Starting 3-18

Wed: Photomerge Basics
Fri: MOP presentations (short C day)
Mon: At least 2 photomerges due from this weekend
Wed: Shooting Day
Fri: In Class editing

**All four final locations are due next Friday

MOP Due!

Please turn in your Masters of Photo assignment today (Wed March 18th).

1. Turn in a 1+ page essay
   
2. A contact sheet with one image of your photographers and one image of your creation in the style or aesthetic of your photographer. (File > Automate > Contact Sheet > set to: 8"x10" @ 400 dpi, 1 column and 2 rows)
   
3. PUT THIS ALL INTO A FOLDER TITLED "LAST NAME_MOP" and place it into the staff server, Story, classes folder, period 1.
   
4. Friday we will present (2 minutes) about our photog's, (info to include: what they took pictures of, technique/style, what you did to emulate their images)
   

Masters of Photo Written Assignment

In no LESS than one page please explain:

• Who you selected and who they are (i.e. when, where, what etc)

• Describe their photography (what is unique about her/his style and technique), what do the photograph, how, why?

• Explain how he/she (or something they did, used, invented or created) has impacted or changed the world of photography.

• Why did you choose this photographer? What do you like about their work/style?

Masters of Photo Shooting Assignment

Once you have selected the photographer of your choice from the list, please determine an image(s) or technique of theirs you would like to try and emulate. Your task is to mimic their photographic style and aesthetic principles with your own photograph. Imitation is the best form of flattery, and this is your task.

Example:

Herman Leonard: known for photographing jazz legends both in portraits and in jazz clubs. Images were black and white with stark contrast and vivid lighting. To mimic his style you could shoot images of an indie band at a show with similar conditions (intense lighting, black and white, high contrast, etc.)

You will be printing out one image of your photographer and one of your own creation in line with their style and technique...

MASTERS OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Today we will be selecting a photographer which you would like to study and emulate. Here is a list of potential photographers, but please feel free to branch out and find someone not on the list, the only requirement is that they have impacted the world of photography in some form...

• Abbott, Berenice
• Adams, Ansel
• Adams, Robert
• Alvarez Bravo
• Arbus, Diane
• Atget, Eugene
• Bellocq, E.J.
• Blossfeldt, Karl
• Brandt, Bill
• Brassai
• Callahan, Harry
• Cameron, Julia M.
• Coburn, Alvin L.
• Cunningham,Imogen
• DeCarava, Roy
• Doisneau, Robert
• Eggleston, William
• Evans, Walker
• Friedlander, Lee
• Gutmann, John
• Hine, Lewis
• Kertesz, Andre
• Klein, William
• Koudelka, Josef
• Lange, Dorothea
• Lartigue,Jacques H.
• Laughlin,Clarence J.
• Levitt, Helen
• Mapplethorpe,Robert
• Modotti, Tina
• Muybridge,Eadweard
• Nadar, Felix
• O'Sullivan, Timothy
• Outerbridge, Paul
• Porter,Eliot
• Riis, Jacob
• Rodchenko,Alexander
• Salgado,Sebastio
• Sherman, Cindy
• Smith, W. Eugene
• Sommer, Frederick
• Steichen, Edward
• Stieglitz, Alfred
• Strand, Paul
• Talbot,William H. Fox
• Uelsmann, Jerry
• Weegeehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
• Weston, Edward
• White, Minor
• Winogrand, Garry
Guy Bourdin
Cartier Bresson
Andreas Gursky
Annie Leibowitz

MORE HERE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_photographers

Click here to view some of these photographers images


And here for even more


Make sure you like the images of whomever you select, we will have two assignments around the topic of your MOP.

Friday 3-6

Today you have the period to edit your abstract and black and white images. You will need to turn in both projects at the end of the period.

TURN IN: All in one folder named YOUR NAME!

• abstract contact sheet 42+ images (7x7)
• favorite abstract pic as a .jpg file
• contact sheet of 24+ abstracts in B&W (4x6 and not the same as on the previous CS)
• favorite edited B&W image as .jpg file

All into the CLASSES folder on the STAFF server...

Some B&W examples:

http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/grayscale.html

http://www.danheller.com/bw-artsie.html

Abstracts in B&W too...

If abstracts are making the ordinary extraordinary, converting them to black and white can take that one step further, as you are no longer just looking for pattern, color, line, shape etc. But now have the added task of searching for black to white CONTRAST.

***Your task is to shoot 24 more abstract images with a focus on contrast and shadow. Places to shoot: a cemetary, a street with very old brick buildings or houses, a junkyard, a used car lot, a basement, or a dense forest.

Friday we will learn 4 techniques for turning images to black and white.

Both Abstracts and B&W images will be due on Friday. You will turn in:

* a contact sheet of 42 abstract images (good, diverse, unique, interesting)
*one amazing abstract to print
*a contact sheet with 24 abstracts in B&W (focused on contrast)
*one B&W abstract image to print