To Turn in Today

Your 4 Merges! Turn them in full size, cropped, in one folder, and label one as your favorite to print!

Turkey Day Assignment!!!!

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 complete the following exercise:

• 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?
• Sketch 4 thumbnail images, one for each category, showing your ideas
• Consider costumes or props and locations that you can use for the self-portraits... depict these in your thumbnails.

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.

PM & Sequence Timeline

You will have Tuesday to shoot for this assignment, that will be our only out of class shooting day. You will have Thursday to edit, then the weekend to continue to shoot, we will then have Tuesday 11-24 to further edit and turn in our PM and sequences. A minimum of 4 images of interesting, unique, creative, and well composed scenes, each from different locations, settings, times of day.

Due Monday 11-16

Please turn in a contact sheet with your 4 combined images from last week (2 action sequences, and 2 photomerges, one vertical and one horizontal). Put this contact sheet (as a .jpg) into the classes folder on the server following the naming convention.

Tutorials...

to make an action sequence:
http://vodpod.com/watch/1228735-how-to-make-a-sequence-in-photoshop-

to make a photomerge:
http://photoshop.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=377580

http://www.creativepro.com/article/auto-stitch-with-photoshop-cs3

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 an action sequence or ??? be creative! (one big picture).

Your four final 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
• At least one sequence and or at least one panoramic merge... (AKA not all of one type)
  

Schedule: Starting 11-9


Mon: MOP presentations (C day) and Photomerge Basics
Tue: Photomerge shooting day
Thurs: At least 2 photomerges due from this week
Mon: Sequenced Shooting
Tue: Shooting Day
Thurs: In Class editing

**All four final locations are due next Friday

NEW TIMELINE & DUE DATES...

MOP:
Due Thursday 11-5-09

• your emulation image and an image of your photog's
• your 1pg written assignment
• contact sheet with 24 good pics
  

"Beauty is..."
Due Tuesday 11-3-09

• one amazing beautiful image... Thursday we will matte these images and fill out entry forms.
• contact sheet with 24 good pics