My latest art project

This is a permanent installation tesserae mosaic on a staircase and approximately 100 square feet of flooring. The Asian motif features a koi pond with lilypads. Materials used for this portion of the project include ceramic tiles, marbles, pebbles, and broken pottery. The yin-yang medallion is made from white marble and black granite. The tiling on the staircase includes pieces of stained glass, broken china plates, and seashells. This is the largest project I have attempted, and I am proud of the accomplishment having completed it!

Goodbye 2nd period students!!

Those who were not exempt took final exams today. You are finished with Photography I!! I hope you learned a skill that will benefit you in the future in college, a career, or just a hobby. Some of you should definitely consider taking Photography II and perhaps going even further. I've seen some outstanding work this semester, and I'm proud of you! Have a great summer, and continue taking lots of pictures! Ms. Finch

CONGRATS TO ART SHOW WINNERS!!

Congratulations to the following students who won People's Choice awards at the Gardening Festival Art Show. I am told that approximately 80 visitors voted for:
1st place---Casey Sloate
2nd place---Drew Keenan
3rd place---Barry Lawler
I am proud to say that all three are students of my Photography I classes!! GREAT JOB!!

NHIs---Last Chance!!

I have officially closed the late folder for NHIs, but I will allow you to submit any project you have already completed, but did not get turned in correctly. You DO NOT have time to do any project start to finish at this late date. However, if your copy is in your folder, please submit it to the late folder for one last chance to get rid of NHIs. I will check the late folder for the last time on Friday, May 30th, 3:30 p.m. You MUST turn in all pieces of a project to get credit! Here are the NHIs I have as of 6:30 Thursday night:
OBX montage-210
Macro-26, 210, 212
Composition paper- 21, 22, 210, 212, 214
Backlight Project- 21, 22, 24, 26, 210, 212, 217
Collage (any subject)- 212
Backlit Landscape- 21, 22, 24, 26, 27, 210, 212, 213, 214
Text- 212
Food Still Life- 21, 22, 24, 26, 27, 210, 214
Action- 21, 24, 27, 210
Nature Collage- 21, 22, 24, 27, 210
Metaphor Self-Portrait- 21, 22, 24, 26
Black and White- 22, 24
Career paper- 21, 22, 26, 27, 210, 214
Final Portfolio- 21, 24, 27
PLEASE NOTE: If you have more than two NHIs in this class, you almost certainly have an 'F'. If you have done these projects, PLEASE get them turned in! Make sure they are JPEGs and make sure you place them in the TO TEACHER>Late folder. The name of the project should START with your Class ID# so that you get proper credit for your work!

EXAM EXEMPTIONS

Based upon preliminary figures, and your tardies and absences to date, the following students are exempt:
25, 29, 213, 215, 216, 217, 219, 220, 221

THIS LIST IS SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION WITH ADMINISTRATION AS TO ATTENDANCE/TARDIES, UNEXCUSED ABSENCES. IT MAY CHANGE! FINAL LIST WILL BE PUBLISHED FRIDAY, MAY 30TH, 3:30P.M.

Study for Exams!

Here's a list of things you should know for exams:
Know about the photographer you presented to the class.
Know about at least one other photographer we studied (from reading, films, or other presentations).
Know the basics about 35mm photography.
Know how to get the proper exposure.
Know about action photography and how to get blurred action and stopped action shots.
Know about composition. Read over your research paper on the topic!
Read over your career research paper.
Know when and when NOT to use the 'automatic' setting on your camera.Read over our early worksheets and hand-outs.
Know PhotoShop! Know where to find all the tools. Go over the PhotoShop handouts if you are unsure.Understand terms like Bits, Bytes, Pixels, dpi, ppi, Histogram, Hue/Saturation, Noise, Resolution, RGB, JPEG, Exposure, F-Stop, Aperture, Point-of-View, Composition, Shutter Speed, Exposure, Dodge, Burn, Redeye, etc.

As you know, we do not have textbooks that go home with students. If you have any questions about the above topics, please look them up in class or ask! I should have a list of potential exam exemptions by Friday.

NHIs---VERY IMPORTANT!!!

THE LAST DAY I WILL ACCEPT LATE WORK WILL BE WEDNESDAY, MAY 28TH---WITHOUT EXCEPTION! AFTER THIS, NHIs WILL BECOME A ZERO. WITH PROJECTS COUNTING 60% IN THIS CLASS, YOU CAN NOT PASS THE COURSE WITH A LOT OF NHIs. THIS WEEKEND WILL BE YOUR LAST CHANCE TO TAKE MISSING PHOTOS. PLEASE PLAN ON STAYING AFTER SCHOOL TO WORK IN PHOTOSHOP. ALL LATE WORK SHOULD BE LEFT IN THE LATE FOLDER. MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE ALL PIECES, EVEN IF YOU HAVE ALREADY LEFT A PIECE OF THE PROJECT PREVIOUSLY. A PROJECT IS NOT COMPLETE UNTIL ALL PIECES ARE TURNED IN TOGETHER!! MAKE CERTAIN YOU PUT YOUR ID# FIRST IN THE TITLE OF THE PROJECT TO GET PROPER CREDIT FOR YOUR WORK!

Final Portfolio Presentations

You final portfolio should be finished by Wednesday, May 21st. On Thursday we will begin presentations. Leave your PowerPoint in your own folder to pull up from my computer on the big screen. Do not set it on a timer! You should have to click to bring up each page since we may have questions. Be prepared to tell us a little something about each picture. Make sure your pictures are in order! Each individual photographic assignment will be graded as follows:
Zero-Not submitted or Does not meet criteria of assignment
3.5-Below average; Shows minimal effort and lack of pride in finished product; Shows little creativity or technical skill
4-Average; Adequate interpretation of assignment, but could have been improved with more effort; Shows average level of creativity and technical skill
5-Above average; Shows high degree of imagination, effort and technical skill; Went beyond assignment’s requirements with pride in finished product
When I add it all up, I'll have your final grade. It will count as a double project grade. PLEASE give this your best effort! We will critique each photo while you present your portfolio. This will also serve as a review for the final exam as we discuss the elements of composition.

Final Portfolio Project

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY I
FINAL PORTFOLIO PROJECT

Due Date: May 21st, end of class period
Format: PowerPoint
Criteria: Students will produce a 22 slide PowerPoint presentation highlighting their best work in Digital Photography I. It will include a title slide and a final slide containing an honor statement as well as the following photos:

1) Architecture or Architectural Detail—man-made, permanent structure should be the primary focus
2) Landscape, Student’s choice (“calendar shot”—the goal is beauty)
3) Black and White of Student’s choice
4) Macro photo
5) Nature shot
6) Candid photo of school life
7) Posed Portrait, retouched as necessary
8) Student’s best collage
9) A Montage
10) Photo which shows action/movement
11) Backlit close-up photo (with or without flash)
12) Backlit Landscape
13) Family/Relationship-themed collage
14) Unique photo showing creativity—student’s choice of subject matter
15) Still Life photo of food/beverage
16) Student’s choice of photo showing use of a creative filter
17) A Vignette
18) Metaphor Self-Portrait Still Life (not a collage!)
19) Field Trip photo (Wright Memorial or Butterfly Garden)
29) Created artwork showing student’s best use of PhotoShop tools on a photo/photos

Title and end slide should show similar design features. End slide will be the honor code stipulating that you took all photos personally and during this semester. Use transitions and animation on your slides, but do not automate your slide show.

Note: A PhotoShop canvas size of 10 inches wide by 7.5 inches high is the equivalent of a PowerPoint slide. Each photo will be graded individually on effort, creativity, imagination, and technical skills. Do not submit photos with serious photographic errors such as red eyes, out-of-focus, underexposed or overexposed, etc. Put slides in order! You may add titles if you wish, but it is not required. If you add titles, make sure they are an enhancement, not distraction! You will give an oral presentation with your slide show. Be prepared to elaborate on how you created each piece, and answer questions. This project will make up a large percentage of your final grade. Do a good job!

Paper on Photograpic Careers

You have a research paper due Friday, May 16th. You will research and write a three page paper on 'Careers in Photography'. Students should discuss at length three very specific career choices that utilize photographic skills. You should describe exactly what is involved, skills other than photographic which would be necessary, required education, locations where the job could be readily obtained, pros and cons of the profession, salary to be expected, difficulties to overcome, etc. Make the paper personal! Tell what YOU would enjoy about the career choices. It should be written in your own words, typed, and double-spaced. All reference material should be cited on a fourth page. At the end of class on Friday, we will print the papers and hand them in. They will be graded like a project. Do a good job!
Try these links:
http://www.khake.com/page45.html
http://www.careersinthemilitary.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.careerdetail&mc_id=59
http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/profiles/profile563/
http://hallmark.edu/weekbyweek/
http://www.goang.com/careers/detail/?j=927
http://virtualcollegeadvisor.com/arts/photography.php?referer=http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=photographic+careers&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-368-s&xargs=12KPjg14FSr4e9mvinEOOIMLrcmUsOkZ%2Dx8bo%5FXIR7GtYq8DtcV%5FwmXuHJwPUmEK7O2A94%2D8jXqfZUf6uZzbjPTkrNEmGMGpIe641W9slshJGiLT12hUccMsvdn4ZYeiZTJXcZS3KaJsrVkORNA34rzt8g%5Fh7t%5FORsx9EO9BcoIrvbzVB%2DUX3XVSc17QwZtZ2QPJl9S7F0T%2Dk%2E&pstart=7&b=21&campaign_id=11828712&
http://www.kiwicareers.govt.nz/default.aspx?id0=1050103&id1=J58841&id2=4A81D424-8D2B-45C4-AA70-19EFFEC09E8F
http://degreedirectory.org/articles/Professional_Photographer_Bachelor
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/careers/students/imagescience.jhtml
http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobResults.aspx?strcrit=rawWords%3Dphotography%3Bcty%3D%3Bsid%3DALL%2C+US%3Bcid%3DUS%3Bfre%3D30%3BJN%3DAll%3BETD%3DJTFT%3BETD%3DJTPT%3BETD%3DJTIN%3BETD%3DJTCT%3B&cbRe=&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=e1e8bb89a828449c873d36788962aa6e-264073640-J4-5&ns_siteid=ns_us_y_careerbuilder_photogr_
http://www.digitalphotographywebsite.com/photographerjobs.html

INTERIMS

Please have interims signed by parents and return by Friday. Failure to do so will result in a telephone call from me to your parents to make sure they are aware of your progress in this class. Remember, with 60% of your grade coming from the projects you do in Photography I, any NHI in this class hurts. You can still turn work in to the late folder!

B&W Student Choice

Your next project will be your choice of subject matter, black and white. Take the photos in color---We will change them to black and white with PhotoShop. We will study a few black and white images this week to get you prepared. You might also look up the work of Ansel Adams to see examples of outstanding B&W work. The most important thing to consider when taking these photos is to choose interesting or unique subjects in HIGH CONTRAST. Bright light will be helpful. As always, you should take 35-40 shots, the equivalent of a roll of film. You will turn in 12 on a contact sheet for your deadline grade May 12th. This will be a 12-6-1 assignment, with the 6 edited shots and one best 5x7 JPEG due Wednesday, May 14th. Make sure you are going for 'dynamic range'!

Metaphor Self-Portrait

Metaphor--1) A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison, as in “a sea of troubles” or “All the world’s a stage” (Shakespeare). 2) One thing conceived as representing another; a symbol: “Hollywood has always been an irresistible, prefabricated metaphor for the crass, the materialistic, the shallow, and the craven” (Neal Gabler).

Still Life--Still life is the photography of small groups of objects, either found or put together for the purpose. It may simply be concerned with formal qualities (tones, textures, colours, shapes, form etc) or have a more metaphorical intent.

Check out these sites:

http://www.shutterpoint.com/Photos-BrowseCat.cfm?cat_id=7

http://www.shutterbug.net/refreshercourse/lens_tips/1205back/

http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGall2.asp?catID=17

Most of what you see here is considered ‘Still Life’ photography involving various inanimate objects in a pleasing arrangement.

Read these instructions carefully. This photograph is about you. It is a portrait of you. The only thing different is that you are not in it. This picture is a still life, a metaphor that contains at least three things that represent who you are. Your friends should be able to look at it and recognize you in the picture. This picture should not contain any living things, only still objects. It should represent things you are passionate about.

Pay special attention to lighting and arrangement of the items. Change them up and see what works best. You will make a contact sheet with 12 different photos that represent YOU. This contact sheet will be due on Monday, May 5th. A contact sheet of the best 6 photos edited will be due on Wednesday, May 7th, along with your best color 5x7 JPEG. You may apply filters if you wish.

Next topic---Action Photography

Next we will cover Action (Sports) Photography. If you have the opportunity to take any action shots at home, practice, or games, you'll be ahead! I hope to take the class outside this week to get action shots at school. Please remember to bring your cameras for the rest of the week. In the meantime, those of you who are caught up may research on the Internet for Sports or Action Photography. In particular, you find out about these terms:
Stop Action
Blurred Action
Panning
Find examples of each. These shots are created by adjusting the shutter speed. Read up on the mechanics involved in this type of photography. You will be re-creating each of these techniques. Our goal will be to create stop action, blurred action, and panning in the camera. If not, these effects may be created in PhotoShop through use of the 'Motion Blur' filter. Practice using this filter on your photos.
Research using these links:
Professional Photographers who specialize in Action Photography:
http://www.padulaphotography.com/
http://www.actionsportsinc.com/eventdisplay.aspx?is=9
http://www.actionathletics.com/
http://www.actionsportsphotography.sasktelwebsite.net/
http://www.actionsportspress.com/
http://www.greggriess.com/action_main.htm
‘How to’ Sites:
http://photo.net/learn/sports/overview
http://www.popphoto.com/popularphotographyfeatures/4016/how-to-photograph-baseball-and-softball.html
http://www.nyip.com/ezine/sports/golf.html
http://www.squidoo.com/action-photography/
http://www.nyip.com/ezine/sports/football.html
http://www.popphoto.com/popularphotographyfeatures/4334/how-to-show-an-action-sequence.html
http://www.schoolofphotography.com/if/infocus22.html

Your Action Project will be to leave a contact sheet of 12 action shots right out of your camera on May 1st. Then you'll create four images---a stop action, a blurred action, a panning shot, and a poster with text. Make a contact sheet of these four shots for your final submission on Thursday, May 2nd.

Photo Contest!!

Photo Contest - North Carolina State University's Climate Office is
sponsoring a 'Young Weather Photographers' contest for students between the
ages of 7-16. The deadline to submit a photo is June 30. Contest details
are available online at
http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/education/contest.php.
Questions may be
directed to Shannon Futrell at safutrel@ncsu.edu.

Text

Experimenting with Text

Go to the following sites and check out the tutorials for PhotoShop text:
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/photoshoptutorialstextfx/Creating_Text_Effects_with_Photoshop.htm
http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photoshop-text/text-effects/image-in-text.php
http://www.planetphotoshop.com/category/text?id=tutorials_text
http://www.dwphotoshop.com/photoshop/textindex.php
http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorials/Photoshop/Text-Effects/1
http://www.fstutorials.com/category/photoshop_text_effects_tutorial/9/
http://www.photoshoproadmap.com/Photoshop-blog/2007/07/22/the-best-80-photoshop-text-effects-on-the-web/
http://www.designvitality.com/blog/2007/09/photoshop-text-effect-tutorial/
Choose several that you particularly like, and follow the step-by-step instructions to create your own special effects text. Start each one on a new 8x10 canvas. On Friday, you will print a contact sheet of your best FOUR creations in color! Use your choice of special effects and your choice of words. Keep it imaginative, but clean! Project will be graded on creativity, skill, and effort, with consideration for level of difficulty.

NHIs

Just to help you stay on target, here are the things you should have turned in for this grading period as of Tuesday, April 22nd:

*8x10 Montage of at least 6 OBX shots
*Macro (contact sheet of 12, 6 edited, 1 best 5x7 JPEG)
*Research Paper on composition (explanation and sample photo on specific topics you were given)
*"Theories" photo shoot (contact sheet of 12 labeled shots, 6 on word doc. with explanation)
*Backlit Project (6 you like from Internet on word doc., 12 on contact sheet with and without flash, 6 edited, best pair side-by-side)
*for tomorrow, Collage using elements of at least three photos
*for tomorrow, Backlit Landscape (contact sheet of 12, 6 edited, 1 best 5x7 JPEG)

As I have told you several times, this is a class where NHIs will really hurt since projects make up 60% of your grade. If you have not turned in any of the above, PLEASE get them in to the late folder!

Still Life Photography

Check out the following sites:
http://webhome.idirect.com/~dpl/gallery1.html
http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGall2.asp?cat=17
http://www.usefilm.com/photo_category/16/Pictures_of_Still_Life.html
http://www.apogeephoto.com/mag2-6/mag2-7winners.shtml
http://www.stilllifewith.com/2006/07/14/photo-contest-from-food-wine-magazine/
http://stilllifewith.com/2006/12/01/stw-challenge-for-december-tradition/
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2004/09/15/food_photos.html
http://www.markhemmings.com/MarkWebsite/food_photography/index.htm
http://dessertfirst.typepad.com/dessert_first/2006/05/food_photograph.html

Basic Principles of Still Life Photography:
Throughout the decades, artists have depicted still life scenes—arrangements of inanimate objects—in paintings and photography. Shooting still life subjects is one of the best ways to sharpen your photographic skills. You can take your time, and your subject remains stationary.

Good composition, framing and lighting are all very important to translate your still life into a great photo. Every day we are bombarded with still life images of appetizing foods, shiny housewares and other appealing products in magazine ads, brochures and catalogs. Professionals spend a great deal of time setting up these shots and you can learn a lot just by studying the photos you find most appealing and unique.

Notice how photographers use repeating shapes and lines to create patterns and use complimentary colors. Study the lighting that they use. Simplicity is very important when composing still lifes. You don’t need to collect a wide range of complicated objects to create an interesting picture. Instead, choose a few objects with a common thread.

The arrangement of a still life should begin with the positioning of a single dominant subject. Then add other objects one at a time, and examine the arrangement through your camera’s viewfinder. Experiment with your camera angle until the scene shows the elements in the most pleasing balance. Photograph the original grouping, and then rearrange or remove objects to see if it improves the composition.

Your next project will involve setting up a still life of specific objects and photographing it. To help prepare you, read the previously mentioned articles and find 6 still life photographs from the Internet that you particularly like. These photos should include only inanimate objects. Paste the 6 photos to a one-page word document (two columns) and write a short paragraph about each. Tell what techniques the photographer used that appeal to you. This will be due at the end of class Friday, April 25th. Turn in a hard copy, and leave a copy in the completed assignments folder.

Over the weekend, take still life photographs of FOOD AND/OR BEVERAGES. Experiment with the arrangement and lighting. Take some photos with flash and some without. Be creative! Think about the elements of composition we have just studied.

Be prepared to work with your food photos Monday, April 28th. A contact sheet of 12 will be due at this time. If you do not have your photos Monday, you will be writing a paper on still life photography while the rest of us work in PhotoShop. The 6 edited and best 5x7 are due at the end of class. The alternative assignment, a 3-page paper on Photographic Still Life, is due then as well. We will move on to the next topic Tuesday. Unless you are absent Monday, you are expected to have this project completed that day.

Backlit Landscape for Monday

You've all taken pictures of landscapes now, and you've done backlit close-ups. Now you should take 35-40 photos of backlit landscapes. Any time you are shooting into the sunlight, it is a backlit shot. The sun does not have to be visible. The light just has to be coming from straight ahead. Any sunrise or sunset would be backlit. We are going for beauty. These should be distance shots that show the horizon. Think...calender shot. Contact sheet of 12 due Monday, April 21st. 6 edited shots and one best 5x7 due Wednesday, April 23rd.

Collage

We will be learning how to make collages this week! You should make your own following the techniques of good composition. Be careful to cut objects out neatly before introducing them to the background photo. Use your "opacity" slider. Use objects of different scale to add interest and an abstract quality. Add some text. Use elements of at least three separate photographs in your collage. This is due next Wednesday.

Camera Test Friday

Please remember to bring your camera to school on Friday. We'll be taking a test on composition where you'll have to set up certain situations to photograph. If you forget your camera, you'll be taking an essay test instead in the Advancement Center. To prepare, make sure you are familiar with all the "Theories of Composition" we have studied.

Next week you will take a Critique Test where you'll have to write a critique on a piece of art. You'll need to be able to identify the use or misuse of techniques of composition, and be able to describe using all the proper terminology.

If you have completed your research paper, both these tests should come easy for you. If not, you are late with the paper, and will likely fail both tests. If you're that far behind, please plan to come in after school to catch up!!

Backlighting Project

Our next unit will be on lighting. We'll be seeing some films and doing some reading. Start by reading chapter 7 in the 'Exploring Photography' text book.

Our project will be to concentrate on backlighting, which is anytime the light is coming from behind the subject.

Here is a copy of the handout on this project. Contact sheet due 4/14 and final project due 4/18.

Backlighting Project
Read the article at www.picturecorrect.com/photographytips/backlighting_photography_tips.htm
Read the article at
www.apogeephoto.com/may2005/wtbird5_2005print.html
Use the Internet to find six backlit photos that you particularly like. Copy and paste to a word document—one page, two columns. Write a short paragraph about each photo explaining what you find appealing about it. Turn in to completed assignments folder.

Take 35-40 photos that are backlit. These should be a mixture of natural scenes and scenes you set up, all close-up’s (within 8 feet of subject). For each shot, take one with a flash, and one without. Make a contact sheet of the best 12. I am looking for photos where the backlighting is obvious, and enhances the subject. Turn in the following photos for your final project grade:

-One 5x7 JPEG close-up, interior or exterior, with backlighting—no flash!
-The same close-up shot, backlit, but with fill light from a flash
The two identical photos should be placed side-by-side before submitting for grading.

When you complete this project, you will have three pages:
1) The word document with the six photos you found on the Internet and captions describing what you like about them
2) The two identical 5x7’s, one with flash and one without, mounted side-by-side
3) The contact sheet of your 12 best shots