Assignment #6 Narrative

Gregory Crewdson

Assignment due November 7.

Assignment #5 Still Life

Assignment #5  Still Life

Assignment #4 Environmental Portrait

Assignment #4 The Environmental Portrait

“The subject must be thought of in terms of the 20th century, of houses he lives in and places he works, in terms of the kind of light the windows in these places let through and by which we see him every day.”

Arnold Newman

                                       "Willie The Lion Smith"  by Arnold Newman 1960

 Simply put, an environmental portrait is a portrait of a person that includes enough of the environment around that person to provide context that helps the viewer understand more about the defining characteristics of the subject.  One of the keys to a successful environmental portrait is that the portion of the scene included in the frame should be "representative" of the environment or context you want the viewer to associate with the subject.  The relative importance of the subject to the environment is also important in defining an "environmental portrait."  The subject should be the most prominent element in the scene, with the surrounding elements providing strong supporting context.  If you are too close to your subject to include enough of the environment, then the image simply becomes a normal portrait.  On the other hand, if the subject is so small in the frame that other elements become more prominent, or viewers cannot discern the defining characteristics of the subject, then the image would be better classified as something other than an environmental portrait.

"Baker" August Sander

Shoot a minimum of 50 images/frames. You can shoot this assignment at a number of locations and even on different days. The subject must be part of the process and may include others, no candid photos of random people you have not met however! No animals or no humans under the age of 14 year as primary subject matter.

Submit one print for crit October 8th

Assignment #3 Decisive Moment

“You must milk the cow a great deal, to get enough milk, to make a little bit of cheese”

Henri Cartier-Bresson

There come certain moments in our lives when any number of forces (both those we can control and those we can’t) merge together.  Everything comes together as if fate had planned it that way.  To simplify this in a phrase; being in the right place at the right time.

The French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson describes this sensation in his work as being “The Decisive Moment”.  A point in time and space when those forces (people, buildings, autos, animals, shapes, forms, weather etc.) arrange themselves in front of his camera to present a complete statement, both visually and emotionally.  Everything is revealed with perfect clarity.

But this is a very quick and fleeting moment.  The power created by all these forces dissolves as quickly as it arises.  Cartier-Bresson sees it as his responsibility as a photographer to be aware of such moments and to photograph them at precisely “the decisive moment”.

Your assignment, shoot at least 50 photos of these decisive moments you find in your world.  These are best found outdoors and in situations where there are lots of people around.  Use ISO 400 speed setting and try to use higher shutter speeds if your subjects are moving, around 250-500 of a second.

Carry your camera in the ready mode, that is pre-focused and the exposure controls adjusted for the lighting situation you are in.  Try concentrating on the three basic elements (time, space, and objects in space, like people).  Observe their interaction.  You skill will increase with practice and timing is everything.

Turn in a minimum of one print that best presents the idea of the decisive moment. The print may be of any size.

For more information, check out the works of Cartier-Bresson in the art and architecture library and the works of Elliot Erwitt and Gray Winnogrand two other photographers who deal with these elements.

Gary Winogrand

Submit best effort, one print minimum for crit September 26th.

Assignment #2

Assignment #2 Depth of Field & Focus

Depth of Field and Focus 

As you have learned in your lecture, depth of field is the area, from the near point to the far point, which will be in focus in your photograph.  This can be used in many ways to make your photograph have more impact, to isolate the subject from a distracting background or to give a photograph more apparent depth.  Just to review:

1.  Depth of field is directly related to the f stop which you use.  A small f stop like f 16 will give greater depth of field (more in focus), and a smaller f stop (like f 2.8) will make the depth of field shallower.

2.  When you want fairly accurate indications of depth of field, you should use the depth of field scale on you lens.

3.  Focusing on a subject close to the camera will give less depth of field than focusing on a subject farther away.

 Assignment:

1.  Make at least 2 photographs which show shallow depth of field.  Remember to use a wide f stop (like f 2.8).

2.  Make at least 2 photographs to show great depth of field.  Use a smaller

f stop (like f 16)

3.  Use the remaining images to show subjects in background out of focus,

objects in foreground out of focus, and other variations of use of limited and expanded focus.

DUE September 17!

 Don’t forget, as you change the f stop, you must compensate the exposure by also changing the shutter speed.  In some cases, it will be too bright to use a open apeture like f 2.8, or too dark to use f 16.

by J.H. Lartigue

Assignment #1

Assignment #1 Exposure Variation

In this assignment you will shoot a series of exposures and iso settings on your digital camera as follows:

1.  Set Colorspace to Adobe RGB
2.  Set Quality to RAW & jpg-large
3.  Set Mode to manual
4.  Now set ISO and expose images as follows:

-Shoot one subject at iso setting 100; 400; 800; 1600
-Shoot same subject at each iso at normal exposure, the one over and one under exposure

This then is what you'll end up with, 12 shots of each scene, shoot a total of 4 scenes for a grand total of 48 exposures.

This assignment is pass/fail, bring in one set of jpg images on a jump drive for in class review. Select best image for shoot and post on class blog.

                           Your fearless leader photographing on Bourbon Street.

Welcome to Stan Strembicki's Digital I Class!

This is the unofficial blog site for Professor Stan Strembicki's digital I class ART 1183 sec 03.

Assignments:
1. Exposure variation P/F
2. Motion & Focus
3. Street Photography/Decisive Moment
4. Environmental Portrait
5. Still Life
6. TA's Choice
7. Studio Portrait
8. Night Photography
9. Self Portrait

Here is some of the fine print for this class:

Final Portfolios:

You are expected to shoot images, perform all lab work, and final presentation. Students who use other students’ prints or files without attribution are guilty of cheating and will be referred to the Associate Dean for further action, and fail the class. Final portfolios consist of 15-20 matted or mounted prints, printed to your highest standards.  Portfolio may include assignments, may be thematic, or may just have 15 of your best images.  All prints should be ready for presentation.  All prints must be in something that resembles a folder or case.  No trash bags or loose prints please.  Label all mats on rear with your name and class.

Grading:

Work will be graded in two parts, 1) craft and technique, which refer to camera handling skills, and print quality and 2) concept and creative solution to assignment problem.

Final grade comprised of the following guidelines:

                                                                        25% assignment

25% attendance and class participation

                                                                        50% final portfolio

Attendance policy:

Students are expected to attend all classes, in case of medical excuse, students are responsible for supplying documentation to faculty.  Excessive absence  (five unexcused) will result in lowering of grade, one letter and seven unexcused, failure of class entirely.  Students should plan on arriving to class on time. Excessive tardiness will result in a lowering of the final grade.

 Digital Etiquette:

This should go without saying, but let’s say it anyway: you should turn off your cell-phone and/or other devices (iPods, etc) before you enter the classroom. If your phone rings once during class this semester, we’ll all laugh and I’ll ask you to turn it off. If your phone rings again during class this semester, we’ll need to have a talk.

I understand that your phones connect you with your friends and family, but the classroom should be a place apart, however briefly, from the outside world. You will learn more, in short, if you can concentrate on the class while you’re in class. If you’re really into your phone to that extent, consider taking my class this spring 2013  “Cell Phones, Snapshots and the Social Network”, it’ll all be about the mobile device and making art.

Stan’s office number/voice mail:  935 8406

Stan’s cell 314 440 2894

Stan’s E mail address:  Strembicki@samfox.wustl.edu