20. Focus Assignment 10: Artist Statement

For all of you narcissists out there this week will be most joyful. For this week we will create an Artist’s Statement that we will use at the end of the Semester. Why now? Because now is the perfect time to figure out what sort of style you have, and what sort of process you go through to create your photos. Maybe you are drawn to one specifc type of photography. Maybe shooting pictures of old buildings is your thing. Maybe you are like me and try to find the inner darkness in everyday objects and use photography as a way to bring them out more.

Here’s what you do.

Part 1:

1. Upload your favorite five images you’ve taken so far this year to your WordPress blog.
2. Look for similarities in theme and tone.
3. Jot down a few adjectives on your work.
4. Jot down a few more adjectives that describe your personality.
5. How do they fit together? Are the two sets of adjectives different or similar.

Part 2:

1. Take the work you have done from Part 1 and begin to create a first draft of your Artist Statement. Make sure the Artist Statement is a good representation of you, your personality and most importantly, your photography.

2. Once you have all of the information, include the notes taken from Part 1 and the formal Artist Statement from Part 2 and include both in the final version you turn into me as this week’s Focus Assignment

3. Make a new page on your blog entitled “Artist Statement” an include your final statement on this page.

Here are a few references and examples of simple, yet effective artist statements.

How to write an effective and clear Artist Statement

Below is the Artist statement for Angela Bacon Kidwell:

My photography comes from a life long obsession of exploring how my subconscious generates my dreams. As I move through my day, I am keenly aware of my encounters with people, places and things. I mentally record the details of these situations, and the physical or emotional responses that they evoke. These fleeting associations replay themselves in my dreams. The random moments combine to form sleep stories that are rich narratives, ripe with symbolism. With that as my model, I construct sets, use props and invite myself and models to perform in a natural, intuitive way. In essence, I attempt to create a waking dream.

For me, it is about being in the moment of a planned vision. That is were I’m most connected to my creativity.

In the series, “Traveling Dream”, I’m not illustrating a specific story, but creating unresolved moments from which the viewer must imagine a beginning and end. In this way, my images can become personal, each viewer lost in their own dream story within mine.

Minimum 300 words.

file name:period number_firstname_lastname_focus_10.doc

This assignment is due into my drop box before November 20th, 2009.

20. Photo Challenge: Water

This week you will dive into this photo challenge by featuring water somewhere in your shot. You could feature water in its liquid state, as solid, or as vapour.

Please avoid the obvious ideas like photos of water bottles, water fountains etc, lets think out of the box people!

JPEG Magazine’s Water Ripple Theme

file name: period number_firstname_lastname_photochallenge_water.jpg

This assignment is due into my drop box and posted to your flickr account before, 11/20/2009

19. FOCUS: ISO and Focal Length

ISO: What is it? Why is it important? In What situations would  you want a higher ISO number? In what situation would you want the lowest ISO number? What happens if it is set too high? Why is it important to check your ISO settings before taking pictures?

http://digital-photography-school.com/iso-settings

Focal Length: What is it, why is it important. What is it measured in? What is a fixed focal length lens? How does it affect the way my picture looks?

http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/key=focal+length

300 words combined, due into my drop box before November, 13th, 2009 – THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

18. Photo Challenge: Get Close!

Using a macro lens or fixed focal length lens, you will get to the heart of the matter. Focus on one thing and one thing only! Make the viewer experience an intimate moment, keep it nice and simple, and get close!

filename: firstname_lastname_photochallenge_getclose.jpg

This assignment is due into my drop box and posted to your flickr account on or before November 13th, 2009. – THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

17. Focus Assignment: Photography and Emotion

For this week’s FOCUS assignment, you will explain how the photo you took for your Emotion Photo Challenge matched up with the specific emotion you chose.

You will then compose a short poem of your own original creation that could accompany your image. Look at your image, then write a poem about that image. Things that you could write about would be a story that takes place inside the picture, or an abstract poem that reflects the overall mood of the picture.

Let go of the technical and hit me with the emotions you feel when you look at the picture you took for the emotion photo challenge.

Part 1: What is the connection between the emotion you chose and the picture you took for this emotion.

Part 2: Write an original poem or prose that mirrors the emotion you were going for. A piece of writing that could accompany the picture you took.

Three hundred word minimum…

This week’s focus assignment is due into my drop box before November 6th, 2009.- THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

file name: firstname_lastname_focus8_emo.doc

file name: firstname_lastname_focus8_emo.doc

16. Photo Challenge: Emotion

Emotions say as much about who we are in this world as the coding on our DNA. So what better way than to capture an emotion than with Photography?

This week you will take a photograph of one of the emotions listed below. Make sure that the picture you take matches exactly with the mood and feel of the word. Then you will use text effects (see the tutorial links below) to photoshop the actual word onto the image

Emotions:

Envious, Proud, Jealous, Creative, Energetic, Passionate, Lethargic, Effervescent, Despondent, Pessimistic, Optimistic, Pedantic, Righteous, Remorseful, Woeful, Faulty, Cryptic, Outrageous, Philanthropic, Fragile, Schizophrenic, Ebullient, Reluctant, Reverential, Prodigious, Altruistic, Lugubrious, Magnanimous, Artificial, Vacant, Banal, Neurotic, Self-Serving, Stoic, Capricious, Precocious, Narcissistic, Boisterous, Repugnant, Regret, Exhausted, Jubilant, Tranquil, Mysterious, Obsessive, Forgotten, Abandoned, Depressed, Text Effects Tutorials:

http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photoshop-text/text-effects/

http://sixrevisions.com/graphics-design/photoshop_text_effect_tutorials/

http://psdtuts.com/text-effects-tutorials/6-quickndirty-photoshop-text-effects-from-scratch/

http://www.dafont.com/

This assignment is due into my drop box and posted to your flickr page before November, 6th, 2009. - THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

filename:firstname_lastname_photochallenge_emo.jpg

15. Photo Challenge: Line

A line is an element characterized by length and direction. Lines create contours and form, and are often used to convey a specific kind of feeling or point to an important feature in a design. Lines are also used to create perspective, and dominant directional lines are often adopted to create a sense of continuance in a composition. In addition, lines that are grouped together often create a sense of value, density or texture.

Take a photo where line is featured prominently in the image.

file name: firstname_lastname_photochallenge_line.jpg

Due into my drop box and posted to the HHS Photography Photo Pool on or before October 30th, 2009.- THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

Focus Assignment: The Elements of Design

In this week’s focus assignment you will discuss each of the Elements of Design, what they are, and how they affect the photos we take as photographers. What are points or multiple points in space? How can we use them in our photographs. What effect do they create?
What are several different types of lines (not including leading lines) and what do they do for photographs? What is form, and what are some examples of form? What is texture? Three main components of color and what is color harmonies? How does the use of one color over the other affect how we see an image? How could we use pattern and movement in photography?

Whew, it’s a lot, so this week there should be very little trouble hitting the 500 word mark. In fact, it might be more difficult not to hit the 500 word mark.

file name: firstname_lastname_focus_7.doc

500 Words minimum.

Due into my drop box on or before, October, 30th, 2009.- THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

15. Photo Challenge: Aperture

Use aperture to get the effect you want. For a lot of depth of field (most of the shot is in focus) you will want to shoot with a smaller aperture, higher number F22 and lower. For a minimum amount of depth of field, (a small part of the image is in focus) you will want to shoot with a larger aperture, lower number, F2 and up.

This photo challenge is due into my drop box and to the HHS Flickr Pool on or before October 23, 2009- THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

filename: firstname_lastname_photochallenge_aperture.jpg

And here is the tutorial again, if you need a refresher.http://digital-photography-school.com/aperture

14. FOCUS Assignment: Aperture

What is aperture? What does it do? What affect does aperture have on Depth of Field? When would you want to use a higher aperture number (smaller hole) and when would you want to use a smaller aperture number (bigger hole)? How does it work with shutter speed to make your images better? What is Aperture Value and where can I find it on the school cameras? How does using AV affect how my pictures will turn out?

filename: firstname_lastname_focus6.doc

This assignment is due into my drop box on or before October, 23rd, 2009.- THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

13. FOCUS Assignment: Photographer of the Day

For this Week’s FOCUS Assignment, you will choose one photographer that I have featured since the first day of the semester and analyze their work.

Tell me the following information. Why did you choose this photographer? What would you say is their overall style? How does the photographer use elements of composition, shutter speed, angles, PhotoShop to create engaging images? What do you think influenced this photographer and what makes him/her a successful photographer?

Length: 500 Words

file name: firstname_lastname_focus5.doc

This assignment is due into my drop box on or before, October, 16th.- THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

12. Photo Challenge: Fill The Frame

This week’s assignment is to fill the entire viewfinder with a close up of your subject. We don’t want to see anything in the shot but the subject itself. The most important aspect of this image is that it fills every millimeter of the viewfinder.

filename: firstname_lastname_photochallenge_fill.jpg

Due into my drop box and posted to the HHS Photography page on Flickr by 10.16.09 – THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

11. FOCUS Assignment: Shutter Speed

This week’s focus assignment will focus on Shutter Speed. What is shutter speed? How does it improve photographs? How can a photographer use shutter speed to control the amount of light coming into the camera? Why is shutter speed important during exposure? What special effects can be created by using shutter speed? What is the difference between using the cameras green square mode and the Time Value mode?

Five hundred word minimum, due into my drop box before 10.8.09 – THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

format: .doc

file name: firstname_lastname_focus4.doc

10. Photo Challenge: Shutter Speed

Use your newly-honed skills in Shutter Speed to create a special effect using Shutter Speed in a unique way. This could be as simple as a long exposure, where you can see all the details, even in the dark. Or you could do a bit of light painting, or you could create a ghosted image.

file format: .jpg

file name: firstname_lastname_photochallenge_shutter.jpg

Due into my drop box and posted to the HHS Photography page before 10.12.09

9.Photo Challenge: Different Angle

In addition to the Depth of Field Photo Challenge and the Depth of Field Focus Assignment, you will also have a 2nd photo challenge for this week, “Get a different angle on things.” Explore the Six Feet Up is Bad rule, crawl down on the ground, and let’s shatter conventions, shall we?

Filename: firstname_lastname_photochallenge_diff.jpg
This file is due into my drop box and to your flickr page before Friday, October 2nd, 2009- THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

8. Focus Assignment: Depth of Field

Focus Question: Depth of Field: What is it, give several example of it and how do you hange the amount of depth of field in an image? When would you want a lot of depth of field?When would you want a small amount (narrow) depth of field? What does Depth of Field give a photographer? Why would it be important?

Length: 500 Words

Due Date: Friday, October 2nd, 2009

Filename: firstname_lastname_focus3.doc- THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

7.  Photo Challenge: Depth of Field

Format. .jpg

file name: firstname_lastname_photochallenge_dof.jpg

Depth of Field photo challenge is due in to my drop box and your flickr accounts on October 2nd, 2009- THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

due date: 10/2/09

6. Photo Challenge Color

Format. .jpg

file name: firstname_lastname_photochallenge_color.jpg - THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

Color photo challenge is due in to my drop box and your flickr accounts on September 25th, 2009

5. FOCUS Assignment #2

For this week’s focus assignment we will be discussing Photoshop and the affect it has on images.

Name four tools described over the last two weeks and discuss how each tool changes and improves the photographs we take.

Turned into my drop box on or before Friday, September 25th. - THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

500 Words or More: first name_last name_focu2.doc

4. Photo Challenge: Leading Lines

We know that Leading Lines add greater depth to a photograph by leading the viewer from the foreground to the background. Your challenge this week will be to show similar lines in a photograph of your own creation.

Three rules to make your photo really score big!

1. Six feet up is bad! 2. Turn it on its head. 3. Repetition and breaking Repetition

Leading Lines photo challenge is due in to my drop box and your flickr accounts on September 18th, 2009 – THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

Format. .jpg

file name: firstname_lastname_photochallenge_leading_lines.jpg

3.First FOCUS Assignment: On Composition:, Rule of Thirds Leading Lines, and Framing Devices:

Your FOCUS question for this week:  How does  the appropriate use of the Rule of Thirds, Leading Lines, and Framing Devices result in a better image?

Your essay should address how each term, Rule of Thirds, Leading Lines, and Framing Device, affects composition, and how composition affects how the viewer sees an image?

Remember that Composition covers all the decisions photographer’s make as far as where to put the camera, what angle to shoot the subject matter at, how to frame that subject, and what part of the image will be in focus or not.

500 Words: Due on Friday, September 18th, 2009

file name: firstname_lastname_focus1.doc – THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

2. Email me a copy of the syllabus, with the words “I have read and understand the terms and conditions” with your name and the date to adam.strong@evergreenps.org by 9/7 THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE

1. Five Good and Bad:

Using http://flickr.com, find five pictures that absolutely blow your mind. Five pictures that you just can’t stop looking at. Then write a paragraph on why you like this image. Make sure that the reason why you like it isn’t just because of the subject matter, but has to do with the way the photo was taken. This is your chance to tell me your feelings towards photography. Talk about color, contrast, anything that you know already about photography.

Then using the same website, find five pictures, that really don’t work. Maybe its the fact that they are blurry, maybe its too dark, or too bright, or they’ve chopped someone’s head off. Find five pictures that could have been great but aren’t, then talk about how they could be better, one paragraph per image.

This assignment is due into my drop box on 9/7: THIS ASSIGNMENT IS PAST DUE