Final Exam

Semester Exam 2016-2017 Part 2

You will be writing 3 captions AND using your knowledge of Photographic Composition to describe 4 photos. Captions are worth 6 points each and descriptions are worth 10 points each. Everyone will receive 2 automatic bonus points - so you all have a 2, so far!!!

Part 1

Caption writing - Following these instructions there will be five photos, you MUST PICK THREE (3) of them and write captions for them. They must be in the correct format and written correctly. I hope you remember how to do it!!!! I have put a short headline below the photo to help you. You may make up names and situations as needed.

Indian Ocean Fishermen

 Indian Fire-breathing exhibition

South Korean military exercises

 New York Snowstorm

Italian Santa Clause stand-up paddling

Part 2

In this section you will find a number of photos. You must choose FOUR (4) and write about the photographic composition of each. You should write enough to explain the rule. This means DO NOT just write rule of thirds, you must EXPLAIN the rule of thirds and how the photographer achieved it.

There should be just ONE clear example in each photo, but some photos may have more than one, if you mention more than one, please make sure to explain it fully (for those people that take this extra step, I will probably award extra points). I recommend you write at least a paragraph of at least three sentences. At least. I should be able to know exactly which photo your writing about because your writing should include words to help me know that. It should be very, very clear.

In addition to writing about the rules of photography evident. I would also like for you to share your other photography knowledge. Write a few sentences sharing your opinions about the lighting, the use of depth of field, and the exposure of the image.

EXTRA CREDIT

Go to the following website and then answer the questions below on your blog.

YOU MUST INDICATE THAT YOU HAVE DONE EXTRA CREDIT BY WRITING IT NEXT TO YOUR NAME ON YOUR FINAL EXAM ANSWER SHEET.

http://petapixel.com/2012/12/04/photograph-of-doomed-man-on-subway-tracks-sparks-outrage/

1. Explain what happened to the man that was killed by the subway and how the photographer was able to take the photo. 
2. Why did the photographer say he took the photo?
3. Do you think the photographer should have taken the photo?
4. Do you think the photographer did the best thing he could have done in this situation? Why or why not?
5. Do you agree or disagree with the decision to run the photo on the front page of the New York Post? Explain why or why not.
6. What is more important to a photojournalist, capturing images of life as it happens or stopping bad things from happening? Why or why not?
7. Do you think it is ever ethically acceptable for a photographer to involve himself/herself in a situation that he or she photographs? Explain why or why not.
8. Should photojournalists always avoid influencing events as they happen? Explain your answer. 
9. After reading the responses from the professional photographers, what stands out as the most appropriate response for a photographer to this situation.

Posting your magazine covers

I have been very happy with what I have seen so far, so I am publishing this today so some of you can finish today, but I do not EXPECT these to be in my possession until next week. I will be giving you Monday (A-Day) and Tuesday (B-Day) to finish and get these turned in.

Remember that your 2 magazine covers MUST look dramatically different. Please pick a different title, color palette, etc. I do not want to see two identical covers with just different photos.

When you have both covers done, please follow the instructions listed below to turn your projects in. FOLLOW THEM SPECIFICALLY AND EXACTLY. It may look complex and it isn't simple, but if you follow them carefully you will need no help from me.

You must have your cover open in InDesign (NOT photoshop)

>File>Adobe PDF presets>Smallest File Size

>Rename your magazine cover as follows: Last name_first name_magazine cover_period #

Make sure to save it in your folder (not your H-drive, not your S-drive, NOT the desktop, your folder on our class drive)

>Click export (if any messages come up about outside the clipping area or anything else like that during the .pdf creation process, click okay)

Once you have placed them in YOUR folder on the server, put them in the folder on the server titled "MAGAZINE"

ALSO  -  we want to post these on your blog. To do this you have to convert the .pdf into a jpeg file.

1. Open Photoshop
2. Open the .pdf of your magazine cover (NOT the .indd, it won't work)
3. When the .pdf converter pop-up box appears, click okay
4. >File>Save as
5. Change the format into .jpeg
6. Click save
7. Make sure you save it at the highest file size
8. If you get any other pop-up boxes, click okay 
9. Post it on your blog.

Once you have it posted on your blog, you are....

DONE!!!!

Magazine Cover Work Day 2

Also - a few reminders in InDesign:

1. You cannot Open a photo in Indesign - you must have a photo box made, then you go under file>place and you place the photo into the photo box.

2. You will need to make multiple text boxes for your title, headlines, teasers, etc.

3. Don't forget to right click>arrange>bring to front to get those text boxes to go in front of the photo.

4. In Photoshop you must get the crop tool - type in 8.5 in x 11 in at 300 resolution and then you actually have to click and drag across the image to get it to convert to 8.5x11.

5. You photos may look a little pixilated in InDesign when you place it into place - DO NOT WORRY about this - it will look fine when we are all done.

6. DO THE BEST YOU CAN AND HELP EACH OTHER!!

Both Magazine Covers are due next class.

Please make sure you do levels in Photoshop, and that you crop your images 8.5 in by 11 in (or 11 in by 8.5 in if you are turning in a vertical image) at 300 resolution.

If you have questions, please ask and I will do my best to help you. Remember that google searches will get you great results on how to do things in both Photoshop and InDesign. If you need me to sign in so you can watch a video tutorial, I will be happy to do that. Please have earphones.

Your Magazine Cover MUST include the following:

You will need to complete the following:

A. Magazine name

Think carefully about the font you use

You may not use the name of a real magazine (except on accident) - so please get creative!!

B. A teaser / cover line (headline type description) for the main story. If you choose to do a poster style cover, you may remove this later (remember the poster style can only be your second magazine cover).

C. If you choose to make a "picture married to type" or a "forrest of words" type cover, create the following:

At least two teasers (Cover lines) for secondary stories. (Be creative)

If you are creating a poster, you do not have to create additional cover lines (2nd cover only).

D. Pricing and date information and a bar code (appropriately sized!!)

You will have this class and next class period to complete and turn in your magazine cover. I will tell you next class how to turn in your magazine cover, and you should NOT finish today. I expect you to think creatively and design a quality cover. It should take you at LEAST 2 hours to finish.

Here is some more information that you might need:

Crop your image in Photoshop - 8.5 inches x 11 inches at 300 resolution. To get those sub-menu choices you have to select the crop tool.

Always save as the first time you touch an image and from then on you can just save.

Don't forget to do levels.

To get the image into InDesign - you need make an X-box to place the photo in. Once you have the box made - you can either command-D or you can go under >file to >place.

Use the text tool to create boxes that you can type into. Don't forget to play with colors, sizes and even fonts. Be creative

If you are comfortable using Photoshop to do text or other things, feel free. But remember to make your document 8.5 x 11 inches because you will have to import the completed image to InDesign. You may have to flatten your layers and make sure to save it as a .jpeg.

Photoshop Tutorials for those interested:

TEXT OVERLAP TUTORIAL -- If you really want to make your magazine cover look professional, try making the subject in your photo overlap the title of your magazine. Below is a link to a good tutorial to teach you how to add layers in Photoshop to create this effect.

http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/overlap-text/

CUT-OUT TUTORIAL - if you are interested in doing some sort of cut-out, you can visit this link for a tutorial. This will walk you through the process of completing a cut-out. Don't forget it still needs to be cropped at 8.5x11 inches.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v2g3s369dymjzp7/Cut-outs%20using%20Quick%20Mask-revised.pdf

If you want to practice once using the same image as the tutorial, the link to the cat photo is here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4eubvva5sgrlh1o/cat.jpg

Magazine Workday 1

You should start mocking up your cover - you could come up with a name, get a date line, start looking for a bar code or making one, starting to think about headlines (called cover lines in the magazine world), colors, design elements you may want to include in your magazine cover

Crop your image in Photoshop - 8.5 inches x 11 inches at 300 resolution. To get those sub-menu choices you have to select the crop tool.

Always save as the first time you touch an image and from then on you can just save.

Don't forget to do levels.

To get the image into InDesign - you need make an X-box to place the photo in. Once you have the box made - you can either command-D or you can go under >file to >place.

Use the text tool to create boxes that you can type into. Don't forget to play with colors, sizes and even fonts. Be creative

If you are comfortable using Photoshop to do text or other things, feel free. But remember to make your document 8.5 x 11 inches because you will have to import the completed image to InDesign. You may have to flatten your layers and make sure to save it as a .jpeg.

Your Magazine Cover MUST include the following:

You will need to complete the following:

A. Magazine name

Think carefully about the font you use

You may not use the name of a real magazine (except on accident) - so please get creative!!

B. A teaser / cover line (headline type description) for the main story.

For "picture married to type" you must have at least 3-4 teasers/headlines (cover lines)
For a "forest of words" type cover you must have 5 or more teasers/headlines (cover lines):

C. Pricing and date information and a bar code (appropriately sized!!)If you want to do some fun things with your image, like putting text over your photo or making a cut-out, here are some tutorials:

If you want to try to add a second or even third photo to model a magazine cover you like, go for it.

TEXT OVERLAP TUTORIAL -- If you really want to make your magazine cover look professional, try making the subject in your photo overlap the title of your magazine. Below is a link to a good tutorial to teach you how to add layers in Photoshop to create this effect.

http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/overlap-text/

CUT-OUT TUTORIAL - if you are interested in doing some sort of cut-out, you can visit this link for a tutorial. This will walk you through the process of completing a cut-out. Don't forget it still needs to be cropped at 8.5x11 inches.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v2g3s369dymjzp7/Cut-outs%20using%20Quick%20Mask-revised.pdf

If you want to practice once using the same image as the tutorial, the link to the cat photo is here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4eubvva5sgrlh1o/cat.jpg

How to make a cut-out using Quick Mask Tool

We are going to cut out the cat out of its background.

Step 1: Open the file named “Cat” in Photoshop and make sure the layer he is on is selected.

Step 2: Click the edit in Quick Mask Mode button( ) in the Tools panel. In Quick Mask Mode, a red overlay

appears as you make a selection, masking the area outside the selection.

Step 3: In the Tools Panel, Select the Brush tool

Step 4: Open the Brush pop-up panel by right clicking on the screen, and select a large hard brush. Click outside

the panel to close it.

Step 5: Start to paint on the cat. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just make sure you have the cat painted with the

red overlay.

Step 6: Press the Quick Mask Tool button again, and what you painted will be selected. Click the Mask Panel,

which is grouped with the Adjustment Panel, and click on the add a Pixel mask button( ). The cat shouldn’t

be visible right now. Click on the invert button on the Mask Panel, and the cat should appear while the

background disappears.

Step 7: With the brush tool paint the remaining unneeded pixels with black to delete the rest of the background

you don’t want. Try reducing the size of your brush to more accurately delete pixels. If you mess up, press X on

the keyboard to switch from painting in black to painting in white. When you paint with white, any pixels you

accidentally deleted will return.

Your image should look like this when you are finished deleting the unnecessary pixels.

Step 8: In the Mask panel, choose the Mask edge button, and dialog box will pop open. Adjust the option in the

Refine Mask dialog box so that the mask fits more snugly around the edge of the statue. I set the Radius at 0,

Contrast to 100, Smooth to 6, Feather to 2.4. Click “OK” when the mask looks accurate.

Step 9: When you are done refining the edge of the mask, go to File > Save as… Save the file to your yearbook

student folder. Name the file “LastName_Cat cut-out.” Make sure you save the file in PNG format. You’re

done!

IMPORTANT: Always save cut-outs as PNG files. JPG does not support transparent backgrounds.

HOT TIP: Always save your original cut-out as a PSD file somewhere safe so you can re-edit your cut-out

again later if needed.

Review- NOT FOR A GRADE

You will be taking a semester final in my class. Remember that this is worth 1/4 of your overall grade. I will share with you your cumulative grades before you take the final so you know exactly what you need to pass the class. If you don't remember how it works, here is a simple way to remember:

Add up the first 3 6-weeks and get a total.

Each six weeks and the final are worth 100 points each, for a total of 400 points.

400 x .90 = 360 points (A)
400 x .80 = 320 points (B)
400 x .70 = 280 points (C)

Now take you total from above and subtract what you want your grade to be and that will tell you how many points you need to get an A, B or C in my class.

Here is an example:

Student Melissa has the following grades in my class
1st 6 weeks - 83
2nd 6 weeks - 93
3rd 6 weeks - 90
Total - 266 points

To get a C in my class, Melissa needs a 4 on the final - 270-266 = 4
To get a B in my class Melissa needs a 54 on the final - 320-266 = 54
To get an A in my class Melissa needs a 94 on the final - 360-266 = 94

If you have more questions please ask.

Now here is the review:

1. You will need to know how to write a correct caption. Remember its tense and ONLY 2 sentences long.

Caption Rules:

1. First sentence includes major information about the photo (who, what, where, when, why, how). You may make up the information for this assignment.

2. First sentence should be written in present tense as if the action of the photo is still happening.

3. Second sentence should be past tense, and should include background information.

4. Information in caption should not be obvious by looking at the photo.

5. If there are three or fewer recognizable people in the photo, you must give all of their names (you can make them up for this assignment).

6. Use strong action verbs whenever possible.

On your blog go to http://content.time.com/time/picturesoftheweek/0,29409,1681962,00.html

Pick a couple of photos and write captions for them. There are already captions there, don't copy them. You can make up names and situations if necessary. Post the photo and the caption on your blog.

2. You will need to know all the rules of photography and be able to explain them. Here are the rules again:

1. Rule of thirds

2. Balancing Elements

3. Leading Lines

4. Symmetry and Patterns (repetition)

5. Viewpoint

6. Background

7. Create depth

8. Framing

9. Cropping

10. Mergers and avoiding them

 On your blog – Copy Numbers 1-10 and then explain each rule in your own words.

3. You will need to know and understand Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO.

On your blog retype the words and explain what each means.

4. You will need to know and be able to explain the ethics of manipulating photos in photoshop and what is acceptable and what is not acceptable.

On your blog tell me what is acceptable and what isn't.

5. You will need to be able to explain the three types of portraits you read about – Environmental, Self and Casual (remember the difference between formal and informal).

On your blog describe all three.

6. You will need to be able to explain the photographic terms: Exposure, Depth of Field, and Focal Length. Look those words up again.

On your blog post those definitions – make sure they relate to photography.

7. You will need to know the four types of magazine covers: Early, Poster, Married to Type and Forest of Words and how to tell the difference.

On you blog, write what each looks like

8. Finally, I will be asking you to read about a current event that happened last year with a New York Post photographer. It will be a longer reading and there will be a multi-part series of reflective questions. This will be extra credit on the exam, so if you struggle with the above ideas/questions – you should plan to do this part. It could be the difference between an average grade and a very good grade.

That is it!!! Good luck and you have almost 2 weeks to prepare.

Deadlines in Journalism

You will be reading two stories. The first is on WHY deadlines are important and the second will be on HOW to improve your deadline skills and habits. Please complete this task in a blog post titled: Deadlines, ARGGH!!

First read this article and answer the questions below:

http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-are-they-called-deadlines

1. What is the origins of the word deadline?
2. What impact will missing today's deadline have on you?
3. Have you had issues meeting deadlines in other classes? If so, what consequences did you have for missing those deadlines?
4. Do you find yourself missing deadlines on a regular basis? If so, what do you think causes you to miss deadlines?
5. What specifically kept you from meeting today's photo deadline?
6. What do you plan to do to complete this task as quickly as possible so you can earn as much credit as you can?

Now read this article on how to improve your deadline skills and answer the questions below:

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-started/inside-the-classroom/8-ways-to-take-control-of-your-time

1. Which of those eight suggestions do you think might help you be more efficient?
2. Which of the suggestions is the toughest for you to complete? Why?
3. Are you a morning or night person?
3A. What are some of the problems you might run into because you are more productive at certain times of the day?
4. How can you create a dedicated study time for yourself?
5. What are three direct things could you do to eliminate distractions?

Finally, look at the following suggestion list for help with homework and answer the questions below:

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-started/inside-the-classroom/take-control-of-homework

1. Are there any correlations to taking control of your homework and time management?
2. What is your ideal study setting and mood?
3. What are your biggest distractions when it comes to studying?
4. What three things could you do to help with those distractions?

Turning in Portraits and Self Portraits

Good afternoon!!

Today your portraits and self-portraits are due. You will be turning in 4 total images.

Here is what you need to do:

First - pick out the portrait and self-portrait you want to turn in for that assignment. For these two images you can crop however you want to crop. This means you can make it whatever size you want to show off your photography skills and to send the mood and message you want to share with those two images.  When you crop, please make sure you set the resolution to 240. You will need to do levels and make the photo look good in Photoshop. If you are skilled in Photoshop and you want to do other effects with these two images - feel free.

When you are finished with these tasks please post these two images on your blog and label them Portraits and Self-portraits.

Second - pick out the portrait and self-portrait that you plan to use for your magazine cover when we return from holiday break. These images should be vertical and the subjects should fill the frame as much as possible. These images must be cropped 8.5 inches wide  by 11 inches tall and the resolution must be 300. I would prefer that you do not crop a really small segment of a larger photo for these two images. I wanted them to fill the frame as much as possible. You will need to do color corrections on these images by using levels as well. Do not do anything else to these images at this point. Later, when we return from break or the last week of this semester, I will share some tutorials on cut-outs and using text in Photoshop. For now, I just want to see the images you plan to use for your magazine cover.

When you are finished with these tasks, please post these two images on your blog in a separate post and label them Magazine Cover Images.

When you are done today, you are finished for the day. Please quietly study, complete any missing assignments, read a book, or surf the web.

Top 100 Photos of All Time

While we wait for the printer to be fixed so we can finish the mural project, let's take a look at some famous photos. Below you will find a link to the top-100 photos according to Time Magazine.

First, take a peek at some of the photos and get familiar with the website itself. It isn't the easiest to navigate, but there is some great stuff here to look at.

http://100photos.time.com

Once you have it figured out, lets narrow down to a few of the images and do some reading.

Pick FIVE of the top-100 images. Click them individually and read the short excerpt about the photo. Create a new post on your blog and answer the following questions:

1. Why did you pick this image? What caught your eye?
2. Summarize what you read. How about 2-3 sentences explaining the photo.
3. Every photo has some additional information, links, readings, or videos associated. Please tell me what you learned in addition to the actual photo. If you need to watch a video, I can come put in my credentials so you can watch, just raise your hands.
4. Look up the photographer. Post this famous image of theirs PLUS one more of theirs that catches your eye. (This means I should see at least 2 photos per post).
5. Find a biography of the photographer and provide the following information:

Name
Birth and death year (if applicable)
Born where
School attended (college or photo school)

You can complete these 5 image choices in one single blog post.

Prompt Shoot #3

Because the printer is not working in Mr. Reeves room yet so we can work on the mural project, we are going to do a quick prompt shoot today in class. I will be sending you out in teams for 45 minutes. When you return you will be expected to level the two images you are turning in and get them posted on your blog TODAY. So work fast and get them up on your blog. Remember to do LEVELS.

For fun, I am going to give you 4 prompts, but you only have to turn in 2 images.

Here are the four prompts to choose from:

Edge
Tiny
Numbers
Circle

Remember you only have to turn in 2 of these prompts.

5 Websites

Click on each website and quickly decide if it is something you are interested in. If you are, then go to the bottom and work on the questions for that website.

If you find that its not that interesting, move on to the next choice.

Complete questions for 5 websites. So Each website will be worth 20 points, you will get 20 points for each set of questions you complete. Get 3 done, you will get a 60, get 5 done, you will get a 100!!!

Have fun!!

Photography resolutions for 2016

http://petapixel.com/2014/12/31/10-photography-resolutions-new-year/

Photos everyone should know how to make

http://petapixel.com/2014/12/01/6-types-photos-know-make/

Using a projector

http://petapixel.com/2015/01/01/projector-brought-forest-turns-nature-glowing-wonderland/

Spiral Staircases

http://petapixel.com/2014/12/19/disorienting-beauty-spiral-staircases-old-abandoned-buildings/

Great Portraits

http://blog.phowd.com/2014/09/7-tips-shooting-great-portrait-photographs/

Style

http://petapixel.com/2014/08/25/approaching-problem-style/

The oldest living things in the world

http://www.rachelsussman.com/oltw/

Killer Timelapse

http://blog.ted.com/2014/10/07/how-to-create-a-killer-timelapse-with-joe-capra/


If none of these seem interesting, you can also go to any of these websites and find something that interests you:

http://petapixel.com/

http://www.lightstalking.com/

http://photo.net/

https://photographylife.com/

http://content.photojojo.com/

Okay now the Questions - Please use your judgement and decide which of the questions below you need to answer. 

Link the website you visited and make sure your blog is titled 5 Websites.

Briefly describe what you looked at on the website (4-5 sentences, make sure you write enough to really make it clear that you spent time looking at the website).

What did you learn new?

Post your favorite photo from the site.

Please answer the following questions:
a.     Why did you pick this photo?
b.     What rules of photography do you see in the photo?
c.     Who took the photo?

If you did a tutorial on the website, post the item you created on your blog. Remember that blogger only takes certain types of photos, if you can convert it to a .jpeg that would be ideal.

If you did a tutorial please answer the following questions:
a.     What did you learn new today?
b.     How can you use this in my class later?
c.     Did this expand your knowledge of an Adobe computer program? If so tell me the program’s name is.

If you looked at a video, please do the following:
a.     Describe what you saw in the video.
b.     Try to figure out who made the video. If it was a photographer look them up on google and see if you can learn more about them.
c.     If there is a story about the video on the website, paraphrase it in 2-3 sentences.
d.     What did you learn new?

If you were directed to a site that you cannot answer any of the questions above, please do the following:
a.     What did you see on the website, describe it in 2-3 sentences?
b.     What did you learn?
c.     How did the site relate to photography?

****Finally: I want to challenge you with something Mr. Reeves did...A few years ago he decided to do a 365 day challenge, where he posted a new photo each and every day of the year. Each image was taken with my DSLR (so not my phone) and was processed in Lightroom and posted by the end of the day, or early the next morning. Now it was a really difficult process and he probably wouldn't do it again. That being said, there are other challenges out there that you might want to take on. Here is a link with more information. If you want to do something like this, let me know and I can help you with ideas.

 http://photocritic.org/2015-photography-project-ideas/?utm_content=buffer95905&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

November 11th & November 14th

1. Be sure to upload your mural project images to the correct folder on the server for printing. Images MUST HAVE the ".jpg" in the JPEG format to be printed. Please double check with everyone in your group that they have done this correctly. 
2. Post your mural project images on the blog and give me a brief description of your groups theme. Title the post "mural project"
3. Find a LOCAL AUSTIN photographer (Google is your best friend!) Write 3-4 paragraphs telling me about the photographer, their style, why you like them, etc. Then pick out and post 5 of their images and write 2-3 sentences about each picture telling me about why you like it and what composition rules it does/does not follow. 

HAVE AN AMAZING DAY!! GO DAWGS!! -Coach D.

Magazine Preview Assignment

This assignment consists of four blog posts.

Blog #1 - Magazine tips

After you shoot your portrait, you will use it as the central element of a mock magazine cover design that will occupy a page of an InDesign document.

To get this process started, you need to learn a little about magazine cover design.

Go to the link below:

http://www.pubexec.com/article/32-tips-tales-techniques-evaluating-appeal-your-next-magazine-cover-84611/1

Read the 2 page article about magazine cover design. The second page is much more important than the first page. On your blog tell me 5 things you should be thinking about when you design your magazine cover.

Blog #2 - Best magazine covers 2013

Next, go here and look at some great designs:

http://www.magazine.org/asme/magazine-cover-contest/past-winners-finalists/2014-winners-finalists

Look at and read about ALL 32 designs, please stop when you get to the section called Cover of the Year. Make a new post titled : "Best Covers"

17 of them involve a portrait. Number a blog post from 1-17. Figure out which ones are portraits (these will be the ones with people in them), start your count with the Section called News, Politics and Business. The first portrait is from the New Yorker and it has Michael Douglas on it.

Next to each number, write "Formal, Informal, or Environmental"

If you do not understand the difference between formal, informal and environmental - please ask but you should know the difference.

Blog #3 -- My Favorite Cover

Choose your favorite cover (with a portrait). Label it as "favorite."

Copy and paste the description from the web.

Write a 100-150 word critique of the portrait on the cover.

Mention what is communicated about the people in the portrait and how this is communicated.

You may consider composition, lighting, exposure etc.


Blog #4 - Magazines Part II

You also need to know a little more information about the types of magazine covers that have been used through the years. Here are the most common types:

Cover types

1. Image Based
2. Illustration Based
3. Type Based
4. Concept Based

Here is the description and some examples of these types of magazine covers:

http://www.magazinedesigning.com/introduction-to-magazine-cover-pages/

On your blog, write a short (50-150 word) explanation of what the main attributes of each of the four types are. Use your own words, and DO NOT copy and paste.

Finally, what is the relationship between words and photos on magazine covers and why is this important?

Portrait Assignment

I also wanted to formally assign the portrait and self-portrait shoot. You may get cameras beginning today to shoot this assignment. You can take as many photos as you want, but you will be required to turn in 1 portrait (of any variety of someone else), and one self-portrait that you take of yourself. This self-portrait must be you using the self-timer on the camera. You must use either my cameras or a DSLR that you have at home.

We will be using both of this images in a future assignment so you must shoot at least some of these vertically. You may turn in a horizontal image for both the portrait and self-portrait, but you will need vertical images of the same subjects for a future assignment, so make sure you shoot both ways (or just shoot vertically). You will need to turn in FULL FRAME images so make sure you either zoom in really well or get close to your subject.

These must be turned in by by November 30/Dec. 1, so you have over three weeks, but it is just 5-6 classes, so you have to check out a camera and return it the next day. Plan accordingly. Anyone who does not bring the camera back the next day will lose 10 points on the portrait and self-portrait major assignment. You may only check out a camera every other day, so don't abuse the fact you have one. Absences don't mean a thing - if you borrow a camera, you better get it back to me the next day somehow!!!

Please get started on this ASAP!!!

American Soldier

Craig Walker, a photojournalist from the Denver Post, tracked Ian Fisher's introduction to the Army from high school graduation through basic training and through a yearlong deployment in Iraq. The images Walker took capture Fisher's day-to-day experiences as a recruit, soldier, son and friend. Walker and his team were awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in Feature Photography for this photo series.

I would like for you to look at some of the award-winning images produced by this photographer and reflect upon how the images tell a story without even having to read the story. In addition, I want you to pay attention to the captions that were written for the images.

1. Go to the following Web site: 

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2010/0412/20100412_011334_Ian_Fisher_American_Soldier.pdf

A. What is the most powerful image from the pictures printed in the Denver Post over the three weeks they published images from the year of coverage? Why?

B. How do the images work together to tell a story?

C. How do the captions enhance the photographs?

D. Summarize the story of Ian Fisher, based just on the captions.

E. For the photos in which Ian is the main subject of the photos, in what tense are the verbs usually written?

F. Break down the captions:

1. How many sentences are they on average?
2. Read the first sentence of a couple of them, what information do they provide?
3. Read the second sentences of a couple of them, what information do they provide?
4. If there is a third sentence, what information does it provide?
5. Do any captions include a quote?
6. Are there any that have four sentences?

G. Why do you think it is possible to tell a complete story with just photos and captions?

H. If you can create a story with just photos and captions, why bother writing a story at all?


FOR EXTRA CREDIT - because this is such a long reading, if you complete this extra credit, I will add 5 FULL points to your overall grade at the end of the six weeks. This must be posted on your blog by Friday, Nov. 11 to receive credit (Warning, do not skip other assignments to do this one, its not worth it, this is only for those people striving for the highest possible grade in my class):

Please read the story across those three papers

1. Briefly summarize the story of Ian Fisher. Please break this down by publish date. This means I want three separate summaries of a paragraph for each of the three days the paper published the story.
2. What was his motivation for joining the military?
3. What kind of problems did he encounter during basic training?
4. What part of Ian's pre-military life caused him the most problems as he was being trained and while on deployment?
5. What happened when Ian had a mid-tour break and returned home?
6. How did Iraq change Ian?

Self Portrait and Portraits Part I

Self Portrait and Portraits Part I

As we get ready to take photos soon on our new assignment, self-portrait and portrait photography. I thought you might want to look at some ideas and get something more than just looking at some photos. With that in mind - go take a look at these 4 websites.

http://digital-photography-school.com/10-ways-to-take-stunning-portraits

and

http://digital-photography-school.com/tips-portrait-photography

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-tips/portrait-photography-tips/

http://shutterbug.com/refreshercourse/portrait_tips/197/

After looking at these, find what you think are the best 2 or 3 tips and copy and paste them into a new post on your blog (I don’t need 2-3 tips from each site, but 2-3 total, but please look at all three sites).

When you go out to shoot these types of photos, there are three main types of portraits, the environmental portrait, a self-portrait and a casual portrait. Lets go find some examples of these types of images.

Next, I want you to a Google image search “Environmental portrait” and pick out 2 that you really like and post them on your blog. Tell me what you liked about the photo and why you picked it.

Google image search “photography self portrait” and pick out 2 that you really like and post them on your blog. Tell me what you liked about the photo and why you picked it.

Google image search “casual portrait” and pick out 2 that you really like and post them on your blog. Tell me what you liked about the photo and why you picked it.

Please write a paragraph telling me your plan for your portrait assignment. Answer the following questions: who will you shoot, where will you shoot, and what will you do to make the shot successful.

Be specific on all three answers. When I read it I should know who and where you will take the photos and I should know exactly what your plan is to make sure you get a quality photo. BE AWARE I MUST SEE RULES OF PHOTOGRAPHY.

Funny Captions

Funny Captions - the right way!!

I call this assignment: FUNNY CAPTIONS. Make sure you follow the rules at the bottom, and get in the habit of doing this because from now on you will be asked to write a captions on photos you take and post on your blog, where appropriate. I expect you to learn how to do it correctly and following the rules listed below. 

Go to the following site and find the three funniest photos that capture some kind of action or emotion.

http://www.you-can-be-funny.com/Funny-Old-People.html


Save your three favorite photos in your folder on the server, and upload them to your blog. Under each photo write a funny, two sentence, caption that follows these rules:

Caption Rules:

1. First sentence includes major information about the photo (who, what, where, when, why, how). You may make up the information for this assignment.

2. First sentence should be written in present tense as if the action of the photo is still happening.

3. Second sentence should be past tense, and should include background information.

4. Information in the second sentence should not be obvious by looking at the photo.

5. If there are three or fewer recognizable people in the photo, you must give all of their names (you can make them up for this assignment).

6. Use strong action verbs whenever possible.

7. Make these funny.

Rules of Photography II

Earlier this year you learned the 6 basic composition rules of photography. Those included:

Rule of Thirds
Balance/Balancing Elements
Lines/Leading Lines
Simplicity/Background
Framing
Avoiding Mergers

Today we are going to add 4 more rules for you to think about as you continue to shoot for this class. They are:

Symmetry and Patterns (repetition)
Viewpoint
Create Depth
Cropping

We are also more clearly defining the first six rules, so their names are changing slightly, be aware of those changes.

Check out the new rules here, you can ignore the one at the end called Experiment and sub in Avoiding Mergers:

http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/10-top-photography-composition-rules

Please pick a theme, I don't care what theme you choose: football, guitars, Justin Beiber, whatever.
Then use google search and find photos relating to your theme.

Find photos that show good examples of the following photo composition rules. Show me that you understand these rules. Make sure to tell me which photo = which rule, i.e. label your photos with the proper rule title.

Here are the rules again, in case you forgot in the last 2 minutes:
1. Rule of thirds
2. Balancing Elements
3. Leading Lines
4. Symmetry and Patterns (repetition)
5. Viewpoint
6. Background
7. Create depth
8. Framing
9. Cropping
10. Mergers and avoiding them - here I want you to find me a COOL merger photo.

When you have posted 10 photos – work on any missing assignments.

Prompt Shoot

Today, you will be out shooting for the first 45 minutes, when you return, you will download and save the images.

You MUST shoot in manual, so make sure you use the light meter - I will go over this quickly in class. Use the light meter, remember the equivalent exposures to get the look you want. Photography is all about light....if you get enough light, you can do whatever you want with depth of field. If you don't have enough light, you might be forced to make some adjustments, but remember if you have too much light, you might also have to make some changes as well.

Here are your prompts:

COLD
PURPLE
ELECTRIC

Mural Project and Planning

Today, you will be with your group for about 30 minutes, I expect a detailed plan from you with your draft sheet. I need your team theme and team names on the planning sheet. I also need to see details of every photo that will appear on your mural and who will be taking those photos on the draft sheet. Please make sure the draft sheet also includes how you are going to get team members names and the name of your project on the mural itself. This draft sheet will be due next class.

When you are done planning, make sure everyone knows their part in the process.

Here are the deadlines:

All photos must be turned in to Coach to be printed by Wednesday, Nov. 2.
The Mural itself must be completed by Tuesday, Nov. 8.

You will have in-class time to work on the project - but we will also have other things to do in-between so be aware of this. All photos MUST be color managed in Photoshop (levels) and you will crop the images 8.5 inches by 11 inches for tall photos, or 11 inches by 8.5 inches for wide photos.

When you have your images ready to print, ask Coach for a thumb drive, put your images on the drive and he will print them and have them to you by the next class.

There will be multiple grades for this assignment:

A self-grade - grading your own efforts
A group grade -grading the efforts of the rest of your team
A deadline grade - achieving the multiple deadlines associated with this project
A completed task grade - your final grade, I will use a rubric for this and you will have it in advance
A peer review grade - you grading another teams project - you will actually grade 3 other projects and you will get a grade for accomplishing this on time

Here are some that were done last year. I consider these the better ones, but I hope yours is better than these!!

Mural Project and Great Black and White Photographers III

Go to the following website - read the story and look at the photos:

http://www.geekadelphia.com/2011/11/18/instagram-meets-the-street-mike-smith-casey-catellis-nomnow-wheatpaste-art/

I know many of you are very familiar with instagram and some of you use it regularly. But this was a collaboration project that you read about. We will be doing the same thing in class.

On your blog please answer the following questions:

1. What theme, that we could take here at school and think of one for OFF campus too, could we do a series of these panels to place around the school?

2. Should we use phones only, or should we open it up to our regular cameras for those people that don't have camera phones?

3. Where would you want to put the mural on campus?

Our next assignments will be to shoot the group-decided theme and to create a mural like this - each group will have its own and we will print them here in this room. We will use butcher paper to mount the photos on. We will take all the photos and I will help print them here in class. Then we will hang the murals around campus (if I can figure out how to get them to stick places. Maybe we can put them on the lockers or something). You should start brainstorming ideas on what your subject might be....remember they have to be taken on campus. I will share some ideas with you.


Great Black and White Photographers PART 3

Today's Assignment - blog title 

Great Black and White Photographers part 3:

I want to know more about your selection for your favorite Black and White Photographer. Read the following directions CAREFULLY!!! For those people that did not do the previous assignments, they are still on the Bowiephotojblog and you can go back and complete them for credit on this assignment.

Do NOT sit and do nothing today. Everyone should complete some sort of Great Black and White Photographer assignment today.

On your blog please create a post with the following information:

1.) What first caught your eye while looking at your photographers photos? Is there something in particular about their photos that made you want to choose them? Post the images with your writing.

2.) Look at those 2 photos you posted last time in the assignment Great Black and White Photographers Part 2. Use your five senses to tell me more about those photos. Answer them on your blog.

I see
I smell
I hear
I taste
I feel

You can do this in 2 ways. You can either put yourself in the photo and pretend your standing next to the subjects in the photo. I know smell and taste are hard but you can do it.

Or, you can pretend you were the photographer and use those same senses.

On the one titled - I feel - you may either touch things in your photo (imagination please!!) or you can tell me what you (yes, you in the real world) feel or felt the first time you saw the photo, or how it makes you feel when you look at it now.

BE REFLECTIVE HERE - try to be descriptive, try to write more than you think you can. One sentence per prompt is NOT ENOUGH, write at LEAST 3 sentences per!!! Write more, if you think its enough, its NOT.

3.) Finally, what would you like to create to show the world your great photographer. Ideas include, posters, power points, a blog, etc. You tell me what you would like to create so we can come up with a plan to share your thoughts and ideas about your photographer with your classmates and with the rest of the school.

Africa and Abandoned Theme Parks

Africa

Visit the following website.

 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=nick-brandt-a-shadow-falls-african-wildlife-photography

 Make sure that you click on the slide show link:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/slideshow.cfm?id=nick-brandt-a-shadow-falls-african-wildlife-photography

1. On your blog post your reactions to what you read and what you saw. How about 3-4 sentences.

2. Do a google image search for Nick Brandt, find your favorite photo and post it on your blog.

3. Describe it and tell me why its your favorite.

4. What rules of photography are evident in the photos you selected, be sure to explain the rule to me?

Do a google/wikipedia search for Nick Brandt

5. What kind of camera and lens does he use and why is this important?

6. What is his reason for taking these photos?

7. What is his hope by taking these type of photos?

8. Find something he has to say about Africa, and post the quote on your blog. 


Abandoned Theme Parks

Go check out these two websites and look at the Abandoned Theme Parks around the world that some photographers think are potential places to take interesting photos.

http://www.nileguide.com/blog/2010/08/28/8-abandoned-theme-parks-abroad-open-for-exploration/

and

http://www.nileguide.com/blog/2010/05/26/8-abandoned-american-theme-parks-open-for-exploration/

On your blog - please complete the following:

1. Tell me which amusement park featured in the two articles that you would like to visit and take your camera along and what about that park made you want to go there. Write at least a paragraph.

2. Post one photo from that park. You may use the photos from the link, or you can google an entirely new photo. I would prefer to see a photo of the park in disrepair and not a photo of it when it was still operating.

3. Think of at least FIVE other unusual places you think would be of interest to photographers. List them.

4. Use google or another search engine to research ONE of your five places and see if anyone has already started documenting that place. If you find that someone has already started - post at least one photo of their work.

5. Write a paragraph about why you think that it would be fun to document that location. Tell me what interests you about that place and what kind of photos you could expect to take there.

6. Tell me what it would take for you to go and take photos at your location. What would you need as far as equipment goes, travel plans, expenses you might encounter and what laws you would have to take into consideration to take photos at your spot.

Camera SIM and Manual Settings

Time to learn how to shoot in the Manual setting.

First head to this SimCam and play around for a bit:

http://www.canonoutsideofauto.ca/play/

Now that you have had a chance to play for a few minutes, now go to this website and wait for instructions.

http://camerasim.com/camera-simulator/

Please do not set anything and do not take any photos until everyone is there.

I will be handing out a guided response paper that you will turn in at the end of class for a grade.

Photoshop tutorial

Pst 12 images on your blog: your 6 original Academic Shoot Photos and your 6 edited versions of the photos

This is a quick tutorial on how to edit photos in Photoshop. If you need help to do these steps, please ask and I will help you.

Color

Color changes take a little longer and can be much more evident to the eye.

1. Open the photo in Photoshop (there are multiple ways to do this, use whichever way you remember)

2. The first thing we want to do every time is to SAVE AS and rename your photo and save it in the correct folder. For right now that folder is your folder on the  desktop.

3. Go to – Image>Adjustments>Levels

A box should pop up on your screen. In that box is a drop down box that has RGB in it. Use the drop down box and go to >BLUE

Move the black and white slider tools (the hershey kisses) and move them as needed to be underneath the mountain.

go to >GREEN
repeat

go to >RED
repeat

go to >RGB

On this step you move ONLY the middle one which is brown (do not move the black or white slider) just slightly where the photo appears a little lighter than perfect.

Now - here are some new instructions - I will show you this quickly today, but I wanted to give you the instructions here as well.

4. The final step, go to >Filter>Sharpen>Sharpen

You should only do this one time

5. Crop and make sure you have the correct resolution as requested. Today you do not have a specific Height and Width (that will change later) and your resolution is blank (that will also change later).

6. To change the photo to black and white go to: Image>Mode>Grayscale

when the pop up appears asking if you want to discard the color information, hit yes or okay. Soon you will be asked to produce a B&W image. Today your images can be color. If you want to make one of them Black and White, I am okay with that.

7. Save and close the file

Great Black and White Photographers part II

A couple of weeks ago you were asked to go to a website and look at photos by the great B&W photographers in history.

Today its time to get to know your favorite in detail. Go back to your original Great Black and White Photography post where you picked your 3 favorite and select ONE.

Head to the Internet and use your favorite search engine to get more information about that person, please verify your facts by finding TWO sources to make sure its accurate.

Make a new blog post with a biography of that person.
 Important information that should be included: name, birth (and maybe death) dates, origin of birth, education, jobs, books published, etc. PLEASE SELECT ONE that you didn't have the first few days of class when we were in groups getting to know each other.

This is just the information gathering portion of a project you will complete this semester.

DO NOT COPY AND PASTE this information, retype it in your words.

Yes, its just a bio, but don't plagiarize. Please post this as a separate blog and title it "Great black and white photographers, PART 2." This should be AT LEAST 3-4 PARAGRAPHS.

Also, when you post your blog, include at least 2 photos from your selected photographers collection of pictures. Pick your favorites and do not use the one you used before.

**Be sure to have everything posted on your blog before Monday, grades will be FINALIZED TUESDAY! "Academic post shoot and peer reflection" and "Great black and white photographers part II" will be on the next grading cycle, both should be COMPLETED BEFORE THE NEXT CLASS**

Academic post-shoot AND peer reflection

You should have 6 images from the academic shoot posted already. Please go back and edit the post with those photos - answer the following questions for each photo you turned in (either underneath the photo if you did 1 big post, or under each photo in your separate posts):

1. What composition rule did you follow the rule?

2. What is the subject (be very very specific)?

3. Is it clear to people looking at your photos what the subject is?

4. If you can't very clearly see what the subject is, what could you have done differently?

Third:

Make a new blog post - title it - Academic Shoot reflection and critique. Answer the following questions:

1. What challenges did you encounter while trying to get the photos following the rules I set out for you? 

2. What technical aspects of photography or the assignment in general (focus, framing, holding the camera, etc.) did you find yourself thinking about the most? Provide a specific example of what you did to do this correctly.

3. If you could do the assignment again, what would you do differently now that you know some basic rules of photography?

4. What things would you do the same?

5. When you go out with your next set of prompts, which rule do you think will be the easiest to achieve?

6. Which rule do you think will be the hardest to capture?

7. What rule are you still not totally clear on and what can you do to figure out what that rule is?

Now go and critique someone else's work:

Step 1: Go to our class blog. On the student blogs list titled MY BLOG, Pick someones blog (NOT IN THIS CLASS) and click on it. Go find their Academic Shoot - and take a peek at them.

Step 2: On your blog copy and paste the link for the student's blog. 

Step 3: Write two positive things about the photos. 

Step 4: Write about one thing that could be improved in the photos.

Step 5: Leave them a comment on their blog about their work. You can choose to write something clearly positive, or you can choose to leave a comment that is constructive criticism (something that is written in a positive way, but makes a suggestion on something they could have done better).

I will grade both that you did this correctly with a DIRECT LINK to their blog, and I will grade the comment you left them for appropriateness.

Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO - what are they?

The next lesson in our use of the camera and how it works involves what is commonly referred to as the "three pillars of photography." They are Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO.

Today we are going to learn about all three and how they impact our photography.

Let's start with Aperture as it is probably the hardest of the three to full understand.

Go to this website and read about Aperture:

http://mansurovs.com/what-is-aperture-in-photography

Once you are done reading - I want you to use google and find me an example of a photo taken at aperture setting F2.8 and an example of a photo taken at F16 or higher. DO NOT USE the photos on the website I sent you to, find different ones. Post those photos on your blog and label them.

Then answer the following questions:

1. What part of the body should we closely relate aperture?
2. Finish this sentence - the smaller the Aperture _____________, the higher the Aperture ________________.
3. In your own words tell me how aperture impacts Depth of Field?

Now lets move on to Shutter Speed. This is a little easier to understand but we should read about it here:

http://mansurovs.com/what-is-shutter-speed-in-photography

Once you are finished reading about Shutter Speed, I want you to use google and find me an example of a photo taken with a high shutter speed and one taken at a slow shutter speed (you do not have to show blur unless you want but I still need to see an example of a photo that COULD have been taken at a slow shutter speed). Post them both on your blog and label them.

Then answer the following questions:

1. If you were assigned to shoot at Bulldogs and Hotdogs night, which was a few months ago, what shutter speeds do you think you would have to shoot at the following events that night I would like you to answer the question for the following two situations:

At the beginning while the sun was still up and the courtyard had reasonable good light

a.) a booth in the middle of the yard near the Tree
b.) a food booth outside under one of the big red awnings
c.) the Stars performance inside the gym
d.) students dancing near the center of the courtyard
e.) people streaming in from the front doors
f.) the basketball booth where students are shooting basketballs at a hoop

Towards the end when there is no sun and has gotten dark enough that you can't see from one end of the courtyard to the other.

a.) a booth in the middle of the yard near the Tree

b.) a food booth outside under one of the big red awnings

c.) the Stars performance inside the gym

d.) students dancing near the center of the courtyard

e.) people streaming in from the front doors

f.) the basketball booth where students are shooting basketballs at a hoop

2. List the three settings your camera has regarding setting shutter speed (these are found at #5 on the Shutter Speed website. Explain how each works - DO NOT COPY AND PASTE, use your own words.

Now for the last of the pillars, ISO. Lets go read some more at this website:

http://mansurovs.com/what-is-iso-in-photography

Once you are finished, please go to google and find me an example of a photo taken at ISO 200 and a photo taken at ISO 3200 or 6400. Post both on your blog and label them.

Then answer the following questions:

1. What are the advantages of shoot at a higher ISO at a sporting event like basketball or a night football game?
2. What suggestions did the author make about using a low ISO?
3. What suggestions did the author make about using a high ISO?

Now that we have a basic understanding of the three pillars, let's look at some direct examples of what happens in when you mess with Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. Go to the following website:

http://www.canonoutsideofauto.ca/play/

This simulates a DSLR camera. Make sure you set the camera on MANUAL setting at the top.

List the aperture settings available on this camera.
List the shutter speed settings available on this camera.
List the ISO settings available on this camera.

Now have some fun and play with the settings. We will play with this site or one like it more later.