Edmodo system and Photography

                               

The session today is fully explained on the lesson plans for photography tab on this website.


The following web link will be used for this session


http://www.flickr.com/photos/theblackstar/sets/72157626117942754/detail/

Basically we will be using the images that you have taken over the last few sessions in the photography studio and that you had added to your Blogger websites.
These images can also be selected and uploaded to your Edmodo accounts that we are using within this group.
The Edmodo system as you know is very similar to Facebook but secure and safe to use within the college, and will make the documentation of what you do within each session quicker to do.

During the session students will take photographs of sections of each other as per the example above. And then the images will be put through Lightroom to edit them quickly as a group.

The images that you have taken will be selected from the Lightroom software and uploaded into Edmodo. Lightroom software is only currently available on the studio computer as it can directly import and export studio images very quickly from a large groups work.

Todays class

In this session you are required to round up all the images from the studio shoot you did on tuesday. The images need to go onto your blogs and written work needs to support these images.

Compare and contrast what you have done against images from research, if you haven't done that then carry on and do more research of other portrait photographers and add their images onto your blog.

Also you need to make sure that you are adding videos from Youtube that show these photographers at work or a documentary about them etc...

Also the amount of written work you do for images still applies to videos, don't just add videos in without and written work outlining your thoughts and ideas.

Studio Portraits in response to Research

This session is all about putting into practice what we have covered over the last few weeks, you should know how to use the lights and what attachments are available to you.

Research an image from the internet and get it onto the screen in the studio, together we will go through how the lighting is put together, but mainly it will be down to you to position the correct lighting and attachments in order to get close to the research photograph.

I will help to move the pantographs into position as the mechanism is prone to trap fingers so be careful and ask me to move the lighting. Also I will alter the lighting attachments for you as the flash tubes and bulbs can be very hot.

The photography this session will look at the variables that exist between one type of light and another in respect to the variety of different lighting attachments that can be used in the photography studio.
I will take on an observing role and will help you only if you require it, you must take the lead within this session.

Blogs and Studio Sessions

In this session we will be looking at evidencing work onto your blogs from the 2 studio sessions we have done. I have all the images on my hard drive and I will put them onto the front computer, can you all come and collect your images and upload these onto your blogs. Don't forget to write about what you did, thoughts, ideas and continue with your research and development for the next session in the photography studio.

We did the still life session in which we looked at ISO, Shutter Speeds and Fstops (Apertures), you also need to make sure that you have a blog for each of these explaining fully what they mean with supporting images and videos from Youtube.

Use the images from your shoots to help explain these 3 variables, also you need to add blogs about the kit and equipment and in particular the use of flags (the large black fabric panels), what they do and what were they used for in the portrait session we did.

Also you need to look at Lightroom software and how post production using it can produce different effects and can allow quite quick choice and selection of images.

Low key Lighting

The session today will look at how to work with lower levels of lighting in the photography studio, we will look at how you can vary the amount of light reaching your subject. This is done via the use of different lighting attachments and flags to block light where it is not required.

The session will involve the use of the Canon 5d camera along with the studio lighting on the pantographs.
The theme will be Hollywood Lighting that has a use of what would of been strong continuous lighting, however we will be using Bowens Flash Lighting.

All images will be downloaded onto Lightroom via the studio computer and then a variety of different effects and styles will be looked at. The images will be used in the thursday session and blogs written with these images uploaded to help explain what you did. Each student will take 6 images of another in order to understand what it is like to be photographed as well as be the photographer.

How to blog and what to include

Your research of the work of other photographers is a vital part of this process. It is the value that you identify from this that you are able to add to your own work and photography. For example you must see what clearly shows in their work from a range of about 6 of their photographs. These photographs you grab from the internet and upload to your blog. Then looking at these images you may see any of the following showing through as predominant throughout their work;

Composition, Colour, Shapes, Patterns, Lines, Tonal Range, Frames, Rule of thirds, Texture, Form, Focal Point, Perspective, Scale,  Denotation, Connotation, (literal and implied meanings)

Once you have used these words to help identify what value you can add to your own work. For example if one photographer uses colour, or patterns , or perspective in their work you could try adding this value into your own work.

For example the work of Rut Blees Luxemburg and her night time photography;

This image shows the use of colour, shape, lines, patterns, and also the deeper meanings of the aspirational artwork images of an ideal home within that community.

Whereas this image is more about composition and frames within frames, colour, scale, perspective, but also is a social comment on how people live stacked one upon the other.

Where this image is about colour, scale, viewpoint and perspective. Also it a social comment on how that for someone this is where they work as a car park attendant.

Where this image is about perspective born out the unusual vantage point, also the focal point, the vanishing point is also a critical part of how this image is constructed. Also colour is playing a part again along with lines and scale (such as the size of the cars).

Plus don't forget to include Youtube videos in your work, however if you put a video into your blog you must also put some written work underneath about analysis of it and any thoughts or ideas you may have  in response to it. Behind the scenes or documentaries are very useful insights into how people work and may give a good idea for what you could do when you do your portrait photography.

Welcome Back...

As mentioned before we have now finished the animation unit and we are now moving onto the photography one.
I will be finishing off looking at your animation work and I will be talking to people who may need to provide more work in order to pass the unit.
Each week we will be having workshops either in the studio or on location in order for you to become familiar with the kit and equipment, then it will be over to you to freely book cameras and the studio in order to produce your own work.