Mural Project planning. Assigned 10/26, due 10/28 - Minor

Mural Project

This will be the first day to plan your project. I expect a detailed plan from your team. 

1. Meet with your team to decide upon a theme. Be very detailed. Every person on your team will need to take multiple photos and the more you help each other plan that out, the better your project will be. For example, if you decide to do a "rainbow" theme. Make sure you assign colors to every member. And then brainstorm actual objects for your team to go take pictures of. Do you want to have similar objects, or different? The more details the better. It needs to be cohesive and make sense. You are free to choose what you want. This theme must be something you can accomplish at school. All photos will be taken during class next week.

HERE ARE SOME SIMPLE IDEAS: Shapes, colors, nature, food, architecture. Here is a link with lots more: https://www.theatreofnoise.com/2008/05/250-photography-themes.html

2.  Every member of the team must FULLY plan how they will organize the photos to best show them off. To do this each member will create the following on a sheet of paper:

    A drawing that shows me where the photos will go on their mural.

    A label showing me who will take each specific photo

    A sketch OR words that describe what each image will look like.

3. You can have different ideas on how to show off your photos. You are also all allowed to have a similar plan if you wish. You will be using Canva to layout your designs, so you have lots of flexibility to design your project the way you want. The only common element MUST be that you use all of the photos that each team member provides.

Here are the requirements:

1. There must be 28 photos submitted with your project, which means each person must provide 7 photos in 3rd period. In 4th period since there are mixed sized teams, teams with 3 people must have 24 total photos (8 each) or teams with 4 people must have 28 photos (7 photos each).

2. You must have a coherent theme that I can see in the photos.

Here are the deadlines:

All photos must be taken by Monday, Nov. 16

You will have that week to actually finish the project in Canva and turn it in. The project is DUE on Wednesday, Nov. 18 by the end of the period. You will turn in your Canva product on your Google Site. I will share more information next week on how to do this correctly.

There will be multiple grades for this assignment:

1. A self-grade - grading your own efforts
2. A group grade -grading the efforts of the rest of your team
3. A deadline grade - achieving the multiple deadlines associated with this project
4. A completed task grade - your final grade, I will use a rubric for this and you will have it in advance

5. 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 examples - REMEMBER YOURS WILL NOT BE PHYSICALLY MADE, YOU WILL USE CANVA TO CREATE YOUR MURAL:

Here are the groups for each class:

3rd - 7 teams of 4 (28 people)

1. Emma, Paige, Luci, Rubi

2. Isabella, Lu, Leah, Leila

3. Paige, Renee, Aubrie, Zoe

4. Sky, Erin, Ava, Remy

5. Ben, Sebastian, Ryan, Brayden

6. Zoe, Reese, Abdullah, Noah

7. Theo, Smith, Drew, Rodrigo

4th - 5 total teams - 2x3, and 3x4 (18 people)

1. Sophia, Kaitlyn, Addison

2. Ella, Ovelia, Ava

3. Olivia, Clesi, Kriz, Tucker

4. Oakley, Easton, Jaiden, Luke

5. Michaelangelo, Ben, Nathan, Kani

Prompt Shoot #2, Post Shoot Reflection & Photo Manipulation and Ethics. Posted 10/16, due 10/21 - MAJOR, Minor, MAJOR

Posting Prompt Shoot #2 (MAJOR) and Post Shoot Reflection (Minor)

Please make  a new Google Site subpage titled Prompt Shoot 2 and uploaded 4 images, 1 for each prompt. 

Please answer the following below your photos, once you have your 4 images on your Google Site:

Make sure you label each properly with the prompt name and explain the compositional rule evident in the photo. You should do this for ALL FOUR PHOTOS! UNDER THE PHOTO.

Don't forget to make the image larger by holding down Shift and the Command key and using your mouse to drag the bottom right corner downwards. I need to see these photos BIGGER!!

In a new text box, answer these questions: 

1. What challenges did you encounter while trying to shoot in Manual?

2. As you were shooting, explain how you exposed the photo properly?

3. Explain how you adjusted your position or how you thought about compositional rules as you were taking these photos. 

Remember - there are always THREE goals when you take photos:

1. Your subject is clear and in focus.

2. Your image is exposed properly.

3. That you have thought about and controlled for either movement, or depth of field. You have to be considering those two things every single time.

Photo Manipulation and Ethics (MAJOR)

 Soon we will start using Photoshop to adjust and edit photos, but before we do that, it is very important that you understand what changing photos means and how that impacts the image, as well as the audience.

I think it is important to understand what happens when you alter a photo. If you eventually join newspaper and/or yearbook there are "rules" about changing photos. 

Here we will look at what has been published around the world and the impact of changing photos.

There is a time and a place to change photos. Let's start that discussion here:

1. Read the following story about examples of photo manipulations.

https://ethicsinediting.wordpress.com

Here is the website in image form so you can do this assignment:

On your Google Site create a new subpage called Photo Manipulation and Ethics and answer the following questions.

A. What are some of the main points you read about in the website above regarding manipulating images?

B. What is the philosophy of newspapers like the Washington Post and the New York Times regarding image manipulation?

C. What do you think are acceptable things you could do to an image and not cross the line unto an unethical manipulation?

D. Post the manipulation from the photos you looked at above in the reading (this means get that image by either downloading it OR taking a screenshot and post it on your site) that you think was the most unethical, and explain why you think it was the most unethical. If you do not know what the word ethic or unethical means, look them up on the internet. It is very important you know what those two words mean. Please write at least 2-3 sentences explaining why you think it is so bad. You will most likely have to take a screen shot to get this image. Command-shift-4 gets you the cursor you need to take a screen shot. Make sure that screen shot ends up in your Google Drive.

E. Post the manipulation, which means the photo that you read about above, that you consider the least unethical, and explain why you think it is not as bad as others. Please write at least 2-3 sentences explaining why you think this one is not so bad.

YOU MUST WRITE ENOUGH TO SATISFY ME ON THIS ASSIGNMENT. I WILL BE GRADING ALL OF THESE FULLY, NOT SKIM READING AND CERTAINLY NOT JUST FOR COMPLETION. YOU MUST ANSWER THESE ONE CORRECTLY AND IN DEPTH FOR A GOOD GRADE!!

Prompt Shoot #2 (focus on exposure). Assigned 10/14, due 10/16 - MAJOR

Here is your next assignment: Prompt Shoot #2

You know what to do with these after the first shoot. But remember, you need to take more photos than you intent to turn in. I would shoot 1 photo for every minute you are out there. So today a good goal would be 45-50 photos.

You will, generally, be graded on the following:

Focus - is the picture in focus? If not, you will lose points

Subject - is the subject clear? 

Interest - how interesting is the subject

Composition - did you incorporate rules of photography

Uniqueness - is it something new, something I haven't seen before, were you creative?

Don't forget that you are thinking about composition AND the prompts. Today, you have the added layer of making sure your photos are EXPOSED properly. And then you can start thinking about depth of field and/or stopping action. YOU MUST SHOOT IN THE MANUAL SETTING!!

A good starting place today, since it is relatively sunny; ISO 200-400, Aperture f8-f16. shutter speed around 350 or so. If you are inside, you might need to start with ISO 400-800, Aperture f4.5-f8, shutter speed 60-250 or so. But make sure you use the LIGHT METER. If you need help, come back to the classroom. If you can't get your photos to come out - COME BACK TO THE ROOM.

Here are your prompts today:

Metal

Bowie

Square

Gate

You will turn in FOUR images labeled, and complete a post shoot reflection on Friday when I see you next.

Sim Cam part 2, catch-up day. Assigned 10/7, due 10/7 - Minor

  Today we will revisit the Sim Cam and finish off that project. Then you will have the rest of the period to get caught up before grades are due tomorrow.

Next week we will go on our second Prompt Shoot and you will be using the manual settings. I will help you along the way to make sure you are getting properly exposed images.

 Please go to this website and wait for instructions.

https://camerasim.com

Please do not set anything and do not take any photos until I direct you to do so!!

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

If you miss class today, I will give you this paper when you return and you will need to complete the assignment before you can go take Prompt Shoot #2 (manual).

Mural Project Preview. Assigned 10/5, due 10/7 - Minor

 Mural Project Preview

It is time for our first group project of the year. For this project you will team up with a group of four people to create a photo mural. In the past we have created physical versions of this mural, but this year, you will create a digital version. We will use Canva to do this. While you will work with a team of people to come up with a theme and to generate images for the project, you will create your OWN mural. To do this you will need to meet with your team to come up with a theme, and to decide who will take what photos.

For years artists have used wheat paste to basically graffiti open spaces in urban settings. While the unauthorized use of wheat paste is illegal, many cities around the country have started designating places where artists can safely and legally produce wheat paste-based art. They appear in places like NYC, Seattle, Minneapolis and other places. Austin used to have its own version at Castle Hill downtown (perhaps some of you went there in the past). Here is a link to some images taken there:

Hope Outdoor Gallery

To prepare for this assignment I think we should look at wheat paste art, specifically with photography. To be clear, I am not endorsing doing this in a destructive way. It is just another way to take a digital idea and convert it into an analog product.

Please make a new Google Site subpage called Mural Project preview, and as you work your way down this assignment, answer the following questions:

Let's start here - make sure to look at the gallery at the top (there are 6 images): 

Watersville

1. Why did Watersville decide to commission this project?

2. What was 1 interesting thing you learned about wheat paste products?

3. Pick one quote from the story that you think really defined the project to the community or the artists. Share it with me.

Now go look at what is happening in Denver, CO, again make sure to click through the gallery at the top  AND READ THE CAPTIONS BELOW THE PHOTOS (there are 13 images in this slideshow):

Wheatpasting Denver

4. Why is Denver embracing this type of art?

5. What are three things on Mark Sink's "wishlist" (There is a photo gallery at the top of the page, you will need to click view slideshow and look through the captions to find this answer)?

Check out one of the Denver artist's here: Mark Sink - Denver

6. Screen shot 3 images from The Big Picture installation that you like and share them with me on your Google Site.

Here is another cool project that was done in Atlanta: Atlanta

7. What was the goal of the artists who created the Neighbors Connected?

8. Who did they take photos of?

Now it's your turn:

11. Think of at least three ideas you have about what your team could take photos of, that are in the same theme? Be creative, but be realistic. You will be shooting ON campus, and every member of your team will need to be able to take similar photos or whatever you decide to do as a group. Use some of the examples you found above to drive your concepts. I am very, very open to strange ideas and new things. Share them with me.

Our next assignments will be to get into groups and start planning this project. I will be assigning the groups. Your group will meet to talk about theme and plan the project. You will have to decide the format that you want this to take. How can we show off 30+ images in a digital fashion that still holds true to this project intentions?

Africa and Abandoned Theme Parks. Assigned 10/2, due 10/5 - Minor

  Africa

Visit the following website. IF THIS WEBSITE DOESN't WORK PLEASE DO A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR NICK BRANDT AND SEE HOW MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT HIM YOU CAN ANSWER!

http://www.photographyoffice.com/blog/2014/5/on-this-earth-a-shadow-falls-across-the-ravaged-land-by-nick-brandt-photography

1. On your Google Site make a new subpage called Africa and 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. 

Now go to the following website:

https://create.adobe.com/2018/6/8/opening_eyes_nick_br.html

Answer the following questions:

9. What is Brandt's newest focus with his photography?

10. What was the process he did to create these new images?

11. What effect do you think his work might have?

12. How did these new images make you feel? Describe the emotions you felt as you scrolled through them.

Abandoned Theme Parks

Open a browser and go to Google and do a Google image search for the following locations:

Prypiat Amusement Park, Pyrpiat, Ukraine

Holy Land, Waterbury, Connecticut, USA

Gulliver’s Kingdom, Japan

Six Flags, New Orleans, USA

Land Of Oz, Beech Mountain, North Carolina, USA

Spreepark, Berlin, Germany

Kpo Land, Okpo City, Geoje Island South Korea

Dunaújváros Vidám Park, Dunaújváros, Hungary

Joyland, Wichita, Kansas, USA

Akakanonuma Greenland, Hobara, Japan

and

http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-21-creepiest-abandoned-amusement-parks-20140225-htmlstory.html

Make a new page on your Google Site called Abandoned Theme Parks and please complete the following:

1. Tell me which amusement park that you learned about today 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. For example: A cemetery

4. Use google or another search engine to research ONE of the five places you came up with 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. For example: do a Google Image search for cemetery photos and see if anyone has specialized in cemetery photography. I found this guy 

Cemetery Photographer

Here is a photo of his I liked:

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.

Sim Cam. Assigned 9/30, due 9/30 - Minor (in-class only, absences with be excused)

 Please go to this website and wait for instructions.

https://camerasim.com

Please do not set anything and do not take any photos until I direct you to do so!!

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

If you miss class today, I will give you this paper when you return and you will need to complete the assignment before you can go take Prompt Shoot #2 (manual).