Photography as Art

Photography as art is an introduction to the digital camera as an art-making tool designed for students at the beginning level. The course will use digital photography to help students learn and apply the basic elements of art and the principles of design. This course will also provide students with opportunities to extend their knowledge and skills in the field of photography and the use of Adobe Photoshop. Digital Photography will familiarize the student with digital photographic equipment, materials, methods, and processes. Visual problem-solving skills are explored through the use of the computer as the main tool for creative expression and communication. Cellphone photography and editing with a variety of phone applications will be infused into the curriculum.

Living life as an artist is a practice.
You are either engaging in the practice or you’re not.
It makes no sense to say you’re not good at it.
It's like saying, I m not good at being a monk.
You are either living as a monk or you’re not.
We tend to think of the artist’s work as the output.
The real work of the artist is a way of being in the world.

Apr 3

Find Art Wherever You Go

How do you know when you see something that is art? What elements make it so? What does it do to you, the viewer?
Look around the space you are in right now. Is there anything that strikes you as art? Perhaps itʼs the way your jacket is draped over a chair, how light is coming in through a window, the interesting pattens created by a shadow on your desk or the shape someoneʼs face makes when they smile or frown. What about this thing makes it seem artistic to you?

Photograph candid moments and images that look like art to you.

Where can you find art in the world around you? You might take your camera out for a day and start shooting anything that strikes you as art. Or you might shoot with a particular vision in mind. Challenge yourself to capture candid moments, rather than trying to stage images.

You are to make at least five images that represent Art All Around Us, and upload them to a page called Art All Around Us by Friday.

Apr 1

Capture the Sounds of a Place

Photography might seem like it’s all about sight, but it can evoke other senses, too. How can you show what the place you live sounds like?

Study the photographs above closely. What might you hear if you were in the scene? Which elements of the image help convey those sounds? What senses or emotions do the photographs evoke in you? What story do they tell?

For this assignment, you might travel around your city or town and photograph the sounds you find. Or you might focus on a more contained space, such as your school, the skate park, your neighborhood or any other place where you spend time. You might try to capture many disparate sounds — quiet ones, loud ones, harsh ones, pleasant ones.

You are to make three to five images that represent Capture The Sounds, and upload them to a page called Capture The Sounds by Thursday.

Mar 31

Look up

Most of us spend our days looking down: at our phones, computers, homework, meals. What would you see if you looked up instead? For this assignment, I invite you to photograph what you see when you turn your gaze to the sky.

Spend some time studying the images, shapes, patterns, colors, lines, light, shadows, angles or movements above you. What catches your attention? What have you never noticed before? How is this angle different from looking at something straight on, straight down or from the side? Is there anything you see that strikes you as artistic, that might make for an interesting photograph? How often do you look up? What does this quick exercise tell you about what might happen when you do?

You might approach this assignment in two ways: 1) You can carry your camera around with you for a day or several days and photograph anything interesting you see when you look up. 2) Or you might start with a specific place and idea in mind that you want to photograph.

You are to make at least five images that represent Look Up, and upload them to a page called Look Up by Wednesday.

Mar 26

Levitation

Make a levitation photo!
How it's done...

A photo is first taken of a plain background. Then, without moving the camera, you will take a second picture with your model in it. Your model will sit/lay/stand on a prop like a stool, ladder or chair. Then, in Photoshop, we will create 2 layers from the photographs and use layer masks to mask out or hide the stool from the photo of the model.




Use Manual, Av or Tv exposure modes.
Set your drive mode to your 2 second or 10 second timer.
Use a tripod!
Do not move camera in between shots.
Make sure whatever you/your model stands on can be REMOVED so it is not in the background shot.


If standing on a stool/ladder, try to point your toes down to make it look like you are floating. Flat feet will be a give away that you are standing on something.
If you are laying down on a chair/stool, have your shirt/clothing drape loosely over the edge, not bunched up under your body, again to hide the fact that you are actually laying on something.
Make your shot INTERESTING and CREATIVE. Think about your composition, your background, your lighting, your depth of field, etc.

1. open background photo


2. place model photo


3. align layers


4. quick select your model


5. refine your edge


6. add layer mask


7. adjust mask (if you have mistakes)
Paint with BLACK PAINT to hide part of your top layer.
Paint with WHITE PAINT to reveal part of your top layer.
If you need to BLEND OUT AN EDGE, use 50% Opacity and a SOFT EDGE brush.


8. Make any additional edits you like!


Create 1 levitation image and save it to a page called Levitation. This is due Friday.

Mar 24

HDR

High Dynamic Range, or HDR, is a digital photography technique whereby multiple exposures of the same scene are layered and merged using image editing software to create a more realistic image, or a dramatic effect. The combined exposures can display a wider range of tonal values than what the digital camera is capable of recording in a single image.
In the image below, you can see how 3 exposures where taken of the same scene (one underexposure, one normal exposure, and one overexposure) and then merged into one image. The final HDR image takes the best or most detailed part from each picture so that the final image has the greatest range of value and the most detail possible.



How to Do it...
Step 1: Set up your camera



step 2: Putting it together in Photoshop

Open up Adobe Photoshop File > Automate > Merge to HDR Pro...

Find your first 3 photographs. Click "Browse"
Find your 3 photographs in "Pictures" Highlight all 3 images and click ok.
Save your photo as a .png

Create 3 HDR images and save them to a page called HDR. This is due Wednesday.

Mar 17

WHATS IN YOUR HEAD

Take a self portrait or a portrait of a friend or family member and digitally open up their head to reveal what they are thinking about.

Make one great image and put it on a page called What's In Your Head. This is due Wednesday.

Mar 12

Me & Myself

Find an old photo of yourself, then take a new photo of yourself and put them together.

Put all three on a page called Me & Myself. This is due Friday.

Mar 10

Funny Photoshop Collages

If you learn how to make a collage in Photoshop or any other program it will allow you to create interesting photography projects even if you are stuck at home, or are limited in your resources and props.

Tripods are necessary to make shooting easier.

Start by making several photographs of a person in different places in the same scene.



Download the images to your computer, then open Photoshop and choose File→Scripts→Load Files Into Stack.

You'll see only one image. It is the top layer. Using the object selection tool, click on the person.



Click on the mask icon at the bottom of the layers pallette. Move down to the next layer and repeat the process with the next image. Do all but the bottom layer.



You only need to make 1 image, but make it great! Post it on a page called Funny Collage. This is due Wednesday.

Mar 5

Today you are going to combine two images using a layer mask. Below are the two parts, make a page called Masking by the end of the period on Friday.

Feb 28

Color

Everyone has the ability to create and interpret images. You do not need to be practiced in the skills of photography in order to visually share your point of view.
In this lesson, you will create four photographs that implement specific color components to enhance the aesthetic elements of an image. You will also digitally enhance photographs of your choosing and think about how to select a series of your best/favorite work.

Complementary Colors	Cool Colors	Hard Light	Warm Colors	Soft Light	Atmospheric Perspective
Located opposite of one another on the color wheel, these colors create the strongest contrast, for example, red and green, yellow and purple, and orange and blue.	Greens, blues, and violets. Cool colors are more subdued and gentle, and are more likely to be soothing or calm. Though these colors are quieter, this doesn’t make them less powerful. Often when used with warm colors, cool colors can provide an interesting balance in a photograph.	A type of bright light in photography that casts harsh, sharply defined shadows, and typically draws the viewer's attention to a specific area.	Reds, oranges, and yellows. Warm colors tend to be more active and emotionally charged. These colors tend to jump out at the viewer, attracting attention, and drawing the viewer’s eye.	A type of light in photography that creates minimal hard shadows. Soft lighting typically has more of a fuzzy gradience, with no defined lines, and much smoother transitions than light variations from hard light.	A method of creating the illusion of depth in a painting, drawing, or photograph. This effect influences how we see objects as they disappear into the distance often by controlling color to simulate changes affected by the atmosphere. For example, objects closer to the viewer's eyes often appear brighter, but objects further away are lighter or dimmer in color.

Apply your knowledge of color and create four photographs that implement thoughtful color and lighting components. It is important to remember that photography is all about the process.

You’ll create:

A photograph that uses warm colors
A photograph that uses cool colors
A photograph that uses complementary colors
A photograph that is black and white
Watch: Look at a few videos that experiment with color in different ways. Colored Light, Traditional Portrait and Environmental Portrait.

Put 4 images on your site on a page called Color by Wednesday.

This is interesting...

Feb 26

Composition

There are many ways to make a photograph interesting. Photographers use various techniques to draw your attention to certain aspects of an image. One of those techniques is called the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds describes a basic compositional structure of a photograph. You can take any image and split it into 9 sections by using 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines.
The rule of thirds helps you consider the composition of a photograph and is used by photographers at any level to assist in creating an interesting composition for their image.
Using the rule of thirds also helps create a point of interest in your image. This is typically where the two lines intersect (one horizontal and one vertical). The point where the lines intersect is often referred to as the “point of interest.”

Examine Artworks: Look at one of the two student photographs shown here. Pause for 30 seconds to simply observe the image. What do you notice about the photograph?

What do you notice first about this image?

What stands out to you the most about the way the artist composed this photograph?

How is the photo framed?

What is going on in the foreground and background?

Describe the visual cohesion in the photograph. What patterns do you notice?

Apply your knowledge of the rule of thirds and elements of art to create four photographs with intentional compositional elements. It is important to remember that photography is all about the process. Today you’ll begin experimenting with four photography examples.

You’ll make:

One portrait photograph (either a portrait of someone else or a self-portrait)

One landscape photograph

One still life photograph

One photography that documents things happening on the street, often called “candid” photography


Put 4 images on your site on a page called Composition by Friday.

Feb 21

Photomerge

You are going to create some panoramas using photomerge in Photoshop. Take a series of photos, at least 4 but 5 is better. Make sure that they overlap a little, maybe 25%. Open them in Photoshop using File → Automate → Photomerge.

Save the image as a photoshop file (psd). Make sure you give it a logical name. Then flatten it and save it as a png.

Make 5 of these and put them on a page called Panoramas by Wednesday.,

Feb 18

I want to introduce you to Google Sites. Every week you'll post your assignment photos on a site that you will build and maintain. You need to publish the site every time you make a change to it. Today you will publish your site and send me the url of the home page.

All About The Details

Create a collection of shots (5) with unique subjects that focus on the details. Whether the photos are for an engagement, graduation or everyday occasion, you can take portraits of smaller details, like wisps of hair, relaxed hands and prominent features. Making your subjects feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera is the first priority. Plan a single shoot for various angles to help capture what looks best on a given day or moment.
Put 5 images on your site on a page called Details by Thursday.

Feb 10

Today we consider shadows. Light is the basis of all photography, but darkness is often overlooked. I want you to play with shadow. Shadows can add contrast and depth to a photograph, heightening the drama and feeling. Try capturing a shadow with crisp edges, then a blurry one. How does the emotion change in your composition? Shoot six examples and upload them to a page called Shadows by tomorrow.

Your Shadows assignment is due Wednesday. You need six examples and upload them to a page called Shadows.

Feb 6

Today you will use your camera. Choose a color. Make six images featuring that color as the dominant element. Find as many different ways as possible. Upload the images to a page called Color. This is due by tomorrow.

Photographing Color

Feb 3

MAGAZINE COVER

Look online and find 3 magazine covers you like and post to your blog with a sentence or two explaining why you like them. Then, create a magazine cover using your own photographic image. Include a cover title and a list of articles, which would be within the magazine. Make your cover 9×12 @ 300 resolution.

Post your images on your site on a page called Magazine Cover by Thursday.

Jan 29

POETRY AND PHOTOGRAPHY

Take a new photograph for this assignment, and edit it to perfection. Make a new document 11×14 or 14×11 @ 200 resolution. Move your photo into your new document and size to fit. Add a quote, poetry, song lyrics or your own words to your edited image. Format the text with the perfect font, color, and stroke or other layer style. Post to your site.

Post your image with the poem that inspired it on your site on a page called Poetry by Friday.

Jan 27

BLACK & WHITE & SHADES OF GRAY

Photograph for these elements of composition: leading line, texture, abstraction, repeated patterns, rule of thirds and contrast. Photograph your images and convert them to black and white. Edit in PS or LR and post your top 3-5 images on your site.

Post your top 3-5 images on your site on a page called Shades of Gray by Wednesday.

Jan 21

DIGITAL COLLAGE BASED ON A THEME

Create a digital collage based on a theme. What are some good themes you can explore for your collage? In Photoshop, Start with a photo of you, then make your document 12×9 or 9×12 inches with 200 resolution, and include images from the Internet, or images you took with a DSLR or cell phone, to visually convey your theme and your feelings regarding it. Under your collage when you post it, write a short reflection on how you visually conveyed the message you are intending to communicate to the viewer.

Post at least 5 images on a page called Digital Collage by Friday.

Jan 15

Today we're going to explore the pen tool. I want you to replicate the patterns on the samples below. Create 3 new documents, name them pentool1, pentool2, & pentool3. Save them as png files. Put them on a page called Pen Tool.

Post at 3 images on on a page called Pen Tool by Friday.

Jan 14

Today we will make some test images and begin to learn how to edit them. Then we will upload them to your site and publish. Lastly. I want you to email me the url of your home page.

Right click on each image and choose Save Image as. Navigate to your Pictures folder and click save. Open each image in Photoshop. We will manipulate them a little. Save them as .png files and go to your site. Go to the Pages tab and click the "+" at the bottom of the panel. Name your page first Images and click save. Go to the Insert page and choose Images. Select upload and navigate to your saved photos. When all the photos are on the page, click Publish.

Jan 13

I want to introduce you to Google Sites. Every week you'll post your assignment photos on a site that you will build and maintain. You need to publish the site every time you make a change to it. Today you will publish your site and send me the url of the home page.

Next, we will go over the operation of our cameras. Most of your assignments must be shot with a camera. Sometimes we'll use your phone, but rarely. You check them out on the camera sign-out sheet.

Photography terms you should know

Click here for the course syllabus. Save it in your Documents folder.
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