Q4
Create a new folder in your Google Drive and name it Q4 Your Name. We'll use this for each project for the rest of the year.
Create a folder inside that and name it this week's project: Pursuit of Beauty.
Create a folder inside that and name it this week's project: Pursuit of Beauty.
The Pursuit of Beauty
Merriam-Webster defines beauty as, "the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit". I think it's interesting that the most common definition of art also incorporates the idea of beauty, and since art is an expression of our humanity, it makes sense to take pleasure in showing beautiful things.
But what IS beauty? Ask yourself...
For this assignment, I want you to explore this concept of beauty as it reflects your values. In other words, your response will tell me a lot about you and how you view the world.
Each day that you photograph, choose one of the following different subjects to photograph. Creat 5 photos each day and place them in your Project Folder.
Be mindful of how you photograph your subject- think about your composition and lighting.
But what IS beauty? Ask yourself...
- Is it something that can be commonly understood and appreciated?
- Can it be deeply personal?
- Are we socially conditioned to think some things are beautiful?
- Can we create our own definitions of beauty?
- Can something be beautiful to us one day and ugly the next? (Google, "Antiques Roadshow disappointments")
For this assignment, I want you to explore this concept of beauty as it reflects your values. In other words, your response will tell me a lot about you and how you view the world.
Each day that you photograph, choose one of the following different subjects to photograph. Creat 5 photos each day and place them in your Project Folder.
Be mindful of how you photograph your subject- think about your composition and lighting.
- A beautiful texture
- A beautiful object/collection of objects
- A beautiful person
- A beautiful plant
- A beautiful scene/landscape
- A beautiful candid moment
- A beautiful play of light and shadow
- A beautiful play of color
Portraiture and Light/Photoshop Editing
Part 1: For this assignment, I want you to take TEN portraits (shared in a Google Drive folder) where the light you use is carefully thought out and utilized to create a specific mood in your image. You will turn two images, each using a specific source of light as described below.
- Studio Lighting or Alternative Light Source- Take a photograph using traditional studio lighting and light modifiers. Explore less traditional light sources- computer/television light, flashlights, led lights, cell phone light, etc.
- Natural Light Portrait- Take a photograph of your subject using only non-electric sources of light. You may also use a reflector to fill light where needed.
Masters of Black &White
Look carefully at each photographers' body of work and choose one whose work appeals to you the most to emulate. A good emulation is not a direct copy, but rather an inspired attribution to the original photographer that also carries your own personal aesthetic and subject matter values.
Part 1: Create a Google Slide containing examples of your chosen photographer and add information about your photographer and their style. Answer the following questions- What did they predominately photograph? What kind of compositional techniques did they use?
Part 2: Create 5 photographs in the style of your chosen photographer.
Part 1: Create a Google Slide containing examples of your chosen photographer and add information about your photographer and their style. Answer the following questions- What did they predominately photograph? What kind of compositional techniques did they use?
Part 2: Create 5 photographs in the style of your chosen photographer.
- A landscape in the style of Ansel Adams
- A portrait in the style of Richard Avedon
- A portrait of contemporary America in the style of Robert Frank's photo essay book The Americans
- A gritty but sympathetic portrait in the style of Mary Ellen Mark
- Street photography (campus photography?) in the style of Vivian Maier
- Spooky but playful images of your family/friends in masks in the style of Ralph Eugene Meatyard
- A series of family portraits around the dining table (or sofa, front porch, or wherever your family gathers) in the style of Carrie Mae Weems' The Kitchen Table series.
- A still life in the style of Edward Weston
- Landscapes and others of Chris Clor
- Early 20th Century Modernist Paul Strand
Windows and Doors
They function well compositionally to frame something important to bring attention to it, but they also function symbolically. Doors and windows open or shut, welcoming or excluding, hiding or revealing. For this assignment, I want you to shoot TWO photographs; one that features a door and one that features a window. Don't just relegate the window or door to the background- it must have a strong function in the image as either a compositional device or a conceptual symbol.
For inspiration: 12 years of a window (get your tissues ready)
You'll turn in TWO photos 1 a door and 1 a window - each day of the week - properly processing the exposure and contrast.
Make a Google Drive Folder for this -
For inspiration: 12 years of a window (get your tissues ready)
You'll turn in TWO photos 1 a door and 1 a window - each day of the week - properly processing the exposure and contrast.
Make a Google Drive Folder for this -