The Holidays are here!!

What is the best way to tell your friends and family to have a Merry Christmas? Well Hallmark says the best way is to send them a greeting card of course. :-)

Your next assignment Due Dec 17 is to create a Christmas greeting card.

I am not going to put many parameters on this. Your one requirement will be that it has at least 1 photo taken by you. You can use photos from the past, but you MUST have one photo that is taken for the card between today and Dec 17.

Try to think a little outside your box for your photos. Group objects together that tell a story. Take a photo from a unique angle. Take an extreme closeup and make everyone guess what the object is. Turn your card into a game. If you want to discuss ideas with me please feel free to email me or talk to me during class. I've placed some images in this blog to get your minds working.

 This is a close up of the star tinsel photographed on a red fabric. Unique but simple

 Or a pile of ornaments photographed close. You have to be careful when photographing ornaments that you don't get a reflection from your flash. Try this outside in the shade. 

 Nothing says Christmas like a heap of tangled lights!

 What a pretty way to make a statement about the reason for the season. Simple ornaments and a cross.

 You don't always have to include faces. Here The socks, tree and gifts say xmas, and you can tell the legs are children's legs. Can't you feel their excitement without even seeing their faces??

I will be bringing in Xmas props on December 9. We will spend the class taking photos. You are more than welcome to use this for your card. You can also bring in your own props from home. If your idea involves a photo of your family or a photo that needs to be taken at home please feel free to do so. We will work on the cards in class next week. No need to get prints made.

You will share your card with the class on Dec 17 at our little photography Christmas party.

Creative Photography - Emotion

When you think about Fall/Autumn...
1. Brainstorming - Write down anything that comes to mind when you think about Fall. (do you love the season? dislike the season? Why?) Think of favorite moments or memories. What story do you
want to tell? Are there scents, colors, tastes or sounds that remind you of this season? Is it about sports to you or something fun you do with your family every year. What types of photos will help you tell your story. Detailed photos, scenic photos, people.

2. Writing your story - Now that you have brainstormed all about fall. Choose a direction. Look at your list. What peaks your interest. What items on your list do you think can be developed into a story that can be supported by photographs.

Story requirements.
• Must be at least three paragraphs long. (can be longer if you’d like)
• Each paragraph must contain 2 details sparked from your senses.

Here is an example of a paragraph packed with details:
“The nights become long. Dark takes over and wood crackles in the fireplace. The mornings are fresh and crisp. The first frost covers the ground with white, almost as if it had snowed. Our green world is filled with extraordinary color as the leaves burst with orange, yellow and red. Jack-o’-lanterns smile from the porches, kids play in the streets after long days at school, and the drum of encouraging voices fill the air early on Saturday mornings at the soccer fields.  “

 3. Photographs - At home take photographs to support your story.
You will need to take at least 4 current photos to support your story. What tells your story. Is it people, is it a scene, is it a detail. Try to explore all types of photos. Remember photographs tell a story that words can't tell. Make me touch, taste, hear, or smell your story through your photos.

*Bring in your photos on cd or dvd disk by November 18th. I will have prints made of
  your photos. If you prefer to take photos over Thanksgiving break you are welcome to bring in prints
  on the first day back at school, November 28th.

3. Layout - Create a story board. This is a layout with photos and words that will consolidate your story. You can bring in other elements to help create your artwork including old photos that were taken by you or by others. You may draw, use stickers, ribbon, etc. Use anything that helps tell your story.

What's the plan, man?

Photography is an ART, and ART is an interpretation of what the artist sees, feels and documents. Observing light, angles, composition and style may come naturally to you, but usually it will require research to develop further inspiration and to give you new ideas.

As a photojournalist you will need to capture the action as it happens, but having an initial plan as to what shots are required shots and what photos will tell the story is important. In order to get ideas flowing and to develop that plan sometimes it is useful to have inspiration.

Assignment:

1. go to istockphoto.com
sign in as csmith@redhillschool.org
password: photography

2. In the search field type students and classroom

3. Find 2 of the following images:
a. Fun angles to take a photo in classroom
b. A unique approach to taking an entire class in progress photo
c. Close-ups of a student
d. Teacher working with student
e. Interesting perspectives

4. Find 5 images that inspire you and give you some ideas for your yearbook photos.

We will discuss the following images and the questions below for 5 participation points.

Introduction to Photoshop Elements

After you've captured the perfect photo, what comes next? Digital photography is wonderful because it allows you to realize your vision even after the photograph has been snapped. The digital light room, aka the computer, lets you be creative in so many different ways, but first you have to know your way around the program. This video will walk you through importing the photos you've taken into the program so that you have your photos at your fingertips to edit.

Video on importing images into photoshop elements


Class assignment:

Once we have reviewed the video in class.

1. Upload your photos (load only RHLS photos)

2. Save to a folder called "photography" on your hard drive space

3. Once loaded review the images on screen.

4. Pick your favorite - tag it with a favorites star.

5. In your sketch book -
    a. Write down. the reason you like the photo you chose
    b. Write down two questions about things you would like to learn this year to improve your photos.

Yearbook assignments

We had sign ups for yearbook this week.
Here are the areas you are responsible for:

Classrooms:
Kindergarten: Jake, Sarah, Andrew
1st Grade: Anna Kay, Kaila B, Geena, Dana, Kylie
2nd Grade: Connor (still need help here)
3rd Grade: Geena, Dana, Sarah, Kylie
4th Grade: Matthew, Eric
5th Grade: Dayton, Cameron, Nick A, Alexia
6th Grade: Mattew, Eric
7th Grade: Maria, Jake, Andrew
8th Grade: Angela, Juliet, Catie

Chapel: Connor
Staff: James, Kaila

Fall Sports: 
Boys Varsity Football: James
Boys JV Football: Catie
GirlsVarsity Basketball: Juliet
Girls JV Basketball: Anna Kay

Events: (everyone who attends should take their camera and capture as many photos as you can of friends as well as others)
Fiesta
Free Dress
Sportsathon
Crazy Hair Day
(more to be added)

Observations...

Welcome to our class blog! Here you can find out what we are working on, ask me questions and from time to time I'll ask you to post blogs of your own.

The first "lesson" I want to emphasize about photography is the art of observing and researching. Photography is all about what you see and then using the tools you have to realize your vision.

When you have a chance I want you to check out some photography websites and start to get a feel for the type of shots we want to take as photojournalists. Photojournalists take photos that tell a story.

Here are some links to check out: (Remember to look at the angles, the light, the composition, the distance from photographer to subject and what the photographer chose to capture.)

http://tarawhitney.com/

http://withinsightstudio.com/everydaylife.htm


http://www.jessicaclaire.net/gallery.cfm?galleryID=18

http://www.shannonnicolesmith.com/gallery.php?gallery=8 

And just a review of the site where you can search images and save to your lightbox for inspiration:
http://www.istockphoto.com/


login:
csmith@redhillschool.org
password: photography