Class+Required+Photo+Assignments

__Photo Assignments__
Create a Word document with the self-critique, and the peer critique to submit to your instructor via CourseDen (include the peer’s name). Submit your image file and the Word document in CourseDen.

__** Rule of Thirds Assignment **__ Take a photograph that adheres to the rule of thirds which is an approach to the placement of a photographic subject based upon the division of the picture into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. Tags: football, game view, sidelines

I believe that this photograph fits the rule of thirds category. The gentlemen pictured fall closely on the left and right vertical lines. The symbols at the top of the chains fill the top portion of the picture and are close to where the lines intersect. The eye is drawn to the number one and the ball marker. I liked the way that you could tell that this was related to football without focusing on the actual football. In the distance you can see a blurred image of the football, the players legs, and the face of the coach. Before taking this class I had never heard of the rule of thirds. This is one of the first photographs I took using the rule of thirds grid on my camera. I really had never thought much about taking pictures except for noticing what was in the background. Now I find that I am constantly assessing the areas around me and how they would or would not fit the rule of thirds. I am glad that I understand this concept now, and I am excited to continue to take photographs using this concept.

__** Transforming Objects ** __ Make an image that uses extreme point-of-view (worm’s/bird’s eye) or extreme close-up, create an image that has challenging pictorial space and changes our perception of an ordinary object. Tags: close-up, draining, transforming object

When I first looked at this assignment, my mind began to think of all the items I could photograph up close or from a bird's eye view. Since I am terrified of heights, I chose to stay on the ground. I played with several shots of close up items and finally came up with this one. Although the title says "draining you," this is not an actual drain. This is the center of our patio table where you would insert the umbrella. The glass top is out of focus since I was so close to the table. I really like this photo and I am sure that I can use it in my classroom. I can add this and other photos to my truisms activity. I continue to experiment with taking close up and somewhat bird's eye view of people, places, and things. Through this class I have been a motivation for my dad to take up photography again. I am glad that we can talk about these photos and he helps me understand some of the photography jargon. Taking close up pictures is something that I will definitely try again.

__** Select an Assignment from the choices below **__
Make a digital print that can be used as part of your classroom instruction. Select one of the options listed below. Next, type a minimum of one paragraph describing how you intend to use the photograph (e.g., to introduce a concept, to review materials, to stimulate discussion on a concept), the group of students who will use it (e.g., 2nd grade, 12th grade), and the subject area (e.g., Math, English). Tags: scenic, old building, overgrown, abandoned

This is a photo of an old, abandoned building close to my school. I have passed this building so many times in the last five years, so I decided to photograph it. Obviously, this is a building that has been in Coweta County for many years and probably belongs to a prominent local family. I decided to use this scenic picture so that I could use it when I discuss writing techniques with my 8th grade language arts classes at the beginning of the second nine weeks. I teach the students to view a photo and to write a truism for that photo. Every student usually has a very unique perspective on the photos, and they all usually have a very different truism for each picture. I would give them my example as well. My truism is "Don't dwell on the past." From the truism, I have them think about a time in their life that correlates to their truism, and this becomes the beginning of a writing piece. I use this technique to prove that everyone has something to write about. __Portrait Assignment__ ** Make a portrait of yourself or another person that attempts to describe //aspects of the interior person as well as the exterior.// Emphasis should be placed on creative interpretation (e.g., what is actually depicted of the person to indicate //self//.) Tags: portrait, firefighter, fire chief

I have often photographed my son in his firefighter gear; however, for this photo I got closer to him and I did not use a flash. The flash usually highlights the reflective yellow on the fire helmet. I think that this captures Creighton's personality. He was just explaining how he had been on shift and had one call that he had to run. He made sure he had his flashlight close to him in case he couldn't see in the fire. My son takes his firefighting seriously, so he told me he wasn't going to smile for this shot. I love this shot. I took a few shots of my son with his gear on and I used flash for a few and a few without a flash. I know that I could have gotten closer to his face, but I wanted to really capture how he uses everyday things for his gear. He has a winter toboggan on his head under his helmet that serves as his protective gear for his mask. His old backpack serves as his air tank, and his store bought flashlight is just like Daddy's. I enjoyed taking the portrait shots at a closer angle, and I also used the portrait setting on my camera. I will continue to experiment with the lighting for shots like this one; I might take this same shot in the daytime to see the difference. __Ambiguous Space Assignment__ ** Using the qualities of reflective materials, extreme cropping, and/or frames within frames, make an image that has a confusing or ambiguous space. Tags: cropping, hand, ambiguous

For this assignment, I debated on a few shots that I had taken. I finally decided to do an extreme cropping of this photo. I feel like this photo meets the requirements of this assignment since one of the options we could choose from was doing an extreme cropping of something to make it ambiguous. I could probably go back and crop this photo more or change its position, but I liked the way this photo appears. I thought about changing this to black and white and then decided against that photo. Have you figured out what this object is? For me, I am usually the person who rarely crops and "cuts away" part of the picture. Even when I was scrapbooking a few years ago, I would hardly ever crop a photo very much. Now that I have experimented with cropping for this class, I know that I can make some every day items appear ambiguous and that can be a creative writing prompt for my students. I am not afraid to crop away the pictures now; I know that the original is also saved on my computer. I can always go back and view the original and also show the original to my students once they have done the writing or guessing. I enjoyed this ambiguous assignment. This is an extreme cropping of my Dad's right thumb nail. :O) **

__Double-Exposure Assignment__ ** For the Double Exposure use the capabilities of Photoshop to combine at least two images to create a double-exposure affect. If you do not have access to PhotoShop CS3 or software that can do a double exposure select an assignment from the Kodak site listed above that is meaningful to you at work. If you do not have software that allows you to put together double exposures you can complete an assignment from the Kodak site listed above. Tags: double exposure, red sunrise, moonlight

I really like the effect this double exposure gives this photo. I think this definitely meets the requirements of a double exposure photo. Now that I have accomplished this feat with Photoshop, I am eager to experiment even more with double exposures. I really like how the moon is close to the line of the trees and seems to be giving off the effect of the orange sunrise. I love the sunrise and the beginning of a brand new day, and I thought that the addition of the moon would be a cool effect to include in this photo. The pictures for this assignment just happened to take place for me. I didn't plan on taking a sunrise picture and a moonlight picture for this assignment. Once I reviewed the photos I had taken over the past few days, I was excited to see that I could create the double exposure for this assignment. The value of this assignment is two-fold. I was able to experiment with my Photoshop Elements 7 software (not an easy task I might add). I purchased a book that has written directions and pictures of how to accomplish photo layering. I also experimented more with the healing brush tool. Both of these processes will allow me to create even better pictures to use with my students as well as with my family and friends. __** Light & Shadow Assignment ** __ Make an image that emphasizes the affect of light on the subject. This can be done by actually considering shadows and light as the subject rather than the thing that makes the shadow. Tags: Bretta, dog, shadows, deck

I struggled with choosing the photo for this assignment. I wasn't really sure if I was supposed to photograph the shadows or the light that created the shadows. I feel like this photo fits the assignment. This is my aunt's dog, Bretta. She likes to sit on the deck with my dad. Bretta was being really still and calm, which is unusual for her; she is a watch dog and is usually barking at anything that moves. I really lilke how the angle of the sun created the shadows on the deck and on Bretta. It signifies that the end of the day is on its way. I have to say, I really did not plan for this shot. I knew that we would eventually have to have a shot with light and/or shadow, so I decided to just start photographing things with shadows and interesting lighting. I made sure to get on Bretta's level to make this shot happen. If taken from above, I don't think it would have the same feeling as this angle. Next time I can try to take this shot from a different angle or from the front to capture her expression as she sits peacefully on the deck waiting for the end of the day. __Flash, //OR// Night time Photograph, //OR// Photograph with a Reflection__ ** Make an image that emphasizes one of the above. The first option requires students using a flash with their photograph. The second option involves taking a photograph at night while the third option involves taking a photograph with some type of a reflection such as reflections shown of objects in a lake. Tags: spider web, spider, flash, Halloween

I had a few shots to choose from for this assignment. I finally decided on this shot since it uses a flash. I think this fits the requirements for this assignment because I used the flash on my camera to highlight the spider and its web. The web looks out of focus, even though I tried capturing this shot from a couple of different angles. I had to get pretty close to the web for it to show up in the photo. I tried taking this photo without the flash, but you couldn't really see the web, only the spider. I really like how the flash gives the spider and web a creepy feeling, a sign of the season. I also experimented with the levels in Photoshop. I wanted to be able to see the background through the web, so I adjusted the picture. Since I only had a flash built in to my camera, I could not adjust the flash in that manner. I would like to try a flash attachment with another person's high tech camera to see how the angle of the flash makes a difference. __** Scenic ** **Assignment** __ Make an image that is scenic in nature. Tags: harvest spider, fall, macro, scenic

For this shot, I must have taken at least twenty different photos in order to get this beautiful spider in focus. I used the macro setting to capture this shot. I had to get pretty close to the spider without bothering it. Some shots were in focus and others were not. Finally my hard work and patience paid off because I was able to capture this shot. This harvest spider was in my parents' yard about a month ago; it is no longer there. Capturing this shot was one of the first times I used the macro setting on my camera. I really had to play with my perspective and angle of the photograph. I tried using the zoom, but those shots were horrid. I tried shooting from behind the spider, but those shots only turned out underexposed. Once I turned on the macro setting I knew I was on to something. Experimenting with the other twenty photos really paid off. I love how the spider is the first thing you see in this shot and I enjoyed testing the different angles in order to capture this great shot. __** Atmospheric Space ** __ Make an image that emphasizes the space or air in a photograph rather than objects. This can be done using inclement weather, smoke, depth-of-field, unusual lighting conditions, etc. Tags: clouds, sunset, breakthrough, atmospheric space

I had taken a few pictures of the recent fog for this shot; however, after I photographed this break in the clouds this evening, 10/24/09, I was sure this was the best representation of atmospheric space. After a cold, windy October day, the sun made its entrance known by breaking through the fast moving clouds. I wasn't sure the sun was actually out at first; then I raced to grab my camera for this shot. I feel as though this shot totally captures an atmospheric space. I love how the gray clouds are still swirling at the top and bottom of this shot. I took a few shots of this scene from the driveway at my parents' home. I didn't really like them. I then walked onto the deck to capture this shot. My dad hollered, "Yeah! That's the one!" :O) Although I had to use the zoom for this shot, I feel as though it captures the essence of atmospheric space. I kept my elbows in at my sides and held the shutter down to lock the shot before completely taking the picture. I think this helped me capture such a clear shot of this breakthrough. I now can feel better about taking shots that require the zoom.