Still Life Assignment

Simplicity, Still Life, & The History of Art                                       

"A still life (plural still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, or shells) or man-made (drinking glasses, books, vases, jewelry, coins, pipes, an so on...) With origins in the Middle Ages and Ancient Graeco-Roman Art, still life painting emerged as a destinct genre and professional specialization in Western Painting by the late 16th century, and has remained significant since then. Still life gives the artist more freedom in the arrangement of elements within a composition than do paintings of other types of subjects such as Landscape or Portrait." ~Wikipedia

1. "What is Still Life Photography?" Make a post on your blog titled, "Still Life  Photography" and write down a definition in your own words. Be sure to include an example image as well.
2. Post one image (digital or film) of your own making due on or before: June 11th.

• You must use a single light source (reflectors/bounces are allowed & encouraged).
• You can use a studio light or take advantage of natural light.
• Think: "Simplicity."
• If you choose to shoot film (this includes scanning your print on the flatbed scanner), you get a bonus mark (because it is more work). 

Complimentary Colors & Color Theory

...to elaborate on Ben's post (In Links & Cool Stuff to Check Out), the color wheel is a corner-stone of the elements & principals of art & design. Visual arts students study this extensively. Below is an example of the basic color wheel:

Do you remember studying it in elementary school? My favorite trick for remembering complimentary colors works like this:

Red / Green  (think "Christmas" colors)

Blue / Orange (think "Halloween" colors)

Yellow / Purple (think "Easter" colors)

~

Below is an example of an advanced color wheel,

which is the version most widely recognized by contemporary artists 

& educators:

Fun color facts:

1) Primary Colors (can't be made by mixing colors)
 Red / Yellow / Blue
2) Secondary Colors (are made by mixing two primary colors)  
Orange / Green / Purple
3) Tertiary Colors  (are made by mixing one primary color with one secondary color)
 Yellow-Orange / Yellow-Green / Blue-Green 
Blue-Purple  Red-Purple / Red-Orange

4) Complimentary Colors (are opposites on the color wheel)

5) Printing color photographs relies heavily on the color wheel 
(You will need to be very familiar with this by the time you get to Gr. 12!)

Assignment:

Print/draw a color wheel in your process journal. 
Label the following in your own writing. You will need it for our class field trip on Thursday! 

a) Primary colors
b) Secondary colors
c) Tertiary colors
d) Complimentary colors

"Mimic" Famous Portrait Photographers

Part 2 ~Mimic Assignment

(Re-create a Famous Photographer’s Image)

Richard Avedon mimic by Anna Phillipson

•  Recreate an image by a famous portrait photographer (pick anyone from our list below)
• This assignment is the accumulation of all you have learned so far this year: You will be marked on your lighting, composition, and degree of difficulty. You will also be marked on how closely you are able to "mimic" the original image and the authenticity of your model's body language. Do your best. Good luck!

Dianne Arbus

Richard Avedon 

Brassai (Guyla Halasz)

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Robert Frank 

Gertrude Kasebier

Yousuf Karsh  

Lisa Kristine 

Dorothea Lange

Annie Leibovitz

Jay Maisel

Mary-Ellen Mark

Steve McCurry

Irving Penn

Herb Ritts

Cindy Sherman   

Mario Testino

Jerry Uelsmann

Yousu Karsh mimic by Benoit Cecile

Part 2 ~Mimic Assignment Criteria:

Remember how much planning Annie Leibovitz did for her shoots? Make sure you run your "project proposal" by Ms. Echols. You must also post your "rough draft" before handing in your final image. 

1. "Proposal" due (on or before): Thursday May 21st 
2. "Location Scouting" images due (on or before): Friday, May 29th
3. Final Image due (on or before): Monday, June 8th 

(Mark these dates in your books! It is also recommended that you plan on having to re-shoot at least once. Murphy's Law is always, ALWAYS, in effect when it comes to photography. Count on it. (Even if your shots turn out, you will learn so much more the second time around.)

Irving Penn mimic by Trinity Evans

Famous Portrait Photographers

Portrait Photographers/ Assignment

If you want to take truly memorable and moving photographs, you can learn something by studying the pictures of famous photographers. Some of the world's most beloved artists are deceased, but some are still delighting us with their photographs. The list below includes some of the more famous photographers that still impact our lives today.

Dianne Arbus

Richard Avedon 

Brassai (Guyla Halasz)

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Robert Frank 

Gertrude Kasebier

Yousuf Karsh  

Lisa Kristine 

Dorothea Lange

Annie Leibovitz

Jay Maisel

Mary-Ellen Mark

Steve McCurry

Irving Penn

Herb Ritts

Nicole Sherman   

Mario Testino

Jerry Uelsmann

 Part 1 ~ Group Presentation

• In Groups of 1 or 2 Pick your own partner. 
• Due on your assigned date (determined during class

(Please note: if you are in a group, you must make the extra step of evaluating your partner ~ask Ms. Echols for a partner-marking rubric)

Part 1 Criteria:

This assignment will have you present to the class a famous portrait photographer. This will mean that you will give a 5-10 minute presentation. You will need to present it in PowerPoint (or on the class blog), and you will include the following pertinent information:

• Name & age of the photographer (or when they were alive)
• Place of birth & brief background
• Why they are famous
• Describe their style/approach
• 10-15 images with the year each was created
• List (& link) at least 3 different sources

Part 1 Marking Rubric           

Portraiture	Emerging - 1	Developing - 2	Achieving - 3	Exceeding - 4
IMAGE & INFORMATION  QUALITY	~almost no criteria met  ~no images  and/or slides shown  are of poor quality	~Too few criteria met ~Images, and/or info of poor quality	~Enough images & information to capture photographer’s style and vision	~Excellent quality       images and info ~Diverse array of work
ORAL PRESENTATION	~Presenter is difficult to understand. ~No audio or visual aids.	~A bit difficult to Understand. ~Rushed. ~No time for questions. ~Reads out material with head down.	~Audience engaged. ~Presenter is audible & involved with class	~Audience is     spellbound. ~Student brought   props, activities,   games,   fireworks….basically   anything to wow   the audience!
PREPAREDNESS	~Needs help getting presentation started. ~Problems with technology.	~Not a smooth start to presentation. ~Class attention wanders. ~Waiting for links to load, buffering, etc.	~Presentation is smooth. ~Video content is available offline. ~Student asked for help beforehand.	~Impeccable   performance. ~Transitions are   smooth. ~Student(s) have done   a dry run through    before presenting. ~Sets up early on the   day of.

/12

Power Poses & Body Language

This video is a great resource for different types of "poses" when photographing people.

Homework:

1. Label & summarize all 10  moves she mentioned in your process journal.
2. Give an example of each from the internet.
3. Give an example of each of your OWN photo example. (Don't forget about composition!!!!!)(***Hint....SIMPLICITY is your friend***)

10 ways to get what you want through body language

Documentary on Body Language

This is really interesting...it applies to everyday life, but is also very helpful for photographing people.

Analyze the body language of powerful people as.....

World leaders battle over handshakes
Brittany Spears falls apart
Paris Hilton gets arrested

Click on the link below & answer the following questions
(write down in note-form as many points as possible):

Body Language Documentary

1. How do people demonstrate power?
2. What do people do when they are lying/feeling defensive?
3. How do people demonstrate then they are "welcoming"?
4. How does one show they are being authentic?
5. What percentage of communication is non-verbal?
6. How can you use what you learned from watching this documentary and apply it to your life as it is right now?

Aperture & Focal Length

Check out this informative Video & take notes (click on the link below):

Choosing the Right Lens Focal Length

How Focal Length Affects Viewing Angle:

Different focal lengths produce different viewing angles, which in turn create different images. In addition, different focal lengths also produce varying levels of perspective and depth of field. As focal length changes, the amount of subject captured by the lens (viewing angle) also changes. 

Lenses are typically grouped into 5 categories (you should familiarize yourself with these):

1) Ultra-Wide Angle (a.k.a. Fish-eye) lenses range from 14mm to 20mm

2) Wide Angle lenses range from 24mm to 35mm

3) Standard lenses range from 45mm to 70mm 

    (these are similar in field of view to the human eye)

4) Telephoto lenses range from 80mm to 300mm 

    (allow you to "zoom in" close & compress the background)

5) Ultra-Telephoto lenses consist of any focal length greater than 300mm

For more detailed information...check out the link below:

Understanding Focal Length

Aperture Review

1) Click on the link below & watch this quick video on aperture:

Ted Forbes on Aperture

2) Make flashcards (ask teacher for the handouts ~ 2 people per set)

3) Study the image below and then practice photography flashcards with a buddy:

4) In groups of 3, spend 30 minutes outside (10 min each) and take turns taking photos of each other. You will need the following:

• 1 camera
• 1 tripod
• 2 models
• Aperture Review Handout
• 1 pen or pencil

**note: I am looking for 1 SHALLOW D.O.F. photo and 1 DEEP D.O.F. photo. Demonstrate that you understand the difference between the two and how to achieve the correct affect. 

***RULE OF THUMB: using a telephoto lens will help enhance a shallow d.o.f. by compressing the background. A wide angle lends itself well to having everything in focus. For more information, check the "Aperture & Focal Length" blog posting under "Ms. Echols Examples & Assignments."

Annie Leibovitz ~ Life Through A Lense

Click on the link below:

Annie Liebovitz ~ Life Through a Lens

1) Watch this video and make detailed notes of everything that sounds significant to you

(minimum 1 full page)

2) Please create a visual response based on what you have learned from watching this video. 

3) Answer the following questions:

How does she get the "best possible pictures"?

What makes her such a great portrait photographer?

What stands out about her? What makes her different? 

Why do you think Ms. Echols is showing you this video now? 

Quote of the Day

Take a moment and write this quote down in your process journal:

"Don't worry about having to be the best.

Just worry about DOING your best."

~Anonymous

Lincoln Clarkes

 Here is a link to a mini-documentary about an interesting Vancouver-based Photographer who is famous for photographing women on the downtown east side....

Lincoln Clarkes

Q: How did Lincoln approach is subjects/models? What was his philosophy?

A: Watch this video again in your own time and spend some time thinking about this question.  Answer it in your process journals along-side your visual response. 

Below are several examples of students' visual responses:
What will yours look like?

Thinking & The Creative Process (Bloom's Taxonomy)

Bloom's Taxonomy

Here's another version of the same thing....

Which one works best for you?

Assignment: Re-create Bloom's Taxonomy in your process journals. Make it make sense for you. Below are some student examples..

LFAS Student Profile

Passionate and talented Arts' students, who's passion is clearly demonstrated by their full participation in the curriculum. 

Translation: Teachers are less concerned with natural talent, and more concerned with work ethic. To have an effective creative education, students need to be "coach-able." Therefore, teachers at LFAS are looking/marking for the following qualities:

1) Resilience

• Students who are able listen to feedback, and implement said feedback into their own practice
• Students who take their own initiative to overcome challenges

2) Creative Thinking ("Novelty Factor"/ Generating Ideas / Developing Ideas)

• Students who use their creative ideas as a form of self-expression
• Students who are able to generate new ideas
• Students who are able to develop a body of creative work
• Students who are willing to take risks with their thinking

3) Collaboration & Participation (Relational Learning / Collaborative Relations)

• Students who are engaged listeners
• Students who clarify and extend questions (translation: students who strive to understand and then take it to the next level)
• Students who contribute to plans
• Students who solve conflicts or challenges
• Students who share and connect ideas to others
• Students who give and receive constructive feedback
• 
  

Spring Break Homework

Document the signs of Spring...using both shallow & deep depth of field. We will have a class slide-show of your favorite images when we get back. :)

Portraiture & Aperture Assignment

6 Portraits in Total due April 20th!!!

• a) Three of them showcasing a deep depth of field (where almost everything is in focus and paying special attention to the visual cues of your subject's surroundings

• b) Three of them showcasing a shallow depth of field (paying special attention to facial expression and cropping...see if you can capture their soul!) 

The easiest way to approach this is to pick 3 models (people that you know and have a connection with) and photograph each person two different ways: deep D.O.P & shallow D.O.P

  1 a) Deep D.O.P (almost everything in focus)

  1 b) Shallow D.O.P (very little in focus)

 2 a) Deep D.O.P (almost everything in focus)

 2 b) Shallow D.O.P (very little in focus)

3 a) Deep D.O.P (almost everything in focus)

   3 b) Shallow D.O.P (very little in focus)

Be sure to fill out a "Portraiture" Handout (or your own version) for each model. Ms. Echols will be looking for evidence of your planning process.

***If you want to change an aspect of this assignment, please speak to Ms. Echols about your idea***

PORTRAITURE ~ Deep D.O.P.

 

One thing that is really important when photographing people, is that you treat your model with the utmost respect. Honor who they are as people.

 Here is a link to a mini-documentary about an interesting Vancouver-based Photographer who is famous for photographing women on the downtown east side....

Lincoln Clarkes

Q: How did Lincoln approach is subjects/models? What was his philosophy?

A: Watch this video again in your own time and spend some time thinking about this question.  Answer it in your process journals along-side your visual response.