huskyphoto

A Farewell Photo

Arts Alive Photographs Judging Criteria

I want to thank all you photographers for the wonderful work you submitted to Arts Alive.  It's going to be the best show we've ever had.  

This year's judge was Dave Ewing.  Dave just retired last year from teaching art at Rio Americano High School.  He taught photography in college, is a sculptor, and collects art and photography.  He really enjoyed the work and spent considerable time looking at and enjoying each of your photographs.

Dave used the following criteria for selection:

Value range: "I want to see a pure white in the picture."

Focus should be sharp, not soft.

Emotion

Good idea for the assignment

Just like it

It's different

6x1 Photo Project teaches layers and filters

Articles that bring up important issues?

What are the ethics, the rights and wrongs, of the art of photography? What are the different points of view to consider when looking at photos?  Is photography truth?  How do you tell?

These are some of the questions I want you to be aware of.

Articles for your research:

Nhem En  New York Times article 

Eddie Adams NPR story, audio and slide show

Digital Images : Altered or not? Photojournalism Ethics: "The Problem Seems To Be A Lot Deeper"

Is it copyright infringement, or not? Richard Prince

Roger Vail

If some of you go to CSUS and continue your study of photography, you may take a class from Roger Vail.  His work is well respected nationally, and he even had a cover shot of one of his images on Life Magazine.  You may notice he uses slow shutter speeds, time exposures up to hours and hours, and he loves to work in color and black and white.  He uses a traditional 8x10 camera and develops film, but he's more modern now, because his negatives are scanned and printed digitally.

I even wrote an article on him during my life before Sheldon.  After Sheldon I would like to start writing about photography again.

Here is the link to the article: Viewpoint Magazine

This is one of my favorite Roger Vail photographs.

Attention AP Students in Photo 3

All of you have been working hard on your AP studio work and it's getting to crunch time.  To help you pull it all together, go back to the  AP Website and review the Quality, Breadth, and Concentration portfolios.  Look carefully at the Concentration statements for guidance.  Use the Rationale For Scoring to self-reflect on whether or not your portfolio is going to be scored at the level you want it to be.  Ask your classmates and art friends for their opinion. 

We are fortunate to be taking the test in photography.  You still have time to completely refocus your ideas and take a few masterpieces to blow the AP board members away.

Friday is the last day for prints to be made for ALL classes!

Get your files in the "Last Chance Friday" folder or you will have to print it yourself for your final! 

Remember to check for correct sizes and jpg markers.

Photo 3 APstudents

Syllabus Photo3 2009

Download Elements and Principles of Art 

Know this inside and out and you will have a better understanding of what AP is expecting from your work:

Week 1 Advanced 

Download Week 2 Advanced Photo

Use this tutorial to change the way you convert color to black and white

Download Week 3 AP 

Download Week 4 AP  We will finish all assignments for Week 4 this Tuesday and begin your concentrations.

Photo 1 Information

Syllabus Photo1 2009 

Week 1 Photo 1 

Kodak's Top Ten Tips for Taking BETTER Pictures

Week 2 Photo 1 

Elements and Principles of Art 

Download Week 3 Photo 1 

Download Week 4 Photo 1    We will finish all the assignments for Week 4 Tuesday. 

Download Week 6 Photo 1What happened in Week 5?

Camera Club Berkeley Art Museum Mahjong Show November 20, 2008

What is a self-portrait?

A self-portrait is a portrait where the artist is also the subject. Usually it is in the form of a painting, drawing, or similar graphic image; however, self-portraits occur in other media such as sculpture, photography, cinema, literature, etc. In other words, you must take or make the photograph yourself or it is not a self-portrait. When someone else takes your picture, that would be his or her portrait of you, the way they see you, NOT a self-portrait, which is the way you see yourself.

Chuck Close is famous for paintings and photographs he has made of himself, his face and shoulders primarily, for his entire life. Here are some of his tips.

Copyright law and photography

Many people get confused about laws regarding the use of photographic images in books, newspapers, collections, and most of all the web. You should be familiar with the laws, as well as your obligation to obtain model releases from people you photograph, and when they are minors, from their parents.

Let's do a little research on the subject.

1. United States Government Copyright Information on photography
2. Model releases Look at the difference between a model release for an adult and for a minor. When are model releases necessary? This Nikon user forum brings up a number of issues and suggestions of interest.

3. Cautions from the internet
4. Lawsuits that have been settled. Alberto Korda did not mind that thousands of artists and photographers used his image of Che Guevara without his permission. But he did draw the line when one advertiser stood to gain a lot in profit. Read about the case covered by CNN.

5. What can happen if somebody uses my photograph without my permission?

Strip Composition

Click on the image to enlarge.

The directions for this project are on page 257 on The Photographic Eye.

You can use two pictures that are similar or different, but they have to fit in your portfolio. The page is 8X10 inches, so each photo should be approximately 8 High by 5 wide (vertical).

Cut in 1/2" strips. The book suggests 3/8", which really does look nice, too!
I'm sure you can figure out how this image is made without looking at the directions on page 257 in The Photographic Eye.

Dan Eldon Assignment Photo 1

Watch the video clip from CNN about Dan Eldon.
Read the timeline of Dan Eldon's life and jot down facts from each date. (Notes section of comp book)
Pick one article and review the main points. (Notes section of comp book)
Look at the journals he made and analyze a formula or description about what makes his work unique.
Make a plan for your own piece based on his work.

Bonus Points are added in at the end of each term

You can earn up to 200 bonus points each 9 weeks. The last day to turn in bonus points is the last day before finals. For each 50 bonus points, you can earn a .5% grade raise. Points are calculated at the end of the 9 weeks and will be posted on the outside wall of the classroom.

200 points: We need boxes of disposable gloves, size large is preferable. This item is on my "MOST WANTED" list.

100 points
-Clorox wipes
-409
-2"roll of clear tape
-Antibacterial hand soap
-A ream of typing paper
-bottle of dish soap -Wash the laundry (and fold please)
-Visit a photo show at the Crocker or Viewpoint Gallery for 100 points. You must attach a flyer from the show and write a 100 word review.
-Wash the towels and fold them
-Work a full lunch period in the classroom

50points
-Renaissance Waiver . Good job Renaissance students!
-box of tissue
- bottle openers for film
- a bag of cotton balls
-old towel torn into smaller pieces or 3 old hand towels.
-Back to school night
-Roll of masking tape
-roll of black electrical tape
-10 high quality photo magazines that students can use for collage and compositon book work

200 Points
Donate a camera that you don't use anymore

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Photojournalism is story telling with pictures. It is a career path for those who are passionate about seeking and telling a personal point of view. It's a life of hard work, internal reward, adventure and continuous learning. Interpret the theme of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" to explore feelings about the world around you. That's stuff you deal with in your own neighborhood, on the block, the places around you, and the city you live in.

1. Check out this lesson on Photojournalism to prepare yourself. Takes notes in the Art Criticism section of your comp book.

2. Find 10 photos that inspire you and glue them into the Photo Album section. Write a paragraph that explains the story the photograph tells. Make sure it fits into the "G,B&U" theme. Write a second paragraph that tells what composition techniques, elements and principles , tips for taking better pictures are used to reinforce the message within the photograph.

Half Face

Although little is known of photographer Wanda Wultz (1925), her double exposure of Cat and I (translated differently sometimes) is in many of the history books. We will use this piece as a jumping off point to explore the idea of self identity. You will find an animal that personifies some of your inner qualities and combine your face with the animal in Photoshop. Be sure to start with a high res image, and consider how you will merge the two poses before selecting and photographing..

Imogen Cunningham Photo 2

Learn to create closeup photographs (macro) like Imogen Cunningham's Magnolias.
Read and outline the key points in the article from Photonet to familiarize yourself with important techniques in your comp book.
Bring in a selection of objects from nature for this assignment. Look at them critically for flaws: macro is "up close and personal."

Naomi Savage

Naomi Savage's image of "Enmeshed Man" Write a complete art criticism on this image
Click onNaomi Savage biography and summarize important facts (at least 20) from the ENTIRE article
After reading about thecyanotype process write 15-20 bullets in the note section of your comp book

Minimum Depth of Field

If you want to make a photograph where only a part of the picture is in focus, use the principle of depth of field. Remember that the larger you aperture size, the less depth of field you will get. We call this shallow depth of field, since only one plane of the picture will be sharp. If you want deep depth of field, where everything in the picture is sharp, use your smallest aperture size to keep the focus on the foreground, middleground and background areas. To remember which is which, the smallest f-stop number (f2, 3.5) will give you the least depth of field and the largest number (f22) will give you the most.

Advanced Photo

1. Using positive/negative space: notan
2. Night Photographer Dot Com
3.How to do night photography
4. Flashlight drawing at night by Stewart Allen
5. Clarence John Laughlin's surrealistic photography
6.Surrealism and photography: be sure to follow the link to surrealist painting.
7. Self Portraits
8.Helen Levitt

So you want to make up a critique?

Critique days are usually on Friday. They are FUN! You will get to know the students in your class better, and they will get to know you, too. You will see all of the hard work that was accomplished in the last week.

In the unfortunate event that you miss a critique, you can make up the points by using the guidelines for writing an "In Class Essay" in the School Reading and Writing Handbook (see post for Downloads for Students on this blog) on pages 22-26.

The rules are easy:
1. The critique must be turned in within 2 days of an excused absence to earn up to 9/10 points.
2. You can only turn in 3 per 9 weeks.
3. Your "in class essay" must be adapted to show a response to the following prompts only. You can use the resources available on Masters of Photography (http://www.masters-of-photography.com). Be sure to look at the photographs and to read the articles before writing the essay.

Prompts:
* Ansel Adams' landscape photography is aclaimed around the world for its celebration of the American Wilderness. Write an essay in which you articulate the reasons leading to his fame and recognition. How is the work a synthesis of technological expertise and spirituality, as stated in the article? Do you think the work is noteworthy? Why or why not?
*Jacques-Henri Lartique was a French painter who considered himself a snapshot photographer. His work was discovered by Richard Avedon, a leading fashion photographer. Avedon felt his photographs were one of the most important collections of photography in the 20th century. What distinguishing traits did Lartique's work have, and why was it considered so important? What differentiates his work from family snapshot photography? Do you agree or disagree that his work is significant? Why or why not?
*Eduard Muybridge was an important 19th century California photographer who made a bet with Leland Stanford about how many feet were on the ground when a horse was running at a full gallop. To prove his point, he came up with a new photography technique. Explain Muybridge's important technological achievement and how it came to influence the California motion picture industry.

Safety

Please be safe when you are photographing and working in the lab. We don't want anything to happen to you!

These are just a few of the safety suggestions you need to remember....

Safety Rules

It is better to be overly cautious rather than to overlook an unsafe condition. You never know when being cautious has prevented an accident but there is always a consequence if you have not; damage has been done or someone has been hurt. Therefore, it is good training to become aware of what you can do to prevent unsafe conditions that may result in accidents. It is easy to talk about safety, but it really hurts when your best friend is injured because of your carelessness or lack of attention to an unsafe condition.

There is a fire extinguisher on the wall by the hallway to the darkroom.

Fire Safety

• When you hear a fire alarm, drop everything you are doing and leave the classroom in an orderly line. Walk together out to the fields behind the gymnasium. The teacher will meet you there to take roll.

Electrical Safety

• Never touch electrical outlets with wet hands.
• Do not allow any electrical devise to fall into or connect with water: electrocution could occur.
• The teacher sets temperature dials for the presses. Know the correct settings and do not turn them up. There is a danger of fire occurring when paper gets too hot.

Water Safety

• Wet floors are slippery and dangerous. Notify teacher when water has been spilled. There is a mop in the darkroom to wipe up spills. Evacuate the darkroom if water spills on the floor and turn on the lights until the water has been cleaned up and the floor is dry.

Chemical Safety
• A violent reaction will occur if you add water to acid. Always add acid to water.
• Wear gloves or tongs when working with chemicals.
• Avoid splashing when pouring chemicals- use safety goggles and gloves when handling concentrated chemicals.
• Do not eat or drink in the photo room.

Tool and Equipment Safety
• Receive instruction on the proper use of a machine or tool before using it.
• Keep the paper cutter blade down when not in use.
• The mounting pressed and tacking irons are hot – be careful. Keep the tacking irons in the metal trays and do not let the iron touch the electrical cord. The dry mount press should not be set above 225°.
• Do not lean on or trip over equipment or cords.
• The light table is made of glass. Do not lean or place heavy materials like books on it.
• When passing a scissors or Exacto knife to another person, pass it carefully with the point toward the floor.

Camera Safety
• It is easy to forget what you are doing when you are trying to make a good picture. Always be aware of your surroundings and where you are stepping.
• Keep the strap around your neck or wrist. When passing a camera to someone else, make sure that they have a firm grip on it before you let go.
• Never put a camera close to an edge where it can fall off.

Darkroom Safety
• Only 12 people can be in the darkroom at a time.
• You cannot see very well under the safelights. Be extra careful when working in the darkroom.

Individual Safety
• Always walk in the photo room and darkroom. Running is dangerous.
• There is no horseplay or fooling around allowed. It is childish and unproductive.
• Report any accidents or injuries to the teacher immediately.
• If a student is injured while you are out of the classroom, get help immediately. If necessary, go into the closest classroom available and ask the teacher there to call security.

Professional Behavior
• Report any unsafe situations to the teacher immediately.
• Report any student misbehavior that would jeopardize class privileges to the teacher.
• All trash should be in the proper container after clean-up time.
• Be responsible for cleaning up after you as well as helping get the classroom in order as well.
• Take your photo paper, negatives, prints, portfolio, books, etc. with you when you leave the class.

Driving Safety
• Never risk your safety for a photograph! IT IS NOT WORTH IT! Be a safe driver.

Need extra photo supplies?

While your project fee pays supplies to cover your assignments, sometimes you lose supplies, fog your paper, want to do extra work for someone... Good news! You can go to the student store during lunch to pay for what you need. Be sure to ask for the right thing, though! READ ON....

When you go to the student store tell the cashier how much you need to pay for the photo class that you are in. Bring the receipt to class to get your supplies

11x14 Portfolio $12.00
8x10 Student Starter Pack $14.00
25 sheets of 5x7 $ 5.00
25 sheets of 8x10 $10.00

1 24 exposure roll of film $3.00

1 film cassette $1.00

11x14 mat board $1.50
8x10 mat board $ .75

Say:
“I would like photo materials for my Photo____ class. I need to pay $_______.”

Show receipt to teacher and pick up supplies in class.

Self Portrait

A self-portait, as the cartoon above shows, is a picture you take of yourself. Don't get this idea confused with a picture someone else took of you. Self-portraits can be made with self-timers, cable releases, in mirrors, shadows of yourself, parts of your body, alterations to photographs that have been taken of you, as well as symbolic self-portraits that use things and ideas to represent an aspect of yourself.

We will look at some photographs of Wendy Ewald's, and one of Lee Friedlander to develop some ideas for your "Then and Now" self portrait. I want you to start thinking of the idea of identity. What is identity, how is it portrayed, is it a fixed idea or one that is continually changing, is identity about an individual, or a universal characteristic, why do we wonder about our identity? There are so many ways to look at this and many more questions than answers.

One of my real hopes for our claa is that you will learn more about yourself through studying photography, and that study will help you learn more about yourself, gain pride and understand, and tolerance and compassion for others.

Creating a photo in the style of David Hockney

There is a link on the sidebar for you to study David Hockney's work. While he is most recognized for his paintings, he has said that it is his invention of the joiner print that is his most important contribution to art.

Gallery Visitation

Advanced Photography Students are required to visit a museum or gallery to get an experience of art in the real world. The two shows I am recommending are the Edward Weston show at the Crocker Art Museum and the Marion Post Wolcott show at Viewpoint Gallery. Check websites for information on time and dates of exhibits. Viewpoint Gallery is free, and you can get into the Crocker for free between 11 and 1 on Sunday (the rest of the time there is an admission charge).

Requirements for your gallery review are:

Typed, single space, 12pt. Roman

Attach a flyer or receipt as proof of entry.

In your writeup include:
-Impressions of exhibit
-Anecdotes from the experience
-Details of specific pieces including titles and descriptions of some of the work
-Make connections to history
-Evaluate the work and make a judgement about the show.Edward Weston at the Crocker Art Museum

This assignment is worth 10% of your grade. You have Thanksgiving break and Winter Break coming up. Schedule ahead. I want your review to be interesting to read and informative. It is proof to you and to me that you learned from the experience.

I've written you a sample piece to help you see what I'm asking you to do.

Edward Weston at the Crocker Art Museum

I have long said that if it werent for Ansel Adams, Edward Weston would be the most famous California photographer. Going to the Weston show would be an opportunity for me to critique that statement more carefully. I have seen several comprehensive exhibits of Adams photographs, but only individual works of Westons in various collections.

The Crocker Art Museum is the oldest art gallery west of the Mississippi. The gallery would be filled with work by Edward Weston in the west wing, his son Brett Westons photographs in the library gallery, and student take-offs in the basement gallery. I talked my husband Bob into going with me, and although he didnt really want to, he knew that it was an opportunity that couldnt be missed. Seeing original work, made by the photographer or artist himself, is vastly different than reproductive copies in work. It is nearly impossible to make a reproduction look like an original, for a book is a book, a photograph is a thing that you can hold in your hands, or in a museum, that you can see up close the way the photographer printed it in the darkroom, and from across the room where its power, if it is good, will pull you in.

Upon arriving, we found a parking place and I jumped out of the car. It may sound crazy, but I was really excited about seeing the work, and I was especially fixated on getting to see an original copy of the Pepper on the invitation. A man and a woman were standing nearby, and the man asked, Whats going on at the Crocker? The Weston Show, I replied. He said, I dont get too excited about black and white photography. I like the colors of paint. I said, Im a photographer, and I cant wait! I raised my hands in triumph and swiftly head to the museum, Bob at my side. Later, in the gallery, I saw the man and the woman looking at the work. I wondered if he had second thoughts about his statement, or if my enthusiasm infected him..

There were over a hundred people in the gallery, and it was dead silent. It was dark. The photographs were dark. Only some were well lit. You had to be very close to see the photographs, and people were standing 2 feet in front of the framed pieces in groups up to three. There were many older men in suits, even though this was a Saturday. My judgment about this is still that photography from the time of William Henry Fox Talbot has been a gentlemans art form, a love of the rich and privileged class, for it is expensive to make, it is the labored work of great craftsmanship, it is subtle, filled with references to literature, history and art, the knowledge of the educated. Its beauty is an effort of seeing and understanding.

The work was organized so that one could see Westons dedication to the genres of landscape, still life and portrait, a master of all. The early work was Pictorialist, tied to Steiglitz and the photographers of the 291 Gallery in New York City. Photographers in the early part of the 20th century were struggling for acceptance as artists, not just camera operators who pressed a button and recorded the reality that faced the camera lens. On this journey, some decided to make photographs that looked more like paintings, and if you think of Turners work you will get an idea of what these photographs might have looked like in black and white.

As Weston matured, he and other California photographers collaborated on ideas that became unique to their time and place in the world. The warm and fuzzy romantic landscapes of the twenties evolved and became sharp and clear, the now famous f64 Group formed, naming themselves after a very small aperture that would control depth of field, rendering everything in the frame sharp. Abstract expressionism opened a new way of seeing, allowing the formal elements of the work to dominate the subject importance, so that shape, line and lighting were studied microscopically.

Somewhere along the line, after much work and contemplation, Westons infamous Pepper was born. It has an ancestry that can be studied. It was one of many. The process of making a masterpiece is worth studying and worth remembering. He looked at peppers carefully to study the essence of its form. He shopped at the market for peppers. He set them up in the light of the window of his studio and studied the value on the surface of the skin. He looked at the peppers under the dark cloth of his 8x10 inch camera. A negative was made, processed, printed, and studied. In his Daybook, he wrote careful reflections of what he was seeing in that photograph and that experience and what he wanted to be captured in that picture. He didnt give up. He rephotographed. He used different background, different personalities of peppers. He ate the peppers. Out of these hundred of hours of work, a single photograph emerged as a masterpiece.

As I looked at the pepper photograph, I was surprised by details I hadnt seen before, and I would guess Ive spent at least 5 hours of my life enjoying looking at this picture. There is an eye in it. There are two fingers. It seems like a human form unfolding and folding up at the same time. The light on the surface radiates. The background has a scratched metallic surface that reminded me of a time exposure of the night sky, stars streaking across infinity of time. The contrast of the pepper and its background give an impression of eternity and earth. I have seen many students look at this picture and not have a clue what they are looking at but know that it is a fascinating and beautiful image.

Just one more thing. There is a saying that Westons peppers look like nudes and his nudes look like peppers. To understand the meaning of this, you have to see this show.
I have never liked Westons nudes. Im not sure why, but your guess is probably right.
As we left the gallery, I told my husband that, and he agreed. Could there have been the pepper without the nudes? I asked him. Well, thats exactly why you need to learn to draw the figure in art, he reminded me. The connection will hit you right in the face, if you are standing in a place in the gallery that allows you to see both. Download pepper