Sketchbook Proposal: Ego

Using one page in your sketchbook, create a visual proposal that illustrates and explains the ego of your chosen person. Later, the facing page will be used to illustrate how you will present this person's "alter-ego," allowing you to brainstorm solutions before you photograph them.

The "Ego" page should illustrate/explain the following:
1) How would you describe this person as they naturally behave? What is their usual sense of self-esteem or self importance? List some adjectives that help explain their "ego."
2) Ideally, how will you compose a portrait of them to accomplish this? (Are there other master photograph/art examples that help illustrate this?)
3) How could this person use gesture and body language to express their ego?
4) How will you use lighting to further clarify this person's state-of-mind?

The sketchbook will be graded out of 40 pts. using similar criteria as a visual journal entry. How you use the page (design), neatness, and studio skills will all be evaluated

Shooting Assignment: Ego

Your next shooting assignment will focus upon one person as your subject. This person might be yourself, a close friend, or a family member. Choose someone you feel comfortable working with, and who feels comfortable being photographed. Try to work with someone outside of photo class.

Problem: Create a double portrait that presents two distinct sides/personalities of that person. One portrait will represent his/her ego, while the other portrait will represent an alter ego.

Part 1: The Ego
An ego can be defined as a person's sense of self-esteem or self importance. It should be candid, natural, and honest.

Shoot a roll of black and white film and a set of 24 digital exposures that captures the ego of this person as defined above. Your "ego" portrait must demonstrate the following:

-a composition that emphasizes the head for at least 50% of the composition.
-a composition that emphasizes a gesture that expresses this person's ego.
-a completely blank background (either white or black, your choice)
-effective lighting techniques (daylight, incandescent, diffused, direct, etc.) the intensity and type of lighting used in the portrait should be purposeful, it should help to further express this person's ego.
-appropriate depth of field and camera focus.

Tips for digital: Use your digital camera to help achieve correct lighting first. Remember to set your digital camera's white balance correctly. Remember to shoot at a high resolution.
Use a tripod! Use a vertical composition when framing the portrait.

Tips for black and white: Shoot film after achieving the right light quality.
Know your aperture! Compare a shallow to a deep depth of field. Use a tripod! Light meter for shadows, not for highlights! Bracket your exposures.

See the slideshow below for shooting ideas and considerations!

Recreate That Portrait!

Avedon at work on "American West"

This assignment will serve as a good review of different lighting techniques when creating a portrait.

Choose two classmates to work with to form a group of three.
Choose four portraits to "recreate" from the examples on the blog.
Your recreation must match the studio lighting as accurately as possible. Be sure to identify what the photographer is emphasizing with studio lighting in the example first, then identify how additional lighting, fills, etc. are being used to achieve additional lighting effects. Remember to use all lighting tricks you know, like direct light vs. diffused or reflected light. Use white sheets of paper as "fills."
You may photograph either inside or outside, you may use natural daylight (outside or through a window), or incandescent light. Remember to set the "white balance" of your camera to the appropriate kind of light you're using.
You must use a neutral tone background, (pure white or black) according to the portrait you're trying to recreate.
The pose & composition of the model should be identical, (or very similar) to your photo, even though the model will look different.
Upload your four best, one for each portrait onto flickr when finished!
Each person in your group must attempt to be the model, photographer, and lighting technician.

The group that best recreates a portrait, (as voted on by the class) will win a prize!

Recreate These Portraits

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Health Culture photos photography

Richard Avedon's "Borrowed Dogs"

Richard Avedon is perhaps the most prolific fashion and portrait photographers of the century. This article was written by Avedon in 1992, and accompanied a show of portraits exhibited in New York. Read the article, (print it and save it if you'd like) and then respond to the six questions on the assignment sheet.

Richard Avedon Borrowed Dogs

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

Richard Avedon Borrowed Dogs Questions

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

Updating Flickr Portfolios & Titling Artworks

For Friday, Jan. 16th, you must have at least 9 photographic works uploaded onto your Flickr online portfolio. Each image file that you upload should be at 72 dpi, and be downloadable at a decent viewing size, (5x7" - 8x10"). Each work should be titled thoughtfully, (see below), and include a brief description At least 6 of the works on your portfolio should be from this year in Photo 2. Your online portfolio will be used to complete a portion of your mid-term exam, so don't procrastinate!

Things to consider when titling a work of art:

1) How can the title function as an extension of the work's meaning?
2) Is the work more formal or conceptual? Remember, formal artworks are more concerned with the overall composition and design. Conceptual works are more concerned with an idea or message. How can the title help reinforce your intentions for making it?
3) What inspired this work? Could this inspiration be referred to somehow?
4) A title can be more than just one word. Sometimes artists title works using sentences if they feel that the sentence is more descriptive.
5) What information can be given to the person looking at the work that will help them interpret it? As the artist, you're responsible for this additional information!
6) Use meaningful, poignant, descriptive words. Use a thesaurus or dictionary!

Things to avoid when titling a work:

1) Never title the work the first thing that comes to your mind. Usually that title will be cliché and overused anyway. Think about several options before deciding.
2) Avoid titling your work "Untitled" whenever possible, it's a cop-out.
3) Don't be too literal. If the work is more formal, then a literal title is good. However, if the work aims to express something more, then the title should help this expression!

As well as titling the work, you must include a brief description of it. The description should include:

1) The medium. (Examples: black & white print made in darkroom=silver gelatin print. Digitally printed using a color printer=inkjet print. Collage=mixed media (you can be more specific if you'd like) Cyanotype, Liquid Emulsion, Gum-Bichromate, are other examples)
2) The size in inches when printed, (width x height) 5x7" and 8x10" are most common, however if the work is a presented as a series of matted images, the size should be of the entire matte board used. Digital works that have not been printed yet should still be treated as they are, and the size should be the same as the image exists on the computer.
3) The year it was made.