Assignment #2 - Bracketing

This assignment will teach you that the 'right' exposure is not necessarily the 'best' exposure.

READ THE INSTRUCTIONS SLOWLY AND COMPLETELY. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO DO IS IN THE INSTRUCTIONS.

Here are the steps you need to follow:

1. Choose a static object that will not move (that's what static means right?) The object should be large enough to fill the frame. You will use this object for ALL of the next exposures. DO NOT RECOMPOSE. A tripod could be helpful.

2. Focus sharply. Use your manual focus. Get it sharp *before* you make any images.

3. Make a 'good' exposure. Use your histogram. Make sure you do not clip the shadows or the highlights. Your histogram for this 'good' exposure should look approximately like this: To get to where you can see your histogram, once you take the picture, press the PLAY button. If you press the DISP button it will scroll you through various options, one of them will have the histogram. If you have any questions, e-mail me.



4. Open up the lens aperture completely. Set it to it's lowest number...for some of you this will be 2.8, for some it will be 2.0.

5. DO NOT CHANGE THE SHUTTER SPEED.

6. Make an exposure.

7. Close down the aperture one stop (i.e. go from 2.8 to 3.2).

8. Make an exposure.

9. Close down the aperture one stop (i.e. go from 3.2 to 3.5).

10. Make an exposure.

11. Can you guess what comes next? Yep...close down aperture one stop.

12. Make an exposure.

13. Repeat until you have reached your smallest aperture (f/8).

14. DO NOT DELETE ANY EXPOSURES EVEN IF YOU THINK THEY LOOK BAD.

15. Choose a different static object. You will use this object for all of the remaining exposures.

16. Make a 'good' exposure with your aperture set to 5.6. Adjust the shutter speed as needed.

17. Adjust your shutter speed to 1/2000

18. Make exposure. (do not change aperture)

19. Adjust shutter to 1/1000

20. Make exposure.

21. You will continue the pattern using the following shutter speeds in this order: 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 0"5, 1", 2", 4", 8", 15". Make an exposure for EACH OF THE SHUTTER SPEEDS.

22. Choose another static object.

23. Repeat steps 2-13

24. Choose another static object.

25. Repeat steps 16-21

26. Have fun making 50 more GOOD exposures of WHATEVER YOU WANT!!!! Remember to consult your histogram. TRUST IT!

Images are due on Monday, Febuary 2. We will upload them in class and discuss our results.  This assignment will require several things.  One...pay ATTENTION TO THE DIRECTIONS!  You will mess up if you don't.  You might mess up even if you do.  You will probably re-shoot this assignment at least one more time.  Be prepared for that.  Come next week with your images and we will talk about what you did wrong...and what you did RIGHT.

Remember...keep it SIMPLE. NOT like this:

Chewie Pitching

This is above the photograph.




This text appears below the photograph.

Double-yolk egg

This morning I had the chance to tell a unique story. I had my very first double-yolked egg! I have never had one, but this egg was VERY big. I noticed that each of the yolks from the double-yolked egg is larger than the regular yolk from the single-yolked egg. This is from one of my chickens that is named Vader. It was yummy on some toast for breakfast.

Assignment #1 - Scavenger Hunt

Ok gang, this first assignment is designed to get you used to using your camera, understand it's functions and really, most importantly, to have some fun.

I want you to follow these instructions for this assignment. Following instructions with exactness is crucial to many of the things we will do in photo. It is a very process-intense thing to do all of this right, so pay attention and you'll do fine.

1. Take your camera and set it on 'P'.

2. Try and find the following objects to photograph: tree, bird, dog, car, cat, platypus, friend, mom, dad, sky, floor, hand, something red, something green, something scary, something funny.

3. Try to mix it up with your shots. Get close, get closer, get REALLY close. Let the camera focus before you take the picture.

4. Get at least 30-50 shots of whatever it is you have found. It is NOT important that these images are perfect works of art. These images are PRACTICE! These images will give us some files that we can work with next week to teach you how to upload your images to the server, how to set up your blogs, etc... Something to work with is better than nothing to work with, so be sure you get something in your camera.

5. DON'T FORGET TO BRING YOUR CAMERA TO CLASS ON MONDAY! This is really important...if you don't have your images to class then the assignment is LATE and your grade will suffer. Not only that, but if you don't have your images with you then you won't be able to follow along with me as I do my demo on Monday.

6. Open your instruction manual read it and play with the various settings on the camera. Learn it's controls as much as you can. You don't have to understand everything, just the basics for now. We will go over in class in a very detailed manner everything you will need to know. For now just the basics are good. This will be the only assignment you ever shoot on 'P'. The rest of the shooting will be on 'M'. If you are really ambitious you can set your camera on 'M' and mess around with it.

7. If you are REALLY ambitious, start over from the beginning and re-photograph what you shot at first. You might be surprised at what you learned and how much better the images turn out.

Final Blog Entry - Self Evaluation

Hey guys,

First of all I want to say again, a big thank-you for all of the hard work you have done for me this year. I really appreciate it. I have seen you all grow in ways beyond photography and the scope of this class, and I am happy and proud to have been around to see it.

I want you all to do a little looking back over the course of this year and pause for some self-evaluation. I want you to all write a few paragraphs about what you learned this year with me. I want you to NOT write about technology or cameras or Lightroom or blogging or printing. I want you to write about how your vision changed. How are you a different photographer today than you were at the beginning of the year. It might help to scroll back through your own blogs and look back at your early work.

I look forward to reading and sharing your responses with my colleagues.

Thanks again!

Final Project

Your Final Project will consist of a portfolio of 10 (ten) related images. They have to relate to each other in a consistent theme. They don't always have to tell a story, but could be related by angle, subject matter, tonality (high-key/low-key), light, texture, etc... The individual images should tell me a story, but if the final ten images don't tell a continuous story, they should relate to each other in a different way.

I want you to post all ten of the images to your blog, do some writing about your portfolio and things that you feel you succeeded at, things you think you could have done better and write about the imagery itself. Tell me why you shot what you did, and how you went about it.

I want you to print all ten of your images as well. The prints are DUE at the beginning of the second-to-last class period that we will meet. We will spend two full class periods discussing everyone's work. I want to have EVERYONE turn in ALL of their prints at the same time. The lab will be closed for printing and image manipulation at that time. You can continue to blog, but I will shut down the server and no further work on prints or images may be done.

You also will need to turn in your camera at that time and any other materials that belong to the school. The memory card and your box of paper is your property. Keep track of it, you will use them next year.

If you still don't have a final project idea you should be thinking very hard what you want to do it on. Feel free to e-mail me about some ideas you may be having.

Good luck, I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

Assignment #7 - Re-Do

So here is your Assignment #7:

Choose one of your assignments that you are not very happy about and re-do it. The criteria will be exactly the same.

Don't just do it again, do it BETTER! Think about all that you have learned and apply it to your re-shoot.

If you don't do it better, don't do it at all.

Due: Friday, December 11th...(at the beginning of class...).