1. Spend some time reviewing your photography portfolio - including your work in Photo 1.
2. Ask yourself some basic questions about your photography:
A. What excites you about photography?
B. What do you want to explore more of?
C. What challenges you?
D. Is there something you haven't done that you would like to do?
E. Are there ideas you have seen (online, or?) that you would like to attempt?
3. After you have given this process some time, decide what you will photograph for your final work.
4. This final work may be one highly Photoshopped image, or many straight photography images, or maybe be somewhere between those two ends of the photography spectrum.
5. Your final self-chosen work will be presented on the final class period along with yourphoto essay, passage of time project, and any other work that you have yet to present.
Preparing: 1. Think about what is within your orbit this weekend. 2. What are you passionate about? 3. Do you want to tell a straight-forward chronological story, or do you want to tell a "story" of an event/occasion's happening through non-chronological images. 4. Make a shot list so that when you pick up your camera you have a vision for the images you want to make. It's good to photograph what happens as it does, but you can also prepare by envisioning shots that you'd like to get. To Include: 1. a close-up shot of a detail in your subject. 2. a wide angle shot to give an overview of the environment. 3. a portrait of a key player in your event/subject.
A Visual Paragraph: Think about what your final five photos will look like, and in what order. It may help you to consider your photos a set of five paragraphs: an introductory paragraph, three supporting details paragraphs, and a summary/concluding paragraph.
...Now, you'll put 5 photos together to tell the story.
We once had a Photojournalism class at TuHS, but due to budget cuts it was axed. In lieu of the class - we will have a short unit on the fundamentals of photojournalism, and fundamental questions associated with it.
To begin our conversation, here is the 2014 World Press site (CLICK HERE), and the images deemed the best of the preceding year.
What
Makes Photojournalism Photography Compelling?
Photojournalism photography is
a branch of photography wherein images are used to report a story. Photos are
capable of telling the story with using a single or a few images. These are
important whether it is watching a show, news broadcast or reading newspapers
or magazines. They help give viewers or readers a better idea of what is
happening. However, the images used in any instance must be relevant and
consistent to what is being reported.
The
Importance of Photojournalism
Photojournalists are
most especially important in the realm of reporting current events. The best
images captured are able to summarize what is being written in the article. It
supports the statements being made, making the report more effective. This
becomes more and more important, as an increasing number of people do not have
the time to see or read all of the content that's included.
A single photo can
speak louder than several words can. It has the ability to enhance a news
story, making it more understandable to the viewer or reader. In comparison to
written news, photographs are unbiased as it captures what is happening. On the
other hand, words have the ability of carrying the bias of the writer and the
reporter.
A
Photojournalist’s Objective
A photographer’s goal
is to take photographs of a certain event. However, photojournalists do more
than tell a story. With using as few images as possible, they are able to
highlight the most important issues of a news story. The best photojournalists
are able to convey the truth of a news report through a single, powerful
photograph.
The
Dangers of Photojournalism
Compared to
broadcasters and field reporters, photojournalists work behind the camera and
not in front of it. However, this does not diminish the risk that
photojournalists take when covering or documenting important events. They at
times more remembered when documenting the more despicable scenes, such as
starving refugees and children, wars or reporting on the AIDS epidemic. Through
their efforts, viewers become more aware of what is going on around them as well
as half way around the world.
Examples
of Compelling Photojournalism
The field of
photojournalism has always been considered important. Its greatest impact in
society is seen through the documentation of the Second World War. Photos that
were taken from the frontlines of the war were seen and published at home and
around the world, giving readers a better sense of what is occurring on the
other side of the world. During more recent times, the photographs have evolved
to more than telling a story, but also helping the viewer become attached to
the story and the elements captured within.
Impact
on Society
With the development
of more affordable cameras, equipment and the Internet, an increasing number of
people are becoming photojournalists. People are becoming increasingly aware of
their surroundings and capturing what they see. Through the use of DSLR cameras
or even a simple camera phone, bystanders can easily document live events and
upload them online, or send them to their local news channel.
A Question...
And it is important that we consider the discussion of whether or not photojournalism is a thing of the past. Here is a good article posing that question. CLICK HERE.
Here's what happened in 2013 at the Chicago Sun Times. CLICK HERE.
Here's the blog chronicling the layoffs. CLICK HERE.
DIRECTIONS: From your daily life over the next 48 hours, find stories to tell, and photograph them in two images.
Main Entry: dip·tych
Pronunciation: \?dip-(?)tik\
Etymology: Late Latin diptycha, plural, from Greek, from neuter plural of diptychos folded in two, from di- + ptych? fold
Date: 1622
1 : a 2-leaved hinged tablet folding together to protect writing on its waxed surfaces
2 : a picture or series of pictures (as an altarpiece) painted or carved on two hinged tablets
3 : a work made up of two matching parts
True Center Publishing. CLICK HERE.Diptychs & triptychs. CLICK HERE.
DIRECTIONS: During the allotted class time, make ten photographs. Each photograph should "confuse" the viewer, in that we cannot tell what "it" is by the way you have photographed that "thing."
"All for fun, and fun for all!"-Unknown
"Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious."-Peter Ustinov (1921 - 2004)
"Time's Fun when you're having Flies."-Kermit the Frog
"The wit makes fun of other persons; the satirist makes fun of the world; the humorist makes fun of himself."-James Thurber (1894 - 1961)
"He who does not get fun and enjoyment out of every day...needs to reorganize his life."-George Matthew Adams
"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing."-Dale Carnegie
DIRECTIONS:
Keeping the humor and/or 'strangeness' school-appropriate, you are to make photographs that are clever, witty, funny, unexpected, strange, ironic, surreal, dreamlike, magical, and/or visual puns. You are NOT to make photographs that are sadistic, painful, degrading, obscene, profane, violent, illegal, unsafe, harming, or anything else that would be inappropriate to stand up and do/say in the middle of a Tualatin High School class. KEEP IT FUNNY OR MAGICAL. You can be clever and funny without being cheap and insulting (that's the humor of a lazy mind, anyway).
EXTRA DIRECTIONS:
Think outside the box.
Maybe you could...
1. Take a different angle.
2. Ask searching ?uestions.
3. Ask yourself 'what could be added to make this photo surprising/unexped?'
4. Walk backwards for ten minutes.
5. Recite the alphabet backwards.
6. Turn a picture/yourself upside down.
7. Borrow something.
8. Do an interpretive dance...while listening to your headphones...in a populated public place.
9. Make up new - ridiculous! - lyrics to a song.
10. Don't just walk to your next class...MARCH! to your next class.
11. Force yourself to hysterically laugh for one minute.
12. Bounce a ball.
"All for fun, and fun for all!"-Unknown
"Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious."-Peter Ustinov (1921 - 2004)
"Time's Fun when you're having Flies."-Kermit the Frog
"The wit makes fun of other persons; the satirist makes fun of the world; the humorist makes fun of himself."-James Thurber (1894 - 1961)
"He who does not get fun and enjoyment out of every day...needs to reorganize his life."-George Matthew Adams
"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing."-Dale Carnegie
DIRECTIONS:
Keeping the humor and/or 'strangeness' school-appropriate, you are to make photographs that are clever, witty, funny, unexpected, strange, ironic, surreal, dreamlike, magical, and/or visual puns. You are NOT to make photographs that are sadistic, painful, degrading, obscene, profane, violent, illegal, unsafe, harming, or anything else that would be inappropriate to stand up and do/say in the middle of a Tualatin High School class. KEEP IT FUNNY OR MAGICAL. You can be clever and funny without being cheap and insulting (that's the humor of a lazy mind, anyway).
EXTRA DIRECTIONS:
Think outside the box.
Maybe you could...
1. Take a different angle.
2. Ask searching ?uestions.
3. Ask yourself 'what could be added to make this photo surprising/unexped?'
4. Walk backwards for ten minutes.
5. Recite the alphabet backwards.
6. Turn a picture/yourself upside down.
7. Borrow something.
8. Do an interpretive dance...while listening to your headphones...in a populated public place.
9. Make up new - ridiculous! - lyrics to a song.
10. Don't just walk to your next class...MARCH! to your next class.
11. Force yourself to hysterically laugh for one minute.
12. Bounce a ball.
Is there a relationship between artistic quality and time? If so, please describe that relationship. (For example: Does spending twelve hours, as opposed to one hour, on the work make a difference in the value or quality of the work)
Email your answer to THEPHOTOLOUNGE@hotmail.com by midnight, Thursday, April 28, 2011.
Is there a relationship between artistic quality and time? If so, please describe that relationship. (For example: Does spending twelve hours, as opposed to one hour, on the work make a difference in the value or quality of the work)
Email your answer to THEPHOTOLOUNGE@hotmail.com by midnight, Thursday, April 28, 2011.
“The wisdom of the wise and the experience of the ages are perpetuated in quotations”. – Benjamin Disraeli
1. “ You don’t take a photograph, you make it. - Ansel Adams
Full awareness of what makes a good photo is essential in taking great photographs.
Why would anyone be interested in this photo and what elements can be included or excluded to make it truly great?
2. “ Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst. – Henri Cartier-Bresson
Do you know how many photos you have taken up until now? You will have to take thousands of pictures to reach a point where you can begin to evaluate them objectively. Looking upon your photos as if you were looking at them through someone else’s eyes is a good way to give yourself constructive criticism. Comparing your first photos with your most recent, do you see improvement? Do you remember how you loved some of your first photos – do you still love them or are they now not so good anymore?
3. “ Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph. – Matt Hardy
You often don’t or can’t see beauty in the world until someone shows it to you. Take a look around you just now – even without moving from the computer. Can you see something in a new way, a different way of presenting something common? Just take a look again…
4. “ Nothing happens when you sit at home. I always make it a point to carry a camera with me at all times…I just shoot at what interests me at that moment. – Elliott Erwitt
When the world is your canvas, so to speak, you need your tools with you to capture everything around you. Make a habit of always carrying a camera with you—you will never suffer the regret of wishing you had.
5. “ Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow. – Imogen Cunningham
Never be fully satisfied with what you’ve done.
Never stop photographing. It is very likely that your best photograph has not yet been captured.
6. “ You’ve got to push yourself harder. You’ve got to start looking for pictures nobody else could take. You’ve got to take the tools you have and probe deeper. – William Albert Allard
We are always looking for reasons for not taking good pictures. Cartier-Bresson used film camera, same lens, no flash, same shutter speed – he didn’t need the newest digital equipment to take great photos. We all have access to some subjects that no one else has access to – look at your friends’ hobbies, the workplaces of friends and family, and any place you have access to to find a vision that comes uniquely from your access. Many people would dream of having the same access you have, and you might not have considered how valuable your access is.
7. “ If I saw something in my viewfinder that looked familiar to me, I would do something to shake it up. – Garry Winogrand
How often have you seen a photo that is missing something, thinking, “This is a good photo but I’d make it different somehow.”? Sometimes small things make a big difference. Don’t be afraid to shake things up.
8. “ I always thought good photos were like good jokes. If you have to explain it, it just isn’t that good. – Anonymous
Sometimes it is interesting to hear the story behind the photo and you see the photo in a new light. But in most cases a photo shouldn’t need a story to back it up. It has to speak for itself.
9. “ Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop. – Ansel Adams
Even one of the masters in photography, Ansel Adams, didn’t expect to get more than 12 great photographs each year.
How can anyone expect more?
Take a look at your last year in photos – do you really see 12 photos that stand out from the rest?
10. “It can be a trap of the photographer to think that his or her best pictures were the ones that were hardest to get. – Timothy Allen – On editing photos
Editing photos can often be the most difficult but also the most satisfying part. Sometimes taking a quick look at all the photos and then going away for a while before taking a closer look lends a fresh eye to your viewing. You may see things you did not notice previously. Stepping away from the mass of photos can make certain images stand out in your mind’s eye, leaving a memorable impression that can characterize a good photo.
What photography quotes do you think everyone should know?
DIRECTIONS: Brainstorm ideas for visual metaphors you can photograph that represent each of these words/phrases. One photo for each word/phrase. Photos due on February 3, 2014.
Be creative. Think outside the box. Don't do the expected. Be clever. :)
