Category: Class Topics (Page 3 of 3)

CUNY Photo Challenge

Submit today! This month’s submission is due Feb 28th.

Email me the screen shot of your submission for 1 point of extra credit.

Review:

Lighting Quality

Diffused– light hits the subject from all directions and the shadows are soft

Direct– light hits the subject from one angle and the shadows are crisp with sharp edges

Lighting Direction

Front light – light comes from near the camera position.

Side light – light come from 90 degrees to the camera position.

Back light – light comes from behind the subject and aims towards the camera.

Contrast

Contrast: The measure of difference between bright areas (highlights) and dark areas (shadows) in a photo

High contrast : Large difference between highlights and shadows. Mostly lights and darks without many mid tones  

Low contrast :  Little difference between lights and darks. Mostly mid tones.

             

Inspiration

View:

http://filippodrudi.com/project-thefork.html

Other terms to know

Ambient Light-The light that is already there sometimes called available light

Continuous Lights-Always on, may be incandescent, halogen, fluorescent, LED

Strobe Lights – lights that fire when the exposure is made

Strobes have two bulbs:

• the modeling light which helps you see where the light will fall
• the flash bulb that fires when you press the shutter release

A trigger on the camera uses radio waves to tell the receiver to fire the light. The power pack stores the power used to make the exposure.

Modifiers

In studio photography, we put modifiers on the flash heads to change the quality of the lights. Two basic categories of modifiers are:

1. Softboxes- these spread and diffuse the light. The light hits the subject from many directions making the shadows softer.
2. Grids – these concentrate and focus the light. The light hits the subject from one direction making the light harsher and the shadows sharper.

Lab

Lab 4: Stuffed Animals

Homework

HW 4: Something Near and Something Far

Next week

Bring a small stuffed animal approximately 6 to 9 in high to photograph.

Light Quality

Direct light or hard light – the rays of light are nearly parallel and strike the subject from one direction creating hard edged dark shadows with little detail.
Examples: a spotlight, sun on a clear day, or a bare flash

Diffused light or soft light– the rays of light are scattered and coming from many directions. It appears even and produces indistinct shadows. Examples: overcast daylight, a light covered with tracing paper or other translucent material.

Direct Light and Direction

Front light comes from in front of subject from the camera position and the shadows fall behind the subject not concealing any details.

Side Light comes from 90 degrees to the camera. It adds dimension and texture to the subject.

Back light – light comes from behind the subject and aims towards the camera.

Lab

Lab 3: Lighting Direction

Homework

Hw 3: The Power of Ten

Class Schedule

Feb 21: Please bring a small stuffed animal

Feb 28 – No class. CUNY Monday.

March 6: Field Trip to the Oculus and Lower Manhattan

The Frame

Cropping: how much information is in the frame

• a long shot
  

Toktogul Reservoir, Kyrgyzstan. 2021. Photographer: Anush Babajanyan

• a medium shot

Photographer: Ralph Pace

• a close up

Fashion Week, New York. 2023. Photographer: Dina Livitsky

• an extreme close up

Photographer: Aaron Siskind

Angle of View:  describes the camera position in relationship to the subject. The angle of view may be:

• a worm’s-eye view

• a low-angle

• Eye-level

Photo by Mel D. Cole

• a high-angle

• a bird’s-eye or aerial or overhead view

• oblique angle

Angle of View Examples By Alexander Rodchenko

Lab: Week 2 – Composition

HW 2: Hula Hoops

Next Week

Bring in a single shoe to photograph. it can be anything from a worn flip flip to the latest Jordans. You will photograph it in class.

Compositional Principals

1. Rule of Thirds – Instead of placing the main subject in the center of the frame, divide the frame into thirds horizontally and vertically and place the main subject at one of these intersections.
   
   

Dehli, India. Photographer: Rohit Vohra

2. Leading Lines – lines in the photograph that lead the eye to the main subject

Whitnel Cotton Mfg. Co. N.C. December 1908. Photographer: Lewis Hine

3. Diagonals – Sloping lines

THAILAND. Bangkok. 2005. Photographer: Steve McCurry

4. Frame within a frame

Photographer: Eugene Smith

5. Figure to Ground -the relationship between the subject and the background sometimes described as negative and positive space.

Delhi, India. Photographer: Rohit Vohra

6. Fill the Frame – get closer. Never plan to crop later.

7. Patterns – repeated elements. Break the pattern for visual interest

Bed-Stuy. Photographer: George Steinmetz

8. Symmetry – If you fold the image in half the two haves are very similar and have equal visual weight.

From “A House is not a Home”, Photographer: Laila Annmarie Stevens

Resource

Advice from Rohit Vohra

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2r0iz6rqbV/?hl=en

In-class Lab Exercise

Lab 1 – Composition

Homework

HW1 – Composition