Project 3: Multiplicity

Due 11/8

Create a digital photo that utilizes at least 5 copies of yourself in the same environment.  They should match the perspective, lighting and coloring in the environment.  The clones should be positioned differently (shouldn’t just be 5 copies of the same photo) interacting with the environment or otherwise feel like they belong.  The integration should be seamless.

Student Examples

Related Articles/Artists:
Chino Otsuka inserts herself into childhood photos.
Man Photoshops himself into photos with Kendall Jenner
Photoshop Battle (100 Pictures)

The Real Fake Cameras of Toy Story 4

A fascinating video about how the digital cameras in Toy Story 4 were designed to emulate real cameras, and why certain shots used certain 'lenses' and techniques.

Assignment 4: Written Response

Due 10/25

Go to the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts.  Find one piece in the museum that resonates with you, and write a one-page response.  It would help to record the artist's statement and use it to inform your response.  Post a sample of the image (if possible), the name of the artist and your response on your blog.

What is it about the piece that caught your eye?  What part of their technique or approach would you be interesting in possibly integrating into your own work?  What critiques do you have, if any?  What would you have done differently if you tried the same idea/technique/subject?

We will be attending the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts as a class on 10/18 at 11am (when it opens).  If you are unable to make it that day, you may go on your own time to complete the assignment.

Address:
Florida Museum of Photographic Arts
400 North Ashley Drive Cube 200
Tampa, FL 33602

Cost: $8 (Bring student ID)

Project 2: Portrait

Due 11/1

Shoot a series of portraits that result in 10 final images. You can either photograph the same person in ten variations, or you can photograph 10 people in single image. 

You may enhance and edit the photos as you see fit.

Post the 10 images on your blog along with an explanation of your process, what decisions you made, what theme, mood or intent you were going for and why.

Artists for Reference:
Nan Goldin
Cindy Sherman
Sharon Lockhart
Alec Soth
Tina Barney - Artnet Profile / Website
Rineke Dijkstra
Diane Arbus
Sally Mann - Artnet Profile / Website
Thomas Ruff (warning: some of the photos are blurred but explicit)
Christopher Williams
Sophie Calle
Robert Frank

Articles
Eric Pickersgill photo series "Removed" where he removed the smart phones from his subjects before taking a picture, to emphasize how lonely and strange the world seems.
Photographer Helps to Save Lives of Pitbulls with Flower Crown Portraits



Student Examples
Jerry Gilchrist
Joshua Campbell
Jack Dean
Zane Willard
Lanie Jones
Steph Schaffer
Keri Behles

Project 1: Experimental

Due 10/11

Experimental Series

Two Part Assignment:
1) Review the techniques and artists linked below. Create three experimental techniques of your own and document the three processes on your blogs. You must make use of experimental techniques with the camera to invent these techniques. You may edit the photos digitally to enhance them, but the experiment can't rely only on editing. (Due 9/27)

2) Choose one of the techniques you developed above and shoot a series of 10 photographs that employ this experimental technique. The project is entirely up to you in subject matter and think about how you can use Lightroom or Photoshop to your best advantage in editing the resulting images. (Due 10/11)

Techniques: https://contrastly.com/experimental-photography/
https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/the-ultimate-photography-round-up/
https://www.studentartguide.com/articles/creative-photography-ideas

Artists to consider:
Vera Lutter: https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/vera-lutters-lacma-obscura 
Uta Barth: http://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/artists/uta-barth/series-photography  | http://www.artnet.com/artists/uta-barth/
Man Ray: https://goo.gl/sYy7gQ // Rayographs: https://goo.gl/uwPB3p
Moyra Davey: http://murrayguy.com/moyra-davey/selected-works/
Barbra Probst: http://murrayguy.com/barbara-probst/selected-works/

Assignment 3: Photogram

Due 9/27

Create 3 experimental pieces using light sensitive paper.  Post them on your blog along with an explanation of your process, what you learned and how you felt about it.

You may alter the paper pre or post process in any way you see fit (scratching, drilling, tearing, using chemicals carefully, etc.) and you may use Lightroom or Photoshop to make alterations (but it's not required).  The final image can be photographed or scanned into the computer using a scanner.  If there's a post-production process in Lightroom or Photoshop, then export a JPEG of your final image at a high resolution and upload it onto your blog.  

Make sure to explain your process on your blog along with the final piece.

The recommended process is called cyanotype, because it's easy to acquire pre-treated paper on sites like Amazon.  You may use a different process if you choose, and if you have training in a Darkroom we can request access to Bailey's Art Studio's darkroom, but this assignment does not require the use of a darkroom.


Cyanotype Paper Options:
SunPrint
Nature Printing Paper


Gelatin Print Option:
Gelatin Printmaking for Kids
Gelatin Printing


Artists for Reference
Anna Atkins
Washington Teasdale
Mike Ware
Christian Marclay
Marco Breuer
Kate Cordsen
John Dugdale

Assignment 2: Place + Experience + Landscape

Due 9/13

Determine a location that you wish to explore through photography; this place must include a landscape. With a DSLR, shoot a series of no less than 100 photographs that relay the experience of being in this place.  From the original 100, choose 10 photographs that you find best relay the place, its history and what is unique about its experience. Post the final 10 photographs to your blog with a statement detailing why you chose the location and what you wanted to relay through the series.

Student Examples:
Zane Willard
Joshua Campbell
Kehri Behles
Jack Dean


What to think about when shooting Landscape Photography

• What is it that entices you about the location?
• Have you ever been a tourist, or been to a place that really took your breath away?  If so, did you ever take a picture to try and capture the grandeur, later looked at it and felt that the image you took didn't do the feeling and location justice?  Why does that happen?  With our eyes, we can see, interpret and choose what details we want to pay attention to and what we don't.  A lens can't do that automatically.  We're also taking a 3D space and flattening it to a 2D image.  The challenge will be to focus and control the lens so that it captures the splendor of what your eyes see.  This can be a matter of finding the right angle and composition.
• What statement are you trying to make about the location.
• Is there something about the place that you're trying to communicate?  Is the location old and feels as if it's from a different world?  Is it crumbling, abandoned and falling apart?  Is it covered in pollution?  Is it covered in flora that is replenishing the bee population?  What can help when choosing your landscape is writing down what theme or statement you want the photos to take, and keep that in mind when taking your shots.
• Thinking in Adjectives
• What is the character of the place?  What words would you describe if explaining the location to a friend?  How can your photos push those feelings?  For example, if you're shooting a light house and the word you want to convey is 'lonely', then if you frame the light house so that it takes up your entire shot on a sunny day, it might hurt not convey the message you intend.  What lighting, time of day and composition might make the same subject feel very different.  

If you're struggling to think about what you want to say about a place, maybe do some research on the location and see what other people have to say about it.  If you agree, you can use that information as your starting point.  If you don't agree with their assessments, then you can use your photos and blogs to make a counter-argument.

Don't worry if not every picture comes out well.  There's a reason why the assignment is to start with 100 photos.  Most of them are going to be crap.  That's okay!  That's normal in photography.  Try different settings, different angles, try the same angles with several different settings.  If you can find 10 decently good photos to use for your blog out of the 100+, you'll be well off.

Artists for Reference
Casper David Fredrich
Ansel Adams
Hiroshige
An-My Le
Josef Struth - Paradise Series
Florian Maier Aichen
Jeff Wall - Flooded Grave
Jason Lazarus - Standing at the Grave of Emmet
Reference from the NY Times
Photographer as Witness