Year 3/4 Portrait lighting workshop assignment for certification

Go through your photos from the lighting workshop and select and edit 3 portfolio quality images.
Ideally you should choose at least one in the studio.

Post each on your blog and write an analysis of each one discussing the following:

Light - discuss natural vs. artificial light and any details that demonstrate your learning from the workshop with Steve Carty. (Direction, placement, distance, angle, number of lights etc.) Also, whether a reflector was used and what that may have contributed to the photo.

Background to subject relationship (distance from the background and choice of background)

Expression - discuss what works about the expression on the subject's face.

Composition - placement of subject in frame - vertical vs. horizontal.

For studio shots please add a diagram (you can do this quickly in photoshop or illustrator and save as a jpg) of your subject, lights, background and camera placements - see Steve's diagrams.

Once this is completed, you will be eligible to receive your certification!

Way to go everyone!

Pen Tool Tips and Tricks for Illustrator - Year One Tech

A few things to remember when using Adobe Illustrator to trace a photo:

1. USE LAYERS:
a) Put your photograph on layer 1, lock it so it doesn't move around and then make a new layer to trace the parts of the photograph.
b) Use a new layer for each segment of the object you are tracing so that you can easily control, arrange and manipulate each layer.
c) Rename and label each layer so you know what's on it. ie. Head, facial features, ears etc.

2. USE AS FEW POINT AS POSSIBLE WITH THE PEN TOOL
a) Try clicking each time your line changes direction and not every few millimetres (which will give you hundreds of annoying little nodes that will make you crazy!)
b) Use the pen tool to create curves. You will have better control if you learn to use anchor points and handles to create your vector illustrations.

Review the tutorials I posted a few days ago and keep practising.

Spend today working on creating a traced version of one of the photographs that you selected as your logo image.

Year One Logo Assignment - Wednesday

Spend the first 15-20 minutes of the period coming up with a few adjectives that you think describe you, and then decide on a company name and what your creative company does and who your clients are.

Then begin searching for animals and objects that you think express this personality and style.

Once you have found 5-10 images for your 2 -3 objects/animals, post them on your blog with a brief description that will tell me about your style, personality and company.

We will review this on Thursday.
If you need to view the video again, please do.

If you'd like to then practice with the pen tool in Illustrator you can do that too.


Aaron Draplin Takes On a Logo Design Challenge from Lynda.com on Vimeo.

Pen Tool Tutorials - Year One Tech

Rhythm Post test

Don't forget to Export as a png from Illustrator. Click on Use Artboards. 

This one has no black outline around it.

But this one does. Notice that one line in the bottom right that doesn't quite meet the edge of the outline. That's annoying. Don't make that same mistake!

Please post your final Steady Rhythm and your final Dynamic Rhythm using artboards, white backgrounds and the black outline. Mine was 5 pt.

Then write your analysis and add it both to the blog and to your printed assignment that you submit to me by the end of the day tomorrow! Yay!

Year 3 Portraiture - Friday Sept. 23

Spend this period fine tuning your best 3 portraits, based on what we discussed in class yesterday. Look at lighting, composition, pose and facial expression as well as background/foreground relationship.

Please post your best 3 (one per lighting scenario - see the previous post) and write briefly about each image from the suggestions in the previous post.

Next steps will be to plan your portrait series.
We will be learning more about lighting on Thursday. In the meantime, continue gathering images on your Pinterest board that you find inspiring and begin sketching ideas for lighting scenarios, models, poses etc. as well as an overall concept for your portrait series.

Year 3 Portrait Photography

Research the types of portrait photographs you would like to take, and/or are inspired by in each of the following available light situations:

1. Window light
2. Open shade
3. Direct sunlight

Find at least one image for each of the three lighting situations and briefly write about the photos. Discuss some or all of the following:
The poses, the light, the expressions, what you like about each of them, the difference between each of the lighting situations.


Your assignment:

Take one portrait in each of the following available lighting situations: window light, open shade, direct sunlight

Procedure:
Shoot the equivalent (minimum) of three old school rolls of film (24-36 frames) for each of the three lighting situations listed above.

You can photograph the same person, or three different people. Search/think about locations you'd like to use and take a variety of photographs in each of the locations.

Once you've shot your "rolls" of film, view, select and edit your best 3 from each. You'll end up with 9 images. Then choose your best shot to show in class.

Shooting days: Thursday/Friday
Editing: Friday/Monday
Present: Tuesday. Be ready to present your final image on Tuesday. I'd like to print them all so we can do a proper critique. Try to get them finished by Monday and ready to print during lunch or after school.