Gmail & Blogger: Getting Started

Our assignment for today is to get set up with a Gmail account and then email the teacher.

• First of all, let's open Gmail:  Go to http://www.gmail.com/ and register for a new account.  
• Write down your Gmail username and password somewhere!  We will be using these accounts with various online tools (including places to store your documents) so if you lose/forget it, you will have to start your portfolio over.

I will walk you through all of the steps in class to complete this, but there are instructions available here if you would like to complete this at a later time.

Next, go to Blogger (www.blogger.com) and sign in with your Google/Gmail username and password.  Select your style, theme, etc.  We will modify these later, but get them ready to begin sharing your work.

Now click on "New Post" and give it the title "Photography".  Answer the following questions:

1. Where do you see photography used?
2. Why does a photographer take [and share] photographs (on Facebook, in a magazine, etc.)?
3. Are photographers trying to share who they are?  What they see?  How they feel?
4. Are they trying to influence people?
5. Why are you interested in photography (and/or why did you take this class?)

After completing the Gmail and Blogger setup, please email me at my work email (rgriffith@kvusd.org) and include the following:

• The subject of the email should be "Photo/Video: " and your first and last name.  (i.e. "Photo/Video: Joe Jones")
• My Blog Address: _________.blogspot.com (Click "View Blog" and look at the URL)
• What you hope to get out of this class.
• Your hobbies (besides "chillin' with friends").
• Something interesting about yourself.

Keep your Google username and password handy -- write them down somewhere if you think you might forget.  If you forget your login information, you will have to start over.

We will be setting up a deviantART account in the near future as well, but for now we will be working with Blogger.

REMINDER:  Try to get access to a camera for homework and in-class projects.  I have a few to loan, but they are pretty beaten up or they are mostly designed for video.

Getting Situated: Blogs, Homework Updates, Critique

The first thing I want you to do is make sure that your portfolio is up and running, and that I have the correct address.  In the list below, click to make sure I am looking at the photography blog you will be using for this specific class.

Note: If you don't have an address listed, that means I didn't get an email from you or you didn't send the address in the correct format.

3° DIGITAL PHOTO AND VIDEO PRODUCTION STUDENT PORTFOLIOS
Ashley Burnett	http://thelichqueen.blogspot.com/	[-]
Jessica Chwialkowski	http://jessicaski267.blogspot.com/	[-]
Sean Farrell	http://seansblogger96.blogspot.com/	[-]
Adriana French	http://adrianaevelyne.blogspot.com/	[-]
Nicholas Hogan	http://bogeyhogan.blogspot.com/	[-]
Jennifer Johnson	http://jenniferjohnson2.blogspot.com/	[-]
Joviane Johnson	http://jovianephotographykhs.blogspot.com/	[-]
Travis Johnson	http://travismajorjumbonews3.blogspot.com/	[-]
Shane Legere	http://shanemlegere.blogspot.com/	[-]
Kayla Maines	http://maineskr.blogspot.com/	[-]
Wyatt Mascolina	http://heywyatt.blogspot.com/	[-]
Alexa Perez	http://alexasphotographykhs.blogspot.com/	[-]
Maeve Rixen	http://maeverixen.blogspot.com/	[-]
Cameron Smith	http://thedanjerzone.blogspot.com/	[-]
Marlin Smith	http://vindictivecows.blogspot.com/	[-]
Andrew Traphagan	http://friedtiedpie.blogspot.com/	[-]
Jason Vaughn	http://jason-v-stuff.blogspot.com/	[-]

Next I would like you to make sure that you have all assignments posted on your portfolio/blog, including the "Rule of Thirds" homework I gave you over the weekend.

Finally, I would like you to view some of your classmates portfolio's and think about what sorts of constructive criticism (good and bad) you would give them on individual pictures.  You aren't actually critiquing them today, you're thinking about HOW you would critique them if asked to do so.

While looking at their work (before you begin writing), consider the following:

• Have you removed any distractions?  If we're texting, checking Facebook, talking to someone on the phone, etc., you aren't in a position to make constructive criticism.  In fact, often people who are distracted say things they don't mean, or don't see how it could be construed as rude.
• Judge the Composition:
• Is there something that distracts from the subject?  Cars in the background?  Photobomber? 
• What is the main subject -- who should I be looking at?
• Is the composition good?
• Do I see nice leading lines in the image that lead to the subject or do they lead away from the subject?
• Is the light good or flat?
• Are there any triangles I see that achieve balance and harmony in the frame?
• Is the perspective good?  Should the photographer have crouched down lower for this shot when taking a photo of a kid or shot more eye-to-eye with the subject?
• Judge the Content:
• Does the photograph immediately pique my interest?
• Is there something unusual or wacky happening in the scene?
• Have I seen a similar photograph taken before by someone else?
• Does the photograph make me feel anything?  Does it make me smile, laugh, cry, frown, or feel depressed?
• Is the image memorable?  Will I remember the image a month [or even a year] from now?

(Remember: We aren't giving any actual critique today)

Giving your constructive criticism:

Generally I prefer oral critique because you can be specific as you point pieces out in the picture.  It also allows you to be more in depth with your evaluation as most typed reviews are on the short side.  This method also allows you to see [and sometimes rescue] how your feedback is being received as you can see facial expressions and body language.

That being said, the majority of feedback/critique we will be doing will likely be online/typed: 

• Initial Impressions:
• You can begin with something like, "When I first looked at the photography, my eye immediately went to..."
• Or something like, "At first glance I thought this picture was very simple, but then..."
• The Top Bun (Positive Feedback):
• Every photo has some sort of merit.  Tell the photographer what you liked about the frame, whether it was the gesture of the subject in the photograph, an interesting background, dynamic colors, or if the subject him/herself was interesting.
• The Meat (Negative Feedback):
• This is the tricky part.  Giving [and hearing] negative feedback is tough.  You don't want to hurt peoples feelings, but honest feedback WILL help us grow as an artist.  Also, if you are giving feedback on something that people ASKED you to critique, you have more leeway because they want honest criticism.  If you're going up to a piece where they never asked for your opinion, go easy.  Some suggestions from a professional photographer (www.erickimphotography.com) include:
• The background is distracting (too many random heads, people, or cars)
• The subject is boring (the subject is standing too static, not moving their hands or making gestures, wearing ordinary clothes, or a blank facial gesture)
• The subject is too centered. Typically I prefer subjects in photographs a little more on the left side of the frame or the right side of the frame (think of the rule of thirds).
• The lighting is bad. The frame itself may be good, but the lighting may be too harsh and there are blown highlights (generally happens when people shoot mid-day or afternoon).
• The image is too busy. There may be too much happening in the frame, and it can be overwhelming to look at.
• The photo doesn’t fit in a series. If someone is asking me to critique an image in a series, I sometimes find images which are good as single images, but don’t work in a series based on a concept.
• There is too much post-processing. I see many images that are too “over-processed” by having too much highlight recovery (HDR-looking), by having too heavy a vignette, or the colors are oversaturated.
• The colors are distracting. If the shot is in color, sometimes colors can be a distraction, especially if there are bright colors such as red or yellow in the corners of the frame (and the subject is more near the center of the frame).
• The Bottom Bun (Positive Feedback):
• It's a good idea to conclude the critique by leaving on a positive note.  Remind them again what you like abou tthe image, and what you think they can improve on.  Tell them if you think the photo is either a "keeper" or something they should not show publically or remove altogether.
• Personal Suggestions:
• If you're going to give a critique, give it your full attention.  Don't throw out a little, "Cool pic!" line, give them specific feedback to make them better photographers.  I would give at least 4 or 5 sentences.
• Ask for critiques and take the criticism for valuable instruction to make your work better.
• Don't be a troll. 

Bump

Project #1: Vantage Points

Focus on one subject (person, animal, building, object, etc.) at a time.  Choose a few different subjects so you have a good set to choose from.

Take five images of each chosen subject from different points of view:

1. From above (bird's-eye view)
2. From below (worm's-eye view)
3. From one side
4. From the front (zoomed out)
5. From the front (zoomed in) 

Blog: Title "Same Subject: Different Points of View"

• Choose the subject that works best for you
• Post your set of pictures to one blog post
• Describe the experience of creating the pictures
• How does a different vantage point change the way the subject is portrayed
• What is your favorite picture from this set?  What qualities do you like about this photo?
• What did you have trouble with?  What would you do differently if you had this assignment again?

Composition: Rule of Thirds

The most basic principle in photography, layout or design is The Rule of Thirds.  The basic idea is that you can divide your photo into an equally divided 3x3 grid with focal targets [sometimes called "sweet spots"] occur at the line intersections.  Photos that the human eye perceives as good or powerful tend to follow the Rule of Thirds.  Even the masters -- painters from hundreds of years ago -- used the Rule of Thirds... although it didn't really become a "rule" until photography came into being.  And even then... it's more of a guideline.  :)

So how do we use the Rule of Thirds in our own compositions?

If you were to look through a viewfinder or at a camera screen you can divide it into thirds by mentally making a Tic-Tac-Toe grid:

Many cameras have a grid or boxes or "corners" indicating where the "sweet spots" are in the photo:

Some phone apps (the iPhone Photo App, for example) have pre-built "Rule of Thirds" helpers:

The idea is that the human eye focuses most on the areas where the lines intersect.  So if we put the focal point of the photo in one of the intersections, the image becomes more attractive or interesting.

Another use of the Rule of Thirds is to place the subjects eyes on the horizontal line.  Ideally one of the eyes would be on one of the interesctions, while the eyes would be looking to the opposite side into the empty space.  This image of a cat is fairly close.

If you are taking (or cropping an existing) landscape photograph, the Rule of Thirds can be used to help add interest to the shot.  Sometimes the horizon line is on [or close to] one of the two horizontal lines.  Sometimes the picture can be divided into three areas -- the foreground, the focal point, and the background.  In the example below, the horizon line follows the bottom line while the subject of the photo is exactly on the interesection.

Here are a few more examples demonstrating the Rule of Thirds:

Now look at the following photographs and see if they follow the Rule of Thirds -- and if so, in what ways:

The Rule of Thirds is utilized in movies as well as photographs.  This is an example of a commercial with the Composition Lines overlayed on the movie.

This guy did a music video about the Rule of Thirds:

A more advanced explanation about the Rule of Thirds can be seen in the video below:

http://blog.muddyboots.org/2007/07/rule-of-thirds.html

http://www.everydayhdr.com/?p=1367


By comparing three different shots, you can see how the placement of the subject in the photo makes a difference in impact.

Remember, that although these are called "rules", they are really more of a suggestion. There are always exceptions to these rules. This photograph, for example, had a very strong subject, it was a simple design, and it broke the rule of thirds -- but it's still a powerful image.

Project #2: Rule of Thirds, Good Composition, Notebook

I would like you to take several pictures following the good design, composition and layout principles we discussed in club today.  Try to keep your subjects as the "center of attention" (i.e. simplicity, rule of thirds, powerful, meaningful, etc.).  You are welcome to do color, black & white, or both.  I'm looking for composition here more than anything else.

I also want you to begin a notebook (spiral is fine) to take notes on photo ideas, useful web sites, etc.  You should also use that notebook to begin scouting for good locations to take pictures.  These can be good subjects, good backgrounds, or even places with open air without power lines or busy roads.  You may even want to keep a photo journal to keep track where, when, and who you photographed.

Photo Analysis: First Analysis

Analysis: Analyze a Photo WITHOUT a Person

1. Find a photograph that is powerful in some way and has good composition.  It can be angry, sad, exciting, sexy, etc., but is aesthetically pleasing.
2. Save a copy of that picture to your folder on Thawspace
3. Open your blogger page and title it: Photo Analysis: Point of View (Photograph 1)
4. Post the picture (with a link to where you found the original) on your blog.
5. Beneath the photo, write "My Evaluation:" followed by a bulleted list including:

• Subject: (What is in the picture?)
• Setting: (Where was the picture taken?)
• Background: (What is behind the subject?)
• Foreground: (What is in front of the subject?)
• Focus: (Is any part of the picture more clear or blurry?)
• Vantage Point / Point of View: (Where was the photographer standing when taking the picture?  Below the subject?  Above the subject?  Very close?  Far away?)
• Composition: (Describe the lines, shapes, patterns, and colors in the image)
• Lighting: (How does the picture make you feel?  Why?
• Meaning:  (What does this picture say to you?)

Analysis: Analyze a Photo WITH a Person

1. Find a photograph that is powerful in some way and has good composition.  It can be angry, sad, exciting, sexy, etc., but is aesthetically pleasing.
2. Save a copy of that picture to your folder on Thawspace
3. Open your blogger page and title it: Photo Analysis: Point of View (Photograph 2)
4. Post the picture (with a link to where you found the original) on your blog.
5. Beneath the photo, write "My Evaluation:" followed by a bulleted list including: 

• Composition: (Describe the shapes, lines and patterns in the picture)
• Focus: (What information is clear in the picture?  What is blurry?)
• Framing: (What is included in the frame and what isn't?  Is anything cropped?)
• Background: (What information is in back of the subject?)
• Foreground: (What information is in front of the subject?)
• Subject: (Who is the subject?  What do you know about the subject based on the information that you see in the picture?)
• People / Clothing: (What are they wearing and what does that tell about their interests, identity, or social group?)
• Pose: (Are they standing or sitting?  What kind of body language and attitude do they have?)
• Expression: (Describe their expression.  What might they be feeling or thinking?)
• Action: (What are they doing?  Can you guess why?)
• Lighting: (Is the lighting bright or dark?  Are there any shadows?  Is the lighting coming from above, below, or the side?  What does the lighting draw your attention to?)
• Point of View: (From where did the photographer take the shot? Above, below, the side, or an angle?  How does this vantage point affect the way you read the picture?)
• Meaning: (Why did the photographer make these choices?  What was the photographer trying to say?  Remember that everything in the picture -- the details, composition, technical choices like focus, subject, lighting, setting, point of view, and the way the photographer sees the subject -- all work together to communicate a message to the viewer.)