Brea

 Lets talk in class tonight and develop a plan to bring you current.   Okay? 

Connie

Where has the time gone??

We are almost at the point where our semester will be over.  As usual, we are running short of time to complete everything that I had wanted to cover in class, so I'm going to make some revisions to our syllabus to accommodate my optimistic understanding of what we would have time for. 

Tonight; Nov. 24th.
We will work to complete any bits of work that you need to finish to put your still life portfolios togther to turn in.  Remember that these need to have your negatives, contact proof sheet, trial prints and test strips that show evidence of your practice with sepia toning and handcoloring, two final sepia toned and handcolored prints along with a brief written statement that addresses which technique you thought worked the best for you and whether or not you feel the addition of sepia tone and handcoloring helped or hurt your images. 

We will also work to develop your portrait negatives and work towards getting two final portrait prints. If you believe that your final portrait prints would look better sepia toned and/or handcolored, this will be available for you to use on your prints.  These prints will be the last ones that are required in your summative portfolio. 

We will also work toward getting ready for our critique.  For this critique you should have ready to display your two still life final prints and your two final portrait prints for a total of four final prints for critique. 

December 1st:
This will be our last critique.  After the critique I will distribute the take home written final and demonstrate the tone drop out technique that will be your demonstration final for the semester.  The requirements for your summative portfolio will be discussed.

Summative Portfolio Requirements are:
1.  Final landscape print
2.  Final two selective focus prints; one that shows wide depth of field and one that shows    narrow depth of field.
3.  Final two motion prints: one that shows blurred or captured motion and one that shows stopped motion.
4.  Final two still life prints.
5.  Final two portrait prints.
6.  One final tone drop out print from your performance final that you will perform and finish next week.

This is a total of 10 prints.

December 8th:
You will have time in class to perform your demonstration final in the darkroom.  For this you will need your portrait negatives, your technique sheet that addresses the tone drop out technique and your 8x10" photo paper.  You should turn in your completed take home written final along with your summative portfolio for grading. 

This is our last day of scheduled class.  Graded Summative Portfolios may be picked up when you deliver your camera to Ms. Werner on or before 12/10. 

On a personal note:
I have so very much enjoyed teaching this class this semester.  I have enjoyed watchng your progress in class and seeing your personal application of this medium begin to take shape.  I hope that you will consider signing up for Photo 2 ... creative shooting, printing and materials are explored to a greater length in this class. 

Enjoy your second semester classes! 

Connie

Portrait Assignment

Portrait Assignment:
Our portrait assignment is important because we will be using these negatives to perform the next two assignments that deal with creative printing techniques. 

When shooting for this assignment, I want you to think about a classic black and white portrait; where the subject's head and shoulders  pretty much fill the frame and the background is very secondary to the subject.  You should strive to capture an attitude about your subject that depicts a feeling or emotion.  To further the emotive aspect of your portrait we are going to "push" your film when you shoot. 

To "push" your film, you will use our regular 400 ASA film, but fool your camera into thinking that it has much faster film then it really is using ... so change your film speed setting to 1600 if possible, or 800 if you can't set it as high as the 1600 mark.  When you do this, your camera thinks it has faster film than it really does, so your negatives are underexposed.  To compensate for this under exposure, you will over process your film.  The formula that you follow simply increases the original time to the original time + half for each step increase.  So if your original time is 8 minutes, you add 8 + 4 and process your film for 12 minutes instead of 8.  You do this for each step increase (doubling of your number) of your ASA setting. 

Why do this?  This changes your film so that the grain is increased, the contrast is heightened and the edges of your image softens.  Your image is altered creatively more and more the further you push your film.  It becomes a technique that gives you control over how the final image is shaped ... you're not limited to the technical expectations and the make-up of your films' chemistry. 

Keep only one person in your picture.  It does not have to be the same person, but it can be.  Stay aware of what your F-stop is set to.  You want to have a somewhat shallow depth of field, but you don't want such a limited focus that only one feature on their face is in focus.  You should generallly focus on the eyes of your subject, but since you are shooting a full roll of film, play with that rule a bit; focus on a whisp of hair, the curve of the neck, an earring, etc. on a few frames.

and have fun!

Aesthetic Puzzle for the week of November 3rd

William Carlos Williams and the Icebox:

The following is one of William Carlos William's best-known and most often anthologized poems:

     THIS IS JUST TO SAY
    
     I have eaten
     the plums
     that were in
     the icebox
     and which
     you were probably
     saving
     for breakfast.

     Forgive me
     they were delicious
     so sweet
     and so cold.

What, if any, difference should it make if someone discovered that Williams had not written this as a poem, that he had never intended it for publication, and that, in fact, it was just a note he had left on the door of a friend's refrigerator after eating all the plums?

Class Cancellation

I have sent emails out to all of you, but I thought this might be the best way to contact you. 

I'm sorry for the late notice, but I must cancel class tonight due to illness.  I will set up the chemistry in the darkroom so that you can complete printing your still life assignment.  We will sepia  tone and handcolor your final prints next week.

Thank you for your understanding.