Composition Rule of thirds
Guide for stronger photos
 
 
Defining yourself through images:

Some people say "you are what you eat" or.. you are what you read, or what you wear, buy, own, or look like. How do you work or play? Maybe you are defined by what you do, what you make, where you live, your family or your friends.

This is an exercise to work on your camera skills and creativity to make a series of images that can be shared to help the viewer get a sense of who you are.

Use your camera freely to capture aspects of your life and world. Don't rely on what you think will work... capture all aspects of your life and choose/edit when you see the results. Think artist and poet rather than reporter or documentarian. Your images may be literal and descriptive or abstract and symbolic. Part of who you are is related to how you want to represent who you are.
DO NOT Photograph objects with words - rely on visual images- symbols.

Goals:
You will be using your camera OFF automatic or Program. You will use Aperture Priority mode.
Learn more about how your camera works.
Experiment with the way you represent the world.
Use your camera to express an idea - not just capture images.

After shooting at Least 100 images you will select about 6 to 8 images to share with the class. variety as well as the quantity of images.
(100 is the minimum - this equals an average or "C" for effort)
Effort also looks at the variety of subjects and locations you shoot.


Method
Use your camera as a notebook or diary to capture a wide variety of images.
Use your camera at different times of day and in different places.Think about what you want the viewer to know about you. Do your images represent you?
You should describe your private and public persona.
How would you describe yourself in words? D
o your images match or exceed this description?

A. Framing
• Composition: deciding what elements are in the frame; be intentional with every element in the frame, and the juxtaposition of elements, how they relate to each other.
• Edge of the frame: what's on the edge? Does the subject extended beyond the edges? Or are the elements contained within the frame?
• Proximity: close-up, medium, far
• Perspective: angle of view; low, from above, from the side, tilted, straight on

B. Focusing
• Use focusing techniques covered in class (holding shutter release half way down when focusing on the desired subject, then reframing.
• Focal length (close, medium, telephoto, macro, and wide): Use the many lens options to change perspective, proximity, composition, scale, and foreground/background relationships.

  • C. More Visual Elements
    • Color- look for the interplay of colors- complementary or analogous
    • Form- look for shapes - the way the light affects them
    • Line- look for examples of curved and straight lines
    • Light/Shadow- capture the way light and shadows change the overall image
    • Texture- capture how objects have different surface characteristics (smooth/rough)

Save all of your images, and don't manipulate them on the computer.

You will sort and rank your images and share 6+ images with the class.

Completing the assignment:
Use the workflow to load, rename and star rate your images:
Load your images in the "Define" folder with your name on it.
When you rename the files- use your initials (First 3 letters of last name) and F12M or F12E (Morning or Evening class) and then "Define" and the "Current filename" from your camera.
Star rate your images and COPY 6 that best represent your deninition of yourself in the folder with your name on it in the Define Yourself Share Folder.
These images should show the diversity of your personality- don't concentrate on only one aspect.
Fill out the Exercise/Assignment evaluation form to report on how you did on this exercise.
We will be doing a peer critique of two of your classmates- you will choose names and fill out one of these forms for each of them.

 
     

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