Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Next week, and then...

We will continue presenting the Famous Photographers until everyone has had a chance to teach us.  As a class, we'll decide when the test on these masters will occur. In the meantime, we'll discuss refining your idea for the 10 images in the style of the artist you studied, but will also be moving ahead to Photoshop, which some of you might actually need to use for the 10 images! I am placing a link to Adobe.TV on the side of the blog. I'll be teaching you in class, but we won't cover everything, so feel free to watch vids that interest you.

While the 8th graders were on their retreat, the 7th graders took photos demonstrating the absence of the Class of 2014 and their instructors. Look for these to be hanging in the hallway soon!

Friday, August 23, 2013

8/26 - 8/30

Research and development for your Famous Photographers Project continues. As I mentioned in class, I would much rather have a quality project that takes a little longer, than a quickly completed slideshow with no substance.

You will be teaching the students WHY your photographer is famous, the SUBJECT of the photos, a little bit of biographical information, and HOW to recognize this artist's work. I will be providing a template for note taking during the presentations. TAKE NOTES! You WILL have a test on which you must identify photographs by the artist who took them, the date of which will depend on when we finish presenting. We'll agree on a date together as a class.

Once all presentations are completed, we'll talk about how to develop a series of images based on what you learned from this photographer. You will become a photojournalist!

Friday, August 16, 2013

Composition, moving into famous photographers

Week of 8/19

The lesson on composition principles had a dramatic effect on the portraits of objects, You all did an outstanding job setting up the shot and editing the image for the strongest composition. Finish your descriptive paragraph on Monday, then we move into studying the Masters.

Tuesday - Friday

You will receive instructions for a 3-part project that will teach you what makes a photographer "great."

Part 1: Write a brief essay giving us biographical information on your assigned photographer.
Part 2: Create a presentation using your favorite software (Prezi, PowerPoint, Keynote,etc.) that includes a minimum of 10 images attributed to this photographer.
Part 3: You will create your own images in the style of the photographer you have studied, learning what impacts the viewer.

This project may take longer than three days to prepare. We may need to continue into the following week. Stay tuned!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Composition

We had fun making sun prints using paper coated with cyan. This method was used by scientists to classify botanical forms, prior to photography. Today we reviewed concepts of composition in photography. The link to the website we reviewed is here: digital tips . Next the students had to create a portrait of an object using the information just learned. The images will be posted soon!

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Week of 8/12-8/16

Digital Studio is a blast! Just ask our returning 8th graders who have completed the first course, and will be working on more advanced independent projects this year. We begin the understanding of the history of computer imaging by taking a look at how it all began - photography born out of the Industrial Revolution.

IN CLASS
Day 1: Acceptable technology usage
            Syllabus (of course...)
            Where and why did photography originate?

            ADVANCED STUDENTS
            Create a blog for yourself that you will be using throughout the year. You may use Weebly,
            Edublogs, Blogger, or any other blog platform that I approve.

Day 2: Create a nature print using specially-coated papers.
            Capture an image, load to a computer, and enlarge to see pixellation.
      
             ADV: The power of photojournalism, how an image tells a story.

Day 3:  Vocabulary of photography and composition

              ADV:  Portrait of an object, composition

Day 4: Camera "Scavenger Hunt" - understanding how to use a digital camera.

              ADV: Series of 10 related images that produce a storyline


                      

Saturday, August 3, 2013

MAC LAB IS BACK!

Hooray! I am thrilled to be teaching Digital Studio again. This is a fabulous elective that combines graphic design, photography, and Mac computers.If you are returning to Digital Studio for a second year, your curriculum will be different and more challenging. (Do I hear cheering?) The class will meet in the Mac Lab, located across from the Media Center.I'll explain about bringing your own equipment on the first day of class. Looking forward to seeing you there!