Tabletop Photos |
Lighting can evolve a photo from nice to impressive, to achieve more light in a photo all you need is a window and a mirror. In the tabletop lesson, the photo students learn how to use and reflect light on a still life.
The class experimented with different ways to reflect light on the subject matter to make it more interesting and well-lit. Initially, the students worked in groups to set up still lives and experiments with the mirrors to test out the different photo techniques, in some cases they took photos with natural light and other times they played with reflecting light from a flashlight in a completely dark room. The students enjoyed the opportunity to work together and create the photo from start to finish. Check out their creative solutions to the challenge of tabletop photography. |
Rule of Thirds and Balancing Elements
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Depth and Leading Lines
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When taking a photo with Rule of thirds imagine that your image is divided into nine equal segments by two vertical and two horizontal lines. The rule of thirds says that you should position the most important elements in your scene along these lines, or at the points where they intersect.
When using Balance in a photo placing your main subject off-center, as with the rule of thirds, creates a more interesting photo, but it can leave a void in the scene which can make it feel empty. You should balance the "weight" of your subject by including another object of lesser importance to fill the space. |
Photography is a two-dimensional medium, to convey a sense of depth it is important to think about the location where the photos are being taken. Offent the photographer needs to change their angle of view. Depth can be created by including objects in the foreground, middle ground, and background. Another useful composition technique is overlapping, where you deliberately partially obscure one object with another. The human eye naturally recognizes these layers and mentally separates them out, creating an image with more depth.
Our eye is naturally drawn along lines that are captured in a photo. When we carefully consider how lines in a composition, can affect the way we view the image, something in the image will appear to come toward us or move away from us. The students looked for different types of lines - straight, diagonal, curvy, zigzag, radial, etc - and each can be used to create an interesting photo composition. |
To get the feel for composition and Photoshop, the photography class was challenged with a "Who Made it Best" Photo rection challenge. The class looked at a photo by Valparaíso (Chile. 1952-1963), and we talked about how the image was created with shapes and values. The students then needed to recreate the image as best they could in the school. Check out their creative solutions above.
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Rule of Thirds
Symmetry and Balance
Pattern & Perspective
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To start the year off right, the photography students learned ways to create a strong composition. The lesson was broken down so each day the class learned about one to two new compositional stages. Then we traveled around the school to find examples of what we had studied. Students were encouraged to find even more unique images at home or in their day-to-day travels.
Croping & Negative Space
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Photo by Finn Kosich
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Karle Blossfeldt was self-taught in photography who lived from 1865-1932. He was working with photography when it was a relatively new technology and artform, His work focuses on plant life, his images are so close up and detailed they become abstract. His documentation acted like portraits of plants celebrating their complex structures.
After learning about Blossfeldt the photography class whent exploring outside to find plants that they could create images inspired by Blossfeldt style and aesthetic. This assignment also allowed students to play with the settings on thire cameras, they needed to figure out what would give them the best result for a close up image. |
Self Portrait by Mary Cassatt
Recrated by Caitlin Connors Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo De Vinci
Recrated by Josie O’Hare Edwin Denby by Peter Hujar
Recrated by Colby Klob |
Each student found a work of art from any time period, by any artist, and in any medium that they found interesting. Once they selected a work of art, they learned that they would have to recreate it in a photo. This is always a bit shocking and students try to change their image to something else they feel is "easier". They are disappointed instantly to hear that they cannot change the image but they become excited when they begin to plan how they can recreate the image.
The process of the project pushes students to think creatively and work together to problem solve. Often they take a photo and then compare it to the original work of art and see what they need to do to impove. The final results are always rewarding. Students also complete a research presentation on their artist and artwork. Sharing what they learned with their classmates and showing off their creative interpretations of the original image. Father and Son in Kitchen by Paul Outerbridge
Recated by Trey Smith |
By Josi O'Hare
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Once students started to get the hang of the camera settings, how to make an interesting composition and the basics of photoshop, they were ready to get creative. With the multi-layer project, students needed to create three different images. Each image needed to be made up of three different photos. Using photoshop, students needed to select portions of each photo to layer together and create unique images. Take a close look and see if you can see each of the different photos the students have selected.
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The Greenville art students traveled to Massachusetts to visit the Clark Art Institute to study and experience art in real life. The group began their visit with a tour led by the Clark's docent. The docent focused on a variety of works from different time periods. The students then had an opportunity to explore the gallery on their own and find artworks that they found inspirational. They had a great time and gained a greater appreciation for art.
The photo class was tasked with finding interesting spaces, works of art and details in the museum and capturing them on camera. Chek out what they found. |
Caitlin Connors
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Cameras are able to capture motions from a fragment of a second to many seconds, this inevitably changes the image. The class learned how to change the shutter speed and aperture on their cameras and document how a moving object would look with different settings. Each student needed to slect one moving subject matter and take mutiple photos with different shutter speeds. The longer shutter speed the more blury the images became. Students then compiled their images to create a visual display that they could reference to as they experimented and took more advanced and conceptual images.
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Karle Blossfeldt was a self-taught in photography who lived from 1865-1932. He was working with photography when it was a relitvily new tencnoligy and artfrom, His work fouces on plant life, his images are so close up and detailed they become abstract. His documention acted like a portraits of plants celebrating their complex structures.
After learing about Blossfeldt the photo class whent exploring outside to find plants that they could creat images ispired by Blossfeldt styl and astedick. This asminet also alowed studesn to play with the settings on thire cameras, they needed to figure out what would give them the best resutl for a close up image. |
Karl Blossfeldt
Plate 91- Centaurea odorata, 1932 |
The first project of the year can take us all out of our comfort zone, this is especially true when you have never used a camera before. As a class, we all look at the cameras and learn what most of the functions do. Then we start to talk about what makes an intresting photo, starting with the basics such as rule of thirds, angle of view and framing. Students then explored the world they live in through the camera lens looking for interesting examples of these compositional techniques to create works of art.
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Photo by Colby Klob
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The class reviewed the elements of art for their first photo project. They were challenged to find examples of line, shape. space, texture and value. We also discussed photo techniques such as rule of thirds, angle of view and framing. Students then explored the world they live in through the camera lens looking for interesting examples of the elements of art.
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Each student found a work of art from any time period, by any artist, and in any medium that they found interesting. Once they selected a work of art, they learned that they would have to recreate it in a photo. This is always a bit shocking and students try to change their image to something else they feel is "easier". They are disappointed instantly to hear that they cannot change the image but they become excited when they begin to plan how they can recreate the image.
The process of the project pushes students to think creatively and work together to problem solve. Often they take a photo and then compare it to the original work of art and see what they need to do to impove. The final results are always rewarding. Students also complete a research presentation on their artist and artwork. Sharing what they learned with their classmates and showing off their creative interpretations of the original image. |
Photo by Courtney Baeckmann
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Once students started to get the hang of the camera settings, how to make an interesting compostion and the basics of photoshop, they were ready to get creative. With the multi-layer project, students needed to create three different images. Each image needed to be made up of three different photos. Using photoshop, students needed to select portions of each photo to layer together and create unique images. Take a close look and see if you can see each of the different photos the students have selected.
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To better understand how to use all the functions of a camera, the photography class was challenged to capture motion. To do this, they needed to adjust the shutter speed and understand that the longer the shutter is open, the more movement (blur) the camera would capture. The shorter the shutter speed, the more crisp the photos would be.
Students then tried to create interesting images using shutter speed, their knowledge of the elements of art, and compositional techniques. |
The class reviewed the elements of art for their first photo project. They were challenged to find examples of line, shape. space, texture and value. We also discussed photo techniques such as rule of thirds, angle of view and framing. Students then explored the world they live in through the camera lens looking for interesting examples of the elements of art.
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Students each found a work of art from any time period, by any artist and in any medium that they found interesting. Once they selected a work of art, they learned that they would have to recreate it in a photo. This is always a bit shocking and students try to change their image to something else they feel is "easier". They are disappointed instantly to hear that they cannot change the image but they become excited when they begin to plan how they can recreate the image.
The process of the project pushes students to think creatively and work together to problem solve. Often they take a photo and then compare it to the original work of art and see what they need to do to impove. The final results are always rewarding. Students also complete a research presentation on their artist and artwork. Sharing what they learned with their classmates and showing off their creative interpretations of the original image. |
Photograph by Grace Statham
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To better understand how to use all the functions of a camera, the photography class was challenged to capture motion. To do this, they needed to adjust the shutter speed and understand that the longer the shutter is open, the more movement (blur) the camera would capture. The shorter the shutter speed, the more crisp the photos would be.
Students then tried to create interesting images using shutter speed, their knowledge of the elements of art, and compositional techniques. |