Remind students that I have check all their A assignments on their blogs. This group is responsible for three introductory portrait assignments. The first is the photoshop make over assignment, the second is to photograph a depth of field portrait, and the final one is a high contrast portrait.
Students should have the first one complete and be starting the second one. Some students have been working on the second assignment ( Jake, Scott and Kyle ) They can show the rest of the class their work and these students can take those students that have completed their first assignment outside and photograph the depth of field assignment. The depth of field assignment is illustrated on the tool box links on the above mentioned blog. All students are to visit these sites to become familiar with the effect of shooting with a shallow depth of field. Both examples and theory are listed on the blog links.
For the benefit of students, they should you the following guides for this assignment.
LOCATION ( depth of field portrait Portrait Assignment 2#)
Use a high ISO setting
Use a Telephoto setting on the lens or zoom
Stand at a proper distance from the subject and then zoom to get away from lens distortions
Make sure that there is no camera shake…details in the face must be clearly present
Use reflectors if desired to get fill effects (optional)
Make several different compositions.
Make sure that the background is out of focus by using the telephoto setting or by filming close up to the subject…the latter is less desirable because of lens distortion.
LAB PHOTOSHOP
Use the examples on the monzani website to get a feeling for the shallow depth of field. If required blur the background more and do a colour shift in the background to further separate the subject from the background.
Portrait assignment 3#
Use the fluorescent light fixture on the studio floor to create a high contrast portrait. This can be done with three students. One student holds the fixture approx. half meter from the subjects side. The other student holds a reflector and the opposite side of the subject to reflect back onto the shadow side of the sitter. The other student will use the camera to take the photo graph. Make sure that your ISO setting is high approx. 600 and up. Use the tripod if necessary to eliminate camera shake.
Move the light back and forward to the camera and then away toward the wall and look at the different effects that the shadows create. Take several shots and make sure that the images are sharp. Up the shutter speed to ensure the best sharpness.
