About Participation....

Just another reminder....You get a grade in my class every day. You receive a 100 or a zero each day. I average those grades and record a weekly participation grade for you. It is based upon how wisely you use your time in Basic Photography. Please stay on task! We have plenty to do! I expect you to devote the entire class period to PHOTOGRAPHY! If you finish an assignment early, let me know. You may move on to the next assignment. At any time you finish early you may also experiment with PhotoShop, and I will consider this being on task provided your work is done. The more you work with the program, the more you learn. If you are doing work for another class, writing letters to your friends, surfing the Internet, or otherwise disturbing those who are working on their photography assignments, it will be reflected in your participation grade.

Macro photo assignment

Your next photo assignment will be due Monday, October 2nd. The subject should be an extreme close-up of an object. Research the Internet for Macro Photography to get some ideas. Like always, you should take the equivalent of a roll of film--35-40 shots. We will make a contact sheet of the best 12 on Monday. Your deadline grade will be assigned then---a 100 or a zero. Your final photo will be due Friday, October 6th.

test

Be looking for a test on the first chapter in your digital photography book on Friday, September 29th. Read over the worksheets and handouts to prepare.

IMPORTANT!!!!

Some students have been trying to pass off old photos in current assignments. Some photos downloaded for the landscape assignment were six months to a year old! This is not acceptable!! Photography is all about being out there taking lots of pictures. You will generally have at least 3 days notice before an assignment is due. More often than not, it will be closer to a week. You MUST take fresh photos each time!! Old photos, even ones from the previous assignment, DO NOT COUNT! If you do not have new photos that meet the current assignment's criteria in class on the due date, you will receive a zero for your deadline grade. You all signed a pledge at the beginning of the semester that all photos would be taken BY YOU and WITHIN THIS SEMESTER! If you turn a project in for a grade that does not meet these standards, you will not only receive a zero, but it will be turned in to Administration for disciplinary action! Also, please remember it is YOUR responsibility to bring in your camera AND cord on the due date. No excuses! If you know you'll be absent, bring it in the day before. Assignments will be posted on this blog, so you should always know what's due and when.

This Blog

Some of you seem confused about assignments and due dates. Please remember you can always check this site for information about both. If you ever have to miss school you can also use this site to keep from getting behind. Remember, if you don't have your photos ready on a due date, you are at a complete standstill while the others in the class are moving on. If you get very far behind, it will be difficult to catch up. If you know classmates who are not using the blog, please remind them! Thanks!!

2nd photo assignment

Your second photo assignment will be due on Monday, September 25th. It will be a landscape or seascape shot, which we will convert to black and white with PhotoShop. It can be farmland, the beach, a woodsy location, etc. You should take the picture in color, but keep in mind that it should be very high contrast so it will show up well in b & w. This shot can contain structures or people, but they should be incidental---think calendar shot. Once again, you should take 35-40 shots that meet this criteria. Please use your imagination and make it creative!! We will use a minimum of 12 for our contact sheet. We will further develop six through PhotoShop, and narrow it down to the one best photo to turn in for a grade.

First Photo Assignment!!

Your first photo assignment will be due Monday, September 18th. We will be shooting an exterior architectural photo---NO PEOPLE! It can be a close-up detail shot, but doesn't have to be. Most any man-made structure qualifies. Use your imagination! Consider shooting an unusual angle. Whatever you choose, it should be high-interest. You should take 35-40 photos that meet this criteria. Of these, we'll make a contact sheet using at least 12 shots. You'll choose six to enhance through photoshop. The one best photo will be turned in for a project grade. BE CREATIVE!!! For ideas, read the information at:
photo.net/learn/architectural/exterior

the "N" drive

I have moved your folders to the "N" drive which is where we will put our photos. Please check under "My Computer" to make sure that you all have access to this drive.

Your cameras...

Please be sure to bring your camera to class next week. We'll start going over the parts of the camera and what each thing does. Look for this activity about Wednesday. Also we will take some photos during Saturday school on September 9th.

Research Project due!

I know you have all been hard at work on your PowerPoint project on your chosen photographer. These projects should be ready to present to the class on Tuesday, September 12th. I will give you class time on Monday to complete the presentations. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FOLLOWED ALL THE GUIDELINES!!! Please be prepared to take notes from each presentation as you will have all these photographers on your first test.

Research Project

We've completed our first project---the "Who's Who" activity. I hope this helped you get to know your classmates and gave you a little bit of practice working with photos. I have set up your folders on the "S" drive, each with your own picture. We will start our next project today, September 5th. You will select a photographer to research and prepare a PowerPoint presentation. Please read up on the biographical information and be able to answer questions about your photographer. You should be very familiar with his/her work. You will begin giving your presentations next Monday. I will give you plenty of time to finish them in class.

In the meantime, get familiar with your cameras. Take some photos and load them onto the computers at school. Read your manuals and play with the controls. I want you to be comfortable with them when we do our first photo assignment. We'll be talking about exposure all this week in class to help you take better photos.