Final Portfolio

Due 4/26

The final portfolio will consist of twenty images arranged in a Lightroom/Blurb book format (PDF required, printed Blurb book optional)

Contents:

Project 1: 5-7 strongest images
Project 2: 5-7 strongest images
Strongest mages from various assignments and exercises from the course: 6-10 strongest images

Curate your portfolio carefully. Consult with classmates and faculty to gather a wider perspective. The portfolio should represent your very best efforts.

Single continuous light, with varied background spill

Long Project 2: Human Figure

\

Dates:

Proposal: 4/3
Prelim: Wednesday, 4/12

Final: Wednesday, 4/26

Create a body of work that explores the human form in an important way. These can be portraits, abstractions of the body, nudes, theatrical, conceptual, or other. Work toward a cohesive group of images that are aesthetically and conceptually related. Plan to submit between 5-7 final images, in print form as well as digital (jpegs 1200).

Create most appropriate studio lighting design to support your images. 

Proposals should be 1 page, referencing the work of two established artists as inspiration

Work will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Original, inspiring, and creative idea/vision/approach
• Quality of lighting design
• Quality of photographic design
• Technical (camera, lighting, file management, etc.)
• Deliverables (prints, files, etc.)
• Growth of the project over the course of the assignment

Proposals, prelim and final critiques will be graded.

Assignment 7: Fill Lights and Accents

Read Chapter 8

• Set up main light for Rembrandt or short lighting, using a small soft box
• Set up an umbrella fill
• Set up kicker(s), with grid spots, or barn doors to minimize flare
• Set up hair light, with grid spots, or barn doors to minimize flare
• Set up background light. Use black or gray seamless.

Shoot reference shots sequentially, so there is a record of how the setup is built, recording each addition of a new light. Make sure the exposures and respective intensities of the lights are balanced appropriately. 

Shoot the following Lighting Ratios:

Key/Fill

1:1 Key light and fill light same intensity
1:2 Fill light one stop lower than key light
1:4 Fill light two stops lower than key light
1:8 Fill light 3 stops lower than key light
1:16 Fill light 4 stops lower than key light, or off

Kickers, Hair lights and Background lights need to be at a useful intensity. Try not to blow out detail too much, or create distractions. Also, use grids/barn doors to minimize flare and spill.

For starters:

• Set kicker to match f-stop of key and then adjust for ratio of 1:2, or 1:4
• Set hair light to match f-stop of key and then adjust for ratio of 1:2, or 1:4

Assignment 6: Portrait, Light Directions

Due: 3/6

Short Lighting

The first portrait project explores how placement of the key light can affect the rendering of the face. This is one of the most important concepts of portrait lighting design. Please read pages 193-206 for further discussion and visual examples.

Take your time. Correct exposure, appropriate f-stop, focus are all important.

Create portfolio worthy portraits that explore the following:

• Fairly tight framing that features head and shoulders, without cutting them off.
• Low-key background with well-considered spot. Hint: create adequate distance between subject and background material so that wrinkles are not sharp
• Thoughtful styling...put in some planning with outfits, hair, accessories and go for it. Move beyond silly mug shots. 
• Use of single light source, no fill light. Reflector encouraged.

For each of the following, use a soft box. Explore how the use of a reflector can be important

1. Explore 45/45 lighting, sometimes known as Rembrandt, achieving what is referred to in the book as the "key triangle."
2. Short Lighting
3. Broad Lighting
4. Front lighting
5. Side lighting
6. Beauty lighting

Long Project 1: Meaningful Object(s)

Proposal Due: 3/1, in class. Be prepared to discuss.
Preliminary critique: Wednesday 3/8
Final Critique: Wednesday, 3/22

Write a 1-page proposal for a still life project. Your proposal should consist of:

• An overall idea or concept for your images...reflect on some themes or ideas you hope to communicate.
• A description of the subjects that will express these ideas
• A description of the backdrop/background
• Any particulars regarding the set-up of the still life that you are considering that come to mind (e.g. need to build a stand to prop up objects)
• A brief description of at least two still life examples, by well-known, established photographers (choose two different artists) that serve to inspire the set-up and/or lighting design of your project. These examples should be properly referenced. Start with examples from the class blog.
• 1 page

Plan for several shooting sessions outside of class. Reserve studio time well in advance.

Over the course of the project you will be shooting many variations. Keep all of these, planning to turn them in. Create 5-7 strong finished images. Print all, letter size, for critique. The strongest image will be printed full size to at least 16" x 20". Shoot RAW and focus carefully to ensure that the image will hold up through enlargement.

Assignment 5: Photographing Glass

For 2/27

Referring to class demo and the textbook for technical set-up, create expressive explorations of white-field/dark-line glass and dark-field/white-line glass. Be selective with glass choices, arrangement and lighting design to create something exciting. For this exercise, stick to transparent glass objects only.

Proper use of light meter is important for this project. Use reflective meter readings when the light source is also the background, as in white field/black line, and the "hidden light behind" method for black field/white line (method covered in the book). For side-light black field/white line, use incident meter readings.

Examples:

white field/black line (background=light source)

black field/white line ("hidden light behind" method)

white field/black line (background=light source)

black field/white line (side-light method)