Photo Mini Assignment #3: Photographing the Same Subject from Different Perspectives

Today’s essential question: How can I take at least 10, different, interesting photos of the same subject?

Today we will pick one subjects and spend all class photographing that same subject from a variety of viewpoints, and in a variety of locations. Think about what story you are telling with each photo. We will then post the best 10 photos to our blogs.

Here are some examples taken by previous 10th grade students:

Victoria

Mariana

McKenzie

Today we will:

• Pick a subject and photograph only that subject from a variety of viewpoints
• Create a new blog post with the following
  • The best 10 photos taken today to our blogs
  • A few sentences describing how easy or challenging it was to stick to photographing the same subject all class

Rainy Catch Up Day

Today we will finish the following incomplete assignments and post them to our blogs:

• Low poly portrait
• Bad Photos Assignment

Very few people properly completed the “Bad Photos” Assignment. In order to receive credit, you must publish ONE blog post that contains the following:

• A photo for each category. You must publish 7 different photos (even if a photo could work for multiple categories, you must label it with just one category):
  • blurry photo
  • crooked photo
  • poorly exposed photo
  • photo without clear subject matter
  • photo with poor composition
  • cliché photo
  • photo with awkward objects in the background
• Each photo must be clearly labeled with the appropriate category

Caeline and Elyse have properly completed this assignment. Please check their blogs for examples of how to properly complete the assignment.

 

Photo Assignment #2: Angle of View

Very few people properly completed the “Bad Photos” Assignment. In order to receive credit, you must publish ONE blog post that contains the following:

• A photo for each category. You must publish 7 different photos (even if a photo could work for multiple categories, you must label it with just one category):
  • blurry photo
  • crooked photo
  • poorly exposed photo
  • photo without clear subject matter
  • photo with poor composition
  • cliché photo
  • photo with awkward objects in the background
• Each photo must be clearly labeled with the appropriate category

Caeline and Elyse have properly completed this assignment. Please check their blogs for examples of how to properly complete the assignment.

Angle of View

Today’s essential question: How can pointing a camera up, down, or straight ahead change the overall mood of the photograph?

Today we will take interesting photographs from different camera angles.

Eye Level

An eyelevel angle is the one in which the camera is placed at the subject’s height. Eye level shots are incredibly common because they are neutral. They often have no dramatic power whatsoever.   

High Angle

In a high angle (bird’s eye view), the camera is above the subject, looking down. High angle shots can make the subject seem vulnerable or powerless, and are usually used to make the image more dramatic.   

Low Angle

Low angles (worm’s eye view) are captured from a camera placed below the subject, looking up at them. Low angles make the subject look dominant, aggressive, or ominous.   

Today we will:

• Take photos outside from the following points of view: bird’s eye view, worm’s eye view, eye level view
• Transfer the photos onto our computer and clear the memory card
• Create a new blog post with the following:
  • The best 3-5 photos for each category (birds eye view, worms eye view, eye level) This means you should have 9-15 photos total.
  • Photos should be grouped by category and labeled. No credit will be given for photos that are not labeled with the appropriate camera angle.

Photo Mini Assignment #1: Bad Photos

Today’s essential question: What are some common photography mistakes that should be avoided in order to achieve professional quality photos?

Today we will complete a 1 Day Assignment: Bad Photos. You will upload one photo in each of the following topics to your blog at the end of class, along with a brief write up as to why each photo is objectively terrible.

Blurry Photo

Images come out blurry for a few reasons when there is not enough light reaching the sensor or when the subject is moving too quickly. Solutions include adding adequate light, stabilizing the camera, or asking your subject to hold still for a moment.

Crooked Photo

Beginner photographers often think that slanting the camera will make their photograph appear “artsy.” It will not. It will just make it look like you were falling sideways while you took the photo.

Poorly Exposed Photo

We can lighten or darken a photo in Photoshop, but if the image has too much contrast to begin with (usually caused by shooting directly into the light source, instead of having the light source at your back), there is no way to fix the photo.

Photo Without Clear Subject Matter

It is important to have a clear subject in your photo, as no amount of editing can turn a bad photo into a good one. A photo subject is anything that stands out in the photo, that makes it interesting and that the human eye will see first.

Your subject could be a person, a building, a tree or a mountain, but you have to have something that stands out, that the eye will see first. If nothing stands out, the photo is empty, and there is no point in taking it. It’s a common rookie mistake to take a photo of a sunset that has just the sky and the sea. Even if the sunset is really amazing, that photo won’t look good unless there’s a good subject in it.

Photo with Poor Composition

In the photo on the left, the subject is too centered and makes the image feel boring. There is too much space at the top of the photo, and not enough space below. Notice how much more interesting the photo on the right is by changing up the composition. The eyes of the subjects in the photo on the right follow the rule of thirds.

Cliché Photo

A cliché photo is one that contains an overused concept and reflects a lack of original thought.  Cliché photos are all over Instagram and SnapChat.

Awkward Objects in Background

Pay attention to how the different elements in your photo interact with one another. For example, if the tree in the background looks like it is growing out of your subject’s head, you can walk around the subject slightly so the tree is no longer directly behind them.

Today we will:

• Learn how to use the cameras
• Take objectively terrible photos so that we may learn how to avoid these bad habits in the future
• Transfer the photos onto our computer and clear the memory card
• Create a new blog post with the following:
  • One example of each of the following bad photo categories:
    • blurry photo
    • crooked photo
    • poorly exposed photo
    • photo without clear subject matter
    • photo with poor composition
    • cliché photo
    • photo with awkward objects in the background
  • A brief write up as to why each bad photo is objectively terrible

Remember, no blog post = 0 participation for the day.