Last Chance

March Make-Up Mid-Term Grade Madness

In honor of March Madness, I will be offering a Last Chance effort to get up to date with any missing assignments. 

If you complete your missing assignments, I will give you partial credit. This can be the difference between 2 letter grades for some students. 

(The difference between passing and failing!) 

To do this:

• Post all missing assignments in 1 blog post. Title it, "Last Chance." You will then need to email me @ Kristina.Smith@tamuc.edu to notify me that it has been completed.  
• I will then check your post and grade accordingly.

• This must to be done by 11:59 pm on April 11 to receive credit.
• If you were not in class today and are unsure what you are missing, or were unclear during class, please email me to double-check which assignments you are missing. 

Friday March 20, 2014

Multiple Me

Assignment #3: Multiple Me or Multiple Places

For this project you will create 2 images that composite different (multiple) photographs together.

It's very similar to the "Levitation" images we made using PS layers. 

• TIP: When you're shooting, be sure to set your camera exposure and focus to manual. And DO NOT move your camera! 

You want your two final photographs to be connected visually and thematically. 

• TIP: Be thoughtful about the content – what ideas are you addressing? How does the composited image facilitate these ideas? Is the work narrative-based – do you want to tell a story? Are you interested in blurring the boundaries between fantasy and reality? Etc.

We'll all do several in class, then you will do two more on your own. One of them should use you as the subject.

Assignment:

You will post your 2 photographs to your blog and bring in your 2 photographs to project in class for critique.

DUE: March 28

For inspiration look at artists: Kelli Connell, Anthony Goicolea, Deborah Oropollo, Peter Funch

  

The Space Between from "Double Life," Kelli Connell

Vimeo

Getting Up from "Double Life," Kelli Connell

From the series "You and What Army" by Anthony Goicolea

From the series "Deja Vu" by Peter Funch

Care Taker from the series "Babel Tales" by Peter Funch

From the series "Rapport" by Claudia Rogge

Think combination or montaged images are only a recent development from the advent of Photoshop?

Check these out: 

Oscar Gustave Rejlander's allegorical tableaux The Two Ways of Life consisted of over 32 negatives. 1857 

Henry Peach Robinson's famous morbid image Fading Away. 1858

Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop

Helpful Guides:

• http://content.photojojo.com/inspiration/a-digital-guide-to-cloning-yourself/
• http://paintthemoon.net/blog/2011/07/photoshop-actions-how-to-creating-a-composite-image-combining-multiple-photos-to-create-magic/

More inspiration:

• Danielle Khoury
• Elva Salinas

How to do this step by step:

1. Shoot 2 images. 1 with yourself in one position and 1 where you have moved to a new location.
2. Locate your images. 
• Process in Lightroom. (make sure color/exposure/density is the same!)
• "Sync" photos.
3. Open both images in Photoshop.
• Unlock background layers.
• Locate one image. Hit (Command)⌘A to select all, and then ⌘C to copy. Locate your other image and ⌘V to paste. (Or drag and drop)
• You can lower the opacity on one layer and use the move tool (v) to align the two images.

1. Once they are where you want them, Go to the Layers Palette. Make sure one layer is selected. Drag this layer onto the layer mask icon to create a layer mask.

5. It should now look like this: 

6. With the white box in the layer mask selected, press ⌘I to invert the layer. Your screen should now look like this:

7. Select your brush tool (B) and make sure that your painting with white. Using 100% opacity, paint out the subject to erase it from view. 

•  When finished, save one copy with the layers as a PSD. This is a working file for your records, in case you want to go in and change anything later. 
• Now go to Layer -- and Flatten Image.
• Save this copy as a TIFF (for print) and as a JPEG, to upload to blog.
1. Lastly, upload your 2 completed "Multiple Me" to your blog no later than before class on 3/28. 
2. We will critique the "Levitation," "Multiple Me," and "Hockney" assignments next class, March 28. Please post to the blog BEFORE class, and bring your files / cameras with you to class. We will learn to print, and if time allows, talk about the Final Portfolio.

Hockney

Monday, March 17 Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

Welcome back Class!

I hope you each had a wonderful, restful, and productive Spring Break! We're now back to the grind and we have maybe what, six weeks left of classes?

This week we will build upon the "Levitation" assignment and incorporate multiple selves into the frame to complete the "Multiple Me" assignment. We will start off with an inspiration lecture, followed by in-class shooting time (bring your cameras!), followed by demo, and then open lab time. 

I will be available to help with any assignments.

The following projects will be due and will be critiqued next week on March 28: Levitation, Hockney, and Multiple Me assignments.

Aaron Hwang, Student Work 2013

Aaron Hwang, Student Work 2013

To Review:

Last class meeting, the lovely Ginger Sisco Cook led the class while I was away at SPE and went over the David Hockney assignment. I've included some images for reference below.

David Hockney!

Your assignment was to create at least two solid "Hockney" style images. You will need to add something to his style to make the images your own. 

• Tip: use a lot of images. From multiple viewpoints, different lighting situations, multiple perspectives, etc. 

These are due next Friday, March 28 on your blog. 

Levitation

Today in class we will work on our Triptych and Levitation projects. 


Next project, Levitation!

Example of historical levitation photography

Remember, photographers have been manipulating images long before photoshop!

Falling Teacher

Now that we have each made one Levitation image in class, and each of you is now a pro... For the next assignment, you will create 3 amazing Levitation images! Using either yourself or a model for the image. (It must contain a person)

• Think about the story you will try to tell. Consider the background, lighting, color, costume, hair, props, and accessories... I want an AWESOME ONE!

• In class, we did a quick and dirty method with the Eraser tool for the weekly assignment. But for the AWESOME ones, I would like you to use the method I have listed below. (scroll to bottom of post)

Here are some helpful links for inspiration and tutorials:

http://yowayowacamera.com/
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/levitation-photography/
http://giveawaytuesdays.wonderhowto.com/inspiration/levitation-challenge-5-tutorials-for-defying-gravity-0127500/
http://www.missaniela.com/
http://www.photoshoptutorials.ws/photoshop-tutorials/photo-manipulation/breathtaking-underwater-apartment-photo-manipulation/

Here are two really great tutorials, that go a little more in depth.

*using Selections: http://youtu.be/ZM0dc9qix9Y

• He demonstrates syncing photos using Camera Raw in Adobe Bridge. You will be doing this in Lightroom. You can skip to 1:40.

* using Layer Masks: http://youtu.be/HprleMPd1WY

Inspiration Images/Links:

Student Example

Student Example

Blake Jacobsen

Chelsey LeBlanc

Emillie 

Kylie Woon (Somewhere Lovely)

Stu Mayhew

Natsumi Hayashi

Luke Sharratt

Assignment for this week: "Levitation"

• I want you to upload the Levitation image to your blog that we did in class. Title your post: Levitation - Class.

1. For the AWESOME assignment, You will take a minimum of two photographs for each image. One of the empty scene and one with you "levitating."
2. Locate your images. 
• Process in Lightroom. (make sure color/exposure/density is the same!)
• "Sync" photos.
3. Open both images in Photoshop.
• Locate your empty scene image. Hit (Command)⌘A to select all, and then ⌘C to copy. Locate your Levitating image and ⌘V to paste.
4. In the Layers Palette, make sure the empty scene is selected. Drag this layer onto the layer mask icon to create a layer mask.

5. It should now look like this: 

6. Hit ⌘I to invert the layer. Your screen should now look like this:

7. Select your brush tool (B) and make sure that your painting with white. Using 100% opacity, paint out the object to erase from view. 

• As you get closer to your body, you can lower the brush hardness, as well as the opacity and flow. This will allow for a cleaner erase and a more realistic "Levitation."

1.  When finished, save one copy with the layers as a PSD. This is a working file for your records, in case you want to go in and change anything later. 
• Now go to Layer -- and Flatten Image.
• Save this copy as a TIFF (for print) and as a JPEG, to upload to blog.
1. Lastly, upload the In Class Assignment to your blog no later than before class on 3/7. 
2. The 3 images for your AWESOME Weekly assignment, will be due March 21. Please post to the blog BEFORE class, and bring your files / cameras with you to class. We will learn to print.

This week in DFW ArtNews

Val Curry "Universe"

Val Curry, Dissolution (detail), 2012, found objects and toys, paint, resin

An opening reception with the artist 

will be held Saturday, March 15, 2014 from 5:30 to 7:30pm 

at The McKinney Avenue Contemporary, located at 3120 McKinney Avenue, 

in the Uptown District of Dallas. 

Exhibition will be on view through May 3, 2014. 

The MAC is pleased to announce Universe, a solo exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Val Curry. The sculptures of Universe are expressed through the iconic image of the spiral, both metaphoric and reflected in the natural world. Constructed of accumulated waste from Curry's environment, the spiral sculptures are in essence playful yet stern in their message. Curry's mission is to bring practical idealism to his art practice and to share that message with others through unique work and teaching experiences. Universe investigates how consumerism, which is inextricably linked with waste, can be factored into a fanciful notion of organic nature and the cosmos.

Curry is currently pursuing an MFA at University of Texas, Dallas in the Arts and Technology Program. In 2012, Curry was an artist in residence at the UT Dallas CentralTrak Artist Residency Program. He received his BFA in Sculpture from Texas A&M University-Commerce in 2011. Curry studied under Plush Gallery director, Randall Garrett, while attending Richland Community College before entering TAMU-Commerce. 

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Check out this write up in Glasstire which features an interview with faculty member Paul Bryan.
http://glasstire.com/2014/02/24/morals-clause-believe-it-anyway-at-mckinney-avenue-contemporary-2/
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weputthis_____oneverythingandyoushouldtoo.jpg.

New photography exhibit featuring a collective of photographers from the DFW area. Featuring UNT faculty member Kathy Lovas and current / former UNT students: Lynne Bowman, Ben Davis, Zackariah Hamze, Patrick O'Neill, Derek Rankins, Rachel Rushing, Elva Salinas, and Longhui Zhang. 

*Please note, the Reception is Saturday, March 1 from 6 pm– 9 pm* Mokah Art Gallery 2803 Taylor St. Dallas, TX 75226 214-651-0633 January 25 – March 1, 2014 Gallery Hours: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. M-F or by appointment

Triptych

Symmetry

Today's Example

Student Example

Today we will work on our Triptych project. For this assignment, we will see just how symmetrical we are. 

• Here is a video tutorial for your reference.

http://vimeo.com/75615990

1. Locate your portraits. 
• Process portrait in Lightroom. (color, exposure, crop.)
• They can be square or rectangles.
2. Make mirrored portraits in Photoshop, via the tutorial.
• You should have a left mirrored portrait and a right mirrored portrait. 
3. Place the left, the original, and the right portrait onto a single canvas in Photoshop. (in that order)
1.  Make sure to have an even border all around your images. 
• Save as a PSD, a TIFF, and a JPEG.
• (I saved it as a TIF in the tutorial. Save a flat version to upload as a jpg.)
• File name 
4. Upload to your blog no later than before midnight on Monday 3/3. 

NOTE: If you were not in class today, please follow along with the tutorial and post to your blog. 

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If you feel really confident about mirroring and flipping images, you can take it a step further...

From a normal, original image...

Original Image

To a kaleidoscope effect!

Find out how, here: http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/flip-mirror/

Friday 2/21

2014 Joyce Elaine Grant Exhibition at Texas Woman's University, Denton, TX

Today in class we took a more in depth look at the Exhibition Opportunities assignment. 

• By April 25th, you will need to have applied to two art exhibition or art opportunities.

• On April 24th you will submit documentation of these submissions which can be:
• * application materials
• * emailed receipt from online application
• * email notification of online application
• * list of information of where the work was sent and details of what was sent

• Bring me a physical printed copy of this information. 

Some resources to look for art opportunities:

* College Art Association http://www.collegeart.org/opportunities/
  Call for Entry: https://www.callforentry.org/
  Springboard for the Arts http://www.springboardforthearts.org/Jobs/Jobs.asp
* Society for Photographic Education: http://www.spenational.org/
  Art Deadlines: http://www.artdeadlines.com
  Artist Residency Database: http://www.resartis.org/

Most States and Cities have Arts Organizations that post grants/jobs/public art and
exhibition opportunities for artists. Many of these will be for state residences
only but some opportunities will be nationwide as well.

Texas Commission on the arts: http://www.arts.state.tx.us/

Some North Texas agencies:
  - Denton Arts Council: http://dentonarts.com/
  - Texas Visual Arts Association (based out of Dallas): http://tvaa.org/

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We then reviewed basic color corrections and editing in Lightroom, how to export images, and the basic overview of Photoshop tools and layers. And then we had a mini session on how to use the Canon Rebel.

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Assignment:

Portrait of Self, Portrait of Others

• Please process your portrait images in Lightroom in post them to your blog by Friday, Feb 28. 
• White Balance, Color, Exposure, etc
• Note: There should be 5 images total. 1 Self-Portrait, 1 Portrait of another person, and the other 3 are your choice. (any combination of self portraits, or other people.)

Framed Assignment:

• This is the collage / layers assignment featuring one stationary object photographed from as many different angles as possible to create many interesting and unique images. Scroll down the blog to watch the tutorial posted last week for a refresher.
• Images should be processed in Lightroom. And the collage created in Photoshop.
• Note: There should be between 15-25 images used. It may be vertical or horizontal. Images can touch or have an even white border around each image.
• Please post to your blog by March 7. 

Please bring your cameras to class on Friday, Feb 28. We will have an in-class shooting project.