02/24/12 - Assignment#5/Quiz#4/Foreground-Background/Positive-Negative Space/City College Gallery trip

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­02/24/12                 

-In class discussion of Quiz #3

-Quiz #4 on pages 18-25 (download here)

-Quick critique of selected images from Assignment #4 – projected

-Review of camera functions – read and discuss pages 205-209

-Demo – using aperture and shutter speed (continued)

-Demo - (if not raining) shoot on City College Campus

-Trip to the City College Art Gallery (with "Discussion Topic" handout)

-In class sketching for better composition

-Shooting Assignment #5 explained and given – figure/ground, positive-negative space (download handout here)

For next week: 
-RESHOOT and REUPLOAD Assignment #4 if need be (you can use this link to help you remember what we learned)

-BRING: in camera + textbook

-BRING: Files to print

-UPLOAD: images to your Tumblr from Assignment #5

-REVIEW: pages 205-208 – for quiz

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ASSIGNMENT #5:

6 images due - posted to your Tumblr - before class on March 2nd

****Post 3 images to your Tumblr that illustrate Positive/Negative Space

See also:http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/positive-effect-of-negative-spaces-in-photography/

                   

Top - regular image                  
Middle -  positive space           
Bottom - negative space

******Post 3 images to your Tumblr that illustrate Foreground/Background

Photographic Composition - Background and Foreground

Understanding basic photographic composition will definitely help you start taking better pictures. Background and foreground are two important elements in your photography. You must be aware of everything around your subject and how you want or don't want to include those elements in the photo. Does the foreground add to the composition of the photo? Does the background distract from it? Remember to stop and look around before you push that shutter button.

Background

Have you ever taken a picture of someone only to realize that it looked like a lamp post was growing out of the top of their head. Kind of like this:

To avoid this problem there are a few things you can do. check the area blur the background Simply checking the area for distracting placement of objects is a good start. Don't make your subject stand with anything lined up with their head. Be on the look out for lights, sign-posts, pillars, or any other funny thing that may look like it's growing from your subject's head.

Another solution is to blur the background. If you blur the background it becomes less distracting. I use this technique a lot. Here's an example:

It makes whatever is behind your subject look like a colorful, abstract backdrop instead of a busy scene that can distract from the photographic composition. You can blur the background by setting your camera to a low aperture or f/stop. Doing that opens your lens up wider giving you a shallower depth of field. If the background still isn't blurry enough for you with the aperture open as far as it will go try stepping back a little and zooming into your subject. I do this a lot too and I like the extremely blurry effect it gives the background.

Foreground

Foreground is an often-ignored element of photographic composition that can really add to a picture. Looking for objects around your subject can add to the story you're trying to tell in your photography. The trick is to add these elements into the picture in a way that adds to and doesn't distract from the image. You can use foreground to give your subject context. It can be used to show the size of your subject. It can help show location. Foreground can also be used to frame your subject. Here's an example of my use of foreground.

Source: http://www.digital-photography-advisor.com/photographic-composition.html