Welcome Photo Students

Hello Students,
Welcome to the Santa Cruz County Regional Occupational Program's online/in-class digital photography course. In this course we will be studying exposure principles, composition, studio lighting, portraiture and creation of a photo series and essay.

Your Instructor, Mr.Wilson

Classes will meet in-class 1 day a week for hands-on exercises and course work discussions, review and critique. Students will have access to class equipment during meeting days but will be required to use their own cameras, computers and internet access to complete online assignments each week. Students must provide transportation to and from class during in-class days. Students will post work and complete discussions on the course flickr group. Students will need a yahoo account to post work.

Students should check in with this website for new assignments and will post work for review, critique and grading online.

Introduction Assignment:
For this first assignment students will introduce themselves on the class Flickr group with an artistic image and an introduction.

Assignment Details:

• Create or utilize your Yahoo email account to sign up for or log into Flickr
• Request to join the class Flickr Group Page and wait for approval
• When access is granted navigate the the group page and upload your artistic image to the Photo section, make sure your image is tagged with the word: artistic
• When your image is uploaded navigate the the group Discussion area and type in your introduction to the post titled "Group Introduction Page", you will find instructions for completing your introduction in the first post written by me, your instructor.

Photo Credit: Seth Wilson 2015 "Blue Moon"

Key Assignment 1: Pareidolia and Balance
Your first key photography assignment is a study in pareidolia. Pareidolia is the perception or recognition of a specific pattern or form in something that is essentially different. In this case we will be looking for faces in objects or faces in everyday places and buildings/architecture. When an artist uses elements of pareidolia in a painting or illustration it can have a double-meaning. In photography the same effect can occur if the photographer sees the right conditions for it. Check out the samples below...

Pareidolia Photography Exercise:

• Walk the campus, your neighborhood or home looking for hidden faces in buildings, plumbing, fixtures, bookcases, trees, etc... capture the images with attention being paid to composition, lighting, color, angle, emotion and most importantly balance.
• Take many shots (10-20) and choose your 4 best.
• Post your 4 images to the Flickr group with the tag pareidolia (spell it correctly!)
• For each image you post write a short paragraph describing what emotion your pareidolia displays (happiness, fear, rage, etc...) and why. Include these paragraphs in the details section when posting your image.
• Project is due wednesday

Reading Assignment:
Complete this reading assignment in order to be able to identify the types of balance used in your and others photographic compositions. Identifying balance in your work is part of the assignment requirements.

Link 1: New York Film Academy -  5 types of balance in photography
Link 2: Photography Life - Balance in photography

Writing Assignment Exercise:

• After reading the 2 articles linked above, look through online photo galleries or even your own images and cite 1 example and what kind of balance they are demonstrating. Search for an image that you think has visual interest in it's composition.
• Provide a link to the image itself in your post in this exercises discussion area on the course flickr page.
• Write a description of the type of balance being demonstrated with your image and why you chose it as an example in your discussion post.
• Exercise is due wednesday

Grading Specifications for a total of 10 possible points:
      2 points: All 4 shots posted with descriptions
      2 points: All 4 shots are properly exposed
      2 points: All shots show attention to balance, composition, light, exposure
      2 points: Writing exercise completed
      2 points: Work posted on time

Have fun!

- Mr.W