Trailer (1 min: 10 seconds)
Film Clip:
An Educational Resource for Photographic Enlightenment and Inspiration
2.20.2009
2.19.2009
Week Five: Moments and Portraits
"Penny Pictures" by Walker Evans
This week we discussed portraiture going back to one of the early and most popular uses of photography (look at your passport photo). In photo history portraiture in photography highlighted one of the distinct advantages of photography over painting. We talked about some ways to improve our portraits such as watching our background. Some ways that is done is by choosing a simple, non-distracting background such as that used by Steve McCurry in his Afghan Girl or Sebastião Salgado in many of his pictures we looked at. More than anything building a relationship with subjects and putting them at ease is the biggest factor to having a good portrait.
With most of they people we photograph, it is likely that we already know them and have a tremendous advantage as opposed to going up to a perfect stranger and gaining their trust. In the case of famed photographer Annie Liebovitz who has become as much as a celebrity as many of her star subjects, we talked about the debate about her work being overproduced with her assistants doing much of the labor. However, she has built strong friendships with many of these people over decades in some cases, and as is evident from many of her photographs with no studio lighting from her very early days at Rolling Stone magazine, her photographs of her family and particularly her famous photo of John Lennon and Yoko Ono before Lennon was killed, it is more about relationships, trust and how comfortable the person you are photograph is with you.
We also looked at "moments," taking a step back to Henri Cartier-Bresson's Decisive Moment where the peak of action is captured in a fraction of a second. As is the case with many of the types of portraits discussed, these candid situations are often best captured when your subject is comfortable, then they will be relaxed and able go on with their activity making it easier to photograph special moments in life. Finally we discussed the importance of watching the sidelines and paying attention to what is going on around. Looking for action and reaction away from the main subject is often make for more interesting pictures.
Some of the photographers we looked at this week were Diane Arbus, Sebastião Salgado, Mary Ellen Mark, Annie Leibovitz, James Nachtwey.
This week we discussed portraiture going back to one of the early and most popular uses of photography (look at your passport photo). In photo history portraiture in photography highlighted one of the distinct advantages of photography over painting. We talked about some ways to improve our portraits such as watching our background. Some ways that is done is by choosing a simple, non-distracting background such as that used by Steve McCurry in his Afghan Girl or Sebastião Salgado in many of his pictures we looked at. More than anything building a relationship with subjects and putting them at ease is the biggest factor to having a good portrait.
With most of they people we photograph, it is likely that we already know them and have a tremendous advantage as opposed to going up to a perfect stranger and gaining their trust. In the case of famed photographer Annie Liebovitz who has become as much as a celebrity as many of her star subjects, we talked about the debate about her work being overproduced with her assistants doing much of the labor. However, she has built strong friendships with many of these people over decades in some cases, and as is evident from many of her photographs with no studio lighting from her very early days at Rolling Stone magazine, her photographs of her family and particularly her famous photo of John Lennon and Yoko Ono before Lennon was killed, it is more about relationships, trust and how comfortable the person you are photograph is with you.
We also looked at "moments," taking a step back to Henri Cartier-Bresson's Decisive Moment where the peak of action is captured in a fraction of a second. As is the case with many of the types of portraits discussed, these candid situations are often best captured when your subject is comfortable, then they will be relaxed and able go on with their activity making it easier to photograph special moments in life. Finally we discussed the importance of watching the sidelines and paying attention to what is going on around. Looking for action and reaction away from the main subject is often make for more interesting pictures.
Some of the photographers we looked at this week were Diane Arbus, Sebastião Salgado, Mary Ellen Mark, Annie Leibovitz, James Nachtwey.
2.15.2009
2.12.2009
Week Four: Light
"Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography." –George Eastman, Eastman Kodak founder
We talked about the essence of photography this week: light. We looked at a number of examples of some of the various uses of available light, that is natural light, and had a short introduction into direct flash like the ones attached permanently to most point-and-shoot cameras and those that are affixed to the cameras of paparazzi shooters.
Some of the photographers that we looked at this week were Trent Parke, Paulo Peleigrin, Weegee, and Andy Warhol. We did a more in-depth study of David Alan Harvey, Steve McCurry and Alex Webb.
illustration by luminous-landscape.com
Links:
picturecorrect.com
fodors.com
photo.net
David Alan Harvey (in Portuguese)
We talked about the essence of photography this week: light. We looked at a number of examples of some of the various uses of available light, that is natural light, and had a short introduction into direct flash like the ones attached permanently to most point-and-shoot cameras and those that are affixed to the cameras of paparazzi shooters.
Some of the photographers that we looked at this week were Trent Parke, Paulo Peleigrin, Weegee, and Andy Warhol. We did a more in-depth study of David Alan Harvey, Steve McCurry and Alex Webb.
illustration by luminous-landscape.comLinks:
picturecorrect.com
fodors.com
photo.net
David Alan Harvey (in Portuguese)
Alex Webb
Alex Webb discusses his Istanbul project but look at his work and pay attention to his powerful composition and command of light.
2.08.2009
Week Three: Composition
This week we discussed photographic composition and looked at work from Henri Cartier-Bresson, the godfather of photojournalism who applied the lessons that he learned in his life as a painter to photography. Please refer to this comprehensive web post that I listed last October 8 on composition with a number of good tips and links.
Week Two Review
Photo by Eugene Richards from book Fat Baby
We started off this week reviewing apertures/F-stops and shutter speeds and how they along with film speed (or ISO setting) affect your exposure as well as depth of field. Depth of field means “the amount in focus.” The smaller the f-stop number is, the bigger the hole is. This simply means you let in more light. So and F 2.8 aperture setting lets in more light, however you have less depth of field or less in focus in this case.
Conversely, if you have a bigger number such as f 22 the hole or aperture is much smaller letting in much less light. But in this case, you will get much more depth of field, or more in focus. Remember Alfred Steiglitz’s F-64 Club. Film speeds or ISO settings on you digital cameras also affect your exposure.
We talked about the “Sunny 16 rule” which means that at an ISO of 100 at mid-day sun, an aperture of f16 will require a shutter speed of 125. So if you open up to f11, your shutter speed will become 250. I mentioned it sort of being like a scale and balancing out.
Our main focus for this class was lenses. We talked about fisheye lenses (8-20mm), wide-angle lenses(20-28 mm) , regular focal length lenses (35-50mm), telephoto lenses from 70 mm and up, and micro and macro lenses for those incredible close-ups.
Photographers that we mentioned were Steve McCurry who photographed the Afghan Girl, Mary Ellen Mark, W. Eugene Smith and talked extensively about Eugene Richards and his use of wide angle lenses to gain intimacy with his subjects. Famous photographs by Dorthea Lange, Joe Rosenthal, and Alfred Eisenstadt were shown.
We started off this week reviewing apertures/F-stops and shutter speeds and how they along with film speed (or ISO setting) affect your exposure as well as depth of field. Depth of field means “the amount in focus.” The smaller the f-stop number is, the bigger the hole is. This simply means you let in more light. So and F 2.8 aperture setting lets in more light, however you have less depth of field or less in focus in this case.
Conversely, if you have a bigger number such as f 22 the hole or aperture is much smaller letting in much less light. But in this case, you will get much more depth of field, or more in focus. Remember Alfred Steiglitz’s F-64 Club. Film speeds or ISO settings on you digital cameras also affect your exposure.
We talked about the “Sunny 16 rule” which means that at an ISO of 100 at mid-day sun, an aperture of f16 will require a shutter speed of 125. So if you open up to f11, your shutter speed will become 250. I mentioned it sort of being like a scale and balancing out.
Our main focus for this class was lenses. We talked about fisheye lenses (8-20mm), wide-angle lenses(20-28 mm) , regular focal length lenses (35-50mm), telephoto lenses from 70 mm and up, and micro and macro lenses for those incredible close-ups.
Photographers that we mentioned were Steve McCurry who photographed the Afghan Girl, Mary Ellen Mark, W. Eugene Smith and talked extensively about Eugene Richards and his use of wide angle lenses to gain intimacy with his subjects. Famous photographs by Dorthea Lange, Joe Rosenthal, and Alfred Eisenstadt were shown.
1.22.2009
More Shutter Speed, Apertures, and Depth of Field
Shutter Speed (2 minutes)
Apertures/F-Stops (1 1/2 minutes)
Depth of Field/The Amount in Focus (4 minutes)
Apertures/F-Stops (1 1/2 minutes)
Depth of Field/The Amount in Focus (4 minutes)
Class 1: Cameras, Photo History and Exposure
Camera Obscura Demonstration
In our first meeting we went through the camera history from the camera obscura, view cameras, the speed graphic, Kodak's Brownie and the importance of amateur photographers, the breakthrough 35 mm Leica rangefinder used by Magnum founders Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa and George Rodger (Chim was the fourth founding member), to modern day SLRs, digital and cell phone cameras. We spoke about the now famous iPhone photo of a U.S. Airways jet on the Hudson by Janis Krums remembering the fact that is the person, not the camera that is taking the photograph.
Some of the significant people from photography history we discussed were Joseph Niépce who made the first photograph, Louis Daguerre and Henry Fox Talbot. We looked at work from the "first photojournalist" United States Civil War photographer Matthew Brady, and also viewed pictures from American Ansel Adams including his project on a Japanese Concentration Camp. Other photographers mentioned were Weegee and Gordon Parks.
Links for Lesson One:
Top 10 Incredible Firsts in Photography
The First Photograph Discussed (radio story)
Photography History Timeline
Shutter Speed & F-Stop/Aperture Video (2 minutes) We closed in a discussion about exposure, light metering, f-stops/apertures, shutter speed, and depth of field.
In our first meeting we went through the camera history from the camera obscura, view cameras, the speed graphic, Kodak's Brownie and the importance of amateur photographers, the breakthrough 35 mm Leica rangefinder used by Magnum founders Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa and George Rodger (Chim was the fourth founding member), to modern day SLRs, digital and cell phone cameras. We spoke about the now famous iPhone photo of a U.S. Airways jet on the Hudson by Janis Krums remembering the fact that is the person, not the camera that is taking the photograph.
Some of the significant people from photography history we discussed were Joseph Niépce who made the first photograph, Louis Daguerre and Henry Fox Talbot. We looked at work from the "first photojournalist" United States Civil War photographer Matthew Brady, and also viewed pictures from American Ansel Adams including his project on a Japanese Concentration Camp. Other photographers mentioned were Weegee and Gordon Parks.
Links for Lesson One:
Top 10 Incredible Firsts in Photography
The First Photograph Discussed (radio story)
Photography History Timeline
Shutter Speed & F-Stop/Aperture Video (2 minutes) We closed in a discussion about exposure, light metering, f-stops/apertures, shutter speed, and depth of field.
1.16.2009
Plane Crash on the Hudson
Photo by Janis Krums
The amazing crash landing in New York was photographed by an amateur, Janis Krums of Sarasota, Florida, with an iPhone. His photograph has appeared in newspapers throughout the world. Hear an interview on the BBC or read about it here. He first posted his photograph on Twitter.
The amazing crash landing in New York was photographed by an amateur, Janis Krums of Sarasota, Florida, with an iPhone. His photograph has appeared in newspapers throughout the world. Hear an interview on the BBC or read about it here. He first posted his photograph on Twitter.
1.03.2009
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