Every year I try to find new ways to get students excited about my class. I understand that not every student will be a photographer. I understand not every one of my students will want to work with Photoshop for a living either. However, if I can find projects that allow them to create something they'll cherish, I've created a successful art project. Yaser Almajed, a talented photographer from Saudi Arabia. Inspired by the double exposure photography Yaser creates beautifully crafted portraits. Each portrait a digital art representation of people as flowers and urban landscapes. His work inspired me to create a lesson based on old techniques such as double exposure, with new media such as Photoshop and digital photography. For more of his work: http://500px.com/YaserAlmajed I've attached my lesson plan with allows students to combined themselves and nature into one image. I've chosen several of Almajed's images that are similar to my student examples. Unfortunately I can't post their work since they're composed of self-portraits. ENJOY
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Rune Guneriussen is an installation photographer. Installation art is created, constructed, or installed on site where it is exhibited, often incorporating materials or physical features on the site. Guneriussen's work is based on the balance between nature and human culture. I use a derivative of Runes technique for teaching students about Layer masking in photoshop. Students set a camera on a tripod and photograph the same object in the same place up to ten different times. Each time students move their object. Afterwards, we post-edit the images so they look like there are duplicate objects of the same type.
Ever wondered how to showcase your favorite instrument like a pro? I'm going to show you some basic lighting techniques and camera settings that will help with documenting your favorite instruments. In this post I've also provided you with lighting diagrams and examples created by using these techniques.
First, you'll need a black backdrop. This can be anything from a black sheet, blanket, or even a black wall. Next you'll want to have some source of light. If you don't have a strobe or off camera flash, consider using a lamp, natural light, or even a flashlight. For those of you using continuous lighting, make sure you're using a tripod. It would be wise to use a tripod when documenting any object, however if you're using strobes or flash it might not be a necessity. Last, don't forget that using something to defuse the light will help create a soft feeling across your instrument. This could be anything from a white t-shirt, a scrim, a soft-box, or even bouncing the light off a large piece of card stock. Next we'll want to focus on our settings. You'll most likely be shooting in a dark or dim lit room. I've provided several lighting diagrams below to help you try different lighting to suit your instruments needs. We can also rule out two of our settings the ISO and Aperture, so that we only have to focus on our shutter speeds and lighting position. We'll want to shoot in ISO100 for the cleanest images. We'll also wan to stay at an Aperture of about f5.6 or f8 for an even balance of DOF (depth of field). Now if you're photographing without a light meter this could be tricky. You'll need to experiment with your shutter speed until the exposure becomes just right. If you're images are too dark, slow down your shutter speed. If they're too bright, increase your shutter speed. For those of you dealing with flash, you'll probably find a sweet spot somewhere around 1/30th - 1/125th. This could vary depending on your light source and how close it is to your subject. I personally find 1/60th to be my sweet spot! Check out the diagrams for details, enjoy my guitar photography, and for further questions comment below! Happy shooting! |
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