5.) Shadows & Silhouettes

Shadow & Silhouettes:
Often times photography gets categorized as either portraits or landscapes. Both have a vision that most people are used to... faces, bodies, trees and fields. However, this assignment is to help you view that differently.

Shadows and/or silhouettes can be a very unique way of composing an image or telling a story. For instance, when seeing a long shadow across the sidewalk, we know that it is probably early in the morning or late in the afternoon. And of course, there is always the romantic silhouette against the sunset. Playing with shadows and silhouettes allows the photographer to pay close attention to not only detail, but the light that creates the detail.

Assignment:
For your assignment, you are to have two images showcasing a good use of composition and story-telling using either a shadow or silhouette. This assignment is meant to be FUN. Be creative and try new things. A jumping shadow? A romantic silhouette against the sunset for your anniversary? Have the kids show off their handshadow puppets? Be creative!!!

Examples:

4.) Self-Portrait

Self Portrait:
Often times we are our only models. This can be a huge learning experience.

Assignment:
For your assignment, you are to have two images showcasing a good use of composition and story-telling to document yourself. Try playing with light, colour, parts of the body, or moods. What do you love, and how do you see yourself with it? Try using props around the house, or going out for a walk. Don't worry about being over posed... you would feel the same if it was you behind the camera or someone else.

Examples:
These two are incredibly well known for super creative and fun self-portraits
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ndybisz/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebba

3.) POV: birds eye vs. ants eye view

POV:
Point-of-View, often abbreviated as POV, can make or break a photo. POV is an important component of composition: And to have good composition, one must understand and experiment with POV.

Bird's-eye-View. Climbing up on things and looking down from a high point of view offers lots of different opportunities. With people looking up at the camera, you will see just their faces without having to pose their bodies or lining them up. From above, you can also use grass or flowers as a background.

Ant's-eye-view [also called Worm's-eye-view]. The worm's eye view can be pretty interesting. By lying down on your stomach, you can capture the looming, intimidating nature of subjects from that low-down perspective. Or, you can get flowers in the foreground to frame your subject. If you are taking pictures of kids, getting the camera down on their level can improve results. You can also avoid cluttered or ugly background by changing your point of view.

Assignment
For your assignment, you are to have two images showcasing a good use of bird's eye view, and two images of ant's eye view. This assignment requires a total of four images. All images must be taken between April 22nd and April 30th. For this assignment, images can be taken in familiar settings (home, work), however, creativity is a must. Photos should include more than the technical requirements, they should also show interesting subject matter and taste.

Example of Birds Eye View:




Example of Ant's Eye View:

2.) slow shutter speed vs. fast shutter speed

Shutter speed:

It is the length of time a shutter is open; the total exposure is proportional to the duration of light reaching the sensor. There are three factors that affect the shutter speed: the scene luminance, the ISO sensitivity and the aperture size.

You can trade off shutter speed and aperture by using units of stops. A stop up and down on each will halve or double the amount of light regulated by each. For any given total exposure, or exposure value, a fast shutter speed requires a larger aperture (smaller f-number). Similarly, a slow shutter speed, a longer length of time, can be compensated by a smaller aperture (larger f-number).

Shutter speed is measured in seconds.

The typical shutter speeds of most cameras Fast 1/4000 1/3200 1/2500 1/2000 1/1600 1/1250 1/000 1/800 1/640 1/500 1/400 1/320 1/250 1/200 1/160 1/125 1/100 Medium 1/80 1/60 1/50 1/40 1/30 1/25 1/20 1/15 1/13 1/10 1/8 1/69 15 1/4 Slow 0.3" 0.4" 0.6" 0.8" Very slow 1 1.3 1,6 2 2.5 3.2 4 5 6 8 10 13 15 20 25 30

In sunlight the typical shutter speed is between 1/100th and 1/125th of a second.

Shutter speed changes the way movement appears in the picture.

	Very short shutter speeds are used to freeze fast-moving subjects, for example at sporting events.	Very long shutter speeds are used to intentionally blur a moving subject for artistic effect.

In low light conditions a slow shutter speed must be used. This extends the time until the shutter closes and provides more light to the sensor.

Assignment
For your assignment, you are to have two images showcasing a good use of slow shutter speed (1/8th or slower), and two images that use a fast shutter speed (1/250th or faster). Not only should images use various shutter speeds, but they should also demonstrate the use of speed. This assignment requires a total of four images. All images must be taken between April 9th and April 15th. For this assignment, images can be taken in familiar settings (home, work), however, creativity is a must. Photos should include more than the technical requirements, they should also show interesting subject matter and taste. For example, feel free to use a high shutter speed to capture a drop of water from your faucet, but find a creative angle and take on how to do it.

Examples of slow shutter speed:




Examples of fast shutter speed:

1.) shallow depth of field vs. large field

Depth of Field:
DOF is the portion of a scene that appears sharp in the image. Although a lens can precisely focus at only one distance, the decrease in sharpness is gradual on either side of the focused distance, so that within the DOF, the unsharpness is imperceptible under normal viewing conditions.

For some images, such as landscapes, a large DOF may be appropriate, while for others, such as portraits, a small DOF may be more effective.

Assignment
For your assignment, you are to have two images showcasing a good use of shallow depth of field, and two images that use a large depth of field. This assignment requires a total of four images.

All images should be taken between April 2nd and April 9th. The four final images should demonstrate your highest quality and not appear rushed. Images are encouraged to be taken outside of the home or other "usual" subjects. Images should also use strong rules of composition.



examples of shallow




examples of not so shallow