Let There Be Light

Lighting is one of the most important things to consider when creating portraits. Below is a great link that contains some fantastic, yet basic info on lighting. Check it out.

6 Portrait Lighting Patterns Every Photographer Should Know

Portraiture Lab

Below is the info we will will use to complete our portraiture lab. Download the file and print out the last 2 pages. Fill these out and hand them in by the end of the class day on Friday, 12/19/2014. Put them on my desk as you walk out the door.

This project involves thought and creativity. Do a good job and make it fun as well as rewarding. Also remember…the holidays are right around the corner and everybody loves to get a nice, framed picture as a present :)

Portraiture Tips

Today we will be starting our unit on portraiture. Below are the three links we will be working with that will give us some great tips to help us while getting started.

14 Portrait Photography Tips You'll Never Want To Forget

Six Things They Won't Teach You In Portrait Photography Class

101 Portrait Photography Tips

Today's Assignment: Making Complex Selections

 Today we are going to focus on making very accurate, complex selections.  Up until this point, we have said that it is extremely difficult to work with detailed objects such as people's hair and branches on a tree. Today we are going to learn how to use the Color Range tool and the Refine Selection Button. These will both help us to achieve our goal in making more accurate selections. Download the PDF file below as well as the sample photo which is also posted below. After we do the demo, you are going to:

1. Take a picture of a tree and a headshot of a person with spiky or wispy hair. 
2. Eliminate the background of both pictures.
3. Add new backgrounds. 
• Make sure your selections are perfect. This means that no remnants of the original background are still present.
4. Put both the before and after versions of each picture into a Google doc and share it with me. 

(20 pts.)    5 point penalty for each picture that contains remnants of the original background.

Today's Assignment: Changing B&W Levels And Contrast

Today we are going to learn about adjusting levels in a B&W Graphic. We will start with a color graphic and use the instructions in the PDF file below to change the image from color to B&W, then adjust the different levels. Download both the PDF file and the image file and let's get started.

You will take two images form the Internet, apply level changes and submit them in a presentation via Google Drive. (20 pts.)

Todays Project: Using Gradients and Overlays

Today, we are going to learn about gradients and overlays in Photoshop. Download the two files below and we'll do the project together at first. Then you'll be able to pick your own graphic either of your own or off the Internet and do it yourself. Download the two files below and we'll get started!

Check Out This Great Visual Aid

Check out this chart below. We haven't learned white balance or metering yet, but the upper half is great information pertaining to what we've learned so far.

An Army of One

New project! In this project, you will be using a digital camera and Adobe Photoshop to take several pictures of yourself and place them in the same document. Remember to keep the tripod in the exact same place!

This project is due at the end of class on Wednesday, December 10th.

Today we are going to retouch both models below. Download the files and use the skills we learned in Photoshop to make them both look "magazine ready". This project will be graded on hoqw realistic we keep the quality of the image. All blemishes should be removed and there should be no wavy edges. (40 pts.)

Fashion Photography, Modeling and the Effects That Photoshopped Pictures Have on the Body Image of the American Public

Today's class was great! We started off talking about the effects that digitally manipulated photos can have on our body images. After the introduction, we began by watching 3 videos featured below.

After watching these videos, we spoke about the benefits that this sort of image manipulation can produce for businesses and marketing agencies. We also spoke about the negative effects that it can have on people's self image. After that, we fielded questions from the class and also heard lots of great opinions about the topic.

During the last part of the class, we learned how to create some of these effects in Photoshop. The three tools that we used today were the spot healing brush, the clone stamp tool, and the liquefy filter. 

The pictures below are of a model named Kelly Brook. The first photo is shown before any manipulation was performed with Photoshop. The second photo is what we had when we were done the demonstration. Most of the work we did consisted of removing any blemishes or wrinkles from her skin, making her arms thinner, making her legs thinner, tightening up her waist, straightening out her bathing suit bottom and lifting and decreasing the size of her top. These are all actions that would be performed when preparing a photo to be placed in an ad. If you click on the photos, you can see them in a larger size and also flip back-and-forth to see the before and after effects a little more dramatically.

Adding A Shadow To Your Stock Photos

 Today we are going to learn how to add a shadow to your stock photos. We will do this for two of our stock photos;  the one that was taken with the light source on the left and the one that was taken with the light source on the right. Below are two pictures. The top picture is a "before" picture and the bottom picture is an "after" picture. In between the two are some basic instructions. These are brief instructions and you will need to use some of your existing Photoshop experience, but it's definitely enough to get you started. Finally, there is a video posted at the bottom. Watch it and enjoy.

1. Take your image and open it in Photoshop
2. Create 2 duplicate layers of the background. Label 1 of them "shadow" and the other one "object".
3. Remove the white around from around the "object" layer.
4. Desaturate the "shadow" layer.
5. Add a gaussian blur to the "shadow" layer.
6. Move the "shadow" layer slightly to the right and down if the light source is coming from the left. Do the opposite if the light source is coming from the right.
7. Paint white over any leftover sections near the sides and top portion of the "shadow" layer.

This exercise is all about using layers, so be aware of what layers are selected while you are working.

When you are done, save your 2 photos as JPEG files and I will come around and grade them all at once on Wednesday. (40 pts.)

How To Add A Shadow In Photoshop from Michael Pagliara on Vimeo.

It's The GIMP!

Okay, so it's not called "The" GIMP, it's just called "GIMP". GIMP is a free photo editing piece of software. Photoshop currently costs $10/month. This isn't bad if yo have a business and make money off of your work, but if you're a student or hobbyist, you might want something you can use for free. GIMP works differently than Photoshop, but you should be able to figure it out if you spend a little time on it. You can download GIMP here. Also, if you need to finish a project at home, this is a great way to do it using free software.

Agenda for Stock Photo Project

Monday - shoot scene

Tuesday - shoot scene & begin post processing

Wednesday - Finish post processing & create presentation

If you do not finish the presentation, bring your photos home with you and finish the presentation over the weekend. Presentations must be shared with me via Google Drive before the beginning of class on Monday. There will not be any more time given to complete this project.

Have fun and good luck!

Stock Photo Post Processing

Today, we are going to take an image we shot in a light tent and clean it up in Photoshop. This is called post processing. Our goals are to:

1. Remove the background completely and turn it to a pure white.
2. Crop and center the image.
3. Rename the file.
4. Save the image as a JPEG.

Download the .zip file below. Using the file named 1.66 EV.JPG, we will do the assignment in class together. Email me the final file with your name as the file name.You must rename the file to have it accepted. If you are absent, do this assignment as soon as you get back.

My email, as always is mpagliara@upperdarbysd.org

Light Tent Lab

Yesterday we started talking about commercial photography. We looked at a website called iStockphoto, which is a place where people can license photographs and other types of media to be used for commercial purposes. We then learned how to create a good stock photo and how to shoot a scene using a light tent. Below are the instructions for our project that we will begin today. We will have until Wednesday 11/26/2014 to complete this project. In between, we will be learning other things involving Photoshop as well.

Assignment #2 Due Friday

Assignment #2 is due at the end of class on Friday, November 14, 2014. All completed work will be graded according to the grading scale. If you are not done the assignment, we will grade wheat you have done to this point.

Assignment #2 - Shot Roll Of Film Due 11/5/2014

Make sure you have a completely shot roll of film in your hand at the beginning of class on Wednesday 11/5. This is worth 20 pts.

Cameras Must Be Brought To School Tomorrow

Bring your camera to school tomorrow and you will receive a grade of 5pts.

Assignment #2

Ok everybody, below is our next major assignment. Download the file, take a good look and print it out when you're ready to attach the prints and hand it in. Don't forget to fill out the photo log!

This project will be due Friday, 11/14/2014.

Friday's Assignment

YES!!! I should be back on Monday!!! In the meantime, here's a good tutorial for a Friday. This tutorial is all about how to create a field blur, which is super useful for aspiring photographers, such as yourselves :) Just like the last 2 days, Give me 3 images with this effect added to each one. Remember to copy the background layer for full credit. (30 pts.)

Have a great day and I'll see you on Monday!

http://planetphotoshop.com/using-field-blur-in-photoshop.html

Thursday's Assignment

Check this out! This tutorial shows you how to straighten a crooked photo in Photoshop. Select 3 photos either from the Internet or from the images you scanned and straighten them using this tutorial. Remember, COPY THE BACKGROUND LAYER!!! This also allows me to see a before and after view of your work. Each corrected photo is worth 5 pts. Each corrected photo without a background layer is worth 2.5 pts. If you haven't copied the background layers in your assignment from yesterday, go back and fix them. The same grading rule applies.

http://dominatingdesigns.com/DD/2012/02/easily-straighten-your-horizon-with-photoshop-cs5/

Today's Assignment - Adding A Narrow Depth Of Field Using Photoshop

Ok everybody, sad to say, but I'm going to be out until Friday at the earliest and Monday at the latest. Unfortunately, I can't do anything about it, so we'll just have to deal the best we can. In the mean time, we're going to do some of the Photoshop work we'd normally do later in the semester.

Today's assignment revolves around creating a shallow/narrow depth of field using Photoshop instead of a low numbered f-stop on your camera. Here's the link for the tutorial:

http://photodoto.com/how-to-digitally-add-shallow-depth-of-field/

Take 3 images that you have scanned, or images from the Internet, and use the tutorial to create a narrow depth of field for each of the 3 images. Of course to do this, you need to start with an image that has a wide depth of field.

This assignment is worth 30 pts., so each properly edited image will earn you 10 pts. Remember, help each other if you're having trouble. Have fun and I'll see you soon!

Google Drive Presentation for Assignment #1

Ok, so to present Assignment #1, we are going to create a Google Drive Presentation to show to the class. Here's the requirements:

• 12 pts. - Each presentation will contain 6 slides of photos
• Slides 1 & 2 will contain a set of photos from part 1 of the assignment
• Slides 3 & 4 will contain a set of photos from part 2 of the assignment
• Slides 5 & 6 will contain a set of photos from part 3 of the assignment
• 12 pts. - Each slide will have the shutter speed, f-stop, film ISO and lighting conditions listed.
• 6 pts. - Each slide will have the name of the photo listed.
• Be creative and make up some good names for your photos :)

Below is an example of what the first couple slides of a completed presentation will look like.

Projects Due On Tuesday And An Important Reminder

 Tuesday the following assignments are due:

•  Film must be shot for Assignment #1.
•  Terminator hue change.
•  Black and white to color assignment.

 Also, all the information from your computer must be backed up because the entire lab will be wiped on Monday. We announced this earlier last week as well as Thursday and today. Today we even learned how to upload files to box.com, so we could back everything up. If you're missing anything when we come back on Tuesday it will be marked as a zero since we've been stressing the importance of backing up files since the beginning of the semester. Have a great weekend and shoot some great photos!

Today we are going to take the graphic below and change the red colors to another color of your choice. The tools you should use are the lasso tool, magic wand tool, quick selection tool or any other tool you can think of that can make an accurate selection. This assignment will be due on Tuesday 10/14.

Major Assignment #1

Here's the handout that we'll be using for our first photo shoot assignment.
Below this handout is your Photo Log.

You MUST fill out the photo log.

What Do The Letter And Numbers Around Your Camera Lens Mean?

Well, here's a reminder of what we did in class today.

My Camera Handout

Here's a copy of today's handout.

How To Load Film Into A Developing Tank

In today's lesson, we're going to learn how to load film into a developing tank. This is done only by feel inside a special changing bag. It's challenging at first, but it becomes fun once you master it!

How To Load Film Into A Developing Tank from Michael Pagliara on Vimeo.

How To Load Film Into Your Camera

How To Load Film Into A 35mm SLR Camera from Michael Pagliara on Vimeo.

SLR Simulator WOW!!!

This SLR simulator is absolutely fantastic. Here you can learn exactly how to choose correct aperture & shutter speed while using your camera's light meter. We didn't learn about ISO yet, but if you leave it around 1600, you should be able to take most of the shots you'd like.

http://www.canonoutsideofauto.ca/play/

There's also a game on the site as well. It's located in the upper right-hand corner of the page and is labeled "Challenge". If you can beat my score of 17 seconds, you are a master of your camera!

Video Clips We Watched In Class Today

Here are the 4 video clips we watched in class today. Check em' out!

Cameras Must Be Brought In By Monday

All cameras must be brought in by Monday at the latest. If you have your camera now, bring it in as soon as possible.

Camera Settings Simulator!

The link below is a great site privided by Canon. It explains how to use the aperture and shutter speed to create different effects with your photos. Check it out!

http://www.canonoutsideofauto.ca/play/

If you can beat my score of 17 sec, you are a Photo Master!

QOD's - Questions of the Day

Today, we started using the new QOD sheets in class. These sheets are filled out every day with the question posted on the screen at the beginning of the class period. In order to receive any credit for a day's entry, you must fill out the date, write the question and answer the question completely. The preview below may have the lines messed up due to the file hosting service. The handouts we use in class look as they should.

Photograms - Deadline Wednesday 9/17

 So far, we've done some great work getting ready to create our photograms.  We will be working on these Monday Tuesday and Wednesday. All photograms will be due on Wednesday by the end of class.  This is a deadline, so make sure your work is submitted. Late work will not be accepted. Make sure to pace yourself because we will be doing other things during each of those days as well.

Bring in Objects for Photogram

Today in class, we demo'd creating a photogram in the darkroom. Tonight, pick out some objects to bring in for tomorrow so that we can start creating our own photograms in class. Check out some of the examples below!

Today's Handout

If you didn't finish this handout in class, finish it for HW and hand it in tomorrow.

Safety Certifications

Safety Certs were distributed in class today. These must be signed by a parent/guardian and brought back:

• Tuesday to receive 12/10 pts worth of credit (that's 2 points extra credit). 
• Wednesday will give students 10/10 pts. 
• Thursday will give students 5/10 pts. 
• Returning Safety Certs any time Friday or after will give students 1/10 pts, so bring them back signed tomorrow and start off the semester with an A+!

How To Buy (and what is) A 35mm SLR Film Camera

So one of the things you'll need for Tech Photography class this semester is a film SLR Camera. What is an SLR camera you may say? Well, to oversimplify it, an SLR is a camera where the user looks through a viewfinder on the back of the camera and sees exactly what will be captured on the film, since the viewfinder looks directly through the lens. One way to tell whether an camera is an SLR or not is to see if there is a viewfinder on the front of the camera as well. In fact, if there's any glass on the front of a camera, besides the lens, it's pretty safe to say that the camera is NOT an SLR.

This camera shown below is an SLR since the only place the user can see through on the front of the camera is the lens.

This camera shown below is NOT an SLR. It is known as a rangefinder camera instead because it has another opening on the front of the camera that the user can see through. We definitely do not want these rangefinder cameras for class because they are not very accurate.

Next Topic: Does your SLR have an adjustable shutter speed?

Shutter speed allows us to have a great deal of control over our photographs. Some SLR's however, have automatic shutter speed controls. This is a feature that we don't want either. Aside from making the whole experience a whole lot less fun, it also prevents you from really learning how to use a camera to it's full potential.

The camera below has full shutter speed control on the left, near the shutter button. Since the numbers here are really fractions, we can see that this camera can adjust its shutter speed from 1 second to 1/500 of a second.

This Camera below, a Canon T50, has no place where we can adjust the shutter speed. This is no good for class. The ring to the right, where we would normally see the shutter speeds, simply says "self, program, L and B.C"

So, in closing, here's some words of wisdom that will help you in buying a camera:

• Make sure the camera is actually an SLR.
• Make sure the camera has the ability to manually adjust the shutter speed.
• Ask your parents or an aunt or uncle if they have a film SLR laying around. If you ask nicely, maybe you can borrow it :)
• Look on eBay for cameras somewhere in the $50-60 range. Remember, you can always sell the camera when you're done and get your money back.
• Read the entire eBay listing, so you're sure that you're buying the right thing.
• Look for a brand name camera. Canon, Nikon, Minolta, and Pentax were all very common during the film era.
• Buy a camera with a lens, not one listed as "body only".
• Look on Craigslist, but always have someone, preferably a parent/guardian, go with you when meeting up with somebody.
• Feel free to email me at mpagliara@upperdarbysd.org if you'd like me to take a look at something online for you.
• Have fun shopping!

Cameras should be brought into class by 9/16/2013. This gives you two weeks to come up with one, which I think is pretty reasonable. If for some reason, this isn't going to work, let me know ahead of time and we'll work something out.

Welcome to Tech Photography!

Hi Everybody! This semester is looking to be a great one and I'm looking forward to it in many ways. This blog is designed to help us communicate throughout the semester. I'll post things of interest on here as well as school assignments, so write down the web address here so you can access it at home.

Here is the web address where you can download our textbook.
https://app.box.com/s/5nf7wctbsczzvcn9x5ty
Download it within the next couple of days. Then I'll remove it from the site.

Enjoy!