What's going down?

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ART 2030 - Photography

Project #4: Directing and Photographing People: What's going down?

First round of images brought in for editing by Monday November 26th

Final Critique: Final Exam Day Tuesday, December 11 10:15-12:15

For this assignment, you will work in a directorial/staged/cinematic mode (you set up the photographs) to create portraits and/ or narratives using people as subjects. This assignment will require some planning. Start thinking about it now. Don't wait until the last minute!

Open ended narrative photographs containing people:

Shoot any subject(s) concentrating on the idea of a suggested but open ended narrative. Make photographs in which a single image tells a story or implies a narrative. The most interesting narratives are ones in which the story is open ended- those which leave the viewer filling in holes or trying to complete the story. Aim for this type of narrative! I want all your narratives to be vague. Experiment! Have fun! Get crazy!

Think about what distinguishes a fine photograph from a snapshot and take responsibility for everything in the frame. This includes (but is not limited to) distance from subject, background, pose, expression, figure ground relationships/ depth of field, mood, lighting, composition, and other formal considerations. Decide what you want the photograph to communicate and make it happen.

Hint: We all know the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words" but an image that "tells it all" is generally less interesting than one which leaves the viewer looking for more. Keep this in mind when shooting and try to create images that will intrigue the viewer; create open ended images that will involve the viewer in the narrative and inspire the viewer to interpret your narrative. Don't give away the ending! Think of each image as its own narrative that occurs in the same ‘universe’ as the other images.

Requirements: Shoot a variety of photographs with a digital camera. I would expect you to shoot a least 60+ images over several hours over several days. Place all of the images on Flickr, then using ACR, edit the 10 that you feel are strongest and put them in their own set.

Criteria for Grading:

The emphasis of your grade will be based on your creativity and ability to communicate the objectives above; however, technical proficiency is expected and poor technique will have an adverse effect on your grade.