Midterm

Not the best choice

Bad portrait, no face - image
Not good lighting – no face visible…

3 Images due attached to the assignment submission link–adjusted in Photoshop

Portraits

OK another what I hope is a fun assignment for you.  Choose three pictures from at least two approaches:  Portrait/Self Portrait/Environmental Portrait.  

  • Procedure–First, Think!  Really, spend some time looking at portraits.  You can see them in books, magazines, on the web, all around you.  You are inundated with portraits.  Get ideas.  Look at light, composition, etc.
  • You the photographer are in control.  If you want to just stop an interesting person you see on the street, and ask them permission to shoot their on-site portrait, great.  Or photograph a friend, and invent a scenario.  These can look like movie stills, or found pictures, or senior portraits.  Variety is good.
  • Look at the light.  Window light, low light, use a lamp to your advantage, think about it.  Existing Light though.  Please do not use the on camera flash.
  • Think of the composition–in tight, forced composition, or if including a environment, what does it say about the person. White wall.  Plain background.  Busy background.  Think it through.  Think of shooting through a layer or two.
  • Think of color.   Use color.  If directing clothing, think of the different effects of color.  Or go black and white.  Your choice. Sepia or a color tone is ok, too.
  • Think of parts.  Perhaps a “Portrait’ of you grandmother’s hands.  Or just a gesture, hand, hair, ear.  You don’t need a whole person, or whole face.
  • Think of motion and depth of field, and of course test your exposure before you shoot with the Histogram.

Attach your best three images as your assignment, please label Portrait-LastName-1,  Portrait-LastName-2, and Portrait-LastName-3. Mine would be Portrait-Mason-1… and so on.

Have fun!