2/28/14

ASSIGNMENT #06 Live Event


ASSIGNMENT #06
(Due Monday  3/24/14 (three weeks)
Live Event (Multiple Pictures)

PART 1
READING:

Guide to Photojournalism
By Brian Horton
Read pages 54-77
“News: Sensitivity, Thinking, Instinct and Curiosity”
Read pages 131-152
“Lessons; Horst Faas, J.Pat Carter, Alan Diaz”

PART 2
HISTORY OF PHOTOJOURNALISM
Please read the following DOC’s:
  1. DOROTHEA LANGE
  2. FSA PHOTOGRAPHERS
  3. JACOB RIIS & LEWIS HINE

PART 3
Come up with a short list of subjects for consideration for your final project. Be ready to discuss in class.

PART 4++
Cover a Live Event / Multiple Pictures
Select a scheduled public event and photograph all aspects of the event in the form of a photo essay. Be sure to shoot various scenes, including overalls and details, and illustrate what the event is about. Get photos of all the important people and subject matter.
Select a carefully chosen event to shoot, thus you have three weeks to plan.

Suggestions; news event, parade, protest, performance, etc.

Do not shoot a sporting event, a press conference, fair, etc. Check newspaper, campus fliers, and magazine listings for a schedule of events in your area.

Select an event that will be visual, not something static like someone standing at a podium talking. Think of some of the work reviewed in class. Your event selection is key, give it some thought and planning.

Be prepared to use your flash if necessary. Keep in mind some of the elements of good composition, avoiding; cluttered and distracting backgrounds, objects appearing behind heads, dead space, etc. Fill the frame, making interesting photographs that have impact. Composition, positioning, background, and lens selection should all be taken into consideration. Photos as a collection should illustrate what the event is about. Make the photos relevant, avoid repetition.

  1. Select (8) different images must be submitted.
  2. Be sure to include people in at least (4) photos.
  3. Include (1) over-all, scene setter.
  4. Include (1) detail or close up. Can be of a person. Make it relevant.
  5. Do not select repetitive photos.
  6. CAPTION: be sure to get subject’s names and brief description of what they are doing,; who, what, when, where, why. Missing names will hurt your grade.
  7. SLUG PHOTO AS FOLLOWS:
Last name_live event1.jpg Last name_ live event2.jpg
EXAMPLE: franklin_ live event1.jpg
franklin_ live event2.jpg
  1. Place images in the “drop folder.”

"Space Shuttle Endeavor," by LA Times



Space Shuttle "Endeavor" rolls through streets of Los Angeles

Photos:
http://framework.latimes.com/2012/10/12/space-shuttle-endeavour-2/#/0

Time-lapse Video:
by Brian Chan
http://framework.latimes.com/2012/10/15/time-lapse-video-space-shuttle-endeavours-trek-across-l-a/

Video:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-endeavour-sg,0,4652058.storygallery#axzz2uuvh1Fw2

"Fallen Angel," Heroin project by Joe Amon / Denver Post



Denver Post photographer Joe Amon won the Community Service Photojournalism Award in the American Society of Newspaper Editors’ Awards for 2012′s best journalism. “Denver Post photojournalist Joe Amon gained access to a story and subjects that are tough to find, let alone photograph. Amon brought to light the persistent problem of drug addiction with new information about heroin and its impact on Denver.”

Photos:
http://photos.denverpost.com/2013/03/13/asne-joe-amon-heroin-denver-photos/#1

Video:
http://photos.denverpost.com/2012/10/01/special-project-heroin-in-denver/

Mathew Brady

Mathew B. Brady






Mathew Brady arrived in New York City at the age of sixteen. Soon after taking a job as a department store clerk, he started his own small business manufacturing jewelry cases. In his spare time, Brady studied photography under a number of teachers, including Samuel F. B. Morse, the man who had recently introduced photography to America. Brady quickly discovered a natural gift. By 1844, he had his own photography studio in New York.
Brady soon acquired a reputation as one of America's greatest photographers -- producer of portraits of the famous. In 1856, he opened a studio in Washington, D.C., the better to photograph the nation's leaders and foreign dignitaries. As he himself said, "From the first, I regarded myself as under obligation to my country to preserve the faces of its historic men and mothers." He became one of the first photographers to use photography to chronicle national history.
At the peak of his success as a portrait photographer, Brady turned his attention to the Civil War. Planning to document the war on a grand scale, he organized a corps of photographers to follow the troops in the field. Friends tried to discourage him, citing battlefield dangers and financial risks, but Brady persisted. He later said, "I had to go. A spirit in my feet said 'Go,' and I went."
Mathew Brady did not actually shoot many of the Civil War photographs attributed to him. More of a project manager, he spent most of his time supervising his corps of traveling photographers, preserving their negatives and buying others from private photographers freshly returned from the battlefield, so that his collection would be as comprehensive as possible. When photographs from his collection were published, whether printed by Brady or adapted as engravings in publications, they were credited "Photograph by Brady," although they were actually the work of many people.
In 1862, Brady shocked America by displaying his photographs of battlefield corpses from Antietam, posting a sign on the door of his New York gallery that read, "The Dead of Antietam." This exhibition marked the first time most people witnessed the carnage of war. The New York Times said that Brady had brought "home to us the terrible reality and earnestness of war."
After the Civil War, Brady found that war-weary Americans were no longer interested in purchasing photographs of the recent bloody conflict. Having risked his fortune on his Civil War enterprise, Brady lost the gamble and fell into bankruptcy. His negatives were neglected until 1875, when Congress purchased the entire archive for $25,000. Brady's debts swallowed the entire sum. He died in 1896, penniless and unappreciated. In his final years, Brady said, "No one will ever know what I went through to secure those negatives. The world can never appreciate it. It changed the whole course of my life."
Despite his financial failure, Mathew Brady had a great and lasting effect on the art of photography. His war scenes demonstrated that photographs could be more than posed portraits, and his efforts represent the first instance of the comprehensive photo-documentation of a war.

Biographical Note /LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/cwp/4a40000/4a40900/4a40924r.jpg

The Library of Congress presents these documents as part of the record of the past.


see video:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/video/Mathew-Bradys-Vision.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koLnFvPaya0


other links:
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/About%20Mathew%20Brady.htm
http://www.mathewbrady.com/
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/cwp/4a40000/4a40900/4a40924r.jpg

2/26/14

Welcome Home -by Craig Walker / Denver Post




Craig F. Walker, a photographer at The Denver Post,  was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for feature photography, the second time he has won journalism's highest honor in three years.

In "Welcome Home," Walker chronicled the story of Scott Ostrom, who returned to the United States with a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder after serving four years as a reconnaissance man and deploying twice to Iraq.

http://photos.denverpost.com/2011/12/30/special-project-welcome-home/#1
Video:
http://photos.denverpost.com/2011/12/30/special-project-welcome-home-2/
Video of Walker with Scott Ostrom as they learn about Pulitzer win:
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_20408466/craig-f-walker-denver-post-wins-pulitzer-prize

2/24/14

Sp '14 Week 4


photo by THOMAS HAAS
Agenda for today's class.

  1.  Demonstrate how to "Selective Focus"
  2.  Let's look, ASSIGNMENT #3   SELECTIVE FOCUS
  3. MSNBC -Photos of the Year 2013
  4. Lesson; History of Photo Timeline, Roger Fenton
  5.  Lesson; Composition
  6.  Steve McCurry; Magnum -good examples of composition
  7. William Albert Allard -good composition
  8. ASSIGNMENT #4, Composition
  9. ASSIGNMENT, Photojournalist Paper
  10. Photo essay; “"Bound to El Norte: Immigrant Stowaways on the Freight Trains of Mexico," by Don Bartletti

By now, we should be well aware of the technical considerations that determine a photograph, such as aperture, shutter speed, lens selection, and camera types. You should also be familiar with the categories of the"Visual language."
So, what can your determine in looking at these three iconic images?

Charles Moore's photo from the Civil Rights movement in the 1960's.






Eddie Adams won the Pulitzer Prize for for his picture of a Viet Cong lieutenant being executed at close range on a Saigon street by a South Vietnamese general.

How about this Diane Arbus image?


Jerome Delay's iconic image from Iraq, as hundreds of Iraqis storm the Abu Ghraib jail Oct. 20, 2002 following the announcement by President Saddam Hussein that most of Iraq's prisoners would be freed. Tens of thousands of prisoners were greeted by their relatives and friends upon their release.


Misc.
Be sure to review the Powerpoint Presentations, they contain material not always covered in class, due to time restriction.

2/22/14

Assignment #4 Composition


ASSIGNMENT #04 Composition(Due 3/3/14)

PART 1
READING:
National Geographic Ultimate Field Guide
Read pages 82-95, 160-165

Guide to Photojournalism
By Brian Horton
Read pages 79-101“Features and Portraits; Seeing the World Around Us.”

PART 2
HISTORY OF PHOTOJOURNALISM
(1)  Mathew Brady (see Photographer’s Bio’s)

PART 3
Have (3) subject ideas for your Final Project for discussion.

PART 4
Composition (2) photos
Good blog post on composition:
http://tomjungphotography.blogspot.com/2011/11/understanding-basic-composition.html

PHOTO 1:
Make an environmental portrait of a person using “Rule of Thirds.
Subject: Make well-composed, expressive environmental portraits of a person in their place of work environment. Photo should give insight into what the person does. The environment should be obvious and explanatory. Make photos of subject in different positions, locations, with special emphasis on positioning.
Keep in mind:
YOU ARE IN CONTROL, this is a passive assignment.
There should be obvious foreground & background.

PHOTO 2:
Make well-composed action photos of a person at work in their place of work environment  using one of these compositional techniques: Framing, Leading Lines, Juxtaposition, or Silhouette.   

This should be a Graphic Photograph. One that is visual and emphasizes the relationship between the lines, shapes and forms produces an aesthetically pleasing visual presentation.
Graphic elements are as important as the story-telling content with this assignment.
Keep in mind:
This is NOT a passive assignment, this is an active photo, and should be documentary.


*Students must complete:
2. Follow “Basic Photoshop”, use outline provided if needed.
3. Type complete caption in FILE INFO field in Photoshop, see instructions.
****CAPTION MUST STATE WHICH TECHNIQUE YOU ARE USING!
4.SLUG PHOTO AS FOLLOWS: 
Last name_ composition1.jpg, Last name_ composition2.jpg
5. Place image in the “drop folder”
(remember to save a copy for yourself to you folder)

2/16/14

Sp 2014 Week 3


photo by Brianna Farulla

Saw some very nice photos from Week 1, we saw some really nice self-portraits with self-expression. Let's keep up the good work.

Agenda for today's class.
  1. MSNBC Photos of the Week
  2. Let's look, ASSIGNMENT #2, Depth-of-field & Motion.
  3. The Visual Language, also see PPP
  4. Photo Basics PART II; Cameras, also see PPP.
  5. Photo Basics PART III; Lenses, also see PPP.
  6. ASSIGNMENT #3 Selective Focus
  7. Photojournalist Paper assignment
  8. Matt Rainey; After the Fire
Housekeeping:
  • NPPA Code of Ethics  -Be sure you've read this
  • CAPTIONS!!!  please follow caption format and instructions, otherwise lose points.
  • when reviewing the Powerpoint presentation, copy the PPP file to your HD then open from there. (Opening a large file like that across the server will put a drain on server, and in some cases -crash)
  • do NOT put folders in the DROP folder, just drag and drop the images solo. Thank you.
  • be sure to slug each photo correctly, otherwise 1pt will subtracted from each assignment.
  • Do not forget to do a complete and properly formatted caption, -1pt.
  • check file size before submitting photo to DROP, 1-2MB per photo.
  • check the Graded Folder.
  • if you miss and assignment be sure to make it up and submit to drop ASAP.

2/15/14

ASSIGNMENT #03 Selective Focus


ASSIGNMENT #03
(Due 2/24/14) Selective Focus

PART 1
READING:
National Geographic Ultimate Field Guide, pages 44-82
1. Focus; 76-82

PART 2
Photographer’s Bio’s:
2. History of Photography Timeline
3. History of Photojournalism; Roger Fenton

PART 3
SELECTIVE FOCUS is a technique in which one portion of a photograph is in focus, while other elements are blurred out-of-focus. The photographer makes the choice. Remember, the viewer's eye is naturally drawn toward the part of the photo that is in sharp focus. This is achieved by careful focus and employing shallow depth of field through the use of a wide aperture. The subject is isolated from its surroundings, through focus and depth-of-field.
Photo 1 
Photograph a person holding (or with) their favorite object, with obvious foreground vs. background. 
Demonstrate your understanding of "selective focus."  This is a creative and technical assignment. Make strong expressive photos! Shoot different angles, work the subject.
  • Compose a photograph focusing on the object. 
  • Only the object should be in sharp focus, NOT the person.
  • Use depth-of-field and selective focus to try to isolate the subject from its surroundings.
  • Create a clean, sharp image. 
  • Be mindful of the technical issues we’ve discussed in class. 
  • Review examples shown in class.
Photo 2
Photograph a person in a favorite room or place, with obvious foreground vs. background. There should be a connection between the person and the place.
  • Compose a photograph focusing on the person. 
  • Only the person should be in sharp focus. The room or place should not be in sharp focus.
  • Use depth-of-field and selective focus to try to isolate the subject from his/her surroundings.
  • Create a clean, sharp image. 
  • Be mindful of the technical issues we’ve discussed in class.
  • Review examples shown in class.

*Students must complete:
1. Select (1) best photo one of each.
2. use Photoshop to edit images.
3. Be sure to include a caption
4.SLUG PHOTO AS FOLLOWS:
EXAMPLES: yourlastname _ focus_person.JPG
***photos must be slugged correctly, -1pt
5. Place images in the “drop folder” (remember to save a copy for yourself to your folder) 

2/14/14

Photojournalist Paper


Photojournalist Paper
Due 3/24/14

Each student will be required to select and contact a working photojournalist of choice, accompany them on an assignment, conduct an interview and write a paper on the experience. The project will require research and preparation, and the ability to contact and meet with the photojournalist. Every effort should be made to try and accompany the photojournalist on an assignment. This will require planning and coordination.

*WEDDING & COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE NOT PERMITTED. **WORKING PHOTOJOURNALISTS & NEWS PHOTOGRAPHERS ONLY!
***SELECT SOMEONE WITH REAL EXERIENCE –at least 5 years.

The goal of this presentation is for students to learn something about the field of photojournalism, which is undergoing cataclysmic changes, from a working professional who can offer insight. In addition to the list of questions below, students should prepare their own set of questions. Research on photographer’s background should be completed BEFORE interview session.
Be inquisitive. Get their advice. Get a sense of the photographer’s attitude, style, and perspective. This is a unique opportunity to get some real career insight, even in photojournalism is not in your future. There is much that can be learned from professionals in related fields. Make the most of the opportunity.

1. The written paper should be minimum 2000 words (2-3 pages, no more), and written in the student’s own words... DO NOT PLAGIARIZE.
The written report must be a WORD document.
-12pt font, single-space, and submitted to the DROP FOLDER.
2. Shoot your own photo of the photojournalist, hopefully in action.
-Copy and paste 1-2 photos of photographers work into WORD document.
-Copy and paste 1-2 of your photos into WORD document.

3. The paper MUST follow this outline:
I.BACKGROUND
-Why was photographer selected?
-What is the photographer’s background?
-How did they get interested and started?
-Etc.
II. PHOTOGRAPHY WORK
-What type of work or projects is the photographer known for?
-List examples, and gives description.
-Copy and paste at least 2 photos into WORD document.
-Who do they work for now, in the past?
-Describe their job/assignments.
Etc.
III. JOB
-Describe their job/assignments.
-What aspects of their jobs are most satisfying? Least satisfying?
- What aspects of their jobs are most difficult?
-What advice do they have for young journalists?cont>
-What are the most important skills to have to be a successful photojournalist?
-What changes in the business have they experienced?
-What does the future hold for photojournalists?

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE FOLLOWING PHOTOGRAPHERS:
-Chris Pedota / The Record
-Carmine Galasso / The Record
-Tony Kurdzuk / Star-Ledger

DO’s AND DON’Ts:
-Do not wait until the last minute to contact the photographer. DO IT NOW!
-Do not expect the photographer to get back to you immediately, if at all.
-Be persistent and assertive, and don’t wait for returned calls. Be proactive.
-Do research BEFORE contacting them. Impress them with what you already know about them. This will most likely lead to a better interview, and will show respect for their time.
-Ask for help in making initial contact.
-Make every opportunity to accompany them on an assignment.

Where to find a photojournalist?
-Get in the habit of looking for credits under published photos.
-your local newspaper
-Visit photojournalism web sites:
www.njppa.org (New Jersey Press Photogs Association)
www.nppa.org (National Press Photogs Association)
www.digitaljournalist.org Dirck Halstead (very important site!)
www.sportshooter.com (not just sports)
http://www.aphotoaday.org/ (a photo a day web site & blog)

-The Star-Ledger
-The Record
-The Asbury Park Press
-The Herald News
-The NY Times

-Review the PPP’s.
-Ask me.