Dearly beloved class members,
Crazy times are upon us. It is possible that we may not be returning to the regular face-to-face classes after the extended "break." Nothing has been officially decided by the University yet at this point, so don't assume that this is a fact. I repeat: there is a possibility that we might not return to classes as usual after the break, not a certainty. We'll have to see how this virus thing plays out. As the email that you received from the Dean of Instruction points out, We expect face to face classes to resume as normal on Monday, April 6.
However, the latest word is that you need to continue doing course work during the extra two weeks of the break. Here is how we will proceed for the immediate future:
1. I will email you the text and example sheet for each new assignment along with the date when it is due.
2. I will also post the new assignment on this blog page with more examples than you will find on the example page.
3. You will email me your best 5 photos of the assignment to vgaroza@unm.edu. I still expect you to take at least 30 photos for each assignment, but you will email me just your 5 best.
4. I will post your best 5 on this blog page along with suggestions and comments. I might also make some changes to your photo(s) and post them on this blog. I feel it is important for you to continue to see what your classmates are doing for each assignment.
5. Email me any questions you have.
This is an unusual situation for schools across the country and we must be patient and creative as we work around the problems of continuing your education in this time of virus-generated change.
I already emailed you the next assignment, Corners and Edges, last week. You need to email me your 5 corner photos by Tuesday, March 24. Here is the corners assignment and some additional examples for that assignment:
Corners and Edges
Questions, issues,
observations and other stuff…
We have a predisposition to place things near the center
that is difficult to overcome. This assignment may cause mild to severe
irritation. You may lose friends and loved ones when you show them your
results, but shaking up the status quo can be a good thing.
Because we have been conditioned to zero in on the center,
placing a subject off to the side is done more easily by cropping than by
shooting the subject in the corner from the outset. Cropping is therefore
extremely important for this assignment. It affects the placement of the
subject and the over-all proportions of the photograph.
Balance becomes an issue when you stick the main subject in
a corner or off to the side. How much space is enough to create balance and how
much is too much? (a, b, i)
If you have a person in a corner or an edge, the direction in
which he or she is looking can have a strong effect on the composition. (a, e,
j).
What is the emotional or psychological effect of placing a
person in the corner or edge? (a)
How does a simple background affect the photo compared to a
busy background? (a, b, e, j)
If you place two subjects at opposite ends, how much space
should they have between them? (c)
Arranging two people at extreme ends of a space opens up
many possibilities for narrative. (c)
Can you get away with placing a subject in each corner and
leaving the middle vacant? (g)
You can get into situations where the subject is ambiguous
(d). Is Diana the subject or is it the shape of the light hitting the bench? Or
both?
What would happen to the balance of the photograph (j) if
Perla didn’t have her hand extended to the left with the pointing finger?
When is corner placement good for the composition and/or
emotional effect and when is it just a weird gimmick?
Arrange and find:
Try photographing people for this assignment. Work with a
single person, then with two.
Pick an object and work with it in a corner situation (b).
Then work with two objects as you would with two people. Can you tell a story
with objects like you can with people?
Find examples of corner stuff (h) in your environment.
More examples...
Lake Pukaki, New Zealand. A tourist took this photo of my daughter, son-in-law and me, set intentionally or accidentally off to the right in order to include what she thought was worth looking at, i.e., the gorgeous backdrop. Notice that the area to the left is proportionally wider than the area that includes us. This helps balance the composition. That tourist gets an 'A.'
Cow Skull with Cloth. Centered...
... weighted toward the left...
... and toward the right. Which do you prefer? And why?
Vikki in the Hammock. This is the original version with the focus near the center.
With her head pushed to the left, the direction of her gaze is instrumental in balancing the composition by directing your attention back into the picture.
In this version, the position of the head is unusual and unexpected. This can be a good thing, making the composition more refreshing than the standard center focus. It also affects how you interpret the portrait. Does she seem more remote and unapproachable with her attention directed out of the photo?
Chaco and Bailey. This is the original shot.
Cropping allows me to level the table as well as change the composition. I felt that the black bulk of chaco's shape was too heavy for the composition, plus his head is close to the center.
San Lorenzo Canyon. This is how most people would have shot or cropped this photo.
However, cropping it like this makes it more dynamic and the area to the right of the ATV indicates intended motion.
Double Bubble. I was on a soap bubble kick for a while. You can weight a photo toward the top edge...
... or the bottom. How does the placement of the circles affect your reaction to the composition?
Ancient Cities Café. The server had just taken an order from the table in the back and was rushing to the kitchen to turn it in. The composition in this original version is already weighted to the left.
Cropping it like this places the figure in the center, but reduces the sense of urgency in her stride.
By cropping a bit off the left edge the sense of her motion is enhanced.
Bailey Contemplating. In this original shot, Bailey's head is slightly off center.
By cropping some of the right edge, I move him to the right edge, balanced by the large area to the laft and above him. In addition, the upper section almost looks like a landscape, thus giving it some contextual weigh.
Cropping to place his shape to the left and balancing that by the area to the right might be the most comfortable version.
Skipping Stones in Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand. That's my son-in-law again, this time skipping stones at our stop at this gorgeous lake. I placed him at the right because of the direction of the impending throw of the stone.
Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia. I took several candid shots of people walking by this beach while sitting at an outdoor restaurant. I shot this for the person, no concern for the composition.
First version: I eliminated much of the foreground, thus bringing the most important element toward the bottom of the photo. Focus is on her off to the right.
Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia. That is a huge inflated head sitting on the beach.
Cropping changes the context. You no longer see as much of the beach setting and the fact that the huge head is sitting on the beach. If you saw just this cropped version, it would really mess with your head. Besides balancing the attention to the head, the space and people to the left add to the discrepancy in scale.
So there you have it. You can go through some of your older photos and see if some of them can be effectively cropped for this assignment. But I want you to shoot new photos with this assignment in mind.
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