Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Poster Assignment

Your group will create (or recreate) a popular music poster from a concert, music festival or album promotion.

Research posters
Gain approval, and must submit rough draft
Have at least one picture in the poster
Posters should be 11 x 17 inches
300 dpi
each person should take a photo and complete the assignment
you may use photoshop, but you still need to take the picture

You will send the finished jpeg to me.
On Wednesday you will create a web ready image and post to your blog. We will share our posters with the class.
For more info on optimizing images for the web, read this link from Adobe.

please be creative and have fun

will probably edit instructions after first period. Due one week from today (2/3/15)

Posters Chosen So Far.
Pd 1
The Beatles at Shea Stadium August 23
Maroon 5 Live in Manila 2011
5 Seconds of Summer
AKMU Akdong Play (K Pop)
The Script

Pd 2
The Macabees, Autumn 2009 Tour
Lana del Rey, Open Road Tour
Adele

Pd 3
Yanni, A Living Legacy
Linkin Park, Madison Square Garden 2011
The Vamps, Lucky Strike
One Direction, 2013 World Tour
Paramore, Tour Poster 7/20
Rave of Thrones, Austin 2015



Pd 4
Bob Dylan at the Q.E. Theatre Vancouver 1965
Bruno Mars Moonshine Jungle Tour with Ellie Goulding
Imagine Dragons, at Weber State University
Pentatonix, The On My Way Home Tour
Taylor Swift, The Red Tour featuring someone

To learn more about Photoshop, watch tutorials on the AdobeTV site or other relevant online places.



Thursday, January 22, 2015

Final Exam - First Semester Pd 3 and 4

Final Exam, Digital Photo
January 22, 2015
Periods 3 & 4


Create a blog post titled Period 3 (or 4) - Semester Final. When finished, send the finished post by email with the same subject.


Part 1 (75 points)

  1. What is your favorite photo from this Lens slideshow? Provide three reasons that it is your favorite. (10)
  2. Which photo is the best from the slideshow? Provide three reasons. (10)
  3. What is your best work this semester? Include the blog link. Give three reasons why this is your best work. If you had more time, how would you do to improve the project. (10)
  4. You chose three rules of composition. What are your three rules? (5)
  5. Select one of your own photos that illustrates your ability to apply at least two of the three rules. Insert the photo into the post and label the picture. Clearly include the two rules of composition that you are using. (10)
  6. I have three rules of composition. I have explained one already. What is my first rule? (5)
  7. What are the benefits of working in groups? Provide a list with five benefits. (10)
  8. What are the difficulties of working in groups? List five difficulties. (10)
  9. What is your favorite work product produced by another person in this class? Provide the link to their work. (5)





A little history (25)

10. You studied a master photographer and reproduced his or her work. Who was the photographer? What did the photographer contribute to the field of photographer? List one significant contribution. (5)

11. What is Dorothea Lange's most popular photo? (Does the photo have a name?) Where was the photo taken? When? What agency employed Dorothea when she took the photo? (5)

12. Who was the creator/founder of Life Magazine? When did the (photojournalism) magazine begin publishing? (5)

13. Robert Capa was a founding member of what organization? What year did the organization start? (5)

14. Robert Capa took the photo known as "Falling Soldier." When and where did he take the photo? (5)

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Final Exam - First Semester Pd 1 and 2

Final Exam, Digital Photo
January 21, 2015
Periods 1 and 2

Create a blog post titled Period 1 (or 2) - Semester Final. When finished, send the finished post by email with the same subject.


  1. What is your favorite photo from this Lens slideshow? Provide three reasons that it is your favorite.
  2. Which photo is the best from the slideshow? Provide three reasons.
  3. What is your best work this semester? Include the blog link. Give three reasons why this is your best work. If you had more time, how would you do to improve the project.
  4. You chose three rules of composition. What are your three rules?
  5. Select one of your own photos that illustrates your ability to apply at least two of the three rules. Insert the photo into the post and label the picture. Clearly include the two rules of composition that you are using.
  6. I have three rules of composition. I have explained one already. What is my first rule?
  7. What are the benefits of working in groups? Provide a list with five benefits.
  8. What are the difficulties of working in groups? List five difficulties.
  9. What is your favorite project produced by another person in this class? Provide the link to their work.




A little history

10. You studied a master photographer and reproduced his or her work. Who was the photographer? What did the photographer contribute to the field of photographer? List one significant contribution.

11. What is Dorothea Lange's most popular photo? (Does the photo have a name?) Where was the photo taken? When? What agency employed Dorothea when she took the photo?

12. When did Life Magazine begin publishing?

13. When was Elvis born?

14. Robert Capa was a founding member of what organization? When did it start?

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Final Exam Review

For the final,

Bring your own tissue paper, pencil, paper and pen. We will use the computers. I will assign your seat. You will not have access to your cell phone. Please put it away before you walk into the class. HOWEVER, you may use Gmail and the chat function to communicate with people in the class.

What are the benefits and disadvantages of working in groups (What are the benefits for students, teachers and community?)

I will probably give you a slideshow from Lens that looks like this or from Life that looks like this. I will ask you to identify your favorite photo and the best photo. Provide three reasons and support your answers. When possible use academic language, such as rules of composition. I want complete answers more than complete sentences. If you can give both....

You chose three rules of composition. Know them. Live them. Love them.  I will ask you to show or find examples of the rules that you chose. BE PREPARED TO INCLUDE A LINK to your rules.

I might provide a photo and ask you to crop it and/or edit the picture so that the edited image demonstrates that you know your own rules of composition. (Take this photo and crop it....)

Similarly, I have three rules of composition. I have given you my first. What is it? Provide an example.

What is your best work this semester? Include the link. Give three reasons why it is your best work. If you had more time, what would you do to improve the project.

Quick history

Dorothea Lange's most popular photo. Name? Where was the photo taken? When? What agency employed her?

When did Life Magazine begin publishing?

When was Elvis born?

Robert Capa was a founding member of what organization? When did it start?

How many extra points do you get on a final exam (or a photo shoot) for drinking too much caffeine? If you eat poorly, do you think your grades will improve?

Remember to breathe. Sleep. Eat well. Drink water. Manage your stress. Exercise if possible. Get a theme song.

It's just a bunch of tests. You are not your tests. You are your theme song... maybe.





Friday, January 16, 2015

Album Cover Assessments

Today we will review your album cover reproductions. You will assess each other.

Each group will submit ONE paper with scores for each student. Please list the students in alphabetical order by last name.

Period 2, unedited LGG3 smartphone photo, The Ramones, Elvis Costello, Bob Marley (photo by B. Farley) 

Score the projects from 1-100. Do not mark your own groups.



Thursday, January 15, 2015

Album Cover Recreation

Thursday January 8th would have been Elvis Presley's 80th birthday.
In the 1950's, Elvis was The King of Rock and Roll. He is still considered the iconic rock star. The 1956 album Elvis Presley, as well as the album cover, are American classics.


For your next assignment, you will recreate an Elvis photo or one of his album covers. If Elvis is not your thing, you may recreate a cover from one of the top 500 albums (according to Rolling Stone Magazine.)
"Every Picture Tells A Story" Recreation - Picture by Lucas, Period 3
Here is a quick portrait of a recreation completed with the help of one of my students in Period 3. The album is Every Picture Tells A Story by Rod Stewart at 172 of Rolling Stone's top 500 Albums.

Each student must take a picture. Please post the photo on the blog and link to the album cover or photo.

I am posting on January 15 but this was assigned last week. Tomorrow we will prepare for your final.

Period 1 Album Covers
The Best of Girl Groups, Vol 1 and 2
The Velvet Underground and Nico
AC/DC, 'Highway to Hell'
The Beatles, 'Please Please Me'
The Beatles, 'Abbey Road'

Period 2 Album Covers
David Bowie, 'Low'

Elvis Costello, 'This Years Model' - "Radio is a sound salvation"

Period 3 Album Covers
Simon and Garfunkel, 'Bookends' I said "Be careful his camera is really a bowtie"
Patti Smith, 'Horses'
The Beatles, 'Help'  at #331
Neil Young with Crazy Horse, 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'  "... a dreamer of pictures...."

Period 4 Album Covers
The Band, The Band #45
Blondie, 'Parallel Lines'
John Lennon, 'The Plastic Ono Band' #23
James Brown, 'In the Jungle Groove'
Talking Heads, 'Remain in Light'















Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Movie Monday - Life Magazine and Gordon Parks

Begin Today by viewing the New York Times Lens Blog story about Life Magazine photographer Gordon Parks.

When was this photo taken? What year? What time of day?

Where was this photo taken? What place? What city? What general location? (I am looking for a three word response, last word "South")



We will continue watching Phototojournalism: The Life Magazine Way.

In your group, answer the following questions on one piece of paper. Also answer the questions above about Gordon Parks.
Please include all group members names and signatures. (Grading is easier if you include the date and period)


  1. When was Life Magazine first published?
  2. How often was it published?
  3. Who founded the magazine?
  4. Who shot the first cover?
  5. Who was Martin and Lewis?
  6. Who wrote Mad Dogs and Englishmen?
  7. When was the Selma to Montgomery March?
  8. Who was Walter Cronkite?
  9. Who photographed Debbie Reynolds in New York for Life Magazine? (The photographer is an inductee of the International Hall of Fame.) 
  10. Who is Debbie Reynolds' daughter? Who is her granddaughter? Are these women known as her daughter and granddaughter or something else?
  11. When did Life Magazine last publish a weekly magazine?
  12. When did Life Magazine resume publishing?



Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Masters of Photography Written Reflection

On Monday, you posted a reflection about your Masters of Photography Project. Today you will submit a handwritten reflection with a score. You may include the same information from Monday's reflection. You may edit. You choose.

Here are the requirements.

Paragraph 1 - In the first paragraph, discuss what you did well. You could begin your paragraph by writing, "For the Masters of Photography Project I did many things well." I am looking for complete answers... not necessarily complete sentences.

Paragraph 2 - In the second paragraph, explain how you might work differently now that you have more experience. (What could you improve?)

Paragraph 3 - Include the following text

"I believe that a score of ______ out of 100 accurately describes my effort and achievement for the Masters of Photography Project. I do not deserve more than the score I listed, nor do I deserve less."

Print your name,
Sign your name,

Include the date below.


Monday, January 5, 2015

Masters of Photography Project Reflection

I originally posed these questions the first day of class following Winter Break. On the second day of class, I accidentally deleted the post. So, on Wednesday...

1. How do you think your project represents your work as a student?

2. How has your understanding of photography changed during this school year?

3. What are some of the benefits of working in a group?

4. What are some of the disadvantages?

5. Now that you have had more time to reflect, is there anything that you would have done differently with your recent project?

6. Is there anything else that you want to include?

When considering your response, please review all your blog posts, including your first blog posts of 2014-2015.
In addition to your Masters of Photography project, review other students' projects too. How does your work compare? Were you surprised by some students? Did you surprise yourself?