Y12 Holiday Work

For this coursework unit, you are expected to produce a series of developed work in response to 'Changing Landscapes'. Your digital media elements are as follows:

montage
Hockney inspired 'joiner'
Stop motion animation using your own photographs

All three pieces need to be of a very high standard, clearly informed by research into other artists/photographers. Your blog should reflect both the research carried out and the record of your technical development. Some of you have already done this to a high standard. Others need to go back and redo either montage or 'joiner'. ALL of you need to show clear links between work and the brief, evaluating, reflecting, drawing links between photographer's/animator's work and your own.

This should be done by our first lesson back Tuesday 5th Jan.

Y12 #2 Joiner preparation

You need to finish your photomontage this week, post it up on your blog with a reflection and links to research. You should be considering this work as a finished piece as part of a series of work to be included with the stop motion animation. (Sam's finished work above- fantastic)

For next Wednesday, you should come to the lesson with photographs taken to contstruct a joiner. This could be of a landscape, or an object. You could take the idea further and use your images to construct something completely different... think about your coursework brief of 'changing landscapes' and how your research informs the development of your work.

Y12 #1 photomontage

This week, your homework is to:

1. Continue your research into photomontage in photography, critically reflecting on technique and meaning

2. Take a series of photographs in order to create a digital photomontage as a personal response to life in 21st century. You can also use magazine cutouts

Jean-Luc Brouard & Ben Gold

Amazing photographs of trees. How do you think they achieved this look? Traditional methods / lighting, digital manipulation or both?

I saw these at an exhibition in Brighton last week.

Click here to see examples from both photographers' work. This would be particularly relevant to Y12 doing landscape photography.

Holiday Work - Y12

In order to be prepared for our work next term, you need to carry out the following 3 research tasks with detailed evaluation / links on your blog:

1. Research 2-3 photographers that have used photomontage and collage in their work. Examples could include Hannah Hoch, Martha Rosler, Eugenio Dittborn, Radcliffe Bailey, Clarissa Sligh as well as the more well known David Hockney. Find examples of their work and comment on what these transformational methods convey.

2. How does stop motion animation work?

3. Find some examples of stop motion animation that you like - this could be music videos, artists, amateurs. If possible, include an embedded youtube clip on your blog and discuss why you like it

Y12 - catch-up work

Y12 Photography

work set for my absence is to catch up on all 5 posts below, with detailed explanation of how the technique works, reflection on your own work and evidence of you using your own photography.

Make sure that this includes your own composite shot as well as a photograph transformed into two moods using techniques learnt.

Finally, I expect you to turn up with an idea and one of your own images for our final lesson this term on Thursday to transform.

All this work shoudl be complete by ALL students otherwise you will have to stay on Friday to complete.
CF

Treatment for short film - year 13

You need to submit a treatment on the blog before next lesson and be prepared to talk about it. This is a summary of the contents of your film. It should include:

• duration
• form (still, moving etc)
• narrative
• sound
• mise-en-scene (locations, characters, props, lighting, colour, body language, costume)

Specialten - Year 13

Please make sure that you post an entry on at least two films that you watched in the lesson, stating what it was that you found particularly interesting, effective and/or a technique you would be interested in trying out. Make sure you include director, title and year for each film.

#5 composite image

This week, we are compositing an image into a landscape, using feathering, contracting selection, motion blur filter and layers to create blur in stages through the image to maintain depth of field.

Post an entry with your plane test image, detailing the tips and tricks learnt.

On a separate post, upload your own landscape with an object composited on. Have a go!

Year 13 Photography

By Friday's lesson, you all need to be up-to-date. Below is what you should have so far:

1. Outline your interests for your personal project. Upload some images as examples.
2. Poster Art - before and after images. Explain tools and techniques.
3. Toning - What effects did you achieve in the darkroom? Post examples and annotate.
4. Digital toning - Outline three different procedures and post before and after shots.
5. Film shorts. Write an analysis of each of the three films. What techniques were effective? What ideas could you take to inform your own work?
6. Any other work you are doing which shows development. Reference to photographers or exhibitions you have seen and how they influence you.

Y12 #4 filters

Working with filters successfully is about preparing your image before applying the filter by adjusting levels, saturation and considering all variables on the filter option. Remember, before applying the filter, you may need to select a foreground/background colour.

Experiment with the filters using your own photographs and choose 5-6 that you find interesting. Post a record on your blog of the transformations, making a note of the exact variables selected.

Year 13

Homework for friday: Considering the three short films we watched, comment on the technical, visual and narrative techniques used in each which were effective.

1. 'About a girl'. Brian Percival (2001)
2. 'Boy and Bicycle'. Ridley Scott (1958)
3. 'Terminal Bar'. Stefan Nadelman (2002)

Y12 #3 transforming with colour

This week, you should post on the following with before/after shots, screen shots and as much technical terminology as possible:

1. different ways to warm up your shots

2. Hand-colouring using blending modes and brushes

3. Challenge - to create a high contrast monochrome picture using one of your own landscapes. Record all stages and make reference to the famous photographers you have studied this week.

You should work in class and then finish for our lesson next Thursday (development day Tuesday).

FOR NEXT WEEK -Bring in a landscape image and an object that you could composite onto the landscape digitally. It can be as random as you like!

Y12 #2 colour basics

The following posts are due for the lesson on Wed 30th Sept. Each post should have before/after images and detailed evaluation of stages/screenshots:

1. Explain the hue/saturation tool

2. Use the colourize option on the hue/saturation tool

3. Select parts of an image image and intensify the colour

4. Research David LaChapelle and comment on his use of colour

Year 13 Photography

Please make sure you have the following on your blog:

1. Introduction to your chosen topic with a couple of images
2. A post on 'Poster Art' which outlines stages you went through in photoshop. Post a couple of images to show development and process.
3. Complete a post on toning, with a couple of images to illustrate.
   

Homework. Complete poster to a good standard for Wednesday's lesson.

Y12 #1 Levels

The blogs are now working in school – you should be able to upload images without problems. Use this lesson to update your blog and reflect on the learning so far. You should then take skills and apply to one of your own photographs. Using the learning in the lesson and the handout, answer the following questions and ensure that you post a ‘before’ and ‘after’ image of the landscape that you worked on in that lesson. You should have the following 3 posts on your own blog:

1 - Using cropping tool
How can you use the cropping tool to improve your photograph? What do you consider when making your “cropping” decisions?

2 - Using levels
Remember, we looked at using levels adjustment layers on Chilean landscapes that you downloaded from the VLE. We then used the selection tool to adjust parts of the image on different adjustment layers.
What is a histogram and what does it show?
What is the difference between an under-exposed image, correctly exposed and over-exposed image?
What is the difference between a high key image and low-key image?
How can you use levels to improve your images?
How can you use selection tools to work on different areas of image? (name tools used)=
Some of you may have got to using different channels (colour) – explain this process and effects of changes


3. Skills development
Using skills learnt last week, take one of your own photographs and aim to digitally improve composition, contrast and tones using tools above. Explain process in detail with visual evidence.

Key terminology that should appear in your blog entries: histogram, over / under exposed, high/low key, layers palette, adjustment layer, cropping, rule of thirds, lead-in line, composition, framing, contrast, tonal range, hue/saturation


I will mark blog entries Tuesday when I return to school at end of the day so make sure you submit your post, not just save draft. If you have any problems with the blog, you can still do the work in Word and then print out in BW and leave on my desk at front. No excuses not to do this task!

C Fernandez

Using your blog

Our top tips for successful use of blogging as a digital portfolio:

1. Remember that a moderator will be viewing this blog - ensure that you use standard English and take care with accuracy
2. Use it as a collaborative tool - comment and discuss each other's work
3. Add links to other websites rather than cutting and pasting information - you are better off sumarising findings
4. ALWAYS optimise images for web before uploading. Make sure that your optimised file is A COPY of your photograph and not saved over the top
5. This blog is about evaluation and reflection - all images should be accompanied with detailed evaluation of stages of development

Happy blogging!