Monday, June 21

 

 

                                                   Your plans?

 

Tuesday, June 15 Some general information

 

All grades are completed. Thank you for the work that was submitted by last Friday.

Calls have been made home. You should check your school e-mail for summer school registration, if needed. Please note the limited time frame. As well, be aware there are limited spots available.

Last of the housekeeping. The following are notices that we have been asked to share with you.

Monday, June 14......penultimate day

 As I shared with you last week, Ms. Sweet will be leading the class today. Tomorrow is your / our last day.

Enjoy your Monday. Send me an e-mail, if you have any questions.

Monday, June 7 through Friday, June 11 Common Formative Assessment

Housekeeping:

 All grades are up-to-date:

If you have anything you wish to submit, please do so by this Friday at midnight, when the grades will close for this quarter.  Nothing will be accepted after midnight Friday. All grades are due downtown on Wednesday the 16th, and time is needed to submit these.

Anyone who participated in the book group last week, you are all set for this quarter.  Well done! 

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WHAT'S HAPPENING MONDAY, June 7 THROUGH Friday, June 11

Quick overview:  Monday, June 7 preparation for Common Formative Assessment, the CFA

                              Tuesday, June 8: Day 1: read over texts;                                               answer multiple choice

                              Wednesday, June 9 : all students who                                                                       receive extended time must come to                                                     regular  office hours. 

                               Thursday, June 10: Day 2 writing

                               Friday, June 11: Day 3 finish up and                                                           copy your  material onto the google form, which you will find in google classroom.

                              

          If you are absent, you must have a parent or guardian notify the office. 

Below is a copy of the directions for tomorrow.

English 12

Common Formative Assessment (CFA) Unit 3

 

Your Task: Write a well-developed, text-based response of two to three paragraphs in which you use ideas from both pieces of texts to establish a central idea. Develop your central idea using specific examples and details from each piece of text.

 

Choose one writing strategy (literary element or literary technique or rhetorical device) that develops this central idea. Examples include: characterization, conflict, denotation/connotation, metaphor, simile, irony, language use, point-of-view, setting, structure, symbolism, theme, tone, etc. used by one of the authors. Using specific details from that piece of text, in a well-developed essay, show how the author uses that element or technique to develop the text.

 

Guidelines:

Be sure to:

• Identify a central idea that speaks to both pieces of text

• Create a thesis statement that develops an argument thoughtfully and persuasively

• Analyze how the author’s use of one writing strategy (literary element or literary technique or rhetorical device) develops this central idea. Examples include: characterization, conflict, denotation/connotation, metaphor, simile, irony, language use, point-of-view, setting, structure, symbolism, theme, tone, etc.

• Use strong and thorough evidence from the text to support your analysis

• Organize your ideas in a cohesive and coherent manner

• Maintain a formal style of writing

• Follow the conventions of standard written English

 

Student Directions: You will be given 3-4, 30 minute class periods to complete the CFA: ●     Day 1: Read and annotate provided text and complete the Multiple Choice. ●     Days 2-3: Write your 2-3 paragraph response:             Suggested format: ○     Paragraph 1 - introduce a hook, both texts, your central idea and one writing strategy (literary element or literary technique or rhetorical device) that develops this central idea.  Create a thesis statement that develops your argument. ○     Paragraph 2 (you may break this up into more than one paragraph) - analyze how the use of the literary device supports the central idea. Discuss examples from both texts using textual evidence. ○     Paragraph 3 - conclusion. Restate your central idea, and make connections between texts Remember this is a timed writing piece, not a processed piece. Guiding Question: How do writers use literary elements to develop similar themes using different genres?     Read the following excerpt from Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes and the poem “Identity” by Julio Noboa to help guide your response:

Tues, May 25 to Wednesday, June 2 Personal photo projects: see topic choices below and directions below.

 VERY, VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

 All GRADES FOR THE 4th QUARTER CLOSE ON FRIDAY,

 JUNE 11 AT MIDNIGHT!

NOTHING WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THAT TIME.

Tonight's Long Way Down book circle link: https://rcsdk12.zoom.us/j/98816351042?pwd=eTVSR25QV1dra1ZFUmJscHRtZ3dNZz09

Thursday, June 3..........

At this point in time, I should have received your final project.

Did I?   What happens next? At this time, the maximum grade is a 75.

For those of you who have submitted, thank you. I would like to share these with the class. Some of you are taking a senior skip day tomorrow. Have fun. Any who are here tomorrow, you'll get an opportunity to view some of the fantastic work that has come in.

For today, please, if you have not, finish up the project. 

If I have your work, once we have taken attendance, you may use this time as you wish.

On Monday, we have a Common Formative Assessment or CFA. This is similar to the one from the fall and is required by the district. This will take three days.

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What is a personal photo project?

The idea behind your personal photo project is to put into practice some of the techniques you were to have practiced or analyzed:

           1.  composition: phi grid and rule of thirds

           2.  a basic understanding of how depth of field works: what is in focus in the                        fore or background and why.

            3. types of shots and purpose behind each: close-up, medium,

                          establishing or long shot 

           4.  format: vertical or horizontal

            5. horizon line placement

            6. types of symmetry: horizontal, vertical, reflective and radial symmetry

            7. repetition and pattern usage

            8. texture

            9.light sources and their effects: transmitted light, reflected light, hard light,                           soft  light (these can be reviewed on the blog for the week of May 10 

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AND apply these to a topic of your choosing:

So~~~~~~~           

 First: select a topic choice. (note that they will all require the same number of images and encompass the techniques referred to above. Think carefully! 

                   1) A Day in My Life

                            Hmmm.. when does your day start and end? Where does it occur?

                                             You will pick only one day and have to focus in. 

                   2)  My Community: where I live and interact each day

               3)  Songs I Love  (with this you will have to think abstractly; how can you illustrate  your favoirity songs?)  For each image, there will be a different song. 

                   4) Thematic topic: select one of the following:

                             chaos vs order

                             communications: verbal and nonverbal

                             evils of racism

                             family: blessing and curse

                             heroism: real or perceived

                             oppression of women

                             roll of men

                             working class struggles

                              vulnerability

                              vanity

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Of what will they all consist?

You may take as many pictures as you wish, but you will share only 12 images. Remember that many of your images may not work.

Can I have more?
   No.
How will these be shared?

    You will share these on google slides.

  Can it be from some place I already took pictures?
      No, these are new images that demonstrate your practical knowledge of the topics covered in class. Each photo will have a date and location,
What type of pictures must these be exactly?
  You may organize these how you wish, but within the pictures you must demonstrate your understanding the following:
        close-up
        medium-range shot

        establishing shot

        accurate use of fiboacci spiral / rule of thirds

        horizontal and vertical format

        understanding of the horizon line placement

        conscious use of lighting

        use of texture, symmetry, pattern, repetition

        

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Organization of the project

Part 1:

For the google slides:  please do not use bright white as a background.

Your photos 

Slide 1: Your personal photo (taken by you or someone else)

              Title of your project

              Your name

Slides 2 through 13:

           Again, do not use a bright white background. Only one image per slide.

                 Underneath for each write the location, date and time and one photo technique that your are illustrating. (See above list; some will repeat)

Part 2:  The write-up:

Answer the following question in no fewer that 250

words.

1. What worked best for your chosen theme, and what were some of the obstacles you encountered.

                 

                   

  

Tuesday, May 18-Monday, May 24 Your choice: applying the essential photo techniques to a photojournalist of your choice

Student exemplar of the project that is due today!

Keep in mind that this is two writing grades: one for your background information from two cited sources, neither of which is from wikipedia, and the other your images with the correct information.

   

Learning targets:

RH2: I can determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas

RST4: I can determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other content-specific words and phrases as they are used in scientific or technical sources.

11-12W1: I can write arguments to support claims that analyze substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

The following assignment is due by midnight on Monday, May 24. This will count as two writing grades.

Directions: below you will find a list of professional photographers.

Tuesday: May 18.  Select one person from the following list during class. Browse. Take a a little time and choose carefully, as the works of this individual are the only ones you will be working with.

                  Please select yours!

Possible topic choices. If there is someone else you wish to research, please let me know.

1. Eddie Adams
2. Timothy Allen
3. Stephen Alvarez
4. Moahmed Amin
5. Pablo Bartholmew
6. Felice Beato
7. Marcus Bleasdale
8. Margaret Bourke-White
9. Mathew Brady
10. Dan Budnik
11. Pogus Caesar
12. Robert Capa
13. Joseph Costa
14. Paul Couvrette
15. Manoocher Deghati
16. Sergio Dorantes
17. Clifton C. Edom
18. Roger Fenton
19. John Harrington
20. Deborah Copaken Kogan
21. Andre Kertesz
22. Russell Klika
23. Danny Lyon
24. Don McCullin
25. Spider Martin
26. Enrico Martino
27. Susan Meiselas
28. Hansel Mieth
29. Lee Miller
30. James Nachtwey
31. Sara Krulwich
32. Lucian Perkins
33. Dith Pran
34. Altaf Qadri
35. Reza Deghati
36. Jim Richardson
37. James Robertson
38. Ingac Sechti
39. Josef Jindrich Sechtl
40. W. Eugene Smith
41. Melissa Springer
42. Juliea Tutwiler
43. Roman Vishniac
44. Zoriah
45. Jacob Riis
46. Carol Guzy
47. Corky Lee
48. Stan Honda
49. Walker Evans
50. Lewis Hine
51. Robert Doisneau
52. Manuel Alvarez Bravo
53. Alfred Eisenstadt
54. Roy DeCarava
55. Sebastio Salgado
56. Timothy O’Sullivan
57. Oscar Rejlander
58 Eadweard Muybridge
59 Helmut Newton
60. Ansel Adams
61. Dorothea Lange
62. Alfred Eisenstadt
63. Edward Steichen
64. Galen Rowell
65. George Ngondo
66. Henri Cartier Bresson
67. Jim Brandenberg
68. Robert Capa
69. Margaret Bourke-White
70. Sam Abell
71. Gordon Parks
72. James Vanderzee
73. Addison Scurlock
74. Eli Reed 
75. Remi Ochlik 
76. Radhika Chalasani
77. Thomas Allen Harris
78. James Van Der Zee

79. Carrie Mae Weems

80. Jamel Shabazz

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Thursday, May 20

Below you will find a graphic organizer for a google slide presentation. 

For your selected or assigned photojournalist, please complete.

The objective of the organizer is to demonstrate a deeper knowledge of your selected photojournalist's career and their philosophy towards capturing an image, as well as their technique.

How will you do this?

1. Background reading on their work

2. Looking and analyzing several of their images

3. Sharing your collected knowledge through 5 of their works through google slides.

4. How will you organize this?

5.  Begin with a minimum of two hundred word synopsis of the your photographer's background. Use two cited sources. You may not use wikipedia.

6. You will create a series of 6 slides

7. On slide one you will have a photograph of your photojournalist with their name, life dates, and a quote from them reflecting their philosophy about photography.

8. This will be followed by 5 images taken from their career, each on a separate slide

9. On each slide: you will have on one half the image, and on the other half the following information:

    Location of shot and date        

    Type of shot

    Compositional technique explained

    Light source

    Notes on symmetry, color or pattern

Again: this is due by midnight on Monday, May 24

      

Mon/ Monday, May 10 17- New photographic terms and visions: includes two assignments.

 

Our new terms are texture, symmetry, depth of field, lines and patterns,  over-the-shoulder shot, low angle and high angle shots.

FIRST a recap:

The first step in taking photo is to SEE. What exactly is in front of your eye?  Before your compose your shot, whether to turn your camera horizontally or vertically and decide how you should organize your image following the rule of thirds, where the part that you want most to emphasize is along one of the intersections of the nine-boxed frame or attuned to nature's eye in the golden rule or Fibonacci spiral,

which  is created by drawing circular arcs from opposite corners of each square. Look at figure below to see the spiral inside the golden rectangle. This spiral is prolific in nature, most notably in the shell of the Nautilus.

                                   

Take notice, and you will see the golden ratio and Fibonacci spiral everywhere from the products you buy, to companies logos, to architecture.

It is well known by marketers who understand by following the golden ratio, people are more likely to view their products as favorable. We can use this to our advantage in our images as well. (advertising connection!)

The famous photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson is known for his powerful, everyday images, which he has composed using the Fibonacci Spiral. 

Henri Cartier- Bresson- self-portrait

Images above, © Henri Cartier-Bresson

New Material

1. Texture

When talking about photography, texture refers to the visual quality of the surface of an object, revealed through variances in shape, tone and color depth. Texture brings life and vibrance to images that would otherwise appear flat and uninspiring.

Use texture in photography to make your photos come alive with an added layer of depth. Learn to photograph the texture of everyday objects to create beautiful, unique images.

Remember that proper lighting is key. For outdoor texture photography, shoot on a sunny day when the sun hits your subject at an angle. This natural side lighting allows you to take advantage of the depth created by shadows. For indoor texture photography, simulate natural light by using an artificial light source with several brightness settings.

Experiment with different angles. Shooting from different angles alters the way the light hits your subject, potentially emphasizing textures that weren't visible from your original vantage point.

Search for patterns. Repeating shapes and lines make some of the most splendid texture images. Look for textured patterns everywhere, and you'll find many new potential subjects.

                                                                      

Symmetry

In photography symmetry appears when parts of your composition mirror other parts. It is created when two halves of your scene look the same and balance each other out. Symmetry defines something being clean, proportional and balanced and will make pictures appear neat, tidy and clinical.

Types of Symmetry

Horizontal Symmetry

Horizontal Symmetry is if the line passes through the scene from right to left, dividing the scene into equal halves. This creates a horizontal line of symmetry.

Vertical Symmetry

If the line passes through the scene from top to bottom, dividing the pattern into identical halves, then this creates a vertical line of symmetry.

Radial Symmetry

Radial symmetry is a symmetry where the sides exhibit around a central point. Many flowers are radially symmetric. Roughly identical floral structures of the petals.

Reflective Symmetry

Reflective Symmetry, as the word suggests, is all about reflections. Common places you can find reflections is in water and surfaces like glass.

ASSIGNMENT: Type of symmetry

DUE BY MIDNIGHT MONDAY, May 10 midnight:

FOR EACH OF THE FOLLOWING,

IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF SYMMETRY.

DIRECTIONS: NUMBER ONE TO 5.

IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF SYMMETRY AND

WHAT ABOUT THE PHOTO SUPPORTS YOUR

DECISION.

                                         2.

1.

3

           

 4.

5

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May 11/ 12 

Tuesday/ Wednesday   

More photographic terms and examples

See assignment after depth of field and pattern.

DEPTH OF FIELD

What is Depth of Field?

Depth of field is the distance between the closest and farthest objects in a photo that appears acceptably sharp. Now your camera can only focus sharply at one point. But the transition from sharp to unsharp is gradual, and the term ‘acceptably sharp’ is a loose one! Without getting too technical, how you will be viewing the image, and at what size you will be looking at it are factors that contribute to how acceptably sharp an image is. It also depends on how good your vision is!

 Examples:

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Pattern / repetition

Repetition in photography composition is to photography what rhythm is to a song. Repetition of an item, color or element creates a pattern, and patterns draw the eye in to a photograph. ... Although the shapes aren't all exactly the same, the repetition of similar shapes forms a pattern.

Assignment: 

   Around your house/ neighborhood or any place else you wish photograph the following:

               2 images that demonstrate a pattern repetition, one in a horizonal format, the other in a vertical format

               2 images of the same subject, one focusing on the distance, the other on an object up close. Use the the same format for each.

Put on google slides to share   2006630

    

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Thursday, May 13 through Monday, May 17

Color and Light

Together with light, color is one of the most important elements of photography.

The appropriate use of color in photography adds a dynamic element to your images that is very pleasing to the eye. The correct use of it will allow you to create photographs to be proud of. Bold colors and bright composition in your photos result in images that sell. So use color to your advantage.

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LIGHT

"Photography is just light remembering itself"

        Alfred Stieglitz

“Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.” 

George Eastman

Light in photography refers to how the light source, which can be natural or artificial, is positioned in relation to your subject. The position and quality of light can affect any number of things in your final photo, from clarity to tone to emotion and so much more.

One of the most important elements of creativity in photography, light is what allows us to convey information and, more importantly, emotion in an image. Once you understand light, you’ll have the knowledge to create a wide variety of creative images.

The best light for photography

All around us, light comes from a variety of sources, both natural and man-made, and we can use it in a number of different ways to create different moods and atmospheres in our images.

There are four main categories of light. These are:

1. Transmitted light — Transmitted light is light that you can see emitted from its source. This means that we can see the light source directly in the picture. Examples of this could be a candle or even the sun. It is also light that has passed through something before reaching the subject. This could be glass, water or even the atmosphere

2. Reflected light — Reflected light occurs when light reflects off your subject. Almost all of the photographs we take make use of reflected light. Occassionally, transmitted light can also be visible in the same scene.

For example, a landscape image featuring the setting sun visible would include both transmitted and reflected light. However, if the sun was not visible in the frame, it would only be reflected light.

3. Hard light — Hard light is light that is from a small apparent light source, such as a light bulb or sun on a clear day. It often results in very dark, sharp shadows. Hard light can be a good choice for revealing textures in objects (when used correctly).

4. Soft light — Soft light, which comes from any apparently large light source (from your subject's perspective), produces light that is low in contrast with minimal shadows. The sun on an overcast day provides soft light because the clouds serve to diffuse the light, spreading it over a much larger area and therefore making it a large apparent light source.

Types of light in photography

Many photographers will tell you that the best light for photography is ‘the magic hour’. This is the hour just before and just after sunset or sunrise. This is because there is a combination of both hard and soft light, which can produce much nicer results than just hard or just soft light.

Ways to use light in photography

When it comes to using light, there are a number of different ways it can be used in photography.

The direction, hardness or softness and temperature of light can all have an impact on the mood and feeling of an image. Side light, for example, evokes feelings of romance and nostalgia, whereas light from below creates a sense of terror. Hard shadows create more of a sense of drama than soft shadows, and cool colour tones convey more negative emotions than warm light

SIDE LIGHTING/ REFLECTORS AND FILL FLASH

Lighting From Below

 Hard Shadows

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Assignment: Please respond to the following questions based upon the following reading. After the reading, there are ten images. Select five and explain where the lighting comes from and how it impacts the photo.
Questions:
1. What happens when light rays hit from several directions?
2. Why does the sun cast such a hard light, despite being over        93 million miles away?
3. How do clouds impact the diffusion of light?
4.  So you want to make the those earrings  sparkle at the prom.        What do you do?
5. What happens when you move your light source twice as far from your subject?
6. Why might you prefer side lighting when photographing a landscape?
7. What is a back lit portrait, and where is its light source?
8.  What makes a picture have a 3-D look?




1. The broader the light source, the softer the light.
       
A broad light source lessens shadows, reduces contrast, suppresses texture.
This is because, with a broad source, light rays hit your subject from more directions, which tends to fill in shadows and give more even illumination to the scene.

Tip: When photographing people indoors by available light, move lamps closer to them or vice versa for more flattering light.

2. The closer the light source, the softer the light.

The farther the source, the harder the light. This stands to reason: Move a light closer, and you make it bigger—that is, broader—in relation to your subject. Move it farther away, and you make it relatively smaller, and therefore more narrow.

Think about the sun, which is something like 109 times the diameter of the earth—pretty broad! But, at 93 million miles away, it takes up a very small portion of the sky and hence casts very hard light when falling directly on a subject.

Tip: Materials such as translucent plastic or white fabric can be used to diffuse a harsh light source. You can place a diffuser in front of an artificial light, such as a strobe. Or, if you're in bright sun, use a light tent or white scrim to soften the light falling on your subject.

3. Diffusion scatters light, essentially making the light source broader and therefore softer.

When clouds drift in front of the sun, shadows get less distinct. Add fog, and the shadows disappear. Clouds, overcast skies, and fog act as diffusion—something that scatters the light in many directions. On overcast or foggy days, the entire sky, in effect, becomes a single very broad light source—nature’s softbox.

Bouncing light acts as diffusion

Tip: Crumple a big piece of aluminum foil, spread in out again, and wrap it around a piece of cardboard, shiny side out. It makes a good reflector that’s not quite as soft in effect as a matte white surface—great for adding sparkly highlights.

4. The farther the light source, the more it falls off— gets dimmer on your subject.

The rule says that light falls off as the square of the distance. That sounds complicated, but isn’t really. If you move a light twice as far from your subject, you end up with only one-quarter of the light on the subject.

In other words, light gets dim fast when you move it away— something to keep in mind if you’re moving your lights or your subject to change the quality of the light.

Also remember that bouncing light—even into a shiny reflector that keeps light directional— adds to the distance it travels.

Tip: If your subject is front lit by window light, keep the person close to the window to make the room’s back wall fall off in darkness. If you want some illumination on the wall, though, move the person back closer to it and away from the window.

5. .Front lighting de-emphasizes texture; lighting from the side, above, or below emphasizes it.

A portraitist may want to keep the light source close to the axis of the lens to suppress skin wrinkles, while a landscapist may want side lighting to emphasize the texture of rocks, sand, and foliage. Generally, the greater the angle at which the light is positioned to the subject, the more texture is revealed.

Tip: For spark in a back lit portrait or silhouette, try compositions that include the light source. 

6. Side Light

 Side light is light coming from the left or right of the subject. It was used by the masters of painting—Rembrandt used side light in his paintings to give the picture a three dimensional effect. When the light falls on one side of the subject, the other side is in shadow. The shadows are what give the picture a 3D look.

The monk walking past old wooden doors shows how shadow and light can create the contours that make the subject look three-dimensional.

Early mornings and late afternoons are great because the sunlight is more orange; the angle of the light is also more from the side, especially at sunrise and sunset. But also in the hours right after sunrise and the hours just before sunset, the light is not as harsh as in midday.

7. Back Lighting / Shadows create volume!

That’s how photographers describe three dimensionality, the sense of seeing an image as an object in space, not projected on a flat surface.

Again, lighting from the side, above, or below, by casting deeper and longer shadows, creates the sense of volume. Still-life, product, and landscape photographers use angular lighting for this reason.

Back lighting happens when the light source is behind the subject. This means that the light is directly in front of the camera, with the subject in between.

Tip: For spark in a back lit portrait or silhouette, try compositions that include the light source. 

In cases of really bright light behind the subject, like in this shot of colorful spools of thread in by a window, the patterns created by the light and shadow make for an interesting picture. 

Backlight can be used as highly diffused lighting.

Very few subjects are totally back

lit, that is, in pure silhouette, with no light at all falling from the front. A person with his back to a bright window will have light reflected from an opposite wall falling on him. Someone standing outside with her back to bright sunlight will have light falling on her from the open sky in front of her.

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From ten of the following images, select five and identify the origin(s) of the light and specifically how this impacts the message the photographer wishes to convey through the image.  Your descriptions will suffice in my identifying the photo.

                                                                       1

                                                                               2.

                                                                              3

                                                                            4.

5.

                                                                                   6.

7.

8. 

                                                     
                                                                            9.

10.