Week 4

Reading: Chapters 3 & 4

Topic: Strobes (set-up and use), glossy subjects, direct reflections, family of angles

Job Posting

10-hour/week technical production assistant position in the Department of Art and Art History. Paid the standard hourly, work-study rate.

Preferably 2nd or 3rd year student. No graduating seniors, please. 

Duties would include the following:

• Operation of large-format printing services
• Scheduling and production of printing
• Inventory management of consumables (ink and paper)
•  Lighting studio management, including scheduling of studio space
• Oversee equipment lending in areas of studio lighting
• Regular inventory, condition reporting and maintenance of all digital printing, darkroom, studio, and digital photography-related equipment.
• Occasional lab-monitor substitution duties

Qualifications: 

• Has completed Art 328 (digital photographic arts) or similar digital experience
• Has interest in photo-printing technology
• Customer service or retail experience
• Time management skills
• Proven employment history. 

To apply:

Please forward a letter of intent with a resumé and/or a summary of relevant experience to Professor Jordan:

cjordan@as.ua.edu

Deadline: Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Active, Passive and Supportive Light

DUE: 1/30

3-5 edited down, strong, examples that show the variations

Which of the images above displays active light? Passive? Why?

Find 2-3 special objects that lend themselves to photographic intrigue. Can be anything... antiques, personal sacred objects, books, shoes, articles of clothing, or even the human form or parts thereof (hands, for instance). For now, stick to non-reflective objects.

Create an appealing still life arrangement. Remember that the background is part of your scene—how will you deal with it so it supports your subject? Shoot on flat background, or distant/diffuse.

For a single subject explore the following. For all, use a single light source and reflector as required. Shoot at least 72 exposures—keep pushing for new variations.

Consider the 4 factors of light when building your shots, and in particular:

• Relative size of the light source. Smaller light=more contrast, harder shadows. Larger light=lower contrast, softer shadows. Try different size lights... studio hot light, flash light, desk lamp, etc. Relative size can also be controlled with distance—to make a light source "larger", just move it closer to the subject.
• Diffusion. Tracing paper can be used to soften the light. Don't let the paper get too close to the light and catch fire. That wouldn't be good.
• Diffusing the light can also have the effect of making your light source larger. A small light illuminating a sheet of tracing paper becomes a large soft-box.

Explore the following:

1. Create a lighting scenario that is active—where the light itself becomes the "lead character".
2. Create a passive lighting design—where the light simply reveals the subject and doesn't draw attention to itself.
3. Create a supportive lighting design, where the light plays an active, but ultimately supportive role. An example would be strong mood lighting, or atmospheric effect that embraces your subject. Hint: Diffusing the light variably can help. Shine your light through artificial blinds (as in class), dirty glass, or even a plant—something to break up the uniformity and imply a sense of setting. 
4. See what you get with natural light. Use your gobos (window blinds, foam core, mat board, or even dark sheet) to partially block windows and control the light....we can control natural light almost as much as we can artificial light.

Reading: Review reading from last week. Be prepared to discuss in class 1/30

Four Factors of Lighting, backgrounds

Read: Chapters 1, 2, and 5 (only pages 85-108)

Shoot:

Find an interesting subject that can be photographed on a table-top. Should be solid (relatively) non-glossy object.

• Create a flat background to shoot upon. Use paper (distressed, painted on, etc.), wood, sheet metal, or any kind of interesting material that will compliment your subject. Most likely, you will be shooting down on your subject. Use a single hot light and reflector. Create a series of still life images that show a variation of:

1. Color
2. Angle
3. Intensity
4. Character (Contrast)

• Create a distant, airy, diffuse background. Have it be far behind your subect. Shoot with a long lens at wide aperture to push it out of focus. Most likely, you will be shooting across to your subject. Vary the lighting on the background. Create a series of still life images that show a variation of:

1. Color
2. Angle
3. Intensity
4. Character (Contrast)

• For one of the above arrangements, shoot with natural light. Try to vary the four factors of light—to what degree is this possible with natural light?

The four factors, in some combination or another, contribute to all possible lighting designs. Is this true? How do your choices create volume/presence in your object? What brings it to life? What creates depth?

Due: 1/23. Bring images to class, ready to view on screen.

Tuning In to Light

For 1/19

Shooting:

Find instances of natural light that are truly unique events. Go beyond just recording subject matter. Look for interesting effects of light on surface, reflections, shadows, etc. Make pictures that isolate these things. Keep distractions out of the frame. Go on an adventure with it. Morning and late afternoon ("golden hour") can be nice times to do this. Prepare to discuss what you've found. Shoot many images (50+), plan to show 3-5.

Photographic Studio Lighting

(Image of Hiroshi Sugimoto)

The course will present foundational skills in photographic studio lighting. Both natural and artificial light sources will be explored for producing aesthetically and conceptually engaging artworks. A wide range of applications will be explored including still life, portraiture, classic lighting problems, and open creative projects. Experimentation and improvisation is highly encouraged. Topics will reference both historical precedents and contemporary practices. The course will culminate with a portfolio of work.