We watched a movie about the people of the Appalachian mountains. These people practiced traditions that basically no one else has in a really long time. They killed a pig on camera. It was gross. There was a large amount of controversy about how to actually show cases these people without exploiting them. Kelly, the photographer, is from the area and he is trying to tell the story of his people. The photographer would always make sure his subjects were okay and understood his photos before asking for permission but that wasn’t enough for all viewers of this work. In the class we all seemed to have different impressions of the film. It also seemed that context is the most important thing for photos like this.

Environmental Portrait:

Use the five attributes of a good Environmental portrait.

-Uniform: Show what the person wears to work, their uniform and just what informs the position at work
-Environment: Make sure where the photo is being taken really informs the viewer of what the subject does and what they do on a day to day basis
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Photo Reporting & Storytelling

Group by relationships: Complementary, Content leading design
Contrasting,
Sequence to create narrative:
Thematic
Chronological

Each photo needs to feed into the story at hand. Pictures should be connected through groups and the context that appear within it. Redundant groups are made up of photos that repeat themes so decided which is better. A complementary relationship is where groups of photos are connected but have different subject matter. Do things in the manner that they happned. So if going outside, then go outside and then go back inside to show the change of time.

We finished the war photography, “War Photographer” movie and we began to discuss about the different techniques used during the film. The use of long cuts impacted the people in the class differently. The different war situations required a different perspective and special regard. This film gives a interesting look on a different kind of photography. Advertisers do not want their adds next to photos of negative events in the world. James Nachtwey is a very special person with a certain attitude to be suited to this kind of work.

We than began to talk about different techniques for lighting photos in the field. Use reflective surfaces for more light. When taking a a photo there are two currtians. The first opens and allows for a the image to come into the camera while the second curtain takes the photo and closes the view. Second curtain sync, the second currtain flashs as soon as a light goes off. The use of flash can really add details and interest to your photos. The use of available light can be as simple as turn on some overhead lights and some not overhead lights. Lighting can bring out details with small objects like flowers or bugs. Light in parking lots can not be corrected to neutral. Day light its a cold light. Use photos for documenting everyday life can create great photos. Combine ambient and flash exposure for better lighting. With a wooden background use automatic white balance to create better light. Bounce light off of things, use it to paint the scene and use and exploit it in general to improve your photos in general.

Class Evaluations on 2/20: Emotion and Interaction

Focus on how people interact and feel about their emotions. Is the person interacting with the photographer or actually interacting with other people? Do not interact with the people you are taking photos of. That produces staged effects. Black coats present issues due to their shapes not showing up and big shadows. With people moving use a faster shutter speed. Giving a variety of pictures makes for more interesting sets of photos. Get in really tight to give emphasis and a focus. Some people took pictures of people interacting in classes. Taking pictures in a theater like setting provides good lighting and there should be no issues technically. Some bright colors distract from the over all picture. Chose a setting where the lighting and action are taking place and wait for action to occur. If the setting and lighting don’t lend themselves to good photos, you should find a new place to take photos.

Environmental Portrait: Active portraits almost always are best, but sometimes a posed portrait in a relevant setting is the most appropriate solution. Posing people can be okay as long as a certain amount of context is included in the scene from the subjects life. For environmental portraiture do not use students or people on campus. Use people from the towns and stuff like that.

Setting – Does the place say something significant about this person and his or her activities?  Uniform- Does your subject wear distinctive clothes that add meaning to her avocation and ; or personality?
Artifacts – Does your subject work with special  tools or objects that can add meaning to the picture?
Atmosphere – Does the quality of light contribute important information or mood?
Expression and body Language- Is the subject acting natural and engaged in meaningful activity? Make sure the subject stands out.
Add light or exploit light that already there. Because you can exercise complete control on this exercise, there should be no flaws in composition or technique. Finding interesting attributes about the subject makes the photo better. Context is very important for good photos. Long exposure times can create interesting effects. Using lighting provides interesting effects. Use more in detail captions to well explain the photo. Kip got to have one of his photos in the class!!! And Adam got two photos in!!!

Journey to Machias:
Lots of photos taken in Roque Bluffs state park. Photos from bad little falls. Tripods really help when taking photos of very dark photos with high iso’s.

Assignment #6: People without People
Suggest people without actually showing people. Use effects of people like their clothing, and other things they interact with. Suggest the presence of a person without actually showing a person. Show how masses of individuals have had a noticeable effect on the environment over time. Observe how individuals alter personal spaces by collecting or modifying objects that have special meaning for them. Notice the patina that develops over time from the touch of many human hands. Observe how the cumulative actions of masses of people can affect an object or place over an amount of time. Try to express something significant about the character of the individuals involved. Look at old buildings with old features. Older houses and older people have very interesting things from times past and cool stuff like that. Pay attention to peoples intentions and desired effects. Look for like tree heart carvings for like peoples names and hearts. Customized and stylized effects are cool because it shows effects. Show the impact of time.

Win_LastName_001

Dive in movie theater on Hammond Street.

Introduction of Photo Story Project and Photo Essay:
Telling a story is the pinnacle of photojournalism. Displaying photos with the correct copy is really important. Focuses on an individual, group, place. Structure is fairly rigid. Pictures reinforce each other. Often develops chronologically. Lots of cools photos story’s take place around the country. Look up day in the life. Can develop in sequence. Begginning Middle and End.

Photo essays: Photos are of different situations. Each shot must stand on its own. Structure is looser.

Shooting Narratives:
Pairs, Groups, Sequences.

Slew of examples of photo stories. The opening picture is very important. It should show people involved and introduce the story in a meaningful way. Establish the main characters, the setting and what is happening. F8 and be there. Use wide shots, medium shots and close up shots to tell the important aspects of the story. The cutaway shot reactant to the story after the action in the meaningful way. Chronology plays a big roll in telling a photo story. Using text and layout in a meaningful tells a better story.

Class  Notes for NMD 341 on 1/28

First viewing the fact that the diigo group is up and now we can all join and comment on articles. We moved on to discuss the two new assignments he has passed out.

Show people doing things that make them newsworthy and show emotions in photos in an important way.

The Emotion/Interaction Assignment is to take a candid photo of two or more people interacting in a meaningful way. So look for interesting body language, facial expressions and gestures. Focus on interactions in meaningful ways. When taking these photos make sure to fully understand whats going on in the photo just beyond the image. Find out the stories behind each of the subjects of the photo. If you can’t be at an event, try to find actions during the preparations of the event. Body language is very important in creating interesting photos. David Duncan Douglas was a very famous war time photographer from the 1960s. Sometimes two many details distract from the important aspects of a photo. Do not take photos of sporting events, even though playing sports is all about interactions. Try to tell a story with the interactions. It is due February 19th.

So take the photo first in order to capture the moment and then ask the permission of the subjects after the fact, if not okay delete the photo.

For six strangers assignment find like a place of work, talk to the boss and take pictures of the employes.

Be at ease. be prepared.
Know your equipment. Carry as little gear as possible.
Meter in advance. Set aperture and shutter before the action begins.
Dress for the situation. Conservative always is good.
Place subjects in front of simple backgrounds.
Conduct yourself as if you have a right to be there.
Be still. Be looking, be watching.
Move infrequently and slowly. Avoid eye contact.
Respect your subject.
Don’t be sneaky. Explain your purpose in advance.
Be clear that you are participating in a class exercise.
Get permission from responsible parties before attempting to photograph children.
Get ids of everyone who is prominent in the photo
Belive in yourself and in your mission.
Know your rights.
Respect the rights of victims.