Self portrait assignment!

Foundation Digital Photography
Project 1: SELF
40% (T) 50% (A)
Due Wednesday Week 8


Slater Bradley (b. 1975) Gold Kurt maybe I’m to Blame 2007, Digital Photograph

“So what does the ‘self’ in self-portrait actually mean? Historically the self portrait (specifically the painted self portrait) has been understood as a representation of emotions, an outward expression of inner feelings penetrating self-analysis and self-contemplation that might bestow an immortality of sorts on the artist.”
Susan Bright, Uncanny Likeness: Photographers Photographing Themselves, 2010

In this project you are to explore the concept of self portraiture in digital art. Use the image capture and manipulation skills you have gained throughout the session to create a single self portrait that tells the viewer something about you.

You may use images from a number of sources: old photographs both digital and printed, drawings/artwork that you have created, stock photographs etc. You may use your own cameras to capture new images also if you wish.

Process:
1. Find out a little more about self portraiture in the digital realm. Find a minimum of three artists who have created digital self portraits. Analyse at least one image from each using the guide given to you earlier in the session.

2. Think about your work. What would you want a viewer to think when they see your self portrait? What do you want them to find out about you? Write a list of things about yourself if it helps- your interests, hobbies, words that you would use to describe yourself etc.

3. Begin capturing, processing, manipulating and laying out your work. Be creative! Make use of all the skills and techniques you have learned throughout the session to create your work. Your final piece should be 8x10 inches in size and 300ppi- set this up first in Photoshop before you begin.

4. Complete an artist’s statement of one typed 12pt A4 page documenting your ideas, references, inspirations and the techniques you used.

5. Print your image on A4 paper using the laser printer.

6. Submit a full resolution digital copy of your piece, 8x10 inches at 300ppi, the printed piece and your artists’ statement by 4pm, Wednesday week 8.

For submission:
You must submit the following for assessment by Wednesday week 8.
• A digital Photoshop file of your self portrait, 8x10 inches in size and 300ppi.
• A hard copy of your self portrait, printed on A4 paper on the laser printer.
• An artist’s statement of approximately one A4 page detailing your ideas and intent of your self portrait, printed.
• Research questions, further investigation and evaluations in your research workbook.



ASSESSMENT POLICY
ATTENDANCE
Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Any student whose attendance falls below 90% of the scheduled classes in this unit will be deemed to have voided the unit (v grade) unless satisfactory documentation is provided. It is a student’s responsibility to catch up on missed work, when absent from a class

COMPLETION OF ASSESSMENT
Students are required to complete and submit all assessment items unless due cause and adequate documentary evidence is provided (eg medical certificate). Any student who fails to submit assessment tasks worth in total 70% or more in this unit will be deemed to have voided the unit.

Photo Restoration =]

Photo montage

What i did for this task:
Cropped different planets out of different images, then placed them in an order relating to the look of mickey mouse. I then cropped an image of a lions mouth, giving him a nose and mouth to complete the look.

First photo's (un edited)

Task reflection:
For photo no. 1, i removed all colour from the image to make it black and white, then made the darker colours (the shadows) darker giving it a stronger look.

For photo no.2
For this image i only removed the colour from the photo, giving it a black and white look. That is all for this image, i didn't believe that it needed to be edited.

Foundation Digital Photography – Research Exercise 1.

 

Photoshop management

Answer the following questions-go to the readings located in the ‘readings’ folder.

1)     What is a megapixel?

Digital cameras use electronic light sensing devices, also called CCD array. A CCD array shows a small segment of a photograph, called a picture element, or a pixel. The more pixels the more detail in the image.

2)     How can you compose better images?

To compose better images, try leaning towards a camera based around what you want to do with it. This involvles the level of mega pixels. If you were just to email images of view them on a monitor, you would be better off buying a camera with a lower level mega pixel rating, which also means the price is lower. But for a more large print art photography, buying a camera with 8-12+ mega pixels would be best bet.

3)     How do you avoid camera shake?

·         Put the camera on a tripod

·         Higher shutter speed

·         Rest the camera on a surface or an object

4)     How do memory cards work?

A memory card is a storage device, used to upload images onto a computer, for further use. (I.E. editing the photo).

Carrying a few memory cards with you, will ensure that more photo’s can be taken if one if to be filled.

5)     Why do you need to be prepared when going on location?

Being prepared when going on location could insure that you get the photo that you were looking for. This uncludes carrying extra memory cards, as well as extra batteries for the camera, incase it is to run out.

6)     How are images recorded?

Instead of being recorded onto light sensitive paper, digital photos are captured through a CCD array. (an electronic light sensing device). Each part of the CCD array represents a small segment of the photo, called the pixel.

7)     What is Resolution and how is it recorded? What are the differences in recording for print and for web?

When recording for print, using a camera with a higher level of pixels, will give it more of a realistic look, the reason why this isn’t the same with recording for web, is that TV screens and computer monitors will only allow72 pixels per square inch, so no matter how high the resolution of the photo, it will always turn out as 72 pixels per square inch.

8)     What are some of the myths about cameras and resolution?

“The rule of thirds”, where the picture was divided into thirds, horizontally and vertically, and that the centre of interest is placed at the intersections of the lines.

FirstBlog