ISO Portraits

Today is the first day that we're going to do some work with Photoshop! But first we need to watch a video, take a couple of pictures, and then watch another video.

This first video has some basic reminders of the effects of ISO on your image.



After watching the first video, choose a partner and go out and take some close up portraits of each other.

• Your camera should be in aperture priority mode.
• Your aperture should be wide open.
• Your ISO should be set at 1600.

Choose the best portrait that you took and convert it to black and white in photoshop after watching the second video.

Forced Perspective

Last time we took advantage of the very shallow depth of field created by a wide open aperture in order to create some portraits with a blurred out background. This time we are going to do the opposite. We are going to take advantage of the very deep depth of field to create some straight out of the camera illusions called "forced perspective."

This assignment has three parts. For the first part, you will do some online research. Look wherever you can for examples of forced perspective. Look at a lot of examples! There are tons of them out there.

After you have sampled much of the forced perspective magnificence that the web has to offer, you must then search for a forced perspective tutorial. Again, there are many available on the web, find one that you can understand so that you can go out and create a forced perspective picture of your own.

The final step is to go out and take a picture. Work in groups of three. Either of the cameras that we have will work for this assignment. Make sure that the camera is in aperture priority mode and then set the camera at the highest possible aperture (f22 on the Nikon or f8 on the Canon).

Post a link to the tutorial that you followed on your blog, as well as the picture that you were able to create.

Good Luck!

Depth of Field and Focus Points

Last time in class we explored shallow depths of field by opening our aperture up all the way to f1.8. Today we're going to practice working with shallow depth of field while focusing on very specific parts of the image.

To learn how focusing with the D80 works, we're going to do something craze; we're going to read the manual. The pages that deal with focus can be found HERE.

After carefully reading, reviewing, and understanding the pages from the manual, you will put your understanding into action in a series of three photos. The photos should each contain at least three object. In the first photo you will focus on the object closest to the camera. In the second photo you will focus on the center object. In the third photo you will focus on the object furthest from the camera. Your aperture should be set at f1.8 for all of these pictures. See below for an example.

Post all of your photos to your blog along with a short reflection of the process that you went through to take the photos.

Good Luck!

Caught in the Act

Today we are going to look at freezing the action in a scene using a high shutter speed. Follow the steps below to complete this assignment:

1. Find a partner.
2. Come up with a plan in which you can take a picture of something moving at a high rate of speed, and freeze the action (such as throwing a ball, running, jumping, flying, etc.).
3. Scrap your first plan, and then come of with a new plan that is better, more fun, and more exciting.
4. Grab a camera and a memory card.
5. Put your camera in shutter speed priority mode.
6. Talk to Mr. Shellabarger about your plan.
7. Go to somewhere bright (this will help you use higher shutter speeds).
8. Take your totally awesome picture.
9. Come back and post your picture on your blog.
10. Prepare to share your experience with the class in a short presentation of your blog.

Good Luck!