Photo-Letter Composites

Using Photoshop, combine a black and white photograph with a letter form to create two elegant photo-letter composites. Here are the parameters for this assignment:

1) Your composite must conform to the dimensions of 14x14" with the image and the letter form each being 7x7" Your final print resolution should be 300 dpi.

2) Your final design must use a pre-existing typeface, serif or san-serif. If you decide to use a more expressive or hand-drawn typeface, get approval from me first.

Tips for Success:

1) Cropping is key! Your compositions will be square, so you must crop your image carefully.

2) You may edit or alter the typeface in your design, but make sure it's consistent. Use the transform commands in Photoshop to make changes to the letters appearance.

3) Make the connection as seamless as possible, use your sketchbook as inspiration for your ideas.

4) Choose an appropriate typeface. The letter is half of the design, so the kind of typeface you use must integrate well with your image!

5) When finished, save a psd. file (with layers unflattened) and a jpg (w/layers flattened) Upload the jpg to the Flickr discussion pool to turn in.

Final design due on Flickr group pool by: Wed. 12/9

Click #4 Reflection Winner: Renee Higdon

Reflection, by Renee Higdon

Alternative Process #1: Cyanotypes!

Now that you've accumulated a ton of negatives to work from by shooting four rolls of film in the 1st quarter, it's time to use them for something totally new...the alternative processes! I'll demonstrate the process for making a cyanotype this week in class, but in the meantime, start to think about negatives you'd life to work with.

A brief overview of the cyanotype: Discovered by Sir John Hershel (1792-1871) in 1842, a mere 3 years after the “official” announcement of the discovery of photography, the cyanotype was the first non-silver iron process. This alternative process provided photographers with permanent images in an assortment if blue values. A cyanotype is an ultraviolet (UV) sensitive contact printing process that requires, as do most of the non-silver processes, a negative the same size as the final print. Of course you can use transparent, translucent, or opaque objects to make a cyanotype photogram. Combining both processes of using a negative and various objects (like photograms!) to print can allow even more freedom in the printing!

When making a cyanotype, you will need a negative the same size as the final image. This means that you will be using your ortho-litho film to create large negatives, up to 8x10" large. You may even want to tile several 8x10" ortho-lithos together to create an even larger cyanotype! Check out the slideshow below to get some cool ideas for things you might try with this process!

Colleges visiting RHS art department!

Mr. Bill Chenaille, Director of Outreach at the The Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University will be here 5th period on Tuesday, Nov. 3rd to present information about an exciting new program being run through Boston University that focuses on photography, digital film-making, web design, and many other photo-based majors. The campus is in Washington D.C., so for those of you thinking about going to school close to home, this could be a good match.

Also, on Friday, Nov. 13th, a representative from the Savannah College of Art & Design, (SCAD) will be visiting the art department during 5th and 6th period for a special presentation on the school. SCAD offers majors in photography, fashion design, and many other fine arts majors.

Although not confirmed, both representatives may have time for brief, informal portfolio reviews to give you great feedback about developing and improving your portfolio to become more competitive for college applications and scholarship. This could be an awesome opportunity to present your work and make a connection at a great photo program! See me for more information if you're interested!

Slow Speed Film & Photography (ISO 50)

While you're creating your high-speed film prints, take a nice deep breath and s-l-o-o-w-w-w down. It's time to see what very slow black and white film can do, like ISO 50 for example.

After loading your Rollei 50 speed film and changing the ISO film-speed setting on your camera, think about a unique place you'd like to go and visit. This place doesn't have to be exotic, but should be one-of-a-kind, have personality, and character. It should be outside in the landscape, (slow speed film needs lots of light because it has lots of very small silver halide crystals), so indoor exposures will require very large apertures and slow shutter speeds.

Go to this place and capture it's essence. Use half your film to show the actual place, and all the things that "live" there. Shoot the other half of your roll to document the people, or person, that lives there. If no one lives there, go with a friend and "pretend" that this person lives there! See the assignment sheet below for specific requirements!

Slow Speed (ISO 50) Film

*Click* Winner for "Transformation:" Marian Akiwumi

"Water into a Person" - Marian Akiwumi

Polaroid's comeback...

After Polaroid announced discontinuation of all film and instant film cameras two years ago, the era of instant film seemed over. After the announcement, a German company (realizing the continued high demand for the products all over the world) purchased all of Polaroid's manufacturing equipment, and last year began producing Polaroid film again... Under the class links you will find a link to Polaroid's new home base: Polapremium.com. You can check out cameras, buy film, and even scope out some rare and hard to find products...Hooray for Polaroid!