Deadline for Late Homework

As I mentioned in class last night, I'll catch up on all grading by this Sunday (April 26) at midnight. After that point, check Blackboard to see if you have any grades missing.

• I will accept late homework until April 30.


• If I overlooked something that you submitted or posted to Flickr, let me know via e-mail.


• Things that CANNOT be made up are attendance and Flickr participation.


• Things that CAN be made up are homework assignments.

Contact me by e-mail if you have questions!

Portfolio

May 4th will be our last night of class, and a celebration of the work you've done this semester. Prepare a slideshow with your 20 best photos of Spring 2009. Everyone will have a chance to show their work. You won't be required to explain or defend your work, nor will we formally critique it in class... we will simply enjoy it. Your portfolio slideshow is worth 50 points (5%) of your final grade.

In the spirit of celebration, I'll bring the pizza. Please bring your own soft drink!

Final Assignment

Your final homework assignment for this semester consists of two parts, and so is worth 40 points instead of the usual 20. You'll also have two weeks to complete it; bring it to class with you on May 4th.

Part One:
Write a one-page reflection paper critiquing your own photography skills. Include answers to these three questions:

• how did you improve this semester?


• what are your greatest strengths and weaknesses as a photographer?


• what do you need more practice with, or what do you want to learn more about?

Part Two:
Based on your answer to the third question above, create a self-assignment that you will complete in the next two weeks. In your reflection paper, include a description of your self-assignment and how you carried it out.

Homework 8

Your photo assignment this week is to take pictures that portray the five senses. Again, I'm looking for creativity in your ability to communicate. Your photos should evoke memories or desire or feeling: if you take a closeup of someone holding a cup of coffee and inhaling deeply, it should make me want to rush to the coffeeshop! I'll look forward to seeing your posts on Flickr!

Legal Stuff

As we were discussing legal rights in class last night I promised to post a link with more information. This pdf document was written by Andrew Kantor. Notice the creative commons license at the end of the document--you're free to print it and even share it with others.

This is written primarily from a journalist's perspective. He doesn't specifically address photography as art, but the general principles are sound.

I also located three episodes of PhotoshopUser TV that deal with copyright and legal issues. The episodes from January 12, 19, and 26 all have interview segments with copyright lawyer Ed Greenberg. (Be forewarned that the interview doesn't begin immediately—you'll have to listen to about 10 minutes of other information first.)

Print and Report

You should be printing five 5x7" photos that you've taken this semester. You'll turn in three things next Monday:

1. the five prints


2. the printing checklist and your report (see the link on the right)


3. a CD with the final electronic versions of your five images

Remember, this is an important project, worth 15% of your grade. I can't wait to see your photos!

Homework 7

Continuing the theme of exploring communication through photography...
This week's assignment is to take photos that address a social issue you feel strongly about. You may do this in a photo journalistic style (photographing a situation in real life, as it occurs naturally) or in an artistic style (staging your composition, lighting, etc. to convey a particular message). If done well, these photos should make us FEEL something...whether we agree or disagree with the philosophical position of the photographer. Please be judicious as you critique these photos. Take care to comment on the effectiveness of the image, not on your agreement/or disagreement with the issue.

Inspiration

To get you started as you're looking for inspiration...
I searched flickr for groups doing self portraits, which led me to this artist. Very creative stuff!

Edited to add: Here's another with a similar style, who also has a set of self portraits.