Art with Ms. Djordjevic
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  • Home
  • Contact
  • Classes
    • Photo I
    • Photo II
    • Photo III :: Semester I
    • Photo III :: Semester II
    • Photo IV :: Advanced Photo
  • Resources

Advanced Photography

Advanced photography is designed for those students who are considering photography as a profession or planning to attend an art college. This course focuses on students’ independent photographic work, based on a series of self-assignments that will help to narrow down a focus for their thesis. Students will be also be responsible for exhibiting their artwork throughout the school and in the school gallery.
advanced photo Course Expectations

The Narrative Photograph

12/11/2020

 
Picture
Duane Michals : I Build A Pyramid
What is narrative? Narrative is defined as an account of an event or a moment in time, which makes photography a great medium for this particular exercise. In this project you are going to tell me a story. The story, just like your photographs, can be simple or more complex. You can tell a story all of us know very well (i.e. a fairytale or a song) or you can tell us your own story about something. Looking at your exemplar photographer, Duane Michals, you can begin to see how complex a very simple idea can get. You can also see how just a few images makes your viewer want to keep looking at the photographs to see all of the nuance. 
Assignment:
Photograph one story, thinking about nuance and how each image will lead into the next. You will be passing in 6-8 images that work together. You can choose a story that we know very well—one that has been told over and over again—or make up your own story. Narrative can be really fun and should make your audience think about what is happening in the series of images. 

Steps:
• Start by choosing a story, this is the basis of the entire project so the story is going to lead you into what you are photographing
• Think small, maybe it's just a conversation between two people, or making several scenes from a movie or book or song
• Remember that this is a series, and although each image should be strong enough on it own it is really in the combination of imagery that the story will come alive


Beautiful Garbage - Midyear

1/3/2020

 
PictureGregg Segal :: from the "7 Days of Garbage" project
Have you ever heard the statement "one man's trash is another man's treasure?" Artists are constantly seeing the beautiful aspects of items, places, people, and objects that other people find ugly, rundown, and even gross. In this project you are going to focus on finding trash/garbage/objects that are forgotten and photograph them in a beautiful manner. The could be done with angles, lighting, or how you set up your photo. The trick is to make your viewer see something beautiful out of something that is being discarded. To elevate garbage to the level of art. 

Assignment:
You must photograph 50 digital frames that focus on making garbage look beautiful. Think about how to make trash look interesting using angles and lighting and also think conceptually about the idea of detritus and trash. This could be beautiful images of garbage cans, collecting alike items to make a design, or even taking high-key fashion images of people surrounded by or dressed in trash. You can photograph people, objects, or even just the design that is created by the things we throw out. 

Steps:
  • Think about all of the things we use on a daily basis, and how much garbage we create
  • This can be a lighter take of this idea, or you can be making a statement about our "throw out" culture
  • These can be portraits, landscapes, still lives, or even macro images
  • How about adding items to the physical print...making the print itself "garbage"


Resources: Beautiful Trash Pinboard

Alternative Light Sources

10/25/2019

 
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What makes for an alternative light source? Is a lamp an alternative light source? What about a sunset? For this project you are going to focus on changing the regular natural light source, using reflections, gels, neon lights, and even twinkle lights to make a more interesting image. Portraits work particularly well for this project but is not required. This is a test in making imagery that isn't straightforward. What about using car lights, or a flashlight to light your subject. How about moonlight...can that even be done? Sparklers? Maybe...let's have some fun!
Assignment:
Photograph 10 different alternative light source images. Consider what you are using for your alternative light source and how you can make these images feel more interesting.  Each of the 10 alternative light source should be strong but do not all have to have different light sources, you can experiment quite a bit within one new light source—I'd like to see 3 different kinds of light sources though. You will be passing in all 10 images and printing your top 3 images.

Steps:
• Start small and easy—like adding a colored gel or cellophane to your phone light or your room lamp
• Using candles and sparklers at night may be a bit tougher to get a good exposure, but can be more fun 

​Resources: J Fotography,  Forced Perspective Pinterest board 

Forced Perspective

10/11/2019

 
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Forced perspective is a photographic technique that uses an optical illusion to make something appear larger, smaller, closer, or farther away than it is (think of people holding up the leaning Tower Of Pisa). The photographer literally forces her viewer to see the scene as she wants to present it to you. Sometimes it's as simple as flipping the image upside down or 90 degree counter clockwise, other times it's by using shallow depth of field, and often it takes some forethought. Check out this tutorial by J Fotography on how to do forced perspective with bokeh. Or Michael Paul Smith who makes model cars and creates a fictional town with his forced perspective photography. ​
Forced perspective with bokeh :: from J Fotography
Picture
Assignment:
Photograph 10 different forced perspectiver images. Consider the scale of your images, the seriousness or humor,  or whether or not you want your audience to believe your image or be confused by it. Each of the 10 forced perspectives should be strong. You will be passing in all 10 images and printing your top 3 images.

Steps:
• Start small and easy--don't be overwhelmed by large ideas at first, just have fun with it
• Consider the scale of your images, do you want to make something small feel much larger or vice versa?
• Pay attention to your f-stop--large f-stop will aid in making the background a part of the image, low f-stop will create a dreamier effect or allow you to use bokeh to your advantage​
• Consider drawing or making a scene yourself if you are having trouble finding it in nature

​Resources: J Fotography,  Forced Perspective Pinterest board

Minimalism

10/7/2019

 
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Minimalism in photography is a nice way to simplify your process. There comes a point in our photographic careers where we want to keep putting more and more into our photography, so to combat that, this is an exercise in putting less into our photographs. Sometimes, less is more. Minimalism focuses on extremely bold color and usually has only one main subject. 
Assignment
You must photograph a set of images focused on minimalism. Definitely think about the use of negative space, allowing your one main subject to stand out. Bold colors or high contrast in black and white can help your viewer to focus on the important aspects. Don't forget to remove distractions in the frame and take out clutter or anything that appears hectic. This is a tough exercise for even the most seasoned of photographers. 

Steps
  • Minimalist photography is not finding something that is minimal, but intently framing your photo to be minimal. This takes more work from the photographer and is an exercise in seeing. 
  • Focus on bold color (or high contrast black and white) and negative space. Allow there to be very few distractions in the frame. 
  • Try to limit your focus to one main subject (i.e. birds on a wire, a slice of light, one loop of a cord, etc.)
  • Light is your friend, sometimes light will create the minimalist look for you. Push that idea of light!

Objective: To photograph with intent; framing the image to limit distractions and focus on simplifying the image. 

Resources: Minimalism Pinterest Board

Double Exposure

9/19/2019

 
Picture
In this project we are going to create digital compositions with two images as double exposure. Similar to the idea of a true double exposure or sandwiched negative, we will be combining two or more images to make an entirely new photograph. Artists have explored this idea for years in traditional film photography, but digital allows us even more control over the final outcome and how much of one image or the other we can see. 
Assignment:
You must create 3 digital composites that focus on double exposure and/or combined imagery. Think about how to make someone have a double take on the image they are viewing. Ever wanted to make your friend have Medusa hair...here's your chance!  The idea of double exposure can have a lot of meaning or be very surreal—you can be more focused on making two images strange, haunting, or beautiful. You must use one portrait and you must make just one section of the image a double exposure; hair instead of the face, or the arms and not the rest of the body, etc.  

Steps:
  • Choose 2 images that you think might work together (you can always change them later on)
  • Check out PS tutorials on double exposure or this step-by-step system of how to make a double exposure
  • Try this video tutorial for visual as well
  • These can be portraits, landscapes, still lives, or anything you want

Resource: Digital Composite Pinterest Pinboard

Iconic Portraits

11/15/2018

 
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Kehinde Wiley grew up in an underserved area of Los Angeles while attending schools that offered him the ability to see master works in incredible museums. Growing up with this dichotomy he felt that he wasn't being represented in the master works and paintings he saw in museums and grew up studying, and so he began creating imagery focused on people of color in iconic poses; Thusly creating a shift in how people view iconic paintings. Wiley poses his subjects with a direct nod to art-historical references (mainly renaissance) while focusing specifically on people of color. Wiley is well known for also creating Barack Obama's presidential portrait in 2018, bringing all of his well known cultural, social, and art-historical references and his very recognizable style to this contemporary presidential portrait.  
Assignment

You must create an iconic portrait in the style of Kehinde Wiley. The pose must be strong, iconic, and nod back to the poses of the renaissance. You should choose the background carefully, either focusing on it's importance to you or the subject, or for the strong design concepts. You will research renaissance paintings, poses, and ideas and photograph strong printed backgrounds to enliven your pieces.  

Steps
  • First research Kehinde Wiley and his iconic portraits. Then research famous renaissance paintings and choose 5 paintings, specifically focused on the posing. Save these images to your inspiration board.
  • Photograph your model in the 5 poses you chose from the paintings. 
  • Photograph—or better yet, draw your own—different background images (a fabric or a wallpaper store will offer great inspiration).
  • Combine the background and portrait together using blending modes or copying and bringing forward your background to overlap your model, Kehinde Wiley-style. See this tutorial for example. 

Objective: To think about art historical references and how that relates to contemporary art. Especially focused on the art of Kehinde Wiley. 

The Deconstructed Landscape

9/21/2017

 
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For this project all you need is a camera and 20-30 minutes to take a walk! You will be photographing everything you see on your walk in a somewhat abstract manner with the intention of later incorporating it into a grid in Photoshop. Think about textures and color and abstraction—think about feeling and the way you can convey what you experienceon your walk rather than what you see with your eyes.

Assignment:
Photograph 50 frames (at least) on your 20-minute photo walk. Consider the colors, textures, and interesting details around you. Remember not to focus on getting one great image, but amass a collection of images that will work well together—maybe the connection between these images is color, or texture, or distance from the subject. You will be passing in one final deconstructed landscape. 

Steps:
• Just take a walk. Don't think too much about your location to start, just bring your camera along with you
• Think about breaking your location down into sections (sky/trees, middle ground/tree bark, ground or what's at your feet) and photograph the interesting pieces of those sections
• Look closely at your surroundings and photograph each image in a intentional way by removing unnecessary objects and extraneous information   

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