What defines you as a person? Is it: Culture? Personality? History? Gender? Your interests or activities?
How can photography be used to represent these aspects of identity?
What do you wish to share about yourself? What do you wish to keep private? How much can a photographic portrait show about a person?
You will complete this assignment in 3 ways:
Part 1: Shoot 3 portraits in the studio. You will work in groups to photograph each other....you will art direct your studio portrait and therefore you will have ownership of the photograph. For this image, think about one specific theme in your life (rather than every aspect of your life–that might be impossible to capture in one image!) that represents a part of you and your identity. You need to bring one prop or clothing item that shows a theme in your life. Recall what you learned in first year photo during the studio portrait segment: the quality of the light (direction, intensity, hardness or softness, color) can also help express your personality. You may decide to add color through colored gels, or manipulate shutter speed in the shot. (3 portraits due)
+++Remember: the images can be serious or humorous. They should reflect something essential and important about who you are as a person.
Part 2: With a partner or on your own, shoot a photograph on location, using natural light. Choose a setting that says something about you. Other elements you include in the image can give us a visual clue: time of day, props, and of course your expression, gesture or body language. How you shoot can be used to add meaning or emotion: focus, depth of field, freezing or blurring motion, use of light, lens choice and framing. Finally, how you edit and print the image will affect our reading of it (saturation, contrast, color vs. black and white, and so on). You may use the camera timer and a tripod to shoot this image by yourself if you choose. (1-3 photo(s) due)
Part 3: The third photograph will say something about you without you in it. Is it a place? A thing? Something abstract that communicates a mood? Something special to you and your identity? Again, think about how the elements and design of your images communicate both information, emotion and most importantly, your individual identity. (1-3 photo(s) due)
From each of the 3 ways that you interpreted the idea of identity, portraits and metaphors, which image was most successful? Answer the following questions about that image: Composition: Do all the elements of the frame support the subject, or are there distractions that take away from the strength of the image? Which of the 9 compositional rules utilized in the photo? (rule of thirds, get close, framing, triangles, diagonals, leading lines, contrast, figure/ground, center the dominant eye, pattern and repetition, focal point, symmetry, bird’s eye view, worm’s eye view) Technical Aspects: Shutter Speed or Depth of Field- how is either manipulated in the image? Are exposure, focus or blur manipulated? Does use of color or lighting impact the photo?
Post-processing/Editing- What edits in photoshop enhance or change the photo's meaning?
Narrative/Storytelling/Communication – What is conveyed about the person in the image? How is the “story” of the person conveyed? What props, clothing, setting or facial expression or body language communicate the IDENTITY (personality, interests, gender, background, culture, or history) of the person in the portrait?
Emotional Impact – What emotions captured in your portrait will cause the audience to respond? How is the emotional content conveyed?
+project inspired by instructor Adam Gooder, Concord Carlisle High School