Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I. Student Examples

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Missed The Putt: “Hitting the golf ball” story is a natural for an action-shot interpretation. The re-shoot missed both the action or even the beautiful product shot opportunities. This could have easily been turned into an action shot by reorientation the club as shown to the right. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Maximizing opportunities

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Too Many: No No’s Using direct sunlight in conjunction with a glossy white subject created a serious dynamic range challenge. The exposure looks normal but the highlight is blocked up. Without making lighting or an in-camera adjustments, there is no way to maintain a natural looking tonal range under such extreme conditions. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Exposure problem

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Multiple Solution: Possibilities One solution is to cover the “set” with a 3’ x 3’ diffuser screen. It could have adequately changed the lighting to a much softer tonal (contrast) range. Another solution could have been to use a solid 4’x4’ light blocking material to create an “Open Shade” lighting condition on the set. It would have been 2 to 3 f/stops darker. The new “Skylight” lighting would have been much softer than the diffused sunlight. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Exposure solution

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I More Potential Solutions: Change the camera’s contrast setting to a lower adjustment. Compact digital have a three degrees of adjustment which are High, Normal, and Low. DSLR’s can have from 5 to 7 degrees of adjustments. Another option is to use a 2’ x 2’ white fill-board to reflect light into the shadow areas of the set to reduce the overall dynamic range. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Exposure solution

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Start Using These Techniques: Now 1.Avoid shooting white, black, or shiny objects in Digital Photography 1. 2.Avoid shooting under direct sunlight which is a very hard “point source” light. 3.If you use sunlight, be sure to diffuse it. It can be diffused with a sheet but you will loose a light of light. Use velum instead which can be purchased from an art store. 4.Use diffuse “Open Shade” or “Skylight” with gentle (soft) dynamic range characteristics. 5.Use fill-cards (or boards) to “fill-in” deep shadow areas. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Exposure solution

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I. Exposure Graph

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Histogram: Here is a Photoshop version of the exposure histogram. It is a more accurate interpretation of the exposure than the tiny histogram in the camera. Both the graph and the image has red circles indicating the blown-out (area with no detail) areas. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Exposure graph

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I. Telling a story about something you know

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Know Your Story: Subject In writing, the mantra is to write about something you know. I didn’t take this shot but I did give it a title “Miss the putt”. Because of my own ignorance about golf, I may have given it an erroneous title. The club may not be for putting. It may be a driver for doing much longer shots. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Know your story

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I. Composition – something I know

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Error #1: Red tee – avoid using red on prop. It was a good idea to avoid white but a much less dynamic color would have been less attention getting. Red is used for stop signs and runway safety markers because it is so “intense”. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Composition

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Error #2: Glossy white subject - it has a predictable blown- out highlight. Adjusting the camera Contrast would not have compensated for the extreme dynamic range. Also, the other prop has a highly reflective metal face which is catching some of the direct sunlight causing it to blowing-out too. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Composition

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Errors #3: Subject position – the original camera framing is off balanced. It needed reframing as per the white dotted rectangle. Notice also that it was framed using the DSLR’s 3:2 shape without consideration for re- cropping needs to meet the more practical 4:3 shape. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Composition

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Error #4: Whenever there is a product logo, it must be level or it must meet the preferred logo angle criteria. Unless you are shooting a product shot for the company, it’s usually best to hide the logo by turning it away from the camera. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Composition

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Error #5: A matter of opinion For the swinging club shot, I would have wanted the swing to come from a different angle as shown by my illustration. This would have made a more dynamic golfing story. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Composition

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Consider: All the possibilities Think of the previous ideas presented not necessarily right or wrong but as “playing with ideas”. Thinking of getting the most out of the current situation or scene. What would make it right or wrong depends on your story idea. For instance, the logo might have been rotated to suggest movement. And the specific angle would have suggested the direction of that movement. And that way of thinking is about telling a story using visual clues. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Composition

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Art: Not science There are rudimentary rules of composition. Although, photographic design is more an art. The art of: Balance to imbalanceBalance to imbalance Symmetry to asymmetrySymmetry to asymmetry Dynamic movement to frozen actionDynamic movement to frozen action Straight line to wavy motionStraight line to wavy motion White on white to black on blackWhite on white to black on black Punchy brilliant colors to mellow pastelsPunchy brilliant colors to mellow pastels Welcome 7, Week 4 – Composition

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I. Learning to Learn

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4, Type A – Resource Learning: It’s about practicing the “wanting-to- learn” attitude. As much as I want my class to make a difference in your photography career. It’s only one class. Learning to learn is about reaching out. Library might be one of those places. We have a great library here at NSCC. And we have the two books on “Reserve” for you. Use ours or any library source.

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4, Type A – Resource Research Report: As long as your putting the time in to research, get extra credit points for it by doing a REPORT. Use the assignment Report Word template for doing this and any other type of reports. Word template Word template Writing is about thinking and it’s required for this class.

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I. Seminal Photographic Books of the 20th Century by Andrew Roth

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Seminal Photographic Books of the 20th Century by Andrew Roth List of photographers and their classic books over the last 100 years. Check it out. Get the “sense of the times” and a perspective for your own photographic creations. 1907Edward S. Curtis – The North American Indians 1909Alvin Coburn – London 1911Alfred Stieglitz – Camera Work 1917Paul Strand – Camera Work 1925Laqszlo Moholy-Nagy – Malerei Fotografie Film 1929Edward Stiechen and Carl Sandburg – Steichen The Photographer

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Seminal Photographic Books of the 20th Century by Andrew Roth 1930Ansel Adams – Taos Pueblo 1934Man Ray – Man Ray Photographs 1937Margaret Bourke-White and Erskine Caldwell – You Have Seen Their Faces 1939Dorothea Lange and Paul Schuster Taylor – An American Exodus 1941Walker Evans and James Agee – Let Us Now Praise Famous Men 1945Weegee – Naked City 1947Robert Capa – Slightly Out of Focus Edward Westin – Fifty Photographs 1952Henri Cartier-Bresson – The Decisive Moment Paul Strand and Claude Roy – La France de Profil

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Seminal Photographic Books of the 20th Century by Andrew Roth 1959Richard Avedon and Truman Capote – Observations Robert Frank – The Americans 1960Erving Penn – Moments Preserved 1961Bill Brandt – Perspective of Nudes 1963Eikoh Hosoe and Yukio Mishima – Killed By Roses 1964Harry Callahan – Harry Callahan Photographs 1966Walker Evans – Many Are Called 1967Andy Warhol – Andy Warhol's Index 1968Danny Lyon – The Biker Riders

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Seminal Photographic Books of the 20th Century by Andrew Roth 1969Carry Winogrand – The Animals 1974W. Eugene Smith – Minamata 1983Larry Clark – Teenage Lust 1987Bill Burke – I Want To Take Picture 1989Joan Fontcuberta Y Pere Mormiguera – Fauna 1990Allen Ginsberg – Allen Ginsberg Photographs Summary For the most part these books are published in the United States and are from the George Eastman House collection. Note that a photography book on animals was not published until 1969 and that a book on Fauna did not appear until A book on sensuality, Teenage Lust, took until 1983 to be published. These point to changing western cultural values.

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Current Book Ideas

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4 – Resource The Photographer's Internet HandbookWriter By: Joe Farac Publisher: Allworth Press List Price: $18.95 Note: It's a friendly beginner's book. Reader's Digest Complete Photography ManualWriter By: Ailsa McWhinnie Publisher: Reader's Digest List Price: $30 Note: It covers from the very basic to the up-to-the-minute going digital. The book contains excellent topics with rich color illustrations. Full of how-to's and what you get illustrations.

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4 – Resource Pro Lighting - Provocative ShotWriters By: Alex Larg & Jane Wood Publisher: RotoVision List Price: $35 Note: Impressively strong and complete about equipment and the final image! Pro Lighting – EroticaWriters By: Alex Larg & Jane Wood Publisher: RotoVision List Price: $35 Note: This is not as good as the above.

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4 – Resource Creative Exposure Control Writers By: Les Meehan Publisher: AMPhoto Books List Price: $24.95 Note: Excellent book for intermediate photography students. Several good photography books By: John Hedgecoe Publisher: DK Available: NSCC Library Note: Excellent book for beginner and the intermediate photography students.

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4 – Resource ASMP ManualWriters: Official Guide Publisher: AMPhoto Books Available: NSCC Library Note: As a student, you get a discounted rate to join the local ASMP. Consider taking advantage of this great learning opportunity.

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4 – Resource Inner Light: I personally found Bill Brandt's Perspective of Nudes from 1969 to be impressive and extremely contemporary. Start or add to your own discoveries in periodicals, books, and web sites.

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I x Term Project Get Started Now

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4 – Term project Term Project: Final CD It’ll consist of 3 assignment images of your choice and 9 more self-assigned images done during the Spring 2007 quarter. All 12 images will be fully Photoshoped “.psd”. Each file must contain the “Orig” and all the “adjustment layers” plus any other adjustment or correction image layers. Do not merge or flatten the image files. Yes, the image files will be huge!

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4 – Term project Final CD: Please test your CD before turning it in. Last quarter, 3 students earned lower grade because I could not read their CD on my IBM laptop (Windows XP) nor on my office Mac (OS 10x). I suggest that you test your CD by no later than mid term. Read/write on a CD is usually transparent when it’s done on the user’s computer. Problems crop up when trying to read the CD on other computers.

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4 – Term project CD Format: Solution CD’s may look “universal” but don’t be deceived by appearances. The most important part of the CD creation process is the “finishing” part. Proper finishing will require you to take an extra step not usually required when the CD is used on the original computer. It must be finished with “Universal Access” turned on. When you select it, you’ll get a warning that the “processing time will take a lot longer” using this method.

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4 – Special request Special Permission Requested: I would like your permission to use any of your class work, assignment, and final portfolio images for future NSCC Student Art shows, future class room examples, or campus wide promotional use. If you have a problem with that, please let me know. I thank you in advance for granting me the permission to use your images.

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4 – Print request Print Request: For the NSCC Student Art Show, framed 8x10 or 11x14 prints work the best. A student recently discovered that framing was no more expensive than borderless mounting on a foam core board. It also looks a lot better in the show. If framed prints are needed for the NSCC Art Show, I’ll contact you in advance. Please put your contact information on the final CD case. Don’t write directly on the CD – it’ll cause CD rot.

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4 – Term project My Expectation: I don’t want to see your self-assigned images until I see it on your final portfolio CD at the end of the term. All your self-assigned images must be fully Photoshop process, spotted, dodge & burned, and custom enhanced as necessary. The Photoshop files must NOT be “flattened” or “merged” – all the separate adjustment layers must remain intact with layer names showing the adjustment facts.

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4 – Term project My Expectation: Your self-assigned images must fulfill all the standard class assignment requirement from: 1.Story telling – it must be simple, direct, and universally clear. 2.Composition – it must be compelling without being noticeable. 3.Technique – absolutely transparent. 4.Lighting – side light for form and content without being noticed. 5.Report – 3 paragraphs, self grading, and EXIF.

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4 – Term project START SHOOTING FOR YOUR PORTFOLIO NOW!

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4 – Requirements Camera Setting  Image Size:2547 x 1955 or close as possible  Image Quality:5 to 6 mega pixel  Image Quality:Highest quality jpeg  Exposure Mode:Auto or Auto-P (P gives more control)  Exposure meter:Matrix (computerized default)  White balance:Auto (leave it this way for now)  Sensitivity:ISO 100 (Don’t use other settings)  Aperture:f/2.8 to f/6.3 as needed  Shutter speed:From 1/15 to 1/2000 second  Focal length:Wide to Tele as the story requires  Focus:Use focus-lock and re-compose  Frame shape:4:3 ratio  Digital zoom:Never use!  Flash:Off

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Welcome 7, Week 4 – Requirements The previous page requirements means exactly that. You are required to get your specs either exactly or close to my numbers and/or settings. If you change anything such as the exposure mode from Auto to Manual or the ISO from 100 to 400, you must explain your action as being “logical requirement”.

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I. Heads Up

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Thing Shoot: ID Plus I hope you got a good start with your ID only shot. The next shot will require you to take it to the next step. That will involve showing more of the background. The ID shot required from 10 to 20% of the image to be the background. The ID Plus will require 30 to 40% to be the background. The exact background percentage is determined by your story. The ID only story required very little background. The ID Plus will require more background to show. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Composition

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I Thing Shoot: Background What ever your subject is, it has a natural place that it belongs to. That native place may be very limited or it may be very broad. Example: A boombox is meant to be transportable. There is can be naturally found in variety of places. A loaf of bread would have less natural environments. Although a loaf of break in a grocery bag would increase the number of places that it might be naturally found. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Composition

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I The Right Thing: From the “subject choice”, “what you have to say about it”, to “where you chose to say it” is all up to your creative mind. There is no right answer but we will all recognize the right image when we see it. Welcome 7, Week 4 – Composition

Teacher: Kenji Tachibana Digital Photography I x End