Thursday, January 27, 2011

Exam Post - Photoshop

Difference from Original

- Tree is pink

- Horse on roof

- Road is cropped out

- Smoke Stack is gone

Exam Post

Composition - Composition is the set-up and execution of taking a picture. It is important for a photo to have good composition because it can determine the quality of the photo. Some composition tips we learned in this class (TGP 3M1) are as follows:

- Rule of Thirds
To use the rule of thirds, visualize the screen split into three both vertically and horizontally. The best way to utilize this tool is to capture the subject slightly off centre, and running into or out of the picture.
- Depth of Field
Depth of field is a fun one to use. To get the best use of this tip, focus on a subject, and blur the back round out by shortening the focal length. It gives you a razor sharp subject, and a really crisp, clear image.
- Texture
Texture can help emphasize the subject or be the subject itself. To use texture, make it very dramatic by making it the subject itself. Use it at an angle that will evoke emotion in the viewer. (Ex - Take a photo of your mittens, but emphasize the soft, warm wool by getting close enough to it that the viewer recalls the feeling of soft mittens)
- Line and Shape
Line and shape are both very dramatic. Shape is two dimensional. It gives you height with no width or depth. A shilouette is a perfect example of this. It creates a very dramatic image with a sense of mystery. Line is also very useful in composing a photograph. It helps create symmetry, and it naturally leads your eye through the picture.
- Form
 Form is like shape, but with the added benefit of width and depth. It is an outline, like a shilouette, but it gives you some detail. (Ex - A photo of a tree is mainly dark, but you can see some of the detail of the bark on the tree)
- Foreground, Mid ground, Back round
Foreground, Mid ground, and Back round are all a feature of Depth of field (above). They help split the photo into sections, so that you can see the depth of field better. (Ex - Picture of a cat that we critiqued, the cats face was the most in focus at the front of the photo, and then his body was slightly less focused in the middle, and finally the grass in the back round was not in focus at all)
- Get Close
Getting close is the best and most commonly used photography tip. It pretty much explains itself. (Ex - If you are taking a picture of your dog lying in the grass, don't stand over top of him and take a photo, lie down beside him instead) This gives you a more fun, and more dramatic effect.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Irfanview Slideshows

This week in photography we had to create slideshows in Irfanview. We had to choose 20 of our pictures taken, either in class or at home, and put them into a slideshow with music and title/end slides. We used Adobe Photoshop Elements to create the title and end slides, while the Irfanview program was moved to our desktops. The slideshows will be played ono several televisions throughout the school to encourage students to take photography.