Master Photographers

 
 

Clearing Winter StormArbus, TwinsFort Peck DamPolice StationThree Vegetables42nd streetDorothea Lange, Migrant MotherCrippled SteelworkerAmerican GothicTheir First MurderSelf-Portrait

 

  

For your 4th photographic assignment I would like you to demonstrate your understanding of the visual contributions that your photographer has made to the world of photography by doing the following:

 

  1. Research, gather, study, and analyze visual examples of their work and read descriptions of their style and process.

 

  1. Write a two paragraph proposal that:

a.       identifies defining characteristics of your photographer’s work and

b.      explains how you will synthesize these characteristics when you shoot your roll of film:

 

  1. Shoot a roll of film in the style of the photographer you have selected

 

Paragraph One—What characteristics define your photographer’s work?

 

Here are some things to notice and think about when analyzing the work of your photographer:


Composition and aesthetic qualities

  • Qualities of light (natural, artificial, high key, low key), value, color, texture, space (shallow or 3-D), focus, depth of field, arrangement of the elements and principles of design
  • Framing of the shot, close up, wide angle, point of view
  • Aspects that make the images beautiful and/or engaging
  • Is the center of interest:  posed/arranged or naturally occurring? In a studio environment or natural setting?
  • If a portrait, is the subject shot candidly or aware of the camera? Is it an environmental portrait?

Purpose and expression

  • What is the purpose of the photograph? (tell a story, persuade, document, etc.)
  • What "point" is the photographer trying to make
  • What feelings or response does the photo evoke
  • In what context was the photo made (E.g. war, Paris street life, the surrealist art movement, selling products, etc.) What relationship does the photo have with that context?

 

Paragraph Two—How you will shoot your film

 

  • Where will you take your photographs?

  • What will your center of interest be?

  • How will you control your camera? (framing/format, focal length,   aperture/shutterspeed, etc.)

  • How will you arrange your subject (portrait and abstract)

  • What will your purpose be? (tell a story, persuade, document, etc.)

  • What “point” will you try to make?

 

Work by Jerry Uelsmann

                          

 

 

 

Student work inspired by Jerry Uelsmann

 

                                

 

Assignment given Wednesday November 7th   Proposals due Friday November 9th

Film developed or digital images transferred by Monday November 19th

Contact prints due Wednesday November 21st  5 Prints due Friday December 7th

 

List of Master Photographers

 

Some good starting points:

 

Archive with numerous photographs

http://masters-of-photography.com/summaries.html

 

Biography and Links

www.profotos.com/education/referencedesk/masters/index.shtml

 

Search engine that gives results visually

http://images.google.com/

 

Quotes by or about photographers

http://www.photoquotes.com

 

PDN (Photo District News) Photography Legends series

http://www.pdngallery.com/legends/

 

Online collection of several photographers' work

http://www.geh.org/photographers.html

 

Photographs from the FSA-OWI collection including works by Evans, Feininger, Hines, Lange, and Parks

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fsaauthindex1.html

 

Works from the photography collection of the Library of Congress

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/pphome.html

 

Portfolios of photographs from Magnum Photos including works by Capa, Cartier-Bresson, Erwitt, Halsman, and Smith

https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographers/

 

Photographic Processes from the SFMOMA collection:

Picturing Modernity

 

Dr. Leggat's History of Photography which chronicles significant people, processes, and movements from its beginnings to the 1920s:

http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/

 

A good site for street photography:

http://www.in-public.com/

 

Contemporary studio and portrait photography:

http://art-dept.com/photography

 

Works by Ansel Adams and several contemporary landscape photographers in black and white as well as color:

http://anseladams.com/represented-artists/

 

An example of work by Robert Adams

Student work inspired by Robert Adams

 

Master Photographers Student Work

 

Back to Photo Home

 

PSSA Informational Scoring Guide

 

FOCUS

CONTENT and

DEVELOPMENT

ORGANIZATION

STYLE

CONVENTIONS

4

Sharp, distinct controlling point made about a single topic with evident awareness of task and audience.

Substantial, relevant, and illustrative content that demonstrates a clear understanding of the purpose.  Thorough elaboration with effectively presented information consistently supported with well-chosen details.

Effective organizational strategies and structures, such as logical order and transitions, which develop a controlling idea.

Precise control of language, stylistic techniques, and sentence structures that creates a consistent and effective tone.

Thorough control of sentence formation.

 

Few errors, if any, are presented in grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation, but the errors that are present do not interfere with meaning.

3

Clear controlling point made about a single topic with general awareness of task and audience.

Adequate, specific, and/or illustrative content that demonstrates an understanding of the purpose.  Sufficient elaboration with clearly presented information supported with well-chosen details.

Organizational strategies and structures, such as logical order and transitions, which develop a controlling idea.

Appropriate control of language, stylistic techniques, and sentence structures that creates a consistent and effective tone.

Adequate control of sentence formation.

 

Some errors may be present in grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation, but few, if any, of the errors do not interfere with meaning

2

Vague evidence of a controlling point made about a single topic with an inconsistent awareness of task and audience.

Inadequate, vague content that demonstrates a weak understanding of the purpose.  Underdeveloped and/or repetitive elaboration with inconsistently supported information.  May be an extended list.

Inconsistent organizational strategies and structures, such as logical order and transitions, which ineffectively develop a controlling idea.

Limited control of language and sentence structures that creates interference with tone.

Limited and/or inconsistent control of sentence formation.  Some sentences may be awkward or fragmented.

 

Many errors may be present in grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation, and some of those errors may interfere with meaning.

1

Little or no evidence of a controlling point made about a single topic with a minimal awareness of task and audience.

Minimal evidence of content that demonstrates a lack of understanding of the purpose.  Superficial, undeveloped writing with little or no support. May be a bare list.

Little or no evidence of organizational strategies and structures, such as logical order and transitions, which inadequately develop a controlling idea.

Minimal control of language and sentence structures that creates an inconsistent tone.

Minimal control of sentence formation.  Many sentences may be awkward and fragmented. 

Many errors may be present in grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation, and many of those errors may interfere with meaning.