Photobooth Cutouts

You probably have a memory of being photographed in a wooden cutout at a fair or maybe a historic site. Recently my little sister celebrated her 50th Birthday. She was born in 1967, so my older sister made this cutout of a VW bus for us to take celebration photos. Hey, this would be a cool project for my Photography class!

Some ideas

Cowboys
Mahopac Indian
Dancers
Astronauts
Horror Movie Creatures
Cartoon Character
Animals
With someone famous.

Procedure

1. Work in groups of two or three. You choose your partners. Choose wisely!
2. Outline image in pencil on a 30x40 inch piece of foam-core.
3. Cut out opening for face and exterior shape using an x-acto knife. Always cut away form your hands. Make sure you use a sharp blade!
4. Paint with acrylics.
5. You may decide to outline the edges with a super thick sharpie.
6. Photograph at least 5 different people using your "Cutout".  Post to your blog. Ask for permission before posting a subjects image. 

School Lunch

School Lunch, you love it or hate it. Bag lunch or cafeteria food? Are your friends in your lunch period? Is it crowded? Show me how you see "school lunch". (minimum 3 photographs.)

Recently a lot of people are talking about school lunch. Mrs. Obama's Hunger-Free Kids Act has limited high school lunches to 850 calories.

• Do you feel that school lunch is adequate? Are you hungry? Do you supplement your lunch by buying another lunch? Buying chips from the machine?
• What kinds of foods would you like the food service to add to their menu? (Sushi?)
• Is lunch too long? Would 20 minutes be long enough? 
• Do you study or work on homework during lunch?
• Would you skip lunch if you could leave school 42 minutes early?
• Do you use the school Wifi during lunch?
• Would you like to seek large screen TV's in the lunchroom. What kinds of programs whould you like to watch?

Write a paragraph describing your views on school lunch.

I took a few minutes out of my "lunch duty" to take a closer look at school lunch. I push the garbage can around and encourage the kids to recycle. Occasionally I come upon something like this.....YUK!

Ketchup Art?

Look at the lunch room in a different way. Try different points of views! There is a lot going on there!



The "regular" UNO game.

Reflections

Before starting this assignment, take a look on the world wide web for examples of photographs using reflections. This should jumpstart your imagination and give you inspiration for your own images.

Consider the many reflective surfaces availible to you:

• Store windows
• Sunglasses
• Lakes, ponds and even puddles.
• Mirrors

Don't limit yourself. Remenber reflection is something that we all do. How can you photograph someone being "reflective".

Make one 5x7 enlargement and dry mount it on matte board.

Paramount Theater, Peekskill, NY

World of Wings, Teaneck, NJ

Letter Project

This is an observation project. We "Look" at the world around us but don't often "See" the interesting detail. This assignment will force you to see the everyday and mundane in a different light.

1. You may choose a word that represents a strong emotion like "love". You may use your own name, but the letters should be representative of who you are.
2. It is possible to construct letters out of objects if you desire. (Notice that the letters in the word create are made up of art materials). 
3. Using a digital camera, take photographs of the "letters" that make up your word. Each photo should be recognizable as a particular letter.
4. A cell phone camera is satisfactory if the resolution is high enough.
5. The images will need to be scaled in Photoshop. Determine size based on the number of letters in the word. (3x3 inches is typical) Make sure the "constrain proportion" button is selected when scaling.
6. Dry mount the letters on matte board. Place in the press for 20 seconds. (Longer will melt the image)

Due Date: 5/4/15

Copier Arts Scannergram

Copier Arts are a new media that was created with the advent of Xerox machines and printers. Originally an artist would use copy machines to degrade and manipulate original artwork to create different effects. With the advent of scanners and photo manipulation software, copier art can be taken to a high level.

A scanner can take photographs of small three dimensional objects.



Even ugly art teachers.

We will create a Scannergram Self Portrait that incorporates a photo of ourselves, and 4 scanned ojects that reflect our persona. Additional photos and your name may be added. Here is my example. I was having a "bad" day.

Don't run with the scissors!

Post your "Scannergram" to your blog and write a brief description of your concept. Why did you choose particular objects? How do they represent you?

My example:

My self portrait is my attempt at self depreciating humor. You can't imagine the number of times I've warned kids to be careful with a scissor or x-acto knife. My family (my two kids) are the "glue" that keeps me together when I'm having a bad day. The "scissor" glasses represent how I see the world through the creation of art.

Point of View Assignment

Auto Parts (Digital Assignment)

Car Parts?

The automobile is ubiquitous part of the American society. Cars are everywhere and we rely on them for our livelihood. There is a real attachment to cars in our culture. High School students take the day off to take their "road test", and earning a license is a rite of passage to adulthood.

We love them, but do we really take a close look at them. We know when we see a car we like, but our perception is of the whole, not the many individual parts that make a "car". Look at your car (or family car) closely. Photograph it from different perspectives. Look for unusual detail. What about the engine compartment? The wheel covers? Even the undercarriage! Don't forget to get close with your "macro" capability.

The assignment

Make a series of 5 images that explore your car from many points of view. Write a short paragraph explaining why you picked this car. Tell me how cars and driving are important to your life.

Example

My father was in the automobile leasing industry for years. He always came home with different cars. I grew up thinking of cars as appliances, we called them vehicles. Function was more important than Form. My Scion XB is a reflection of that attitude. It's dumb ugly, but functional. It's an appliance, like a refrigerator.  I select cars for what they can do, not how they look. This car can seat 4 comfortably, get 30 plus miles to the gallon and was inexpensive. PERFECT but UGLY!

Scion XB Engine Compartment

Scion XB Battery

Scion XB Speedo

Scion XB Shocks

3D Photography Assignment

3D Photography

Most of us have had the opportunity to watch a movie in 3D. Perhaps you had the opportunity to take a 3D thrill ride at Bush Gardens. Some people play 3D video games. Long before 3D movies, photographers made stereo pairs with special cameras with two lens. These "pairs" were viewed with a special Stereoscope. 

We will be making basic 3D images called "Anaglyphs". 

Anaglyph of Art Room

In order to view our images we must make 3D glasses. Here is an unusual example:

Mr. Boccini 3D Glasses.

Assignment


Using "chip board" and acrylic paint make a "custom" pair of Stereo Glasses.

• Be creative, anything from super hero's to cartoon characters make good glasses.
• Make sure to use the template so the spacing between the eyes is correct.
• Think about adding three dimensional elements. (ie. hair made of yarn)
• If you need something special, ask! You never know what kind of junk I have collected.
• The glasses may be attached to a dowel or be worn in the traditional manner. (stems over the ears)
• Consider working with other people to create a theme. (ie the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs.
• Shoot a stereo pair with the tripod and sliding mechanism.
• Use Photoshop to create your anaglyph.
• Blog a picture of you wearing your glasses.
• Blog your anaglyph.