PROJECT 3 :: REFERENCE MATERIAL

photos inspired by the seven deadly sins 

wikipedia entry
be sure to read this thoroughly.

PROJECT 3 :: CLARIFICATION

all images for the "seven virtues / seven sins" project need to be made in-camera. we will deal more with compositing in the last two projects.

FIELD TRIP!

on wednesday feb 24 at 1:00pm, both sections will be at rush wade/2 photography studio. check out their site so you have a good idea of what they do.

we will leave our studio at 12:40, so section 1 needs to be here before that, so we're all prepared. we will divide people up into cars at that time.

2010 mcgee st in the crossroads
north on main to 20th st,
right on 20th st,
3 blocks to mcgee,
right on mcgee

YAY!

PROJECT 2 CRIT :: STICKY NOTE MANIA

your "constructed image" project crit will consist of sticky note comments pointing out the following criteria:

• strongest and weakest formal elements
• strongest and weakest conceptual elements
• strongest and weakest craft issues

after this session, each student will have a couple of minutes to present their work, clearly and specifically stating how you dealt with the following criteria:

• creative image-making that describes an individual through indexes and symbols
• manipulation of composition, cropping, color, and lighting to affect image meaning and perception

lastly, tell us what you learned through making this project.

PROJECT 2 :: WORK QUANTITY AND QUALITY

at this point in your sophomore year you should be painfully aware of the value of brainstorming, iterations, and lateral thinking. i'm sure you've had plenty of past requirements for all of those sorts of activities. those same processes you employ in other classes obviously apply across the board and are expected in this class.

speaking generally, the quantity of ideas i've seen so far this semester has been below what i would normally expect from committed, self-motivated students. i will encourage and try to motivate you, because that is part of my job, but ultimately the amount of effort expended is up to you and is a direct reflection of your motivation to make quality work. putting a required number on iterations is of little value, except to set a general bar of expectations. you all should know the expectation is "a lot" in general.

work quality has been fairly solid so far, so congratulations on that. i know you all are "those who remain" in this department, and i applaud your perseverance.  the final concepts have been pretty good, so definitely keep pushing forward on that front. just know that quality is directly proportional to quantity -- the more ideas you have, the more likely you are to have on that is awesome. it's not a guarantee, but a probability.

so put in a lot and get out a lot. it's your education and i hope you take great advantage of it.

PROJECT 2 :: CONSIDERATIONS

here are a few things that have come up in class that are worth pondering

• think laterally! collect a huge range of possible things to include in your image
• can you make a quick prototype to test out some ideas? throw some things together and start shooting...
• should this be 2d, 3d, somewhere in between, or both?
• don't forget the possibilities of using symbols. indexes are easy to come by
• get the obvious stuff out of the way so you can get to other ideas
• how does switching out the quote change the situation?

PROJECT 2 :: BLOGGIN'

for this project, i'd like to see the following process work:

• your chosen person, their name, quote, and other relevant info about them.
• initial ideas of indexes and symbols (could be lists, thumbnails, found imagery, writing, etc)
• a good representation of your photographic sketches -- initial setup, attempts, revisions, semi-finals, finals, etc.
• any other work that informs this project.

PROJECT 2 :: THE CONSTRUCTED IMAGE

the brief for project two is on the right sidebar. check it out and get started with research for next class. post your thoughts and decisions to your blog. do "type image message" reading.

PROJECT 1 CRIT

critique will follow this format:

• you will respond to one of your peer's projects, interpreting it and making sense of what you see. you are basically thinking out loud here.
  - is it interesting upon first glance?
  - what makes you want to keep looking at it, if anything?
  - what does it mean?
  - what kind of mood or persona do you get from it?
  - what is it telling you about this person?
  - address also the level of care in making the images themselves as well as the construction of the piece. 
  
• the rest of the class will then have a few minutes to share any differing responses or interpretations to the work.
• the designer will then discuss their intentions in making the images. this will give us an idea of the distance between designer's intent and audience reception. the designer of the piece should explain
  - why each image fits into its respective sign category,
  - why the particular symbol was chosen,
  - anything significant that was learned through this process.

YAY

DAY ONE INFO+HOMEWORK

in class:
- review syllabus
- get to know each other in some awkward fashion
- receive project one; discuss
- basic semiotics lecture
- get your photographin' on!

FIND+SHARE

use this community space to link up projects, websites, and the like that are about image making. of particular interest are photography sites / photographs (both design and art-related), imagery in relation to type, unusual techniques/processes, technical stuff, etc, etc.

we will try to look at these on a regular basis so everyone is nicely up-to-date with the contemporary imagemaking landscape.

ABOUT THIS BLOG

1
all project descriptions, objectives, specifications and deadlines will be posted here. it is your responsibility to check regularly for important updates, new assignments and topical references.

2
i intend the blog to function as an ongoing dialog and extension beyond the classroom. if you have project-specific questions that arise outside of class please ask. everyone is welcome to reply and i will respond on/before online hours or in class.

3
required readings and discussion topics are provided to clarify and expand your knowledge of issues addressed in studio and design in general. we will discuss these either as a class or you will be asked to post responses to this blog.

4
visual & creative inspiration abounds online and i encourage you to embark upon serendipitous or purposeful surfing. once you find something relevant to this class that is share-worthy post it to "find+share".

5
occasionally i will assign an online crit in order to provide an alternative forum for classroom feedback and collaborative effort.

if those reasons aren't enough to get involved, remember, your online presence does count toward your online participation grade. i evaluate post quality and quantity, which is factored into individual project grades under the "process" and "participation" sections.