Photography Club - 2019-2020
Welcome
Thank you to all the students who contributed to our 2020 Virtual Photography Club! What an amazing and inspiring gift I received by the commitment and creativity shown by everyone!
St. Gabriel Photography Club
The goal of Photography Club is to have fun while exploring the art of taking pictures. If you don't have a camera, ask mom or dad if they have an old phone with a camera that you can use.
Photography Club Tip: Try NOT to take pictures of someone else's art (example: a sculpture from Florida, a photograph from ikea, a cool painting from a flea market, or a sculpture. To truly make the art yours, you cannot use anyone else's. I prefer you send me your art :)
Week 7: Candid Photos
Candid Photography is taking pictures of your subject (or subjects) while they are in the middle of doing something. Tip: if you can capture them while doing something fun - your viewer will be able to experience the happiness and fun that was the moment of your photograph. Typically, your subject will know you have your camera out and taking photos, but they don't know when you are going to "click!" Sometimes you may have to wait and/or take many many shots to get "the one" shot that is amazing!
Great candid photographs can be of a million amazing things:
your little sisters playing in a puddle,
your dad shooting a basketball
your mom dropping a puck on your driveway...
your grandpa casting his fishing rod
your little brother standing by your robot
your parents cooking
your dog cuddling with your cat
your older sister practicing gymnastics on your front lawn when all of a sudden she falls and laughs
your grandma knitting on the sofa
your mom giving you the look of "don't take any more pictures of me..." lol
your big brother getting his face licked by your dog...
your dog jumping from your couch while trying to take a family photo...
Your baby sister running toward your dad :)
Week 6: Macro Photography
Macro photography is taking pictures of objects (subjects) that are very close to the camera. Macro Photography is also known as by a simpler term of someone taking a 'close-up' photograph.
Macro Photography is typically taken with a powerful camera, which has the ability of the lens to zoom in quite close. The camera (or phone) that you are using may not have that exact ability, however if you experiment (I hope you do this lots :), you will find that you can take macro pics that look very similar - they might just not have the same level of quality.
Click here for an informational website: Macro Photography For Kids >>
Your task this week is to take a close up of photo of the best object (subject) that you can find. I really want you to HUNT for this photo and seek out the coolest thing that you can find that will look amazing up close.
Macro Photography is a lot of fun, and it allows for a neat way to see the world differently. The next time you are at our local pond, look at things a little closer, and a whole new world opens up.
Again, I will suggest that you walk around your house, yard, or neighborhood with your pen and notebook first, looking for things (subjects) that you think will look really amazing up close. Note: Once you take the photo, and only then, will you be able to see and decide if it looks as amazing as you thought it would or hoped. That is the magic and adventure of Macro Photography. A fun game you can play with your parents, sibling, and friends (online via Google docs), is a picture game where you take a macro pic and they have to guess what it is.... and then on the next slide you reveal the whole picture. Look below to figure out what these orange teeth are attached too... scary!!!
Week 5: Being CREATIVE
How do you take a "creative" picture - something that is "unique" and / or "original?
Being CREATIVE with pictures starts with you! Hmmm, that sounds familiar! The possibilities are endless, but sometimes it can be really tough to get that first idea out, and unlock the wonder of creativity! For me, I love looking in magazines and at online photography and trying to figure out how the photographer took the picture. If you do a google search on "creative photos" you will find millions of samples...one thing you can try is searching the house for things to shoot through (taking a picture where the subject is on the other side of a fence, glass, frame, clothes hamper, fingers, flower, window, etc. Happy Shooting!!!
Week 4: HOPE (in photos)
Photos will be added to our slide show for Education Week base on the theme of "igniting Hope!"
HOPE in pictures starts with you!
How do you take a picture of "hope?" Is "hope" hard to find? I believe that "hope" is all around us, and the magic of photography is to search for unique and original ways of capturing "hope" in a photo. Inspiration can come from anywhere: faith, family, friends, community, and nature. As always, maybe start with your pen and notepad, as you search for ideas...
Week 3: Storytelling (with photos)
Note: there is a bonus photo challenge at the bottom! PLEASE take the time to participate as there will be a separate slideshow during Education Week :)
Telling Stories in pictures is such a fun creative thing to do. The idea of these types of photos, is to present your main subject to your viewer, but in a way that tells a story. As the viewers eyes move and explore more of your picture, they learn "a bigger" or the "whole story" of what is going on in your picture... Why is your Teddy Bear stuffy sad? Maybe because of the Teddy Bear out the window, and sitting in your yard - hoping to get back in...?
View 'Pete's Take' on Storytelling - A good friend, who has decades of photographic expertise!
Choosing a subject: How do you tell a story with a picture? Well, there typically needs to be more than one thing happening in your picture, and usually it starts with your main subject. This will take some extra thought... what is your subject doing, or what is happening to it? Maybe it all starts with a...flower, stuffy, trophy, fish, or maybe an instrument? And then, you have to think of what "is happening," or "going to happen," to the subject in your photograph? Maybe you see a trophy, a picture of you playing basketball, some medals in the background... and then when the viewer looks closer, they see a bunch of basketball books in the background! This is the story of you getting better at playing basketball! Happy Hunting!!!
(Photo idea: think of your important items. Maybe it's a medal you won, your first book, your pet or stuffy, an art piece, something you built, a special photo, or maybe it's your favorite place in the whole wide world... (no, you can't take a picture of McDonald's or the indoor pool of the mansion you built in Minecraft! :)
Story Telling (with photos), explained on Youtube >>
Our third assignment is to take a photo that "tells a story," and upload it by Monday, May 4th. Photos will be put into a slideshow and showcased for Education Week! (That's in one week!)
Education Week Photos: 'Igniting HOPE'
PLEASE let me know if you send a photo for this, and put "hope" in the file name (BobT-hope.jpeg)
Catholic Education Week begins on May 3, and we want to hear from YOU and your families! This year's Catholic Education Week theme is "Igniting Hope." Each year at this time, St. Gabriel generates many inspiring stories and messages of Christian service, and we want to continue to promote these stories even though we are not at school.
Our stories will be told in our pictures! Use your creative photography skills to show the message of 'igniting hope' in a picture (with you, your family, the community, a plant, a pet, the environment, etc.).
UPLOAD your 'Igniting Hope' photo by May 2, so I can put it in a separate slideshow! Thank you for your contributions!
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Next week, we will be "experimenting" with our photography! The aim is to try and take a photograph that will make our viewers ask, "how did they take that photo?" What do you have in your house (something being recycled would be amazing!) that could help you create an original, and very unique photo? Take a look at Mr. LaBrash's, "Future Ketchup" photo, and try to determine how he took it? Next, get creative!!!! NEED TO ADD LINK of "Future Tomato Sauce"
Extra Link: For anyone who has heard of National Geographic and is amazed by the photos they show... I wonder how many photos a professional photographer, would take to get ONE good one? Petapixel.com - A bit technical at times, but amazing!
Week 2: Rule of "thirds"
The rule of thirds is basically to NOT center the subject (the most important item in your picture) of your photo. A popular subject is a sunset or person (portrait). If you put your subject in the middle, the viewer's eyes don't know where to go next? But, if you put the subject off to one side or above (or below), then the viewer's eyes will find that space. And THAT is where you can tell stories in your photos... Where your subject is? What time of year? What was being done? What is going to happen? And so on... give it a try.
View 'Pete's Take' on "Thirds" - A good friend, who has decades of photographic expertise!
Choosing a subject: What would be a neat thing to take a picture of? Look around the house and yard for something unique...maybe leave your camera behind and take your pad of paper and pen, and such search for ideas! Happy Hunting!!!
(Photo idea: take a close-up of a lego figurine (or anything) and put it off to the left side, and in the background, you see that a person is walking (with their foot up - could it be your foot?)... will the lego figurine get crushed???
Rule of Thirds explained on Youtube >>
Our second assignment is to take an "Rule of Thirds" photo, and upload it to me by Monday, April 27th. Photos will be put into a slideshow and showcased during Education Week!
Next week, we will look "storytelling" with photographs! Have you ever heard the saying (idioms>>) that a "picture is worth a thousand words?" For an example, have a look at Alessia's photo (titled: fragile) in our slideshow . For more information, View this link >>. Remember, you may want to start out with just your pen and some paper to jot down ideas...what kind of fun story can you tell???
Photo above courtesy of: https://www.imore.com/how-to-rule-thirds-photos-iphone
Week 1: Abstract Photography
Many photographers, like you, are spending a great deal of time in and around their homes. This can be an fun opportunity to find cool pictures to take that are all around us - especially if we look at things in a different way - or, in an "abstract" way.
Online resource: Abstract Images
I recommend starting without your camera (or phone), and explore your house with only a pencil and piece of paper. As you make your way around the house, and all it's nooks and crannies, write down any interesting ideas that might make for an awesome abstract photo! How original or unique can you be? Maybe try picking a drawer in the kitchen, a box of old birthday "loot" bags (I love "loot" bags), or the back side of your television...
Tip: Try NOT to take pictures of someone else's art (example: a sculpture you bought in Florida, a photograph from ikea, or a painting from the local flea market. If you're trying out a new way of taking a picture (through a glass jar for example), then it is a great way to experiment. However, to truly make the art yours, you cannot use anyone else's. I would prefer you send me your art :)
Your first assignment is to take an "abstract" photo in or around your house, and upload it to me by Monday, April 20th. Photos will be put into a slideshow and showcased during Education Week!
The following week we will look at the "rule of thirds." View this link (Boost Your Photography) if you would like to learn how to make your photos look better. For example, a picture of a stuffy can give the viewer more to look at if it is off to the side, and another figurine or object is in the shot versus just a stuffy by itself in the middle of the picture.
Remember: You can only upload ONE picture this week! And don't forget to name your file.
Mr. L's Wall Design Picture.
Do you have a similar wall design in your house?
Can you think of other designs in your house that might make for a really interesting picture?
Ideas can come from anywhere!
spiral staircase,
shadows through some chairs,
reflections from a stained glass window,
looking through a bottle,
placing tin foil behind an object,
the view through a comb or brush,
laces on your skates or an old football,
Pikachu in a cup of water :)
A few things to consider when taking your photos:
Try shooting from different perspectives – up high, down low, from an angle, through something like a toilet paper roll, etc.
Try getting in close (your phone may or may not be able to zoom in too much).
Try stepping back for a "wider angle shot" that may help in giving your viewer more to the story!
Try moving around your subject (the subject is what you are taking a picture of) to shoot from different sides and angles.
Double check your backgrounds - sometimes clutter or part of a chair can take away from your awesome picture.
Try experimenting with different settings (filter) on your phone / camera (We will cover photo editing programs like Photoshop later).
Click here to visit our links page - Photography Links are a the bottom.
Week 6: Macro Photography