Levitation

Due: Oct 15

How can a photographer create an image that appears physically impossible?

In this assignment, you will create a convincing levitation photograph in which a person or object appears to float, fly, or defy gravity.

Levitation photography combines strong camera technique with digital photo editing. You will photograph a subject supported by a stool, chair, bench, or other support and also photograph the same scene without the subject or support. You will then combine the photographs in Adobe Photoshop and use layers, layer masks, selections, and retouching tools to remove the support and create the illusion of levitation.

The success of the final photograph depends on much more than simply removing a stool. Your lighting, camera position, perspective, composition, posing, shadows, focus, exposure, and editing must all work together to make the illusion believable.

This is a Photography II assignment, so the final image should demonstrate intentional artistic choices, technical control, experimentation, problem solving, revision, and attention to detail.

THE CHALLENGE

Create one polished levitation photograph that convincingly makes a person or object appear to defy gravity.

Your photograph should:

Demonstrate a clear concept or visual idea.
Use intentional composition.
Have a clearly defined subject/focal point.
Demonstrate appropriate exposure and focus.
Use a stable, locked camera position.
Include a clean background plate.
Demonstrate purposeful posing and/or placement of objects.
Use Photoshop compositing and masking techniques.
Remove visible supports convincingly.
Maintain believable lighting, perspective, scale, and shadows.
Demonstrate careful retouching.
Look intentional rather than accidental.
Communicate a mood, story, idea, or visual experience.
Demonstrate Photography II-level craftsmanship and problem solving.

Examples

MATERIALS / EQUIPMENT

You may need:

Digital camera
Tripod
Model or subject
Stool, chair, bench, box, or other support
Props appropriate to your concept
Computer
Adobe Photoshop
Camera card/card reader or appropriate image-transfer method

IMPORTANT

Once you begin photographing your scene, DO NOT MOVE THE CAMERA OR TRIPOD until you have photographed both the subject image and clean background plate.

Resources:

Videos

BEST Levitation (FLOATING) Photography Tutorial

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this assignment, students will be able to:

Plan and develop an original photographic concept using research, observation, experimentation, and visual problem solving.
Apply composition, camera angle, perspective, lighting, exposure, focus, and depth of field intentionally.
Use a tripod and consistent camera settings to produce photographs suitable for digital compositing.
Create a clean background plate and subject photograph from an identical camera position.
Use Photoshop layers and layer masks to combine multiple photographs non-destructively.
Use selection, masking, healing, cloning, and other retouching techniques to create a believable photographic illusion.
Evaluate how lighting, shadows, perspective, posing, and composition affect the realism of a composite photograph.
Revise photographic work in response to self-evaluation, peer feedback, experimentation, and technical problems.
Use appropriate photography and digital-imaging vocabulary when discussing photographic choices.
Present and critique a completed photograph using visual evidence to explain artistic and technical decisions.
Explain how contemporary digital technology expands the creative possibilities of photography.
Use photography to communicate an individual idea, narrative, mood, or artistic point of view.

BIG IDEAS

Photography Can Construct Reality

A photograph does not have to document exactly what existed in front of the camera. Photographers can combine camera techniques and digital processes to construct new realities.

Technique Supports Meaning

Photoshop should not be the idea. Camera technique and digital editing are tools that help photographers communicate ideas.

Believability Depends on Details

Perspective, lighting, shadows, body position, edges, scale, focus, and composition determine whether a manipulated photograph appears convincing.

Photography Is a Process

Successful photographs develop through planning, experimentation, shooting, reviewing, editing, revising, presenting, and reflecting.

Creative Problems Have Multiple Solutions

Photographers must make decisions and solve unexpected visual and technical problems throughout the creative process.

Digital Technology Expands Photographic Possibilities

Contemporary photographers can combine traditional camera skills with digital processes to create imagery that could not be produced through a single exposure.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

How can photography make the impossible appear believable?
What makes a manipulated photograph visually convincing?
How do composition, perspective, lighting, and camera position affect a photographic illusion?
How can photographers use digital editing without allowing the editing technique to overpower the concept?
How does planning before a photoshoot affect the quality of the final photograph?
How can critique and revision strengthen a photograph?
When does photographic manipulation strengthen the meaning of an image?
How can a photographer use an impossible situation to communicate a story, mood, or idea?
How has digital technology changed what photographers are able to create?
How do technical decisions support artistic intent?

VOCABULARY

Levitation Photography — A photographic technique that creates the illusion that a person or object is floating or suspended without visible physical support.

Composite Image — A finished image created by combining visual information from two or more photographs.

Background Plate / Clean Plate — A photograph of the scene without the subject, model, or support. It provides the background information needed to remove objects from another photograph.

Layer — An individual image or visual element placed within a Photoshop document that can be edited independently.

Layer Mask — A non-destructive Photoshop tool that hides or reveals portions of a layer without permanently deleting pixels.

Non-Destructive Editing — Editing methods that preserve the original image information and allow changes to be modified or reversed.

Selection — A defined area of an image that can be edited independently from the rest of the photograph.

Clone Stamp Tool — A Photoshop retouching tool that copies pixels from one area of an image to another.

Healing Tool — A retouching tool that blends sampled texture with surrounding color and lighting to repair or remove unwanted areas.

Masking — Hiding or revealing portions of an image to combine multiple photographs or isolate visual elements.

Tripod — A three-legged camera support used to keep the camera stable and maintain an identical camera position between exposures.

Perspective — The visual relationship of objects to the camera and to one another that creates the appearance of depth, scale, and spatial position.

Composition — The intentional arrangement of visual elements within the photographic frame.

Focal Point — The area of a composition intended to attract the viewer's attention first.

Exposure — The amount of light recorded by the camera, controlled primarily through aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

Depth of Field — The range of distance within a photograph that appears acceptably sharp.

Continuity — Consistency between photographs being combined, including camera position, exposure, lighting, perspective, focus, and background.

Retouching — Refining or correcting areas of a photograph through digital editing.

Edge Quality — The appearance of the boundary around a selected or masked subject. Realistic composites require edges that appropriately match the focus and detail of the original photograph.

Visual Narrative — The communication of a story or idea through visual imagery.

Critique — A structured analysis and discussion of artwork intended to identify strengths, areas for improvement, and possible revisions.

Artistic Intent — The idea, meaning, mood, experience, or message the artist intends to communicate.

Craftsmanship — The degree of technical skill, control, precision, and attention to detail demonstrated in an artwork.

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STANDARDS ALIGNMENT

Visual Arts/Photography II — Course 50.07120

This assignment integrates the Georgia Photography II strands of Creating, Presenting, Responding, and Connecting.

VAHSP2.CR.1 — Creating: Generate and develop photographic ideas.

Students will:

Generate multiple photographic concepts.
Use research and visual references to develop ideas.
Plan subject, location, pose, lighting, props, composition, and camera angle.
Experiment with multiple solutions before selecting a final approach.
Revise ideas as visual and technical problems emerge.

Levitation Connection: Students move from brainstorming and visual research to a planned photographic concept before beginning their final photoshoot.

VAHSP2.CR.2 — Creating: Apply photographic processes, techniques, experimentation, and problem solving.

Students will:

Apply intentional composition, perspective, lighting, exposure, focus, and depth of field.
Experiment with posing and camera position.
Photograph both a subject image and corresponding clean background plate.
Use photographic equipment and digital processes appropriately.
Refine photographs through experimentation and problem solving.

Levitation Connection: Students combine camera craft with deliberate shooting techniques to produce photographs suitable for digital compositing.

VAHSP2.CR.3 — Creating: Demonstrate technical skill and craftsmanship.

Students will:

Demonstrate control of camera equipment and tripod.
Maintain consistent camera position, focal length, exposure, perspective, and focus between exposures.
Use Photoshop layers, selections, masks, retouching, and compositing techniques.
Apply non-destructive editing techniques.
Refine edges, shadows, color, exposure, and details to produce a convincing final composite.

Levitation Connection: Technical craftsmanship is essential because inconsistencies in perspective, lighting, masking, focus, or camera position can destroy the levitation illusion.

VAHSP2.PR.1 — Presenting: Select, refine, prepare, and present photographic work.

Students will:

Evaluate multiple photographs.
Select their strongest images.
Refine selected photographs for presentation.
Export final work appropriately.
Present completed work for viewing and critique.

Levitation Connection: Students evaluate multiple exposures, select the strongest solution, complete final refinements, and prepare the finished composite for presentation.

VAHSP2.RE.1 — Responding: Analyze and interpret photographic works.

Students will:

Examine photographs for composition, focal point, lighting, perspective, exposure, technique, and meaning.
Use photography vocabulary when discussing images.
Identify visual evidence that makes a photographic composite convincing or unconvincing.
Explain how photographic decisions influence viewer interpretation.

Levitation Connection: Students analyze professional examples, their own work, and peer work to determine how photographers make an impossible situation appear believable.

VAHSP2.RE.2 — Responding: Critique and evaluate photographic works.

Students will:

Participate in peer critique.
Identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Support critique comments with visual evidence.
Use appropriate photographic terminology.
Apply relevant feedback to revisions.

Levitation Connection: Students participate in structured critique and use feedback to improve masking, composition, realism, lighting, and presentation.

VAHSP2.CN.1 — Connecting: Develop personal artistic voice and communicate meaning through photography.

Students will:

Use photographic imagery to communicate an original idea, mood, narrative, or point of view.
Make intentional choices about subject matter and presentation.
Connect technique to artistic intent.

Levitation Connection: Students move beyond demonstrating a Photoshop technique and use levitation as a visual device for communicating an individual idea or story.

VAHSP2.CN.2 — Connecting: Connect photography to contemporary culture, technology, and other artistic disciplines.

Students will:

Examine how digital technology expands photographic possibilities.
Explore relationships between traditional photography and digital image manipulation.
Recognize connections among photography, digital art, advertising, filmmaking, storytelling, and contemporary media.

Levitation Connection: Students combine traditional photographic practices with digital compositing to construct imagery that could not easily be captured in a single exposure.

BEFORE YOU SHOOT

Ask yourself:

What is floating?

Why is it floating?

Where is it floating?

What is happening immediately before or after this moment?

What mood should the photograph communicate?

What camera angle will make the illusion most convincing?

Where will the support be placed?

How will clothing, hair, body position, props, and shadows help sell the illusion?

Your photograph should be more than a demonstration of a Photoshop technique. Build an image that gives the viewer something to investigate.

PHOTOSHOOT REQUIREMENTS

STEP 1 — SET UP THE SCENE

Choose your location and determine your composition.

Place the camera securely on a tripod.

Frame the scene carefully.

Determine your exposure, focus, perspective, and depth of field.

Once your composition is established:

DO NOT MOVE THE CAMERA.

STEP 2 — PHOTOGRAPH THE SUBJECT

Position the stool, chair, bench, or support.

Pose your model so the body appears to be floating rather than simply sitting or lying on furniture.

Consider:

Body position
Hands
Feet
Hair
Clothing
Facial expression
Direction of movement
Props
Shadows

Shoot multiple variations.

Small changes in body position can dramatically improve the illusion.

STEP 3 — PHOTOGRAPH THE CLEAN PLATE

Remove:

The model
The stool/chair/support
Temporary props that should not appear in the final image

DO NOT MOVE THE CAMERA.

Photograph the empty scene using the same camera position, framing, focus, exposure, and lighting.

This photograph will become your background plate.

PHOTOSHOP WORKFLOW

Select your strongest subject photograph.
Open the subject photograph and clean background plate in Photoshop.
Place both photographs into the same document as separate layers.
Place the subject photograph above the clean background photograph.
Check the alignment of the layers.
Use Auto-Align Layers if necessary.
Add a Layer Mask to the subject layer.
Paint on the mask to hide the stool/support and reveal the clean background underneath.
Zoom in and refine edges carefully.
Use appropriate retouching tools when necessary.
Check the photograph at both high magnification and normal viewing size.
Correct exposure, color, contrast, and tonal relationships as needed.
Examine shadows and edges for inconsistencies.
Make final refinements.
Save your layered working file.
Export the completed photograph according to class submission requirements.

WEEKLY BELL RINGER

FIRST CLASS I SEE YOU EACH WEEK

“HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE IT?”

The teacher will display a photograph that demonstrates weak photographic choices.

Study the photograph carefully.

Identify:

THREE improvements you would make.

For each improvement, explain:

WHY would this change make the photograph stronger?

Do not simply write:

“The lighting is bad.”

Instead, explain the photographic decision:

“I would reposition the subject so the side light creates separation between the subject and background. This would strengthen the focal point and create greater visual depth.”

Be prepared to discuss your observations using photography vocabulary.

Standards Connection: VAHSP2.RE.1 and VAHSP2.RE.2

The bell ringer asks students to analyze, interpret, evaluate, and support photographic judgments with visual evidence and appropriate vocabulary.

CLASS-BY-CLASS LEARNING SEQUENCE

CLASS 1 — INTRODUCTION, ANALYSIS & CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

GA DOE STANDARDS

VAHSP2.CR.1 — Creating: Generate and develop photographic ideas through research, planning, experimentation, and problem solving.

VAHSP2.RE.1 — Responding: Analyze and interpret photographic works using visual evidence and appropriate photographic vocabulary.

VAHSP2.RE.2 — Responding: Evaluate photographic works and identify specific opportunities for improvement.

STANDARDS FOCUS

Creating + Responding

Students generate photographic ideas, analyze photographic choices, use photographic vocabulary, and develop concepts through research and planning.

OPENING — STUDENTS WILL...

Complete the weekly “How Would You Improve It?” bell ringer.

Students will identify three changes they would make to the displayed photograph and explain why each change would strengthen the image.

Students will discuss observations using language such as:

Composition
Focal point
Exposure
Lighting
Perspective
Depth
Contrast
Background
Visual emphasis

TEACHER WILL...

Display and facilitate discussion of the bell-ringer photograph.

Introduce the Levitation Photography assignment.

Show examples of successful levitation photography.

Demonstrate how a levitation image is constructed from multiple photographs.

Introduce:

Background plates
Locked camera positions
Tripod use
Layer masks
Compositing
Visual continuity

Emphasize that successful work begins with the photograph—not Photoshop.

WORK SESSION

Students will research levitation photographs and identify examples that successfully use:

Composition
Pose
Perspective
Lighting
Location
Props
Storytelling

Students will develop at least three possible concepts for their own levitation photograph.

For each idea, students should consider:

Subject
Location
Pose/action
Camera angle
Support
Props
Mood/story
Potential editing challenges

Students select their strongest concept and begin planning.

CLOSING / DEBRIEF — STUDENT-CENTERED

Students share their selected concept with a partner.

Partners respond:

What is the intended focal point?

What photographic decisions will make the illusion believable?

What technical problem might you need to solve?

Students revise one aspect of their plan based on the conversation.

STANDARD LANGUAGE / “I CAN”

I can generate and develop an original photographic idea and explain how composition, perspective, lighting, and technique will communicate my idea.

CLASS 2 — PRE-PRODUCTION & TECHNICAL PRACTICE

GA DOE STANDARDS

VAHSP2.CR.1 — Creating: Develop and plan photographic ideas.

VAHSP2.CR.2 — Creating: Apply photographic processes, techniques, experimentation, and problem solving.

VAHSP2.CR.3 — Creating: Demonstrate technical skill and craftsmanship with photographic equipment and processes.

STANDARDS FOCUS

Creating + Technical Development

Students use photographic equipment, processes, technology, experimentation, planning, and problem solving to develop photographic work.

OPENING — STUDENTS WILL...

Review their concept from Class 1.

Students identify:

Where the camera will be positioned.
Where the subject will be positioned.
Where the support will be positioned.
What must remain consistent between exposures.

TEACHER WILL...

Demonstrate the complete shooting workflow.

Teacher will demonstrate:

Tripod setup
Camera positioning
Composition
Focus
Exposure
Subject/support photograph
Clean background plate
Maintaining camera position
Checking images before leaving the location

Teacher will demonstrate common mistakes:

Moving the tripod
Changing focal length
Changing focus
Inconsistent exposure
Changing light
Missing background information
Poor posing
Support covering important areas of the body

WORK SESSION

Students conduct technical practice.

Students photograph:

An empty scene.
A subject supported by an object.
The empty scene again.

Students compare the photographs for continuity.

Students troubleshoot differences in:

Framing
Perspective
Exposure
Focus
Lighting

Students finalize their shooting plan.

CLOSING / DEBRIEF — STUDENT-CENTERED

Students review their test images with a partner.

Each student identifies:

One technical success.

One technical problem.

One adjustment they will make during the final photoshoot.

STANDARD LANGUAGE / “I CAN”

I can select and control photographic equipment, camera settings, and processes to create images that can be successfully combined into a photographic composite.

CLASS 3 — LEVITATION PHOTOSHOOT

GA DOE STANDARDS

VAHSP2.CR.2 — Creating: Apply photographic processes, techniques, experimentation, and problem solving.

VAHSP2.CR.3 — Creating: Demonstrate technical skill and craftsmanship when creating photographic works.

VAHSP2.CN.1 — Connecting: Use photography to communicate an individual idea, narrative, mood, or artistic point of view.

STANDARDS FOCUS

Creating

Students apply photographic design, technical knowledge, artistic intent, experimentation, and problem solving while producing original photographs.

OPENING — STUDENTS WILL...

Review the photoshoot checklist.

Before leaving to shoot, students confirm:

Concept
Location
Camera
Tripod
Model
Support
Props
Camera settings
Clean-plate plan

TEACHER WILL...

Conduct a brief safety and equipment review.

Teacher will remind students:

Once the composition is established, DO NOT MOVE THE CAMERA.

Teacher will circulate during shooting, asking questions rather than making photographic decisions for students:

What is your focal point?
How does this camera angle support your idea?
What will happen when this support is removed?
Where is the light coming from?
Does the pose actually look weightless?
What background information will Photoshop need?

WORK SESSION

Students conduct their primary levitation photoshoot.

Students must capture:

Multiple subject/pose variations
Correctly exposed photographs
Sharp focus
Consistent framing
Appropriate background plates
Additional photographs needed for props or effects

Students periodically review images at full-screen size.

Students make adjustments and reshoot as needed.

CLOSING / DEBRIEF — STUDENT-CENTERED

Students identify their strongest subject photograph and corresponding background plate.

Students answer:

What makes this photograph your strongest option?

What area will be most challenging to composite?

Do you have all of the visual information needed to complete the edit?

If not, students identify what must be reshot.

STANDARD LANGUAGE / “I CAN”

I can apply composition, exposure, focus, perspective, and photographic technique to produce intentional images that support my artistic concept.

CLASS 4 — PHOTOSHOP COMPOSITING

GA DOE STANDARDS

VAHSP2.CR.2 — Creating: Apply photographic and digital processes to develop photographic work.

VAHSP2.CR.3 — Creating: Demonstrate technical skill and craftsmanship using photographic and digital-imaging tools.

VAHSP2.CN.2 — Connecting: Examine connections among photography, technology, digital media, and contemporary artistic practices.

STANDARDS FOCUS

Creating + Connecting

Students use contemporary photographic technology and digital processes to develop and refine photographic work.

OPENING — STUDENTS WILL...

Compare their subject photograph with their background plate.

Students identify any differences in:

Camera position
Lighting
Exposure
Focus
Background
Shadows

Students predict which areas will require the most careful editing.

TEACHER WILL...

Demonstrate the Photoshop compositing process:

Importing images
Layer organization
Auto-Align Layers
Layer masks
Black/white mask behavior
Brush hardness
Brush size
Zooming for precision
Non-destructive editing
Clone Stamp
Healing tools
Edge cleanup

Teacher will demonstrate why deleting pixels is less flexible than masking.

WORK SESSION

Students construct their composite.

Students will:

Combine the subject image and clean plate.
Align the photographs.
Create a layer mask.
Remove the visible support.
Refine edges.
Repair problem areas.
Check the image for continuity.

Students periodically hide/show layers to evaluate their work.

CLOSING / DEBRIEF — STUDENT-CENTERED

Students conduct a 100% Zoom Check with a partner.

Partners look specifically for:

Visible support
Halos
Repeated cloned textures
Rough masks
Missing body parts
Lighting inconsistencies
Perspective problems

Each student identifies two areas to revise next class.

STANDARD LANGUAGE / “I CAN”

I can use digital photographic processes and non-destructive editing techniques to combine and refine photographs in support of my artistic intention.

CLASS 5 — REVISION, REALISM & PEER CRITIQUE

GA DOE STANDARDS

VAHSP2.RE.1 — Responding: Analyze and interpret photographic works using visual evidence and photographic vocabulary.

VAHSP2.RE.2 — Responding: Critique and evaluate photographic works using appropriate criteria.

VAHSP2.CR.3 — Creating: Refine technical craftsmanship based on observation, experimentation, and feedback.

STANDARDS FOCUS

Responding + Creating

Students analyze personal and peer photographs, use appropriate vocabulary, consider feedback, and refine photographic work.

OPENING — STUDENTS WILL...

View their photograph without Photoshop panels visible.

Students ask:

If I had never seen the original photographs, what would make me suspect this image was manipulated?

Students write down three observations.

TEACHER WILL...

Model a short critique focused on evidence rather than personal preference.

Teacher will reinforce critique language.

Instead of:

“I don't like this.”

Use:

“The bright area in the background competes with the subject for emphasis.”

Instead of:

“The Photoshop looks fake.”

Use:

“The edge around the subject is sharper than the surrounding depth of field, which makes the composite less convincing.”

WORK SESSION

Students participate in peer critique.

Peers examine:

Composition
Focal point
Lighting
Perspective
Pose
Edge quality
Shadows
Color
Exposure
Realism
Story/concept

Students receive:

TWO STRENGTHS

and

TWO SPECIFIC REVISIONS

Students then return to Photoshop and revise their photographs based on feedback and their own artistic judgment.

CLOSING / DEBRIEF — STUDENT-CENTERED

Students compare the image before critique and after revision.

Students complete:

The most important change I made was __________ because __________.

Students must connect the response to a photographic or design decision.

STANDARD LANGUAGE / “I CAN”

I can analyze and critique photographs using appropriate photographic vocabulary and visual evidence and use relevant feedback to make intentional revisions to my work.

CLASS 6 — FINAL REFINEMENT, PRESENTATION & REFLECTION

GA DOE STANDARDS

VAHSP2.PR.1 — Presenting: Select, refine, prepare, and present completed photographic work.

VAHSP2.RE.1 — Responding: Analyze and interpret photographic works using appropriate terminology and visual evidence.

VAHSP2.CN.1 — Connecting: Communicate individual ideas, narratives, moods, and artistic intentions through photography.

VAHSP2.CN.2 — Connecting: Recognize relationships among photography, digital technology, visual communication, and contemporary media.

STANDARDS FOCUS

Presenting + Responding + Connecting

Students refine, present, analyze, and reflect on completed photographic work.

OPENING — STUDENTS WILL...

Complete a final quality-control check.

Students examine:

Focus
Exposure
Composition
Edges
Masking
Retouching
Lighting
Shadows
Color
Perspective
Overall believability

Students view the image both zoomed in and at normal viewing size.

TEACHER WILL...

Review final export and submission procedures.

Teacher will facilitate the final gallery walk/critique.

Teacher will prompt students to discuss photographs using the language of photography and design.

WORK SESSION

Students complete final revisions.

Students:

Save the layered working file.
Export the final photograph.
Submit the required files.
Prepare the image for presentation.

Students participate in a gallery walk.

For selected photographs, students discuss:

What visual evidence makes the levitation believable?

Where is the focal point?

How did composition contribute to the photograph?

How did technology expand what was possible photographically?

What artistic choices communicate the photographer's idea?

CLOSING / DEBRIEF — STUDENT-CENTERED

Students complete a final reflection:

1. What was your original concept?

2. What photographic decision most strengthened your final image?

3. What was the most difficult technical problem you encountered?

4. How did you solve it?

5. What changed between your original idea and final photograph?

6. How did peer feedback affect your revisions?

7. If you photographed this concept again, what would you change and why?

STANDARD LANGUAGE / “I CAN”

I can refine, present, analyze, and reflect on a completed photograph and explain how my artistic and technical decisions communicate my intended idea.

FINAL SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

Before submitting, ask yourself:

Is my subject clearly in focus?
Is the exposure intentional?
Is the composition strong?
Is there a clear focal point?
Does the subject actually appear to float?
Is all visible support removed?
Are my mask edges clean?
Are there halos around the subject?
Do lighting and shadows make sense?
Does the perspective make sense?
Are there obvious Clone Stamp repetitions?
Does the photograph communicate more than just a Photoshop trick?
Have I demonstrated Photography II-level craftsmanship?
Have I saved my layered working file?
Have I exported the final image correctly?
Have I completed my reflection?

SUCCESS CRITERIA

CONCEPT

The photograph communicates an intentional and engaging idea.

Standards Connection: VAHSP2.CR.1, VAHSP2.CN.1

COMPOSITION

The photographer uses framing, focal point, perspective, visual balance, and background intentionally.

Standards Connection: VAHSP2.CR.2

CAMERA CRAFT

The photograph demonstrates control of exposure, focus, camera stability, perspective, and image quality.

Standards Connection: VAHSP2.CR.2, VAHSP2.CR.3

LEVITATION ILLUSION

The subject appears convincingly unsupported and physically separated from the environment.

Standards Connection: VAHSP2.CR.2, VAHSP2.CR.3

DIGITAL CRAFT

Layer masks, selections, retouching, and compositing are precise and visually convincing.

Standards Connection: VAHSP2.CR.3, VAHSP2.CN.2

CONTINUITY & REALISM

Lighting, perspective, scale, edges, color, focus, and shadows work together believably.

Standards Connection: VAHSP2.CR.3

CREATIVITY

The photographer moves beyond the basic technique to create an original visual idea or narrative.

Standards Connection: VAHSP2.CR.1, VAHSP2.CN.1

REVISION

The final photograph demonstrates refinement based on observation, critique, experimentation, feedback, and problem solving.

Standards Connection: VAHSP2.RE.1, VAHSP2.RE.2, VAHSP2.CR.3

PRESENTATION

The final file is polished, appropriately exported, and ready for viewing.

Standards Connection: VAHSP2.PR.1

REFLECTION

The student uses photographic vocabulary and specific visual evidence to explain artistic decisions, challenges, revisions, and learning.

Standards Connection: VAHSP2.RE.1, VAHSP2.RE.2

STANDARDS AT A GLANCE

CLASS 1

VAHSP2.CR.1 | VAHSP2.RE.1 | VAHSP2.RE.2
Concept Development, Analysis, and Interpretation

CLASS 2

VAHSP2.CR.1 | VAHSP2.CR.2 | VAHSP2.CR.3
Planning, Technical Practice, and Camera Craft

CLASS 3

VAHSP2.CR.2 | VAHSP2.CR.3 | VAHSP2.CN.1
Photography, Technique, and Artistic Intent

CLASS 4

VAHSP2.CR.2 | VAHSP2.CR.3 | VAHSP2.CN.2
Digital Compositing and Technology

CLASS 5

VAHSP2.RE.1 | VAHSP2.RE.2 | VAHSP2.CR.3
Critique, Evaluation, Revision, and Craftsmanship

CLASS 6

VAHSP2.PR.1 | VAHSP2.RE.1 | VAHSP2.CN.1 | VAHSP2.CN.2
Presentation, Reflection, Artistic Intent, and Connections

REMEMBER

SHOOT IT RIGHT BEFORE YOU PHOTOSHOP IT.

Photoshop can remove the stool.

Photoshop cannot automatically fix a weak concept, poor composition, incorrect perspective, unconvincing pose, missed focus, or careless lighting.

The strongest levitation photographs begin with intentional decisions behind the camera and are completed through careful decisions in the edit.

PLAN IT. SHOOT IT. COMPOSITE IT. CRITIQUE IT. REFINE IT. PRESENT IT.

Your goal is not simply to make someone float.

Your goal is to make the viewer believe they did.

Examples

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