Effects

Scenes with filters

Use these images to create a scene

Photo Illustration

We will begin to explore several of the fun filters and features of photoshop which many of you have discovered through experimenting but really never knew how to incorporate. You also will be working in layers and measuring the resolution. Remember: do not work in RGB, do not stretch photos beyond their compacity and save in photoshop not as a jpg. Do not flatten.


Photo Illustration - is conceptual photography which combines unity imagination and a message. It could be considered surreal and definitely driven by the imagination. Illustration is the visual solution to a literal meaning and has always been created thru drawing, painting, collage. . .but with the invention of photoshop came the manipulation of photography. This opened up the avenue to use photography as a technique in illustration as well.

We will complete several small exercises which will require you to implement the tools you will be learning the next few days. Your ability to demonstrate how to apply this effects will aide you in your photo illustration in our project on Dante's Inferno. Lets begin!

Down load the following images to your shortcut folder into a new folder called Photoshop filters.

Following the demo of the tools and the handout you were given, create your own layout of these elements. You must incorporate:

Ghosting - altering opacity
Silos - selecting using the wand or path
Feather - softening the edges
Smudging - breaking the definition
Invert - flipping the color
Fills - adding color
Cropping and enlarging - for positioning
Layers - pages images reside on
Resolution - maintaining the appropriate PPI
Movement tool - begin able to move images within the layers


I also recommend you apply any/all of the transform and color tools, cropping, cloning tools we have implemented.

These lessons will take a few days. Concentration is vital. If you are feeling confused at anytime, you can come during study, lunch or after school on Tuesdays. Please give me advance notice for after school.

Subject: When editing has gone too far

  

John Kennedy's Funeral (top); Woodstock (bottom)

Photo Journalism

Photojournalism is an area of photography dedicated to taking accurate shots of current events. The basic mission of a photojournalist is to take pictures to accompany a news story (whether it is broadcast or published in a newspaper). However, truly great photojournalism pictures should tell the story BEFORE the text or broadcaster does.

Photojournalism pictures attempt to capture the viewer’s attention and emotion to entice him to continue listening to or reading about the story. Think of newspaper covers with large, dramatic shots of the latest current event: these pictures reflect the articles’ titles while adding a dynamic edge to story by visually communicating the pathos of the event.

Photojournalists and Ethics A key aspect of photojournalism is to present accurate pictures that don’t compromise the integrity of the actual situation. Consequently, altering pictures with computer software is considered taboo among serious photojournalists and news organizations. This code of ethics is one of the central features of photojournalism that distinguishes it from other areas of photography.

Careers in photojournalism can be destroyed by even a hint of photo manipulation. For this reason, many photojournalists prefer to use traditional film rather than digital cameras. Although digital cameras allow photojournalists to review photos immediately in the field, digital images are easier to manipulate than film negatives.

Manipulating images can seriously damage a publication’s reputation, as happened in 1994 when ex-football player OJ Simpson was arrested on suspicion of murder. Both Newsweek and Time Magazine ran cover pages appearing to feature Simpson’s mug shot. Time, however, ran a photo-illustration based on the mug shot. While the magazine noted the image was a photo-illustration inside, a casual observer of the magazine cover would not be aware of this.

The issue caused a scandal, including accusations that Time was pursuing a racist agenda and presupposing Simpson’s guilt. The respected magazine’s reputation was badly damaged by the fiasco, highlighting the need for image integrity in photojournalism.

Photojournalism Art Photojournalism is primarily a practical form of photography, especially given the importance of maintaining the integrity of the scene. However, the field of photojournalism may also be considered to be an art form in its own right. Scene composition, choices of angles and lens choices all determine the impact and power of the resulting shots.

In recent years, more and more art galleries have displayed pieces of photojournalism, lending it more respect as an art form. Working within the boundaries of photojournalism ethics and still producing art can be compared to writing haiku poetry: part of the beauty or impact comes from how the photographer (or poet) works within the genre’s restrictions.

The definition of photojournalism as art does raise some problems for the standing ethics of photojournalism. While image manipulation is taboo for photojournalists, does this restriction apply to photojournalism used as art? If photojournalism images are manipulated in the name of art, people may be less willing to trust the images they see in newspapers and magazines.

Photojournalism Careers
Odd though it may sound, comic books have inspired more people to consider careers in photojournalism. Jimmy Olsen (Superman creator) and Peter Parker (Spiderman inventor) hearken back to the days when a camera and a good eye for detail were all that were essential for careers in photojournalism. (By the by, Peter’s tendency set up his camera to take pictures of himself as Spiderman go against the deepest ethics of photojournalism. For shame, Spidey, for shame!)

Today, courses or degrees in photojournalism or professional photography are often requirements for careers in this field. While this doesn’t mean that a talented amateur photographer can’t break into the field, editors are more likely to consider hiring someone with formal training. Courses in photojournalism are available at some colleges and most photography schools.

Photojournalism Examples The best photojournalistic pictures inspire the emotion of the scene within the viewer. Some of the more recent examples of photojournalism have been the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the Iraqi War.

Good examples of photojournalism engage viewers and make them want to read the accompanying story. Perhaps the most powerful examples of photojournalism in recent memory were the images taken of the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001.

Images of the hijacked planes slamming into the towers shocked people worldwide. For many, these images continue to linger in and haunt the memory long after the words in the news articles have been forgotten.

Such examples of photojournalism convey the power and responsibilities of the professional photojournalist.

Photo Journalism is one area of photography we cannot do without. "A picture is worth a thousand words. . ." Journaling through photography captures events that create history, such as the photos above. However, the article also references photojournalism as art. . .can you see that? Do the words distract or add? Could some of the images below be considered a form photo journalism art? Do they tell a story? Pick one and explain the image, what is the intention and how it could or could not be photo journalism art.

 

Artist: Barbara Kruger (top and bottom)

 

Updates!!!

Blog
Our new blog article deadline has been extended to Wed and Thur - 5th,6th depending when we meet.

Color assignment
I am giving back all your color project grades, class by class. You will be given the chance to revise the work for a better grade, as mentioned in class. If you do update the work:

• Make the revisions
• Save in the color folder
• Rename as "technique last name revision" and save as a photoshop file, ex: duotonemalikrevise
• Please hand the slip back to me with the techniques, you revised, circled and I will revisit the work
• If you do not give me the slip back, this means you are keeping the grade given

Email me with questions rmalik@rbrhs.org or stop by class.