What is an aperture?

Next week 8th grade students will be learning more about the manual aperture settings on our cameras. They will also finish shooting for the portrait assignment.
Below, is a copy of the aperture exercise.


What is Aperture?

In photography, aperture refers to the size of the opening in the lens. Aperture is measured in “F stops.”

The larger the f stop number, the smaller the lens opening. The smaller the f stop number, the larger the opening will be.

With a very small opening, you will get a photo where most of the image is in focus. With larger openings, you will find that your main subject is in focus, but background will be blurry.

Complete this aperture exercise.

-Use the dial on the top of your camera to set it to AV. This will allow you to set the aperture value.

-Use the arrow keys to select an aperture of f2.6.

-Take a picture of something with objects in both the foreground and background.

-Take the same photo, but reset the aperture to 2.8, 3.2, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.6, 6.3, 7.1 and 8.0 in that order.
You should have 11 photos of the same scene.

-Download the photos and compare the effects of different aperture settings.

Describe what you see at f2.8.
Describe what you see at f8.0.
How does your image change as the aperture changes?
Describe a situation where you might want to use a large aperture (small number).
Describe a situation where you might want to use a small aperture (large number).

7th grade Sketchbook Check

The second 7th grade sketchbook check for term 2 will be on January 21-22. Students should have at least 16 pages of new sketches for term 2. These should include at least 8 life drawings.

8th Grade Portraits

8th grade photography students are working on a portraiture assignment. The outline of the assignment and preparation can be found below.

Photo Assignment 3
Portraiture
Prep sheet

Assignment: You will shoot a minimum of 25 portrait photos of your model. You will choose your top four images to create a contact sheet to submit for this assignment.
Pay attention to composition and meaning in your images. As you’ve seen from reading about Annie Leibovitz and other portrait photographers, the best portraits show much more than the person’s outward appearance. Be sure to look at pages 12-15 for some good student examples.

Step 1 Choose a partner. You will alternate roles with your partner. Half of the time you will be a model, and the other half a photographer.

Step 2 Interview your partner.
Use the questions below to interview your partner. The answers on your paper should be from your partner, not your own.

How would you describe your personality?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is your favorite subject in school?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What sports or hobbies do you participate in outside of school?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is your favorite color? _________________________________________________________________________________
Describe your favorite place. What do you like about this place?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Describe a very memorable event from your life. Why was it so memorable?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tell me at least one additional interesting fact about yourself.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 3 Go over the information that you got from your interview. What stands out? Identify some of the key aspects of your partner’s identity. Then, brainstorm some ways to visualize these in your portraits.
What do you want to show people about this person?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What sort of background(s) will you use for the setting of your portrait?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Will you use any additional props to help tell the story of your portrait? If so, what?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What sort of facial expressions should your model use?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How will your model position his or her body? Will he or she sit, stand, lay down, jump, etc.?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Will you use a frontal or profile view of your model?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Will you include the entire body or just part?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How will you light your portrait? Will you use sunlight or artificial light? Will the light come from the side, front, above, or below your model?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*Remember that all of the answers above should reflect what you want your final photo to tell people about your model.
Also, don’t forget to use what you’ve learned about good composition and the rule of thirds.

7th Grade Surreal Sculptures

7th grade students are continuing their exploration of Surrealism and its influences on contemporary culture as they design and create a Surreal Papier-Mache Creature.

Assignment Overview:
You will be creating a papier-mâché sculpture of an imaginary creature. Your finished sculpture should be between 8-18 inches tall and free standing. You will use recycled materials to create the armature for this sculpture. The armature is the skeleton of the sculpture. It will be covered with papier-mâché and help keep the papier-mâché in the proper shape.

Step 1
Your first step is to do some brainstorming and sketching.
Create detailed sketches of at least four different imaginary creatures. You may do this in your sketchbook or on separate paper. Along with your sketches should be notes on important aspects of your creature.
Answer the following questions in the margins around your drawing.

How does it move?

What does it eat?

Where does it live?

Is it furry, smooth, or slimy?

What color(s) is it?

What happens during a typical day in the life of this creature?

What types of recycled objects could you us to create an armature that is the correct form for this creature?

Step 2
Build your armature.
Step 3
Cover the armature with papier-mâché.
Step 4
Paint and add any additional materials necessary to convey the important aspects of your creature.