Sunday, March 20, 2016

Assignment #4 The Land

Moonrise over Hernandez, by Ansel Adams 1941

Gas Tanks Bernard & Hilda Becher 1983-92

Joe Deal

Critique is April 18th meeting time 8:30am.





Sunday, February 28, 2016

Assignment #3 The Body

The human body has been a source of inspiration since art was...well art. In this assignment you may choose to photograph the human body as a cultural device, a political symbol or a portrait. Photography can be an additive practice as we have discussed in class, but no where is this more evident than the lighting studio. You begin with a black room, add a back ground, set lights, determine  camera angle and lastly choose a subject.

In this assignment you will enlist the help of a human subject, no younger than 14 years old and photograph them under controlled lighting conditions. If you choose to use studio lights, pay attention to direction of main and fill lights and ratio between each source. In the studio, everything matters.

Richard Avedon

Artists to research are: Karsh, Avedon, Halsman, Leibovitz, Weston, Krims, Arbus.

Amy Schumer, Annie Leibovitz 2015


The critique for this assignment is March 9th and the class will begin at the 8:30am meeting time.

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Assignment #2 the Object

Within the traditions of large format photography, the still life has a long history and it continues to this day. For this assignment, photograph a still life object of your choice, develop the film and select one image to bring to critique FEB 22. Note that the meeting time for the critique is 8:30am.



Monday, January 25, 2016

Assignment #1 Exposure and Development

For this assignment, you must expose a 18% gray card, processing it normally, and then using the densitometer, check to see if your exposure ISO is correct. When a light meter is not at hand, use the Sunny 16 rule:


In photography, the sunny 16 rule (also known as the sunny f/16 rule) is a method of estimating correct daylight exposures without a light meter. (For lunar photography there is a similar rule known as the looney 11 rule.) Apart from the obvious advantage of independence from a light meter, the sunny 16 rule can also aid in achieving correct exposure of difficult subjects. As the rule is based on incident light, rather than reflected light as with most camera light meters, very bright or very dark subjects are compensated for. The rule serves as a mnemonic for the camera settings obtained on a sunny day using the exposure value (EV) system.
The basic rule is, "On a sunny day set aperture to f/16 and shutter speed to the [reciprocal of the] ISO film speed [or ISO setting] for a subject in direct sunlight."[1] For example:
  • On a sunny day and with ISO 100 film / setting in the camera, one sets the aperture to f/16 and the shutter speed to 1/100 or 1/125 second (on some cameras 1/125 second is the available setting nearest to 1/100 second).
  • On a sunny day with ISO 200 film / setting and aperture at f/16, set shutter speed to 1/200 or 1/250.
  • On a sunny day with ISO 400 film / setting and aperture at f/16, set shutter speed to 1/400 or 1/500.
As with other light readings, shutter speed can be changed as long as the f-number is altered to compensate, e.g. 1/250 second at f/11 gives equivalent exposure to 1/125 second at f/16. More in general, the adjustment is done such that for each step in aperture increase (i.e., decreasing the f-number), the exposure time has to be halved (or equivalently, the shutter speed doubled), and vice versa. This follows the more general rule derived from the mathematical relationship between aperture and exposure time—within reasonable ranges, exposure is proportional to the square of the aperture ratio and proportional to exposure time; thus, to maintain a constant level of exposure, a change in aperture by a factor c requires a change in exposure time by a factor 1/c2 and vice versa. Steps in the aperture always correspond to a factor close to the square root of 2, thus the above rule.
An elaborated form of the sunny 16 rule is to set shutter speed nearest to the reciprocal of the ISO film speed / setting and f-number according to this table:[2][3]
ApertureLighting conditionsShadow detail
f/22Snow/sandDark with sharp edges
f/16SunnyDistinct
f/11Slight overcastSoft around edges
f/8OvercastBarely visible
f/5.6Heavy overcastNo shadows
f/4Open shade/sunsetNo shadows
Add one stopBacklightingn/a


Monday, January 18, 2016

Welcome to Large Format Photography!


The Fine Print:


Art Practice: Large Format Photography
ART 318J V1.4
Monday & Wednesday 8:30-11:30am Spring 2016
Professor Stan Strembicki

01/20/16        Class introduction; supply lists; 4x5 camera orientation
01/25/16        camera movements and controls; film loading
Lecture for assignment #1 Exposure & Development (P/F)
01/27/16        processing 4x5 film, lecture and demo
02/01/16        studio lighting demo and orientation; slides for assignment #2 “The Object”          
02/03/16        printing 4x5 film demo; Aimee Tomasek visiting artist
02/08/16        No Stan-visiting lecture TBA
02/10/16        No Stan-studio day with Wyndi
02/15/16        crit for assignment #1 Exposure and Development (P/F)
02/17/16        Advanced printing techniques and alternative developers & papers
02/22/16        (8:30 am meeting) crit for assignment #2 The Object
02/24/16        Lecture for assignment #2 The Body
02/29/16        Studio lighting with Large Format demo/lecture

03/02/16        Scanning with the Imacon demo/printing large format scanned files
03/07/16        Discussion of long term project #5
03/09/16        (8:30 am meeting) Crit for assignment #3 The Body
03/14 & 16    No WU classes-Spring Break
03/21/16        Slide lecture for assignment #4 the Land
03/23/16        SLAM trip
03/28/16        (meet at 8:30 am) Field trip TBA
03/30/16        work day with Stan

04/04/16        Location lighting demo
04/06/16        (meet at 8:30 am) Field trip TBA
04/11/16        Additional slide lecture for assignment #3 The Land
04/13/16        work day with Stan
04/18/16        (8:30 am meeting time) Crit for assignment #4 the Land
04/20/16        work day with Stan
04/25/16        (8:30 am meeting time) crit for assignment #5 crit for long term project
04/27/16        last day to submit assignments for grading-
04/29/16        Last Day of Spring Classes

05/04/16        Final portfolios due today
05/01/14        Final Exams begin
05/02/14        Portfolios returned

Stan’s office number/voice mail:  935 8406
Stan’s cell 314 440 2894
Stan’s E mail address:  strembicki@wustl.edu

Assignments:
1.    Developing 4x5 film/personal ASA test (P/F)
2.    The Object
3.    The Body
4.    The Land
5.    Self directed term project

Final Portfolios:
You are expected to shoot images, perform all lab work, and final presentation. Students who use other students’ prints or files without attribution are guilty of cheating and will be referred to the Associate Dean for further action, and fail the class. Final portfolios consist of 10 matted or mounted prints, printed to your highest standards.  Portfolio may include assignments, may be thematic, or may just have 10 of your best images.  All prints should be ready for presentation.  All prints must be in something that resembles a folder or case.  No trash bags or loose prints please.  Label all mats on rear with your name and class. A CD with jpegs of all final images must also be included with your final portfolio as required by the School of Art as documentation for accreditation.

Attendance policy:
Students are expected to attend all classes, in case of medical excuse, students are responsible for supplying documentation to faculty.  Excessive absence  (five unexcused) will result in lowering of grade, one letter and seven unexcused, failure of class entirely.  Students should plan on arriving to class on time; excessive tardiness will result in a lowering of the final grade.

WUSTL Policy on Academic Integrity
Effective learning, teaching, and research all depend upon the ability of members of the academic community to trust one another and to trust the integrity of work that is submitted for academic credit
or conducted in the wider arena of scholarly research. Such an atmosphere of mutual trust fosters the free exchange of ideas and enables all members of the community to achieve their highest potential.
In all academic work, the ideas and contributions of others must be appropriately acknowledged, and work that is presented as original must be, in fact, original. Faculty, students, and administrative staff all share the responsibility of ensuring the honesty and fairness of the intellectual environment at Washington University.
All Washington University in St. Louis undergraduates are governed by the Undergraduate Academic Integrity policy: http://www.wustl.edu/policies/undergraduate-academic-integrity.html.

Grading:
Work will be graded in two parts, 1) craft and technique, which refer to camera/phone handling skills, and print quality and 2) concept and creative solution to assignment problem.

Final grade comprised of the following guidelines:
                                                                        25% assignments
25% attendance and class participation
                                                                        50% final portfolio
Grade values
A+, A, A-: Superior work and effort. This grade level is for those who demonstrate and maintain strong, creative concepts, intellectual curiosity, focused work ethic, and courage to push beyond safe limits. They produce work consistently, and create technically and conceptually excellent work that is innovative and resolved. They actively participate in critiques, and show a high level of independence and motivation facilitating the studio community and their education.

B+, B, B-: Very good work and effort. This grade implies above average work,
participation/citizenship and demonstrates an effort beyond expectations to discovery in the process of developing a solid studio practice. The B student works hard but struggles with technique and process; or has good conceptual goals but does not put forth substantial skill/effort to communicate them effectively.
The B range student may be doing minimal outside research to develop ideas but makes use of the faculty/peer suggestions and dialogue.

C+, C, C-: Average work and effort. This grade indicates good attendance, completion of ideas, and some extra work. Adequate time spent in studio. The C student struggles with resolving projects in a coherent manner, or may struggle with the development of a consistent and rigorous studio practice. Their participation and initiative in critique settings and seminar is minimal, and they often fail to initiate peer/faculty feedback.

D+, D, D-: Unsatisfactory work. Often, these grades are earned through poor attendance, late work or not following directions.

F: Failing work.

Accessibility Services
The Disability Resource Center guides, counsels, and assists students with disabilities. Disability Resource Center: 314-935-4062

School of Art Safety Policy
Identification of toxic materials stored in the studio rooms:
--For any materials (not just toxic) not stored in their original container, but in a secondary container, these materials should be properly labeled indicating name of material, date, and warning info regarding toxicity.
--Toxic materials kept in original containers do not need additional labeling since original container is required to include warning and toxicity information.
--In the case of small and readily identifiable materials, proper labeling may apply to the storage container and not to individual materials contained therein. For instance, same materials stored in a large container, such as pastel sticks, do not need to be labeled individually. Only the container used for storing the pastels needs identification label with toxicity warning.
Storage of flammable and toxic materials in the studio rooms:

--All spray cans (spray adhesives, paints, fixatives) and other flammable materials should be stored in the yellow cabinets designated for such materials.
Disposal of art materials on the second floor of Bixby:

--Designated disposal containers should be provided either on the second floor in studio rooms where specific materials are in use. These containers should be identified for specific materials to be disposed.
--Safety supervisors for respective areas should contact Ken Marks directly if designated disposal containers are needed.
--Disposal container for aerosol cans is currently located in the hallway of the second floor.

Safety Supervisors for Bixby/Walker studios and rooms:
College of Art            Ken Marks
Facilities Supervisor  Leland Orvis

Important Contact Information
Emergency Numbers (on campus)
Ambulance/Fire/Police--314-935-5555

Emergency Health Service--314-935-5555

Crime, Fire, natural disaster, injury, or illness: 314-935-5555
Environmental safety: 314-935-4650

Safety and Security
The University reminds the community that walking escorts are available on the Danforth Campus from 8p.m. to 2 a.m. by calling 935-5555. The University also offers the Campus2Home shuttle from 7 p.m. to4 a.m., which provides a safe ride home from the Danforth Campus for those living in designated areas off campus. For more information on Campus2Home, call (314) 935-5601 or visit: http://parking.wustl.edu/campus2home.htm

Precautions:

- Avoid walking or jogging alone and never walk or jog alone after dark.
- Always choose a well-lit path and avoid dark or vacant areas.
- Carry a whistle to summon help.
- Be alert to your surroundings. If you suspect you are being followed, run in a different
  direction; go to the other side of the street and yell or whistle for help; or head quickly to a lighted
  area, a group of people, or business.
- If you are confronted by a thief, give them what they want and don’t chase them as they leave.
- Report suspicious persons or activity immediately to the police.
- Be extra cautious if someone approaches your car and asks for information.