Module 13: Art School Photos

Many businesses, schools and organizations rely on good photography to promote their products/ /programs/services. Good photographs make things look cool! Bad photographs make things look not cool. Art Schools, in particular, usually have interesting and creative photographs to market their programs to prospective students. Your assignment is to market Mt. Horeb High School’s Art Department through four photographs that you take during class. Your four photos will consist of:

1. Art Supplies (Think about: angles, depth of field, repetition, how you arrange/compose materials) 2. The Art Room (Think about: depth of field, framing, panorama, where can you stand/climb to capture more space) 3. Someone making art (Think about: mocking-up a scene, taking photos during a study hall or during another art class) 4. A finished piece of artwork (Think about: work you see around the room, your own artwork, 2-D or 3-D, angles, lighting)

These four photos, together as a set, should give someone an idea of what an art class might look like at MHHS. You may choose to show a specific art area (jewelry, ceramics, painting, photography, etc) or the art department in general.

1. Look at Art Schools online and find 2 examples of each of the photos you will be taking. (2 photos of art supplies, 2 photos of art rooms, 2 of people making art, and 2 photos of finished artwork) Pull these images into a Word Document (shrink images to fit on one page) and print off—this will be your Idea Sheet that you take on the photo shoot. Start by checking out:

-UW-Madison Art Department, Madison, WI -Penland School of Crafts, Asheville, NC -Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN

2. On the back of your Idea Sheet, brainstorm some ideas for your photos. Decide whether you will take photos of a specific art area or general.

3. Bring your camera to class on ______!! You should take AT LEAST 20 photos total (5 photos for each assigned photo) so that you have options for your final 4 pictures. You are welcome to stop in the art room (during your study hall) while a class is in session to get some good candid shots of people working. Ask me for a pass.

4. Tweak/edit your photos in Photoshop. Adjust the lighting, contrast, colors, etc. to make these photos look COOL. You are trying to “sell” the Art Department.

5. Upload to FlickR in a set titled “Art School.” Label each photo and do a self-critique.