Week 10 Wrap-Up

Mike Brodie, from the series A Period of Juvenile Prosperity

Hi Everybody,

Wow, it's hard to believe that we're almost done!

Thanks for a fantastic second crit and for all the hard work you put in this semester. It's been a strange one and you all rose to the challenge.

Next week will be our final class. We'll be meeting at the usual time in our Zoom Classroom.

We'll have a final critique, looking at your complete series and discussing next steps for the future. We will also discuss details about the Virtual Open Studios coming up soon

On to this week's homework!:

1- You should be shooting to wrap up any loose ends with your series. Take into account the feedback that you got from your classmates. If you want any feedback about your photos before Saturday, reach out and let me know. I'm happy to help with editing, sequencing, or anything else.

2- Submit your revised Artist Statement to me by Thursday at the latest. The statement is a requirement for the final and I want to make sure we have a chance to revise the first draft.

3-Upload all of your final work to the class Google Drive folder before next class. 
*If you don't turn it in before next class, you won't receive credit for the semester.*

Check your email for the link to the Google Drive

You will be uploading the following:
-1 folder containing your final series photographs (20 minimum)
-1 folder containing all of the homework assignments
-1 folder with your self portrait
-1 folder with your 3 best photos from the fashion collaboration.
I've organized the folders for you already--you just need to add your photos to the right place.

I want the highest quality files that you have. This means that I want PSDs or TIFs with the layers intact if you worked in Photoshop. If you worked only in Camera Raw or Lightroom, I want the XMP or DNG files as well. If you aren't sure what I mean by this, please contact me.

That's all for now! Please be in touch with ANY questions you have ASAP--next class is it!

Week 9 Wrap-Up

Luca Locatelli

Hi Everybody,

I was really glad to see everyone today and to know that you're all holding up despite the extraordinariness of our current situation.

To recap some of what we discussed:

•  For most of you, your photo series topics will have changed. For some of you, this means adapting your topic to the objects or people in your home. For others, you may now be doing a Before/After series, using your original series a s a starting point to show how life has changed since social distancing. Some of you might be starting something entirely new.
• Use this week to keep shooting and to work through what your new series will look like. Shoot everyday. If you are staying indoors, I recommend getting up before everyone else in your household, at a time of day you normally aren't awake. This can help you see your surroundings with fresh eyes and may help give you some new ideas.
• We will be meeting (via Zoom) during our regular class time next week to look at what you shot and to give you some suggestions and direction for how to continue and complete your series over the next two weeks.
• Before next Saturday: Upload your photos to the Google Drive 2nd Critique folder (I'll send the link to you in an email). 20+ Photos. This should be a combination of your new photos along with any Pre-Quarantine series photos we haven't seen 
• Start working on a self-portrait. There are a lot of ways to approach this, and not every portrait is a portrait of a face. 

That's it for classwork--I'm here if you have any questions or if you want to touch base about how to proceed with your series. Just drop me an email.

In the meantime, National Geographic posted an essay about what some of their photographers who are stuck in quarantine are working on. Take a look here:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/2020/03/these-photos-capture-a-world-paused-by-coronavirus/#close

See you next week!

Class Update - Please Read

Gary He

Hi Everybody,

I've been sharing information and updates with you about class via email. If you haven't received anything from me, please reach out to me via email at dyerj at newschool dot edu.

Class is resuming (in a virtual setting) on Saturday, March 28th and I will be sharing a link for access via email later this week.

Please be in touch ASAP if you haven't received anything from me. In the meantime, please check out this photo essay by Gary He documenting the effects of the pandemic on the restaurant scene in NYC:
https://ny.eater.com/2020/3/20/21187881/coronavirus-nyc-restaurant-bars-photos

"See" you all soon.

Trying to Write an Artist Statement...

Artist Statements: Helpful Resources

Pierre Louis Pierson, Portrait of Comtesse de Castiglone, c. 1863/66

Feeling stumped about how to write your artist statement? Here are some helpful resources:

• How to Write the Perfect Artists Statement
• On Statements
• How to Write About Your Photographs

Photoshop, GIMP, and Photo Editing at Home

Steven Klein

If you are interested in doing more advanced photo editing at home or after the end of semester, there are a number of great options open to you:

Photoshop is now on available as a subscription-based photo bundle for $10 per month here.
There is a 30-day free trial, so if you are considering this route, be sure to do the trial first.

There is also an extremely simplified version of Photoshop with just the most basic tools called Photoshop Elements. It generally comes bundled with the software that comes with Wacom Tablets or some printers and scanners.

Another great alternative to Photoshop that many photographers prefer is Lightroom. It is made by the same company as Photoshop, but is designed for photographers who may not need all of the advanced retouching and compositing functions available in photoshop. It's also a lot less expensive.
The student-priced version can be found here.

If you aren't interested in buying software, a popular option is GIMP, which is available for free download here: http://www.gimp.org. There are free tutorials here: http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/

There are a lot of Photoshop and basic photo editing tutorials online. By far, the best are found on Lynda.com. It's a pay-membership site, but they've made quite a bit of their content available for free on their Youtube channel, found here.

This should get you started! If you have any suggestions or recommendations, please leave a comment.

Photoshop and Camera Raw Tutorials

Hi Everyone!

Here are a couple of basic Photoshop tutorials for your. Don't worry if you don't fully understand them--we will go over the material again in the coming weeks. Please write down any questions you have or if there is anything especially unclear.

Camera Raw Workflow:




Photoshop CC Interface: