Thursday, October 8, 2015
Photography -
9:15 - 10:00; 45 min.
The Crop Tool -
Will was tasked with examining his firehouse photos, and finding images he believed would benefit from the crop tool. Together we examined three images and Will was instructed in how to use the tool. We talked about how sometimes the best part of a photo, is not what you initially intended, as one photo of Stephen, resulted in a great image of Bobby. Will was also shown how an image that was very busy, and uninteresting, can be made better with the crop edit.

Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Photography -
1:45 - 2:45; 60 min.-
Review photo shoot -
Will and I examined his homework assignment of taking photos of items around the house in groups of three. He did take several photos of each set-up, and we reviewed each and he determined which was the ‘best’. We then reviewed his images from the photo assignment from the fire department. I pointed out some that are quality shots, worthy of publication in any magazine. Will was skeptical that local news was marketable. We also examined images that would have benefited from pushing the shutter release multiple times; i.e. where a great shot was limited from the subject having their eyes closed. Finally we used Photoshop to crop some images. These first appeared uninteresting, and by reducing the frame we made them exceptional. Will did an exceptional job and I believe he looks forward to his next photo-journalistic assignment.

Friday, October 2, 2015
Photography -
1:30-2:30; 60 min.
Photoshop -
Will was given a practicum on Photoshop. I provided two images of guitars. Will was tasked with isolating the guitar from the background, using the quick select tool, the erase tool, the marquee tool, and the stamp tool. He was to select the appropriate brush and change brush size. After the quiz, I demonstrated the eye drop tool, the polygon and lasso select tool, and the different hardness and style functions for the brushes. Homework: from Thursday, take additional photos of architectural details in his home, which come in groups of three.

Thursday, October 1, 2015
Photography -
9:15 - 10:00; 45 min.
Architectural photography
We examined Will’s Architectural photos of the school from our last class, and his homework; Architectural photos of his home. He did very well and had some excellent examples of contrast, composition, and shadows. We talked about how these three things can be the difference between a good photo and a great photo. We also discussed how Photographers use groups of three to form the composition of the photo. His homework showed some excellent ideas, and we discussed how the result could be better. We also discussed the importance of keeping the horizon line level. I explained that although one could straighten a horizon with Photoshop, it is better to remember to keep it level in the first place. Homework: retake the photos from his last homework assignment, remembering to leave space around the subject. Also take additional photos of architectural details in his home, which come in groups of three.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Photography -
1:45 - 2:45; 60 min.-
Genres of Photography cont.-
We examined the architectural photography in the digital photography A-Z book. We also looked into Event, Travel, Advertising, and Product photography; discussing what kinds of photos a person who is a professional in each area would expect to take. Will was tasked with identifying what photos he would be expected to take if he were an event photographer, for a birthday party. We examined a book on advertising to see the work of advertising and product photographers. Will was most interested in the work of a travel photographer. We discussed the photos one would take to exemplify San Francisco, Paris, and New York.

Monday, September 28, 2015
Photography -
1:30-2:30; 60 min
Genres of Photography -
Will and I listed the different kinds of photography, in which people choose to specialize. We used some books to examine some examples of a few genres on the list. We started with Architectural photography, examining photographs of skyscrapers, lighthouses, and interior structures of colonial homes. We discussed how many photographers take pictures of buildings in their entirety, but it is just as valid to capture detailed images of selected parts, such as windows, doors, interesting lines or shadows. We then walked around outside the school, and Will took photographs of the architectural details of the Seminole shopping center, currently under repair. Homework: Will should take pictures of architectural details of his home, due Thursday.

Friday, September 25, 2015
1:30-2:30; 60 min.
Photography -
Photoshop - Darth Vader project. -
Will completed a project where he inserted himself into a still photograph from the Star Wars original movie. He placed his face over that of a general in Darth Vader’s entourage. He used the cut, paste, select, move, and erase tools and used multiple brush sizes. Will takes to this software very well, and has a good eye. He has the skill it requires to be excellent at this process.

Thursday, September 24, 2015
60 min.
Photography -
Photoshop - George Lucas project -
I was a substitute for Will’s sign language teacher. We continued with Will’s Photoshop class.

Thursday, September 24, 2015
45 min.
Photography -
Photoshop - George Lucas project -
Will worked on adding his own image into a photo of George Lucas with some of the Star Wars characters. This project involved using several Photoshop tools: the select tool, the cut and paste keystrokes, the move, the erase, and the brightness / contrast tools.

Monday, September 21, 2015
60 min.
Photography -
Photoshop -
Will continued to work on the image of himself with C3PO. I showed him some effect one can do with the blur tool, and the exposure tool. He used the ‘Quick Select’ tool to isolate C3PO, and we used the stamp tool to finish small details such as the space between the robot’s fingers. We decided to start a new project. I found a photo of Will with several other people, and tasked Will with using the ‘Quick Select’ tool to isolate his own image. We practiced using the tool with confidence at the start, and saw how the program will do most of the work. Will practiced using the zoom in and out function, and changed the brush size to do very fine detail work. We saved the project as a Photoshop image before class ended.