Friday, September 18, 2015
60 min.
Photography -
Photoshop - ‘Quick Select, Erase, and Stamp Tool’ -
Will returned to his Photoshop project, starting with the ‘Quick Select’ tool to finish isolating C3PO. I then opened a photo of Will and his mother, taken at the Jane Goodall field trip. I tasked him with isolating the plane and his own image, from that of his Mother and the background. Will did very well, and I showed him how to make layers, and drag the image of C3PO into his photo. Will had to resize one image to match the other. I introduced the ‘Erase Tool’, the ‘Stamp Tool’, and how to ‘Re-Size’ his brush.

Thursday, September 17, 2015
45 min.
Photography -
Intro to Photoshop.-
First I asked Will to tell me the difference between hardware and software. We discussed the other software programs he has used. I then introduced him to Photoshop. We started by working with the crop tool. Will was quick to master the crop tool since it is similar to the crop tool in IPhoto. Will was shown how to zoom in to see each pixel, and how to change the size of the brush he was using. We then moved to the quick select tool. Will used this tool to start a project the involves cutting C3PO out of a image from Star Wars. We will continue this project on Friday.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015
60 min.
Photography -
Composition and content.
We reviewed Will’s homework photographs in camera. He did a terrific job directing his shots of groups, by placing boxing gloves, golf club and guitar together in one group, different color/sized apples, and for the third group, a sword, a rifle and a laser gun. I was very pleased with his creativity. He also showed some corrections, in using the horizontal and vertical formats. He affectively cropped the photo in camera. We talked about his work for most of the class. We also talked about the concept of telling a story with photography and photojournalism. I had to leave early, so Keith substituted for me for the last 15 minutes of regular class time.

Friday, September 11, 2015
60 min.
Photography -
Composition -
Will and I discussed the topic of composition. I reminded him of the odd number rule for grouping subjects in an image. We reviewed the subjects of vantage point, off center placement, and framing of a subject. We then discussed the statement: ‘a pictures is worth a thousand words’. Some photographs are taken as art, and are targeted to please the eye. Other photographs are taken as documentary, where a moment is captured as a record. We looked at award winning photos from history, and examined how the photo was worth a thousand words. We focused on how each subject was framed, and composed. Homework: take images on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. These photos should be of groups of objects, with an eye on composition and vantage point. Images should include vertical, horizontal, inside, and outside shots.

Thursday, September 10, 2015
45 min.
Photography -
Photoshop -
After quickly reviewing Will’s homework, I switch the subject to using Photoshop. Using an image of Will from last year, I demonstrated how to use the magic wand tool to isolating just his head and body. I then used the cut and paste tools to place him into the millennium falcon, alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi. I showed how to use the move tool, and other tools to make it appear he was part of the crew. We talked about some things he may want to do with Photoshop, and decided it might be fun to learn how to use the software.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015
60 min.
Photography -
Composition -
We reviewed Will’s homework assignment, and discussed the things he liked about the photo and what he would or could do to improve the photo. He had presented the vertical and horizontal versions of each subject. Once we had determined which was a better choice, we explored using the crop tool to improve the image. I gave Will some time to become comfortable with the tool, and we discussed how composition plays an important part in making a good photo. We walked around the halls of the school, and noticed that all the artwork on the walls were either alone or in pairs, and if there were more than two, they were always in groups of odd numbers. We discussed why this happens. Homework: Take several photos of a man made object, outside. Use the horizontal and vertical formats and be conscious of the composition.

Friday, September 4, 2015
Photography
60 min
star wars -
Miss Katie substituted for me for the first 20 min of class. Will and I reviewed his photos and discussed the shadows, vantage point, subject and frame for each. We then imagined what he would take photos of if he were on a star wars set. We talked about the up-coming film, and the differences from the older films. We watched some videos of the new film, and Will was tasked with identifying where and how the photographer was in relation to the subject. We also paid attention to the light source and direction of shadows. Homework: Will is to take out door photos, in both vertical and horizontal formats, and should pay attention to vantage point, and shadows. I suggested he take the photos early or late in the day, when the sun casts long shadows.

Thursday, September 3, 15
Photography
45 min
Shadows -
We reviewed Will’s homework assignment of taking photos that include shadows. While we talked about each picture, I introduced the crop tool to Will. We discussed how sometimes photographers are forced to take a picture that includes more than the subject they have in mind. When this happens, they have the opportunity with the proper software, to crop an image to make it more meaningful. Will was asked if he would want to crop any of his photos, and we examined what they look like cropped compared to un-cropped.

Will taught me the basics of photography and I took notes.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Photography
60 min
Digital photography A-Z -
Will and I examined a book titled: Digital Photography A-Z. We discussed some of the topics as Will leafed through the subjects. We spent most of our time on chapters that concern shadows and light. Will wondered how the process of photography was discovered. I explained how the original photographers used a special film, that when exposed to light, captured the reflection off a subject, creating a negative. We also discussed how some movies are made today, with digital computer generated information, and how some actors have to perform alone, and their counterpart added later. Homework: take photos, both vertically and horizontally, that include shadows; due Thursday