Pana Oʻahu Kamakau Awards
Hālawa ule / kohe
Hālawa wall & freeway
Ke Ola Magazine – article on Kohala exhibit, 8/2013
How to Copy and Resample Images
Roll #11 — Blurred Action
Why you are doing this assignment
Cameras with manual adjustments allow us to set aperture and shutter speed, giving us tools to create unusual, striking images. Most of the time, you select a shutter speed at 1/125th second or higher, in order to avoid camera shake. However, once in a while, you want to create images with blurred action. Those images show movement as a blur surrounded by clear, sharp details in the background. Think of a basketball game at Kekuhaupiʻo. The players will be blurred but the bleachers and spectators behind them will be in sharp focus.
How to do this assignment
Your assignment is to locate the “sweet point” in your shutter speed setting when the moving object begins to blur. It is that blurring that creates the impression of action, of something moving fast. Distance affects blur. If you are close to your subject, 125th second might work, but if you are far away, you will need to lower your shutter speed to 1/60th or 1/30th. At those shutter speeds, DO NOT try to handhold your camera. Put it on something, like a railing, and then press the shutter release carefully, so that the camera doesn’t jerk right at that moment. Remember that the blur you record only seems blurry if everything else is sharp. Pay LOTS of attention to avoiding camera shake.
When you photograph a moving body or object, remember to allow for more room in front of the object than behind it. The space in front is called “live space” because the person or object is moving into it. The space behind a moving object is called “dead space.” Try to minimize dead space.
What to shoot
This assignment really requires you to make the effort to go to a sporting event, one with moving bodies, swinging bats or balls dropping through hoops. Even sweating bodies on a wrestling mat would work well. Avoid boring shots of your friends running on Konia Field. Please, no moving cars — that is way too boring.
What to turn in
- A contact sheet of 16 images on medium-format film
- Two 8X10 prints
- An analysis of your best print. Be sure to fill out the last section of the analysis fully.
What your assignment should look like
At this point in the semester, your prints should contain a full range of values (tones) from deep black to light, light gray. Pay lots of attention to your two test strips and make an effort to hit the right combination of exposure and filter #.
Also — try to set your easel blades to give you a thin, even border around your image.
WHEN YOU TURN IN YOUR ASSIGNMENT, DO NOT PUNCH HOLES IN YOUR PRINTS! MOUNT THEM ON SHEETS OF PRINTER PAPER.
Roll #10: Studio Roll
Why you are doing this assignment
The light in a typical studio recreates the ideal conditions you lokked for in the last roll: soft, diffused light hitting your subject from the side. Whether you are shooting under natural light outside or in a studio, this is one of the best ways to photograph a subject.
How to do this assignment
Studio light is diffused and hits the subject from the side, at about an angle of 45º. There are many ways to arrange the lights, of course, but in the “generic” setup, one light is stronger than the one on the opposite side. The stronger light is called the key light. The weaker one is called the fill light; its job is to fill in and soften the shadows created by the key light. Sometimes a third light, called the background light, helps separate the subject from the background. If you want to go for more dramatic lighting, unplug the fill light.
After the lights have been set up correctly, follow these guidelines:
- Shoot vertical
- Include your subjectʻs hands. No amputations!
- One person at a time
- Avoid fakey, silly poses
- Avoid the fakey “camera face” that people sometimes put on in front of a camera.
- Try to capture your subject looking like he or she looks when alone. In other words, try to capture something of your subjectʻs inner character. Have the person look at the camera, at least in some shots.
- Finally, be sure that the camera is set to the correct aperture and shutter speed. Focus carefully.
What to shoot
Bring a friend. If you wish, have the person dress up. Use face paint. Add props. Get creative.
What to turn in
- A contact sheet of 16 images on medium-format film
- Two 8X10 prints
- An analysis of your best print. Be sure to fill out the last section of the analysis fully.
What your assignment should look like
At this point in the semester, your prints should contain a full range of values (tones) from deep black to light, light gray. Pay lots of attention to your two test strips and make an effort to hit the right combination of exposure and filter #.
Also — try to set your easel blades to give you a thin, even border around your image.
WHEN YOU TURN IN YOUR ASSIGNMENT, DO NOT PUNCH HOLES IN YOUR PRINTS! MOUNT THEM ON SHEETS OF PRINTER PAPER.
Kulaiwi
* The Hawaiian term “kulaiwi” refers to the place where the bones of oneʻs ancestors are buried, an even closer connection to the land. In Maori language, that same place is defined by the term “turangawaewae.” It is the place with ancestral ties where onesʻ feet are rooted.
Roll #12: Texture
Why you are doing this assignment
One of the major elements of composition is texture, the reproduction of small detail, such as the surface of asphalt, the weave of cloth or the peeling paint on an old house. It might seem like a small thing, but texture makes an image come alive, and helps create that illusion of an imaginary universe on a flat piece of paper.
Remember that “textural perspective” is one of the ways of showing depth in an image.
How to do this assignment
Take a series of images that make use of textured surfaces in various ways. This does not mean that you should shoot boring images of bark or grass or concrete. A textured surface should be a part of each image, but not necessarily the only part. Shoot the textured surface in such a way that it shows textural gradient, with close texture sharp and obvious and far-away texture less obvious.
This assignment needs to be sharp, in focus, with no camera shake. Maximize your depth of field. Shoot in cloudy bright light at a high shutter speed (125 and above) with a small aperture (f/11 and smaller).
Please use everything you have learned this semester to create visually interesting, appealing work.
What to shoot
Your main subject (center of interest) could be a person or an object, but whatever it is, use a textured surface as one of the major elements of the image. Think of shooting from a low angle or with the camera close to a wall, but try to create an image with every part sharp, in focus.
Locate an interesting place with interesting surface patterns, such as the small courtyard on the Leʻahi side of Smith Office. If you are at the beach, use the sand for your textured surface.
What your folder should contain
- An analysis sheet of your one best image
- Two 8X10 prints of your two best images
- A contact sheet with at least 20 visible images related to the assignment, with the two best images circled with a blue, red or green sharpie
What your assignment should look like
Aim for a contact sheet that contains
- At least 20 visible images
- At least 7 different subjects
- images that show creative use of textured surfaces