FOCUS: 6th Semester Communication Design course is the first step for the students towards learning the fundamentals of studio lighting skills.

Photography is not about cameras, gadgets and gismos. Photography is about photographers. A camera didn't make a great picture any more than a typewriter wrote a great novel"

~ Peter Adams

At the Indus valley school of art and architecture we have three minors available for the design students. This is distributed into a time period of three semesters and each individual minor’s duration is between 4 to 5 weeks. The students experience concentrated studio photography study sessions. The first and second minor is concerned with developing technical and visual skills, and the third with the conceptual aspects of a personal portfolio.

Course Outline Download :: CD Level 4 Gallery ::. Reference Links ::.

Course Objectives & Outline ::.

The sixth semester class is, for the most part, concerned with gaining further technical control of the 35mm camera in the studio, light ratios exposure, studio lighting and the production of professional product photography with an emphasis upon experimentation and design. By now the students have covered various aspects of photography, as they move on from the intermediate level to the advanced. The “fundamentals of studio lighting” as a minor has longer class durations, due to the studio sessions incorporated into the course. With a very limited number of students selected the instructor has an opportunity to provide the students with a wider range of topics to cover.

The school has a professional working studio equipped with several strobe lights (electronic flash) and other studio accessories; this is an incredible opportunity for experimentation and growth. The material, which was not available in earlier classes, will be on hand for exploration. Through alternative days’ demonstrations, lectures, and assignments, the student will learn various studio lighting methods for still life. This course is designed to prepare the student with basic knowledge and the techniques of tungsten lighting and strobe as applied to people and tabletop photography.

Students will experiment with different electronic flash equipment, while learning how to control contrast, direction, and color balance. We will explore a myriad ways to modify light using reflectors, umbrellas, snoots, projectors, spots, gobo's and various diffusion materials. Color temperature will also be discussed, as well as ways to take advantage of the various color properties of light and film combinations. In addition, students for this course are to use a handheld flash and expand on their basic knowledge and learn new techniques to realize how versatile it can be as an added camera accessory.

The Visual Journal ::.

Students must maintain this journal as part of their creative process. This will become a personal indication of your own photographic ‘escape’. The Visual Journal should contain:

::. A collection of ideas and inspirations
::. Documentation of your research into processes and content
::. Reviews, critiques, quotes, clippings, tear sheets.
::. An information sheet for each and folio assignment
::. Technical requirements and equipment used

The Assignments ::.

These assignments should only be attempted after the successful completion of all the mandatory assignments practiced in class as a group. Studio still-life photography is a medium for creative expression and visual experimentation. The assignments that follow cover a range of professional experiences particular to advertising and editorial still-life photography. They encourage the student to use the tools and techniques of studio still-life photography and to concepts of visual communication natural to the still life. Topics include working with light, selection of lenses, advertising concepts.

Moreover, the special manipulations possible--choice of lighting, perspective, camera angle, surface propping, multiple exposures, front projection and other esoteric techniques which can be applied. Overall basic to advanced skills in studio lighting techniques taught to the minor students. The shooting sessions are done in either or both black and white and color film.

The Techniques & Assignments ::.

::. Still life on a Seamless White Background
::. The Number Selection & Expression
::. Metallic Objects
::. The Layouts
::. Portrait Photography - Five Colleagues

The Creative Darkroom Project Part One ::.

::. Sepia, Iron Blue, and Split Toning

This course helps students refine the techniques and ideas presented in the Basic B/W Photography course. Importance is given to the relationship between exposure, film development, and the finished print. Students have the opportunity to enhance darkroom skills, and experiment with toners. They learn to make the sepia toner and the iron blue toner with there specified formulas as well as split toning prints.

Final Work Submission ::.

From the first five assignments select the best two images and five images from the “Five Colleagues Assignment”. A total number of 15 images, your work is to be submitted in a durable portfolio case (buy one from an art supply store locally) along with a CD containing high-quality jpegs of the images. The overall quality of the execution and presentation of the work will have a considerable impact on the outcome of the grade.

Additionally, 5 images are to be revived from old negative files or slides. Once converted into a digital file they are to be imported into the computer for digital enhancement and /or manipulation. The original components of any manipulated image must be included at folio presentation. The finished artworks of these images are to be submitted as 8"×10" proof prints.

::. Print size: 12″×16″ (remember to retain the 2:3 ratio of the 35mm format)

::. Mounts: Use 20″ square, white/off-white window mounts and visually centralize the image; paste typed labels on the reverse identifying yourself and the assignment.

Learning Resources ::.

Curriculum information, image galleries and extra web links can be accessed in the “Virtual Matter” section of the this site. The School Library and the Department Studio have a wide-ranging collection of material available for student research.

For this course the prime subject text for study and reference is:

::. Essential Skills Studio Photography ~ John Child - Focal Press, London 1999.
::. Essential Skills Photographic Lighting ~ Child & Galer - Focal Press, London 1999.

Course Reference Links ::.

http://richardsmaltz.com/Artist.asp?ArtistID=2143&Akey=TWLNT9G5 ::. Richard Smaltz is an advertising photographer with over twenty years experience.  He holds a Bachelor in Fine Arts from the Rochester Institute of Technology.  While in college he was awarded a prestigious scholarship to work with the late Ansel Adams. In the following paragraph he introduces and informs us about his photography style all too well ....The image is a creature of the imagination. It walks the mind. Artists discover ways to coax these images out of the mind and into the public eye. Images are not mere pictures made to represent the external reality of a person or an object. An image goes deeper. Saturated with its subject's essence, the image embodies a form of truth made available to us only through art.

The best images, move beyond documentation of particular moments. These images, which I strive to make, not only freeze a moment from our past, but also connect us to a timeless eternal. Art may, in fact, be defined as seeing the extraordinary quality of ordinary things. I am, therefore, attracted to all subjects and their metaphoric possibilities, without limitation. No matter the subject, a successful image, must exhibit tension between the temporal and the eternal, between the sacred and the profane, between yin and yang, between light and dark, between motion and stillness. These eternal conflicts govern our existence. They make our lives-and the images that represent our lives-interesting, dynamic, and powerful. To see these kinds of tensions, I clear a space for my imagination to dwell in the subject. I keep my ego from cutting off possibilities of an in-depth, creative and truthful vision.

When I get behind the camera, I don't just shoot;  I  see. I open myself to all that can be seen in the world outside of me and in the world inside of me. I work with images in the spirit of discovery and creativity. I seek to create images that take up where words leave off.

http://www.tobypederson.com/ ::. Besides the visual treat I had when i saw Mr. Toby's work his list of clients was not any less impressive.

http://home.earthlink.net/~ritamaas/index.html ::. Food photography at its best.

http://www.howdesign.com ::. The business, creativity and technology magazine for graphic designers.

http://www.edwardaddeo.com ::. Edward Addeo began his career by photographing still life’s for House & Garden and Vogue. While shooting commercially for top ad agencies he has remained involved with many personal & editorial projects.

http://www.tedmorrison.com ::. Beautiful site design ...studio photography at is best ... amazing work.

http://www.hunterfreeman.com/::. Some good examples of white seamless table product photography.

http://www.stuartheir.com ::. Slow web site with great imagery, well worth a visit if you have a good internet connection.

http://www.maslov.com/photographers/jones/index.html ::. Deborah Jones’ wonderful still-life and food photography can be seen in over two dozen books including the extremely beautiful French Laundry Cookbook.

http://www.charlesschiller.com ::. Clean simple straight well-lit product photography.

http://www.scottspiker.com/::. hmm must i tell you about everyone ...do check his work out, time will be well spent.

http://www.michaelgrecco.com/advertising.php ::. From advertising to editorial, Michael Grecco's work is continually raising the photographic bar. He is known for dynamic portraiture and capturing the essence of his subjects. Grecco works with an unrivaled technical ability and a rare sensitivity. The image he has created for himself is authentic, composed and always striking.

http://www.worksight.com/index.html ::. this is when you want a break from just photography, "work sight" is a is a graphic design studio in New York City.

http://www.taylor-photo.com ::. minimalist studio photography at its best.

http://www.dantobinsmith.com/ ::. just when you thought you had seen everything in studio photography.

http://www.fabfoodphotography.com/index.html ::. another great web site to check-out food photography on ... a feast for hungry eyes yummy !