Level two and three photography post lock down moving forward

1) Completing your Photography bingo tasks. 

Several tasks were placed online for you to complete as basic and quick photos that could even be taken on your cell phone. These didn't need to be great or hugely technical, but even at a 'just complete' level would generate enough evidence for 2.2. Please continue to work on these over the course of the year. 

2) Making these tasks relate back to your kaupapa

If your kaupapa is distilled down to one to two words, how does this then translate into the following:

-Focal point

-Leading lines

-Gestalt

-Space

What have you got as photographic 'drawings' (quick snaps essentially) that actually represents these things from a more abstract point of view?

Sally Mann outside her photo studio on the family farm in Virginia.Credit...Leslye Davis for the The New York Times 2015

-Focal point - eyes of the subject

-Leading lines - blurred and then slowly in focus foliage, the way her hair frames her face on the right-hand side

-Gestalt - by using monochrome (black and white) and by placing the subject in an  over lengthened landscape format, close up, and by using a low aperture number, the gestalt is quite intimate, we are being slowly welcomed into her thoughts

-Space - Because there is texture in those blurred leaves, it feels quite 'full'. However, the clarity of the face gives you a clear understanding of what is positive and what is negative space. 

kaupapa = you are invited into her thoughts. It's an invitation to understand her better.

I make this presumption knowing it is the header image chosen for a story that the subject (Sally Mann) wrote about her own work for the New York Times in 2015. I have used prior knowledge along with my short analysis. 

IOKA 2004, Edith Amituanai, c-type photograph

-Focal point - the girl/subject

-Leading lines - the shadows cast by the doorway onto the ceiling above her head, echoed asymmetrically by the dark tone of the door on the left-hand side. 

-Gestalt - the candid nature of the photograph, the bright colours of the subject contrasted against the grey sombre tones of the room around her, her sideways downcast eyes avoiding the camera and consequently, the viewers gaze, the presumption that she is serving someone tea, a normal household duty presumably. 

-Space - the subject is centrally placed and holding two cups. she rises from the base of the image and 

Kaupapa = Everyday life in Ioka's family. Her role, her place her walking forward into it. 

3) Moving forward with your folio work using the internals to justify it. 

Make sure every time you plan work, your focal point, leading lines, gestalt and use of space all count towards how your kaupapa speaks. These should all originate from the photographers you have already studied. Make it all link together. 

Level two - what is my kaupapa? Example blog for 2020 to start you off.

I think most of you got the idea of the blogs by the end of the year and we have some great examples of blogging by the time you did. However, we want to start great and finish great this year. 

Your labels will be added as you write your first post like this. These labels will be five in total and you will be expected to use at least two each time you post:

2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4(folio) and Art 2019. The following is an exemplar of what your first blog should look like in a total of 150 + words:

My Visual Arts course this year will be focussed on painting (or photography or design, you choose this bit and adjust). I enjoyed painting last year because I felt like I could do it easily/is a challenge for me/will be the most useful tool to help me express my ideas/is a passion of mine (this is your thoughts, not mine, and there is no real wrong. But, here may be the odd cop-out, which we would rather not have). My kaupapa for the year will be based upon spiritual and cultural development. This is something that interests me because my family lineage is so mixed and generations back of my family denied a great deal of their own history in order to fit into pākeha dominated culture. I felt like it would be something that I could work on for an entire year.

The above paragraph is an introduction. It outlines my field choice for the year and explains why I have chosen spiritual and cultural development to base my kaupapa upon. So far, for my actual 'post' as a student, I am at 111 words. 

I have gone through the artists in my theme from the matrix on Ako and created my mood board here:

From here, I have decided on Mick Namarari, Faith Ring gold and Robyn Kahukiwa as my artist models for 2.1. These artists will also help me get started with 2.2 which is also going ot be the start of my folio.

I have just copied and pasted these artists off the matrix, which keeps the hyperlinks intact for my post. 

My kaupapa based on this theme is looking like this:

 (Image of the brainstorm you will do in class inserted here). 

Typed words at this point are 184. However, when you take into account what you will have on your brainstorm it is likely to be closer to 250. 

(a summing up of what is on the brainstorm here will be useful)

2.2 and 2.3 Photography

These are the first practical standards we are aiming to complete. It is your starting point for the body of work that goes on your folio.

By now you should have your 'why', in the form of a brainstorm which is also a part of your blog post.

You should have chosen three photographers as the focus of your Art History which you then also use as your first major influence for your first folio board. 

2.2/2/3 looks roughly like this:

In developing this body of evidence you need to get the following skills sorted:

1) How to work the camera

2) How to upload your shots and make proof sheets out of them. the small photos in a grid are what we call proof sheets. 

3) A good understanding of aperture and shutter speed, the rule of thirds and leading lines

4) How to open photoshop and do some basic editing

These are skills you learn, not ones I expect you to know before we start out. 

There are four shoots here. Four separate times that the student has chosen to go and set up a shoot and record what they see. 

From each shoot, there should be 2 or 3 series of works that you like. A series of works should be 2 - 5 or more shots that work together. 

From each series, there should be one more spectacular shot that you would want to make more of a deal of. 

What do you need to do to create this body of work for yourself? 

Make a plan, show it to me. 

Level two Art History

Art History is different to last year; you discussed the subject matter and what it might mean. that is actually pretty simple!

this year you are discussing the media - what it is made of.

How does the type of paint add to the meaning behind the work for instance? This kind of question means you have to already understand the meaning of the subject matter of the painting (or artwork).

Choose 3 artworks you feel like you can talk about. If it is outside of your comfort zone, then be prepared to put in some extra effort.



This is a starting point. We will try and extend based on what each of you are actually studying as we go.

Recapping series and sequences.

Level one, this could be new to you, level's two and three I am hoping you have the gist of this.

Series of works exist within a body of work (folio).

they explain the points of the body of work.

You are not just making cool art pictures. You are trying to say something with them to a viewer. You are having a conversation via your artwork.

Your folio will start with an introduction, it will have several key points and a conclusion, just like an essay in English.

Your series of works will state, explain, and show your opinion, also just like in English with say a SEXY paragraph.
 

You should be able to see this clearly in any of the online exemplars on NZQA.

What is your "why"?

This is a concept/ariā based art course. You develop a body of work based on a theory or idea.

You have been asked to go through the list of artists on Ako-Learn. Each level/field has a matrix of themes and Artists this year.

We want you to do two things here;
1) Go through and get comfortable with the artists and themes we have put together for you
2) Brainstorm what you love, what you hate and what inspires you in any aspect of your life.

From there you are developing your concept/ariā.

your ariā could be no more than three words. In fact, that's quite good if it is.

Your kaupapa/theme should roughly fit into the themes we have already established on the matrix for your level/field.

Once you have all of this down, I would expect you to create a blog post.


Please note, Level one, I am expecting you to complete a further document called themes, subject matter and ideas. I want to be able to see a copy of this in your drive.

Our "Why"

Following Simon Sinek's theory of drawing people in, we are starting with the "why", followed by the what and the how.

Monday and Tuesday are going to be a very cool group exercise. Can't wait for you all to see this next bit :-)

Imagine a flower emerging from this centre...

Re linking the video we already watched as a class. Remember; Limbic brain, homo-sapien brain? super important. 

and this for those who have that need to know more:

Blogs per term

Going for 15 a term. Every five in line 3 = tuck shop voucher! Love sticker charts :-)

Line One and Two seniors we will organise something for you too, starting sometime tomorrow. 

Year 12 and 13 Painting, Design and Photography Students

Kia ora Koutou

Photography students - you are going to get the chance to play around with the cameras this week - not today though.

Designers and Photographers - make sure you understand how to work on a mac. Today.

1) Turning it on
2) Logging in
3) Signing into chrome - it always defaults to Safari - DO NOT USE Safari. We are a GAfE school.
4) Signing into the google drive APP. (this makes syncing your work a little easier)
5) Locating and opening a new file in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
6) Making sure photoshop, chrome and drive are all on your DOCK (they will be there next time too).
7) Understanding that you are NOT to save any work on your desktop as it's not your desk top on these machines - they are wiped periodically to ensure they don't slow down (they look better than they are, very old)

Painters, Designers, Photographers:

1) Open your blog.
2) Upload your progress so far (which will not be massive and that is ok).
3) Post it and label that post with your subject and the year 2018.

Everyone:

Get back to your concept development and moving this forward.

Level three, you should be working on task one of 3.1 as well. Your deadlines are tight on purpose.