pho-112 Lightroom spring 2009

Cooper Photo Exhibition

2009-05-09T08:49:00.001-07:00

The PHO 112 class is having a Photo Exhibition today from 4-6pm at Jalapeno's Mexican Grill, in Cooper Texas. Cooper is one of my favorite little East Texas towns, and Jalapeno's is definitely my favorite restaurant in the region. The food is very good, and very fresh. Everything is prepared on-site, the chicken and beef are first-rate. Most importantly, the owners, Jose and Hilda are wonderful, caring people.

It's my hope to have a new show at Jalapeno's every semester. I'd love it if we could work with Cooper High School and have a show of their students work, or even have a show from Paris Junior College. I'd also like to find a few other venues for exhibiting the students work. My plan is to make one set of frames each semester until we're swimming in them. This semester alone I've made (with the generous help of Jeremy Newton) one hundred frames from maple boards.

The images for this exhibition were all taken in Cooper, and are really nice. My hope for the future is that we'll have a nice system for hanging the work on wires from the ceiling in the restaurant. I think it also be smart to include the Music Department and/or the English Department when we have openings. Wouldn't a poetry reading or some live music be cool?

Final Exam

2009-05-06T07:55:00.002-07:00

The final date for your final exam is Monday, May 11, at 1:15-3:15. Apparently there is STILL some confusion about what you are to turn in. Your GROUP needs to turn in 6 matted images. Originally you were supposed to do this individually (please see the April 23 post), but since you were confused about it, I've relented and now you may just turn in the assignment as a group. You should also have your blog complete- all assignments and all articles.

Today, Wednesday, you are to turn in images for the English assignment. You DO NOT have to include text with this assignment.

Today, Wednesday, you should have your print for the Cooper show framed and ready to hang. I came in last night and finished the frames.

Today, Wednesday, you should have a small poster for the Cooper Show, please put it on your blog and also distribute it around campus. If the show doesn't have any advertising, no one will know about it!

If you have ANY questions about this, please contact me at 573.220.5968, or email me at vwascovich@mac.com.

Final

2009-05-06T07:55:00.001-07:00

Pearls before swine.

2009-04-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

In the outside chance that the university will close its doors because of the swine flu epidemic, you're final grade will be based on all the assignments that you've posted on your blog, the quality of those assignments, the quality of your blog, and your attendance.

I strongly suggest that you get your blog as up to date as possible as soon as possible.

Final, finally.

2009-04-30T06:54:00.000-07:00

Please have six matted images of the studio shots/collaborations matted for your final on Wednesday, May 6. Be sure your blog is up to date with all assignments and entries. Remember, your blog is to have two entries a week- which you were to comment on, plus all your assignments. If you do all of it the last minute, you won't be getting as good a grade as if you worked on it during the semester. The intention of the blog was for you to explore your work, and help create one online.

You'll also need to finish the frame that I built for you, for the Cooper show. That means it needs to be sanded and you'll need to apply two coats of urethane to it. I'll have the finishing materials in the woodshop. We'll mat and frame the work on Monday in class, so please have your frame finished by then. Also, we discussed making a poster for the show, I'd like each of you to make a small poster for the show and post it on your blog as well as distribute it to your friends and family.

The Assignment

2009-04-23T18:59:00.002-07:00

Okay, below are the four groups. In each group are two stories. Each of you needs to pick one story to illustrate. You'll need at least 6-9 images. You'll need to use direct, bounced, diffused, focused light, not all in every shot, but each at least once. PLEASE be prepared to work in the studio on Monday. This means lights and props.

Group 4

2009-04-23T18:59:00.001-07:00

Gravitational Pull
By Danielle Brownsberger
Light penetrates the eyelid-thin linen curtains, exposing cyclones of swirling, indignant dust storming through the air. The torrent of skin and wind coils and gains momentum, like a puddle of dingy dish water withstanding the drain. Compelled toward a plump white planet, the satellites rocket hysterically in their orbit. The corpulent mass revolves on thick porcelain thighs, electrifying every particle of earth and man in its trajectory.

Algebraic Reasoning
By Danielle Brownsberger
There is an amazing execution of craft at the Bureau. An army of statisticians, each one of them lusting for arithmetic, advances on the third floor at precisely the 0900 hour. Armed with protractors, TI92 calculators, graphing paper, and Sudoku, they descend on individual cubicles that belie their precise coordination. They rival the synchronized movements of the Filipino inmates who perform “Thriller.” These math men are pure harmony. Balance. Proportion. Sex.

Group 3

2009-04-23T18:58:00.002-07:00

The Fight
By Kaye McCraw
It wasn’t anything new, just an escalation of former gentle observations. Why it got so out of hand, neither could have answered. Just one mask too many for Howard to take as each of his possessions disappeared to make room for another face. The constant starting eyes and grotesque mouths, the ornate care given to them but not for their provider. Howard snapped at Mable and she charged to the defense. Next thing they knew Howard had a knife stuck in his chest. Mable was speechless. The masks seemed to leer and taunt at her over the reckless move she had made. Now there would be no more money for new masks. What could she do?

The End
By Kaye McCraw
In the end the only thing she could do…kill herself. An eye for an eye and all that. But oh she would miss her babies. They would be alright though, they told her so. They also told her that death would be sweet with a big heaven of masks to enjoy for eternity. They told her she was doing the right thing and that there would be no masks in prison. She used the same knife to slit the tender skin of her wrists and as the crimson circles grew, she smiled contentedly. No one could separate her from her babies now. Her family would remain whole and life would go on as before except for her gallery. Oh what pleasure she would have arranging and taking care of the faces. Each one smiling just for her. Each one devoted to Mable alone.

Group 2

2009-04-23T18:58:00.001-07:00

Sean Flannery
by Margaret Peña

Margaret worked with him on the Mad Cow investigation in Walla Walla, a fellow reporter on the Tucson Tribune. He left the Tribune to move to Florida and they lost touch. In Florida he lost over a hundred pounds and invested money wisely. He is Stephen King’s honorary “nephew.” He’s come to Waterville to find Margaret. He’s never forgotten her and hopes she will come to love him as he has always loved her.

Horse Lovers’ Dreams I
By MaryK Croft

Because every little girl goes through a “horse phase”, her parents indulged her until she turned 13. Now you should be interested in boys, they announced. But she wasn’t. She spent the next few years drawing horses, unable to get close to any real ones. At night she dreamed of a winged white horse that beckoned, always on a hill just out of reach. She was determined to catch it, one day when she could make all her own decisions.

Group 1

2009-04-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

The Cows
by Margaret Peña

She fought her first battle with the cows when she was four. They were amazing, grazing contentedly in the field. She and her mother and father lived in a new housing development that occupied former farmland. Pastures still surrounded the development on two sides and they were enclosed by barbed wire. Standing on the fence to get a better view, she snagged her new outfit which her mother had stayed up all night to sew just the day before. The more she struggled, the more entangled she became. She was firmly ensnared, her outfit in tatters, before she was rescued. Blood streamed from the hundreds of cuts. She lost the battle of the fence. The tetanus shot was painful. The second time occurred when she was six. She was locked in with milk cows who returned from the fields in the evenings to the milking barn, a huge structure with cows on either side. Large stacks of hay occupied one end of the barn which was deeply shadowed and smelled of manure. The barn was claustrophobic when the doors were closed in spite of its immense size. Cows now create feelings of anxiety in her.

Dieter
by Margaret Peña

Dieter was her mother’s friend’s son. He was two years older in age and twenty years older in savvy. He lived with his mother and step-dad. They left him alone often. He harbored a carefully hidden (and nurtured) cruel spot. Adults saw a perfectly behaved, polite young man. Kids suffered at his hand. He ferreted out their weaknesses and fears. He killed his first cat at age ten.

Yep. it's another blog...

2009-04-17T15:41:00.000-07:00

... this one is: http://tamucphoto.blogspot.com/

Check it out. Hopefully it'll be more active than this class-specific one.

Monday April 20 we'll continue shooting in the studio. We've been up there three times now, I expect to see at least 6-9 good images from your studio shoot on Monday, April 27. These should be printed. We'll also be printing images for the Cooper Exhibition on Monday. All the images for the Cooper show are due at the end of the class period.

A month to go...

2009-04-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, we have a month left of classes. I need to apologize to you for not keeping up with my blog. Some of you are doing a great job on yours, while others aren't. I really don't like being a policeman and hope that you'll want to learn for the sake of learning, but often that's just not the case. I'll need to give each of you grades for your assignments as well as your blogs. If you've kept them up to date that shouldn't be a problem, otherwise, you have until this Wednesday to get them in line.

We have two major assignments left for the semester: the exhibition in Cooper and the collaborative project with Karen Schubert and the English Department. Re: the Cooper Exhibition. Many of you have already shown me some terrific images from Cooper, while others still haven't. I'd like everyone to put their best images on their blog by Wednesday, April 15. We'll pick the best from the blogs, you'll then have to have them printed by Monday April 20. We'll mat and frame them during class on Wednesday, April 22. The show opens in Cooper at Jalapeno's Restaurant, Saturday, April 25, 4-6pm. I have planned a camping trip for that weekend, but if only a few of you are interested, we can cancel the trip.

Re: the collaboration. We had a terrific class last Wednesday, I showed you the fundamentals of lighting in the studio, unfortunately only half the class was in attendance. We also met and talked with two terrific visiting writers from the English Department, Karen Schubert and Nin Andrew. We're going to be working on a collaboration with the grad students in Karen's class; you'll be illustrating short character studies. Hopefully the end result will be a small blurb book. I've already posted the first one, "The Collector." you'll need to make at least 6-9 images for each short vignette. The first series of images is due Monday, April 20.

The Collector

2009-04-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

The Collector

By Danielle Brownsberger

Magda commands an exceptional gravitational pull. Compelled toward her plump white form, strange satellites orbit around her. She has amassed minor objects, rounding up bits of string, safety pins, paper clips, coins, calculators, puzzle pieces and keys, endlessly. Stockpiles of toiletries, toilet paper, and tins of fruit are stcked against disaster. Over the years, Magda has assembled a more costly cache of acquisitions. Titles and deeds, burial plots, times shares, and three blue jean boyfriends have come to compliment her bizarre menagerie. She rotates around endless rows of shelves and lifts her eyebrows at forgotten baubles.

I'm sorry I didn't post this one sooner, Karen never got a copy from her student, but nonetheless, here it is. Those of you that were in class last week know what you'll be doing with this, those of you that weren't... well, you'll need to get caught up. See you Monday!

Monday, February 16- Your Lucky Day!

2009-02-10T20:05:00.000-08:00

Yeah, it's your lucky day. I'll be in Dallas doing a Dean's Search day. You'll have the day to write in your blog, read chapters 3&4 of the Lightroom book and finish taking portraits of strangers. We've spent a lot of time on this, so please, do a great job!

On Wednesday, Feb. 18, we'll begin digging in to Lightroom. There will be a quiz on the first four chapters!

Wednesday, February 10- Cooper Texas!!

2009-02-10T20:03:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday we'll be photographing in Cooper Texas, home of the best darn Mexican food this side of the Pecos. We'll also be visiting with Mabel Wheat in Miller's Pharmacy. Mabel has been making ice cream and root beer floats for more than 57 years at the same place! She is truly a Texas treasure! Meet at 2:15 at the Cooper square. Your job is to make portraits of your classmates and also photograph the town in an interesting way. Oh yeah, one more... since this assignment is to photograph strangers, you get extra points for photographing someone from Cooper!

You should have four news articles reviewed in your blog by now, and also have the six artists posted that you're going to emulate for this assignment. It is due before you leave for Cooper. And yeah, you will receive a grade!!

Check this out!

2009-02-06T19:33:00.000-08:00

http://www.gigapan.org/

And this! Now, why on earth would I show you a fancy restaurant?!

http://www.alinea-restaurant.com/index.html

Second Assignment- Portraits of Strangers

2009-02-02T11:15:00.000-08:00

Portraits of Strangers

The Assignment:
The second assignment is to shoot your neighbor! Actually, you’ll be photographing two or three of your classmates. You should take at least twenty pictures of each person. While a portrait can be made without using a persons face, at least half of these images must be recognizable and identifiable to anyone. Not only will this assignment be a great way to make some new friends,we’ll be concerning ourselves with elements of light and composition, as well as getting familiar with our cameras.

You’ll need to shoot at least 30 images of each person and make four final prints.

Research:
Find at least six websites of photographers or artists that specialize in portraits and include the addresses in your notes. Also, go to the library and find six books on portraits that interest you. Remember, you can get inspiration from painters and photographers alike. At least three of these books should be portraits made by painters. Write down the names and call numbers of these books and include them along with your portraits.

The Goal:
The goal for this assignment is to get you to meet your neighbors, get you to visit the library and get you to start shooting. You’ll also learn the rudiments of your camera, learn to import your images onto your computer, make adjustments to them in Lightroom and make prints and contact sheets. Whew! That’s enough!

Monday, February 2

2009-02-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

Welcome back! It seems as though we really haven't started and yet this is the beginning of the third week of classes. Today we're going to start our blogs. On it you'll keep your class assignments and your writings and notes. The first assignment for your blog is that each and every week you need to read and comment on two current events. This can be something that you find in the New York Times, the Washington Post or the Christian Science Monitor. You can also report on articles that you find in any of the many art journals. We'll track some of them down in class, but one that might (should) interest you is Glass Tire.

http://www.nytimes.com/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
http://www.csmonitor.com/
http://glasstire.com/

Today I'm also going to introduce you to my projects and talk to you a bit about what you can expect should you decide to become a photographer. In addition to my teaching, I have a fine art career and for a number of years was a commercial photographer as well. We'll also take a walk over to the new student center where I've got 32 images up. (Don't worry, this is the last time I'll talk about me or my work, though I do think that it's important that you know who you're studying with...don't ever be afraid to ask your teachers what their credentials are!)

We'll briefly take a look at Lightroom 2 today, and for next Monday, please read the first two chapters in the Lightroom book. I may just give you a quiz on the contents...

First Assignment

2009-01-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

Your first shooting assignment is to photograph three sets of the alphabet. That's three "A's", three "B's", three "C's", etc. And by photographing the alphabet, I don't mean for you to take pictures of letters that you find in signs- although that might make a great assignment as well (check out Lee Friedlander's 'Letters From the People'). Instead I want you to photograph the alphabet as you incorporate the letters in your compositions. The easiest way to explain this is to show you, so I've included several examples. We'll also shoot some photographs in class.

Next Monday 1.26 will be a shooting day for you as I have to attend a university committee meeting all day, so by Wednesday 1.28 you should have three complete sets of alphabet for class.

Also, by Wednesday of next week you should have your Lightroom book, so please order it asap!

welcome to pho-112!

2009-01-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the blog! This is the place to find assignments, due dates and other information regarding this class. Be sure that you can access it!

The address for this site is > http://pho-112.blogspot.com/
The address for my site is > www.wascovich.com
here's the class and my contact info:
Mon/ Wed 2:00-4:50 Wathena 207
Professor Vaughn Wascovich
office: J223
h/ mon/wed 12:30-2:00, by appointment
o/ 903-886-5234
c/ 573.220.5968
e/ vaughn_wascovich@tamu-commerce.edu