Portraits assignment grading criteria

Your Portraits assignment is due in your Google Drive folder before class on Monday (2/4). If you haven’t already started shooting, make sure you read over the assignment carefully: A3: Portraits/Light.

Your first two assignments were for credit, as long as you completed them and followed directions. Portraits will be your first graded assignment. We haven’t really discussed Joe Elbert’s Hierarchy since the second class, but you should re-read the handout or review the presentation, because it’s about setting standards for news photography. It’s something I use when grading assignments. As a quick reminder, here is the short version:

1. Informational
2. Graphic Appeal
3. Emotional Appeal
4. Intimate

While strictly informational photos can serve a purpose, our goal is to rise above these rudimentary types of photos. Photos with graphic appeal raise the bar by making your photos more interesting through composition and light. However, remember to set the bar at creating photos with emotional appeal. This is how we best create connections with our audience. And intimate photos are the ultimate goal. The very best news photos often exhibit all of these traits. The Portraits assignment is your first opportunity to start raising the bar with your images.

The following are some of the questions I will ask myself as I evaluate your photographs. I highlighted areas that relate to Elbert’s Hierarchy.

25%: Captions

• Have you written full sentences?
• Are there any typos in your caption? Spelling and grammar count!
• Have you followed AP Style to identify your subject? (The  “Who” part of your caption, just like for the mugshots assignment.)
• Is it clear in your caption why this person might be newsworthy or interesting?
• Have you included at “sign-off” at the end of your caption in parentheses? (Your Name/MMJ3333)
• Is your caption embedded in the “description” field of your image file?

25%: Technical quality

• Is your photograph properly exposed? (Neither too dark nor too light)
• Is your subject sharp and in-focus? (NOTE: if you chose a shallow depth-of-field for your photograph, your subject still needs to be sharp and in-focus. HINT: typically focus on your subject’s eyes – especially for your close-up portrait)
• Is your color balance realistic?

25%: Use of Light

• Does one portrait exhibit soft light and the other hard light?
• Is it obvious, or do I have to guess which is which? (Study the characteristics of each type of light. It should be obvious!)
• Does the light help create a mood or atmosphere that is appropriate for your subject?
• Does the light create graphic appeal that draws interest to your subject through contrast and/or direction?

25%: Content

• Is one image an environmental portrait and the other a close-up featuring your subject’s face?
• Does your portrait exhibit the character, personality, or uniqueness of your subject (emotional appeal!)?
• Does your environmental portrait provide visual cues in order to better understand why your subject might be interesting or newsworthy (information!)?
• Does your portrait exhibit a level of intimacy between your subject and the viewer by revealing something personal or profound? Or by creating a sense of being right there, without the filtering presence of you, the photographer?

 

I will grade each portrait individually, so you will receive two grades, on a scale of 0-100, for this assignment. That way, if you excel at one and the other is not so great, you only need to re-shoot one, if you choose to do so.

Letter grades are as follows:

A (90%+) – Professional quality work. Technical execution, composition, content and captions meet professional standards.

B (80-89%) – Publishable. Competent technical quality and understandable, relevant content. Some correctable flaws.

C (70-79%) – Marginally publishable, but not desirable. Could have good content with technical problems. Could be technically fine, but lacking in journalistic value. A “record shot” which might be fine for social media, but not for professional news publications.

D (60-69%) – Not publishable. Poor technical quality and little-to-no journalistic value. 

F (Below 60%) – Not acceptable. Major technical problems and no journalistic value. Missed deadline.

 

Remember this quote:

“A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it” 

– Edward Steichen

A good portrait, or any good news photograph, starts with an interesting subject. And ends with your effort to tell his or her story.

Some of this criteria is specific to the Portraits assignment, but expect much of this (especially Joe Elbert’s Hierarchy) to be considerations for every shooting assignment you have for the rest of the semester.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Assignment 3: Portraits/Light

DEADLINE:  Upload to your Google Drive folder no later than 5:30 p.m., Monday, March 4!

Objectives

While candid, documentary photography is always the preferred approach in photojournalism, sometimes portraits are a valid and necessary approach under certain conditions. Portraits can describe much more than what a person looks like. As with all photojournalism, storytelling is the focus of a journalistic portrait. Also, our understanding about the characteristics of light is key to visual storytelling. Our use of light can help shape the perception of our photographs. 

 

The Assignment:

Create TWO journalistic portraits that go beyond simple snapshots and capture a unique aspect of a subject’s character and personality, and make light part of your storytelling.

Requirements (especially note the requirements in bold-face type)

1. Shoot one environmental portrait – incorporate your subject’s environment into your image to facilitate understanding. You can include full body or head-and-shoulders, or anything in-between. You can include storytelling elements in the foreground or background, or both. You can use props if they help tell your subject’s story.  Your choice of angle or perspective (via lens focal length) and how you arrange everything in your frame can make a difference (composition). Can your use of light help draw interest or set the right tone?  (Review the presentation about visual cues, using props, light and composition! Also, review examples of former students’ work.)
2. Shoot one close-up portrait – concentrate on your subject’s face, giving us a sense your subject’s personality, or create a mood or feeling with light that is appropriate for telling your subject’s story. Props, clothing/headware, expressions, and gestures are in play. You may include head and shoulders if a gesture or body language helps tell your subject’s story, but the face must be the primary focus in this portrait. See examples of closeups in the presentation.
3. One portrait must demonstrate the use of a HARD light source – explore how hard light creates interplay between light and shadow, emphasizing texture, form, and detail and creating dramatic contrast.
4. The other portrait must demonstrate the use of a SOFT light source – explore how diffused light softens features and opens up shadows to reveal details or create a more relaxed, soft mood.
5. You choose which portrait uses soft or hard light, but you must demonstrate the use of each. It should be obvious, so review the lesson on using light.
6. Shoot in manual mode. You choose your camera’s exposure settings. You choose what focal length to set your zoom lens at for a certain perspective. You choose how much depth of field you want in your image, via lens focal length, aperture, and distance to your subject.
7. A full caption must be embedded into your image file in the “Description” field. Caption requirements:

• Full sentences!!! (Aim for 2 sentences, but 3 is acceptable if one of them is a quote from your subject.)
• Follow AP Style for “Who” (just like for the mugshots assignment)
• Include a sign-off at the end of your caption: (your name/MMJ3333)
• Establish newsworthiness in your caption
• What’s interesting about your subject?
• Why should your audience care?
•  Review AP Style captions if you are unsure about style or the required information.

Other considerations

• Your portraits may both be of the same person, or you may select two different people. Select one or two subjects you think others ought to know about. Your choices can be based on personal interests, or simply someone you think is interesting. You must be able to show us and tell us why they might be interesting. Remember to SHOW us first! Create a visual connection between your subject and your audience!
• Use the various characteristics of light to help tell your subject’s story and make your portraits interesting. Is hard light or soft light best? Can the direction of the light help create a mood or visual interest? Is warm light or cool light appropriate for the mood you want to create? You need to think about all these things and incorporate them into your portraits.
• Again, your caption must be adhere to AP Style. Captions are extremely important for portraits to help your audience understand why someone might be noteworthy. A great portrait should be eye-catching, but you still need to explain, in your caption, WHY your subject might be interesting or newsworthy to your audience. This is a good opportunity to add context that might not be included in your portrait and/or use a quote by or about your subject. A couple of sentences should do it.

Upload your TWO portraits, with captions embedded in the “description” field, to your Google Drive folder no later than 5:30 p.m., Monday, March 4.

 

Portrait Assignment TIPS 

Control!

With posed portraits, YOU are in control of nearly everything. You choose the location. The time. How you want your subject to pose. Whether or not to use props. You are in control of everything in your frame – front to back, corner to corner.

Be methodical – THINK your way through this assignment!

Because you have the opportunity to control everything, take advantage. Slow down. Be methodical. Continue to practice shooting in manual mode with back-button focus. Evaluate your light. Move around your subject to see how the available light interacts with your subject. Or have your subject move to best utilize the available light. Shoot lots of pictures and try to draw out your subject’s personality. You might be shooting hundreds of frames to complete this assignment. Keep checking the results with your camera’s playback button as you shoot. That’s okay. Each unsuccessful frame is a learning experience. Even if you think you’ve got it, keep shooting. You might do better!

Technical excellence

Shoot test frames to make sure your exposure is correct and your pictures are in-focus and sharp. There’s no excuse for technical problems with these portraits because you have the time to make corrections.

What’s your subject’s story? 

Be clear about what you are trying to communicate about your subject. Why do you think this person is interesting or notable?

You might want to draw out your subject’s personality, but personality alone doesn’t always make a person newsworthy. What else is unique and interesting about your subject? If your subject’s personality is connected to their notable activities, show us that personality, then explain (in your caption) how it’s relevant to who they are or what they do.

Remember to SHOW us first (that’s your connection point), then tell us.

Read the light

Start using your knowledge of light to help you create a more compelling photograph. You may want to scout locations before you set up any portrait sessions.

Light is especially important with your close-up portrait. Even if your subject is not particularly expressive, dramatic light can help make your portrait eye-stopping and memorable.

Make note of the light quality, direction, and color cast. Think about the characteristics of light and think about how those characteristics can help you tell your subject’s story. Maybe walk around your subject on the scene and see if the light interacts differently with your subject when you change positions or perspective. And think about how those changes affect your photograph.

What tone or atmosphere do you want to set? Bold and dramatic? Light and airy? Open and relaxed? Dark and mysterious? The type of light you choose can make a big difference in your results.

Composition

Composition is extremely important  with environmental portraits.

Carefully evaluate the environment you photograph your subject in. What’s in the foreground? The background? Where are you going to place your subject in relation to his or her environment? What angle are you going to choose? What lens focal length will be best to use? How much depth-of-field do you need? That’s the basic stuff. Can you be more creative and surprise us?

Composition with your close-up portrait is a little less crucial – you should essentially fill the frame with your subject’s face. You can shoot even tighter, featuring one aspect of your subject’s face – the eyes, for example. You can leave some creative compositional space in your frame if you like, but your subject’s face needs to be the clear focus in your close-up portrait.

Make your subject comfortable

You can give some direction about how you want your subject to pose, but try to draw out your subject’s natural personality. Facial expressions, gestures, and body language should honestly reflect your subject’s personality. This is especially key with your close-up portrait.

Talk to your subjects. Ask them questions about themselves to make them comfortable and to learn more about them. Their answers can help you decide what to shoot and how to shoot it, as well as give you additional information to include in your caption.

While light may drive your choice of location, try to photograph them in an environment that’s familiar to them. That can make them more comfortable and give you more options in how you photograph them. See if you can make the environment a meaningful part of your portraits.

As always, feel free to contact me. If you run into stumbling blocks, contact me. Again, I can’t promise to respond right away, but I’ll respond as soon as possible.