ASSIGNMENT: COOL SPACE WITH HUMAN

ASSIGNMENT: A COOL SPACE FOR A PORTRAIT

Assigned NOVEMBER 11 | Due NOVEMBER 25, 2017

THE BRIEF:

Think of this assignment as a space for humans with a human in it. it is not a traditional portrait in that we are not interested in the person in the shot, what we want to see is the space itself. It could be an entryway of an elegant office or an art gallery’s main room, a small reading space to an elaborate industrial site. The space is our focus, the human is there for scale/dimension/to add a touch of humanity to the enclosed landscape in front of us.

The client is a regional magazine and they are known for interesting, cool, and whimsical imagery. Their preference is for as much natural lighting as possible, but are not against a bit of strobe if used to accentuate, not dominate a scene.

THE PARTICULARS:

• Horizontal image
• Color
• Leave some space for a headline somewhere (do not add one)

ASSIGNMENT PART TWO

You have a subject in the space for your shot, now do a portrait of that person in the space. In this photograph, the subject is indeed the star of the image – but the space is still important. This is probably not a time for a telephoto lens, but instead a normal to slightly wide lens. This is to help you think of the difference between the subject of the space, and the subject of the human IN the space.

Same particulars as above.

PEOPLE

Be very concerned with wardrobe. You may want colors to stand out, or you may instead want them to be muted and retracted into the scene. Skirt length, shoes, jacket, and tie or no – all will say something about this space even if we do not see the person’s face. Be particular about how the model shows up.

You may wish to change the wardrobe a bit for the portrait shot of your subject. In this case you may again want them to stand out, or blend in subtly with the space. Be deliberate, be in control of every facet of this image.

ARCHITECTURE

This is a big area of photography and one you may be called on to shoot many times as a commercial photographer. Whether it is purely for the architecture, or as a background subject for some other ad, working with spaces is very valuable.

Scope the room from every angle. What does it say to you regarding being photographed? Angles and shadows will provide inspiration, and be acutely aware of the floor… does it enhance the shot, or is the ceiling more engaging. Your POV camera position will be determined mostly by the architecture if it is to be featured.

VIDEO CLIPS

If you are wanting to work on a video for this assignment, make a 30″ clip with music behind. Take us on a quick, visual tour of the location or space. Remember to think in short clips (5 seconds) and make sure we see the most important parts.

Music and text running over the video would be a great small clip to have in your portfolio. Please make sure the video is placed where we can view it (YouTube or Vimeo) and make notes about its construction. We are all going to be interested.

SHOOTING SPACES