THE HOLIDAY ASSIGNMENT 2017

DECEMBER 10 : DUE JANUARY 2

THE HOLIDAY ASSIGNMENT: HOLIDAY MAGAZINE SHOOT

Assigned December 9, 2017 | Due January 2, 2018

We will not be having a class on December 26. This assignment will cover the holiday period.

THE BRIEF:

A regional magazine needs holiday images to run on their special edition “Holidays at Home” which hits the racks the week before Christmas. (You have a bit more time than that.) The magazine is a digitally printed one so they can take images right up the last day before printing.

As long as you deliver images that work for the layouts they planned.

This is an editorial shoot and you can take your time to get it prepared and shot. However, there are a few caveats that you MUST be aware of.

They need a vertical image for the article title page. This full-page image must set the tone for the rest of the images and be the catalyst for the images that follow.
There must be one shot from four of the following categories:
Food
People
Holiday Decorations
Party or Intimate Dinner
Children
Company
Parents and Grandchildren
Shopping
Buying a Christmas Tree
Hannukah Minoras
Festive Lights
Only four categories are to be used, please.
The images must flow to tell a story. And it should be local to where you – the photographer – are at the moment.

Full color, of course. Clean images that will pull the reader into the copy.

Remember that the article title image must be a vertical so it fits the page correctly. The magazine is 8.5 x 11.

My suggestion is to research some holiday issues of magazines to see what they are running. Try these for inspiration:

Oprah
Real Simple
Sunset
Better Homes and Gardens
Ladies Home Journal
Any others you can find.

I will be popping on FB to discuss lighting and such during the holidays. As usual, all will be recorded.

Assignment Due by midnight, December ,25 2017

FILE NAMING CONVENTION:
day-firstname-lastname-date-a.jpg
(for instance: wed-don-giannatti-9-21-a.jpg)
This is important.

File size: 1000 pixels on longest side.
Use ‘SAVE FOR WEB” or limit file size to 400kb.

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THEY LIKE THESE:

ASSIGNMENT INFO:

PEOPLE

Wardrobe!

These are not “Christmas Photos” for friends and family, they are for a publication. Dress your talent accordingly. Make sure they look “holiday” and be attentive to every small detail. The talent can range from young to old, but they have to look like a styled shoot to tell a story, not sitting in the park on a cloudy day.

STILL LIFE

Food! Ornaments!

Tell the story of Christmas or whatever holiday you are working on with only a few props, or still life shots. Food is a great catalyst for interesting images, and adding some hands or additional holiday props may help you sell it even stronger.

VIDEO CLIPS

The Holidays in your town. 1 – 2 minutes in run time. Holiday music, though not necessarily Christmas music.

LIGHTING

I expect you will use a great deal of different lighting. From natural light to strobe to a blend of both. These shots may be done on location or studio, and I don’t think taking lights out to shopping areas is a good idea at all.

Just make sure the light helps tell the story.