Ugh. Time to choose another gen. ed.

After successfully avoiding ALPP classes for three years, this thought lingered in the back of my mind last August.  Of course, being a rising senior, I waited until the last minute to do anything about it–and the thought of taking a gen. ed. during senior year made me wonder why I hadn’t done anything about it sooner.  Knowing my dilemma, my roommate, a CPSC106 alumna, recommended that I attend a digital storytelling class during the first week of the semester.  I missed the section she’d actually suggested and found myself in Jim Groom’s class instead, anxiously awaiting  whatever challenges an artistic “performance” course would throw my way.

In retrospect, I have no regrets about waiting to finish my ALPP gen. ed., because, fortunately, DS106 was nothing I’d anticipated–at all.

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I have few complaints (if you’d really call them that) about how the assignments went in class.  I enjoyed the time I spent working on them, and usually this homework didn’t feel like work at all.  It was a nice break from the monotonous routine of regular college classes.  Occasionally, I found myself struggling to keep up learning about and producing with the tools required for projects, but a little planning went a long way, and I think the assignments were staggered at a manageable pace with a logical progression.  Granted, some weeks were more successful than others, but as I sift through both my project and digital story posts, I can’t pinpoint anything with a truly disappointing outcome.

In particular, the challenge of understanding audio and video tools offered a welcome break from more traditional assignments.  My two favourite projects were “El Mashup” and fan fiction.  While these assignments were time consuming, they forced me to think critically about and work creatively with media with which I have no prior experience.  From these assignments I gleaned the satisfaction of creating new from old, which is also something my regular coursework has never covered.

That being said, I think more emphasis could be placed on image and audio storytelling in lieu of video. More specifically, while the group videos were fun to make, I think I learned more from the commentary, mashup, and screencast assignments since the group video didn’t require me to try tools or techniques that I hadn’t used in the other assignments.  Perhaps this project could be replaced by a graphic design assignment?  After trying my hand at fan fiction postcards, I felt like I was just getting started with design and wished we’d had more direction with it in class.  Actually, thinking of it, I think graphic design would follow image stories and photography quite naturally.

Although Gardner Campbell’s article and presentation took awhile to digest, this early exposure to the notion of a “personal cyberinfrastructure” gave meaning to our blogs, and particularly to blog customization.  For this reason, I think WordPress itself was the most important tool I learned to use this semester.  At least for my major, I may never again need MPEG Streamclip or Audacity, but it’s likely that I’ll have to establish and manage personal Web space somewhere down the road.  Additionally, I now have a better understanding of the Internet’s helpful and harmful capabilities, as well as how to use this powerful tool to my advantage.  In a similar vein, while there weren’t any tools that I feel a need to specifically criticize, I recommend telling future DS106ers to keep track of all downloaded programs for purging purposes come the end of the semester.

Another suggestion I’ll make is the use of a syllabus (if only a loose one) to help students plan ahead.  At the beginning of the semester, it was difficult to gauge how much time I’d have to allocate for DS106 assignments without a basic syllabus and outline of course expectations.  (I did find one posted to the Spring 2010 course blog, but was unsure of its relevance to the upcoming weeks.)  Fortunately, I didn’t waiver at the prospect of work-intensive weeks to come, and had no qualms about making time to complete the assignments thoughtfully and thoroughly.  After all, this is what college-level learning is about.  I’d recommend that students considering DS106 in addition to a heavy workload should probably wait on taking the class to make the most of the assignments and digital story, and, again, an up-front syllabus would help them make this decision.

Way back in August, I seriously considered Jim Groom’s warnings of uninteresting or unmanageable blogging topics, and was running low on ideas until Daily Shoot miraculously inspired my project.  Like the official assignments, my digital story required substantial forethought to successfully keep up, but my genuine interest in photography made it relatively easy to maintain weekly posts.   Without a doubt, I consider my digital story a narrative of my progress and interest in a new hobby.  Moreover, the most satisfying facet of my digital story is that it will not end with the semester; it would be a shame for the journey to end simply because I’ve stopped earning grades for it.

Lastly, I’ll admit that my primary weakness was in commenting distribution.  I often found myself commenting on the same blogs over and over again–but not consciously, it just sort of happened.  There was a clear set of digital stories that held my interest, and kept drawing me back for more.  My suggestion for future classes is to require installation of the Subscribe to Comments plugin at the beginning of the semester.  Once I could track my comments on other blogs, it was much easier to engage in online discussions.  I think this plugin, or something similar, is an essential part of Internet-based discussion since remembering to check for new comments on a post you’ve already read is fairly unlikely.

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Maybe my the right side of my brain’s been starved for attention, or maybe it was the unstructured, self-driven nature of DS106 that made this semester a success.  Regardless of what “it” was, I’ve found DS106 to be definitely what you make of it.  After seven semesters at UMW, I struggle to think of a more enjoyable gen. ed. course to round out my liberal arts experience.

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I started out by mentioning the effects of different lighting on color.  Keeping light in mind when walking around town, the cloudy skies gave me a chance to compare the same subject under different light conditions.  I think the following images emphasize the difference between the muted colors under diffused light and the brighter colors created by direct light.  I didn’t use a software slider to adjust these colors, either–the differences are completely created by lighting!

Two views of the same street from different positions (in November & October, respectively):

Then I mentioned color moods. Here’re “warm” (red) and “calm” (green) pictures, respectively.

I *think* the cabbage image also exemplifies both abstract and harmonic colors.

Before looking for complimentary colors, I didn’t realize how correctly pairing them can make different objects stand out.  This juxtaposition of orange and blue creates quite a sharp contrast between otherwise boring newspaper stands.

Of course, this post wouldn’t be complete without some primary colors!  Now that I know what complimentary colors are, however, I think I like them better…

Like UMW, the campus near my house is fairly squirrel-infested.  But the upside to rogue rodents?  Easy monochromatic silhouettes!  FYI, the “help me” sign is one of many creepy doodles in our basement…

So I’m disappointed that the osage oranges are a little out of focus, but I think they still do a good job showing how “a little bit goes a long way” when it comes to color.  The flower picture is actually by my sister, but I think it pairs well with the image above it.

Thanks for reading this giant post!  I decided to go “all out” this week because it’s going to be tough to get in much more photography before finals.

Irrelevant to color, but I like this concluding action shot!

(Inspiration!)

(Inspiration!)

(Inspiration!)

I’d originally thought I could design some t-shirts, but it turns out making the design fit to the model’s shape is probably more complicated than I can handle right now, so I have to give Braden credit for photoshopping Gollum for me!

It turns out my last post about light was a a perfect segue into color, because apparently it has a significant effect on what colors your camera captures.  For example, the camera can obscure true colors by over-correcting for white balance.  At least in digital photography, this problem is easily corrected for in the editing stage.  For example, these photos from cambridgeincolour demonstrate incorrect (left) and correct (right) white balance.

Light affects color intensity.  Direct/harsh light tends to enhance colors, whereas reflected light mutes them.  Sometimes the light is “just right” to capture a subject.  In this case, don’t wait–just shoot!  Good lighting is often fleeting and difficult to recreate.

Different color moods are created by the “warm” and “cool” ends of the color wheel.  Hedgecoe categorizes colors as “hot” (reds), “cool” (blues), “calm” (greens), and “bright” (yellows).  Thus, each color category has a different effect on the viewer.

Among other things, colors can be abstract, harmonic, or monochromatic.  “Abstract” colors are easily captured in close-ups so that color dominates the subject composition.  Hedgecoe points out that “the bright artificial colors” of man made materials are also a good place to start when looking for abstract color compositions.

“Harmonic” color schemes are created by using adjacent colors on the color wheel.  (Therefore, the image above exemplifies both abstract and harmonic color.)

I’ve never been completely clear on “monochromatic” until Hedgecoe explained it in terms of paint swatches.  (I’d always thought of it in terms of black and white, which can be monochromatic, but monochrome isn’t limited to B&W.  However, black and white are “neutral” colors, so they can be present with other colors and a monochromatic scheme won’t be affected.)  To create a monochromatic composition, constrain the colors in your photo to different shades of the same color.

A monochromatic photo:

The most aesthetically pleasing combination of strong colour contrasts are created by complimentary colors (left).  Primary/triadic colors (right) also pair well together for a dramatic color effect.

Lastly, a photographer should be careful not to use too many colors.  Sometimes “a little bit goes a long way,” especially if the colors in a composition come from random places on the color wheel.  Hedgecoe suggests placing a strongly colored subject against a monochromatic, muted, or blurry background to achieve a color-popping effect.  Not only do the harmonic colors work well in the following image, but the blue and yellow also stand out because of the relatively homogeneous background.

–WHEW!– That was a lot of info for me.  Well, stay tuned for my own examples coming soon!  Until then, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  We’re almost there! 

]]> http://cupofchai.umwblogs.org/2010/11/21/week-7/feed/ 8 http://cupofchai.umwblogs.org/2010/11/17/fan-fiction-brainstorming/ http://cupofchai.umwblogs.org/2010/11/17/fan-fiction-brainstorming/#comments Thu, 18 Nov 2010 04:32:59 +0000 Lindsay http://blog.cupofchai.info/?p=685 I can definitely relate to Karen’s reaction to our latest assignment; I’m a non-obsessor when it comes to TV, movies, stories, etc.  There is, however, one example that comes to mind.  Yes, LORD OF THE RINGS.  I probably won’t be the only person to post about it, and there’s certainly a plethora of LOTR fan fiction out there (e.g. DS106′s own LOTB).  The trilogy has been one of my faves since I first saw The Fellowship of the Ring back in the day (7th grade, actually) with my “bffs”–my sister and two neighbors. We’re still kind of addicted to this day, and have been known to consecutively watch all three movies when visiting each other. It’s a tradition that’ll probably never die for us.   Of the three movies, I’d have to say The Two Towers is the best. When the movie starts, the plot’s already been established and ready to go,  and the epicness isn’t over by the end of the movie–plus there’s always the Battle of Helm’s Deep.  I don’t even like violent movies, but the action in this scene is just too good to pass up.  I can’t count how many times I’ve seen these movies, although I confess that I’ve yet to read the books.  I’ll get to them someday…

Admittedly, the one thing The Two Towers doesn’t have on The Return of the King is the March of the Ents. Treebeard is the best:

I apologize for my sniffley voice! I’m currently fighting off a major head cold. Gross.

The three main light sources are front, side, and back light.

Lighting on these columns were created by the direct afternoon sun outside of DuPont.  The version to the left was taken for a daily shoot requesting a “subject low in color saturation,” but I think I actually like the sepia version better because it directs attention to the strongly patterned shadows.  Front lighting is supposed to enhance a subject’s detail but reduce its three-dimensional qualities.  I think this picture I took during Week 1 of my project is a better example of front lighting and how this light source affects detail and dimensions:

As I walked past Pollard during the late afternoon, I noticed the strong side light on the building’s columns.  According to Comon, side lighting is more difficult to work with than front light, and therefore “Good sense tells us to first play it safe, and then experiment.”  I think the side lighting on Pollard was more interesting in “real” life, but I think it’s at least noticeable in the photo.  On another note, the image’s horizons are a product of both the aspect ratio (16:9) and, of course, the subject’s lines.  The aspect ratio was actually completely unintentional here, but it worked out anyway.  (Somehow I changed my camera’s aspect ratio and can’t figure out how to readjust it!!)

Back lighting was the most challenging light source to find examples of, so I’m going to pull some pictures I’ve taken in the past to supplement this part.  (I did, however, take the sunset shot a few weeks ago.)  Backlighting is commonly used for silhouette portraits (e.g. this photo from ohaylalala), but more generally, it produces good high contrast images if approached correctly.

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All of these back lighting examples were photographed in the evening, but this isn’t the only time of day that back lighting works. When using back lighting, Ang suggests “expose for the background alone” and “try to position yourself so that the subject itself obscures the light source.”

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That being said, I’ve found specific times of day offer the most cooperative light sources.  For example, oblique morning light is realtively forgiving (e.g. the MWC sign on Sunken).  Night photography works if you can adjust your camera for a longer exposure (e.g. for fireworks).  Bright afternoon light is the most difficult light to work with.

Now that I’ve got a handle on lighting, in the coming weeks I want to  look at colour in photography.  It seems like a fairly complicated topic, so it’ll probably take multiple weeks to cover the basics.

Photo by Michelle Fame

~~~~~Light Quality~~~~~

“Regardless of the reason why we are shooting, when dealing with light, quality, not quantity, is of the utmost importance“  –Paul Comon

I am constantly having issues with quantity over quality when it comes to light. This issue is partly the product of a busy schedule (I don’t always have time to take pictures when the light is right for a particular subject), and part of it is forgetfulness that the camera doesn’t always “see” things the way I do.  For example, I thought the following picture would turn out just fine. It wasn’t too sunny out, and it wasn’t yet dusk, so I figured the camera would “think” the conditions were good, too. Wrong! I have no idea what happened here, but I’m pretty sure my “internal” light meter was a bit off!

Light can be “soft” or “hard”/”harsh,” and different subjects are best photographed in specific light qualities. Comon uses the examples of “male” versus “female” subjects. While I’m not entirely sure what these categories mean beyond their literal interpretations, his examples include using soft light for flowers and children (female subject) and harsh light for male subjects.

The following photo was taken on a cloudy day with soft light (I think!)

This leaf was also captured under soft/diffused lighting conditions…
…as was this familiar shot from our Daily Shoot assignment.

Hard light, on the other hand, produces images with higher contrast and more shadows. This usually happens in direct light from one source. I’ve found that turning on your flash can help reduce unwanted contrast.  These aren’t particularly noteworthy shots, but they make a good flash off/on comparison. In general I prefer natural light (left), but using flash (right) seemed to be the easiest way around the dim kitchen lighting.

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In the next photo, I interpreted “male” to mean more angular subjects, such as architecture. Direct afternoon lighting (~12:30 pm) made these shadows possible. I think there might be something to this male/female thing because, when I tried photographing architectural elements in soft light, the images turned out rather dull; I’d say the fence picture is a good example of this issue.