PHO136B Las Vegas Document

Look for LVD Spring 2022

Th 10:00 AM-01:50 PM NLV BLDG A 1744 Protz

•••Print this page as your weekly semester guide•••
As opportunities arise, I reserve the right to alter the order and to add to or subtract
from this syllabus or weekly semester guide.

We will explore Las Vegas through the lens of your camera. We will go on group shoots to iconic locations of Vegas. You will also create, maintain and update your own Facebook and Instagram feeds. ALONG WITH OUR FACEBOOK GROUP.

Please do not ask me if you can bring friends, family  children, boyfriends, girlfriends on shoots. In this is a class you have a responsibility to shoot and explore. Bringing along non-photographers you will lose your focus and will do poorly when shooting. Never go off on your own, always photograph with someone from the class. We will break off and shoot in small groups. Everyone will have my mobile #, you must come to the first class to get the mobile #.

week 1: January 23, 2020

Meet in the classroom -
Syllabus

First week Action List: File Prep info page and More

Project 1
Around Vegas

Print on demand book/magazine using Magcloud or Blurb
Project Due by week 14
This is a cohesive concept. Be sure to show me what you are working on and I will help and guide you on what is working and where you can improve.
You should have a title for your project. 
A short statement.
20-25 images.

or

12 images matted/or bleed mount images 

Traditional window mats no smaller than 16x20

No black mount boards - White boards only unless discussed in advance.

Bleed mount images no smaller than 13x19 paper. You can add a white border to look like a matted work.

Due: Thursday, May 14, 2020, 10am

- no late projects accepted -
 

Final Project 100 points

week 2: January 30, 2020

Meet out front of The El Cortez on Fremont Street at 10am sharp.
Allow time to navigate and park. Best to be early. (DON"T BE LATE) Paid street or deck parking can be found around here. If you drive down a number of blocks you can park for free. Remember to allow enough time for getting to the meet spot before class begins.
600 E Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

We will be exploring Fremont Street. Architecture, people, stories, light, and details. Just get out and make photos. Your goal for today is 300 frames. Work on exploring composition and finding stories in the image. Go beyond a single snap work from far to close - High to low. Don’t forget a detail might work in your story.

•Food: A class tradition is meeting for a meal or snack before class begins, Let me know if you are coming (EMAIL ME- NO texts please) and get there on time they will not seat us without everyone there. Be sure to bring cash. Credit cards are difficult for splitting the check. Many places will not give individual checks. Everyone thanks you in advance! Breakfast 8:45: Siegels 1941, inside the El Cortez
Menu: https://elcortezhotelcasino.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Breakfast-1941-Breakfast-Menu-1pm.pd
This is a deal! $7.77 BREAKFAST SANDWICH SUPREME.  Join us from 11 p.m. to 11 a.m., seven days a week, for a $7.77 Breakfast Sandwich Supreme and coffee. Delight your taste buds with egg, bacon, Canadian bacon, Jack and Cheddar cheese all sandwiched in an English muffin.

 

week 3: Feb 6, 2020

The Fremont Street Exploration continues.

This Weeks Focus - People
Do you want to shoot from a distance (telephoto Lens)? Do you want to be up-close (wide angle lens)? Think about how those two approaches differ in the meaning of your images you will be creating? What type of people do you want to photograph? Locals, tourists, young, old, street performers, the odd, the funny, the homeless?

If you choose to photograph the homeless think deeply about what you want to say as a photographer. What will your images convey to your viewer about this nation wide epidemic? Do you talk to these people? Do you give them money, food, a smile? The most important thing to remember these are people who are in terrible circumstance for many different reasons. Many people and many photographers believe the homeless should not be photographed because of their vulnerability. If you post on social media you may find yourself defending your position. Be respectful of your viewers even if they are not respectful of you.

Defining your motives and goals when making images will help you talk about your images in an articulate manner and this will become the basis of your artist statement.

Demonstrate your humanity in how you approach and treat all people.

Do you shoot color or B&W? Why did you choose one over the other?

Meet at Public US 10AM
1126 Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Breakfast 8:45 - Menu: https://www.allmenus.com/nv/las-vegas/486529-publicus/menu/

week 4: Feb 13, 2020 -Valentines Day - A good day for snapping!

The Wedding Chapels - Love - Meet at 1700 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89104 - 10AM - Park away from the business entrance. Breakfast 9am Vickies Diner - Menu: http://vickiesdiner.com/menu.html

This Weeks Focus - LOVE - HATE - What do you want to say on this day?
https://www.vegas.com/holidays-in-las-vegas/valentines-day/

https://lasvegassun.com/news/2018/feb/12/some-things-to-know-about-getting-married-on-valen/

https://www.gracelandchapel.com/    -ELVIS
 

week 5: Feb 20, 2020

On to the Strip  - The Cosmopolitan
Meet 10AM Out front of District: Donuts. Sliders. Brews.  Location: Level 2, Boulevard Tower
Breakfast 8:45 - Menu: https://assets.ctfassets.net/sahy2rpqbnsp/1DccJjkxmcAgAIKAKwCSUw/7a079905c4d46acc8716d184f2c01985/restaurants-district-menu-20180910.pdf
This is a food court, there are other places here as well. Eggslut yum. But usually a long wait. 
Free parking at the Cosmo

This Weeks Focus - Architecture
Some great architecture to explore abound here. Angles, reflections, layering of space both inside and out. When photographing what happens when you use a telephoto lens vs a wide angle lens. How is the perspective changed between the two? Exaggerated perspective vs compressed perspective. When making images how do you use these visual effect to define an image? How is the depth of field effected by your choice of long vs wide lens? This is getting technical go make some images.

Define:
•Email your answers in the body of an email (No Attachments) to [email protected] before class begins:

Wide-Angle Lens
Telephoto Lens
Zoom Lens
Exaggerated Perspective
Compressed Perspective
How is depth of field altered by the focal length and distance to your subject?

week 6: Feb 27, 2020  

-WPPI Trade Show - 10am - 3pm - Mandalay Bay I’m sure many of us will be exploring WPPI this week So we will Spend 2 weeks in this area making images. Explore the show or go out and shoot it is up to you this week.
Free Parking at Tropicana.

http://www.wppionline.com/index.shtml
WPPI Expo Dates:
Tuesday, February 25, 10am – 4pm
Wednesday, February 26, 10am – 4pm
Thursday, February 27, 10am – 3pm

week 7: March 5, 2020

The South Strip: Tropicana  - New York New York - The Welcome to Las Vegas Sign
Free parking at the Tropicana
Meet on the Bridge to Excaliber from Tropicana Casino

This Weeks Focus - What have you been shooting.
Start working on a defined vision. A series. •If architecture you have old or glitz here - go shoot.
•If people  - Lots of them. Tourists for sure. If you are looking for more locals try the mini mart and older venues along the strip not the big properties, Head down Trop, you will find some locals.

Breakfast 8:30 Coco's 
169 E Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89109
https://cocosbakery.com/menu/#breakfast-menu
 

4 week - Assignment: Up and Down Charleston Blvd

We will be exploring about 20 miles of road, over five weeks. You will find glitz and grit, old and new, independently owned businesses and chains. You will find people from every race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. What story do you want to tell along NV-159, Nevada.

To start out you might want to drive the entire road looking for something to catch your eye. Maybe find someone drive you so you can really look. Ride the bus. Ride your bicycle. What do you see that catches your eye? Now dig deeper, get in closer, look for the story. Next get out on foot, exploring, making images having interactions with the space and people around.

The boundaries for this project:
•1 block North or South of Charleston
•From Foothills and West Charleston to where East Charleston dead ends.

This project was inspired by Micah Kraus, his project Up and Down Copley.
http://genuine-article.co/up-and-down-copley/

I asked Micah for a tip to get you started.

“Walk - It’s important to be out of the car and on foot in order to respond to each photo opp. Get closer - use a prime lens so that you’ve got to, get close to the objects/people you’re photographing. Light - shoot during times of day that feature dramatic lighting so that shadows become subject matter. Square Up - make sure horizontal and vertical lines are square to the photo frame. Compose in a grid-based way so that textures and other elements of decay can exist in an organized environment.”

Submit one Adobe Spark Page URL to [email protected]
Spark page must contain a minimum of 20 images.

The best Spark Pages have text to help tell the story.

So take notes as you are out making your images.
Who, what, where, when are good start points. If you have an interesting conversation with someone be sure to jot it down. You will not remember the details tomorrow.

Yes, you can create a project in a few minutes, but those of you who spend some time thinking about the story you want to tell, the order of the images - size - detail will have a stronger presentation to share and include in their portfolio.

Links:
A video about captions I created for my Travel Class. This is good info for this class as well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSXPG7swo8c&feature=youtu.be

week 8: March 12, 2020
Start of the Up/Down Project Charleston Blvd in the Arts District:
Meet Vesta Coffee at 10am for class.
If you want to meet up for breakfast 9am
1114 S Casino Center Blvd #1, Las Vegas, NV 89104 - Street parking available.

week 9: March 19, 2020

I will add links here on our webpage from the emails - in RED - Updated weekly

 
Inspired: Well images to get you thinking
 
Until the mid-twentieth century, documentary photography was a vital way of bearing witness to world events: from shoot-from-the-hip photographs of the Spanish Civil War by Robert Capa to the considered portraits of poor farmers by Dorothea Lange. 
 
 

Photographer Nicoco (@nicolattes) recently embarked on a personal project to document Shanghai during the coronavirus outbreak, hoping to capture the emptiness, isolation, and fear that the virus has wreaked on this once-bustling city.

https://petapixel.com/2020/02/06/eerie-photos-of-an-empty-shanghai-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/

World War I claimed an estimated 16 million lives. The influenza epidemic that swept the world in 1918 killed an estimated 50 million people. One fifth of the world's population was attacked by this deadly virus. Within months, it had killed more people than any other illness in recorded history.
 
Jeffrey Stockbridge 
 
Surreal photographs show how London landmarks have been abandoned during the coronavirus outbreak.
 
 
 
Basically MAKE images. Think in Series Format.
Books - Spark Page. (Look for an email this week about using Adobe Spark)
 
 
Here is a 20 minute video to get you thinking and looking at some images for inspiration. Take notes. 
Please watch these videos I am sending out. Just because we are not meeting does not mean we are on vacation. I am here to answer questions. brainstorm ideas with your. Lets make some strong thought provoking work in the coming weeks.
 

Video review for week 8

 
Some of you might remember Lee Friedlander is one of my favorite photographers. Spend some time today exploring Lee’s work
 

week 10: March 26, 2020  

LVD - Social Distancing:
Write up your concepts for me. What do you want to work in for the remainder of the semester?
Email me an idea by Thursday at 6pm. (This will be graded) 
 
We are in week 10 of the semester, starting week 2 of CSN being closed up. Living social distancing. This has been a big change in our daily lives. How many of you are working from home?
 
So for our Las Vegas Document class I want you to still think in terms of:
*Document
*Documentary
*Street photography: Yes it is still happening. This is your choice, if you want to go out. Be careful if you do. Stay away from people and keep an eye on those people that may be around. They might look at your camera as an opportunity.
*People photography on/in location. The location adds to the story.
 
Push away from object photography, look for a story to tell.  

week 11: April 2, 2020
 

Spring Break April 6-12, 2020 
- A great week to get your 10 week project wrapped up. Make additional images for either project.

week 12: April 16, 2020

Working on Personal Projects

 

week 13: April 23, 2020

BOOKS!
Print on Demand  -  POD


Blurb http://www.blurb.com/ - Sell on amazon
http://www.blurb.com/bookmaking-tools


There are many other options but if you want people to purchase your book, these two give you that option. I like Magcloud it is a little less expensive, but blurb has many more options. Spend some time looking at the book sizes and paper options before you begin. This will help your design process.

Start with a concept for your book - What story are you telling? - Narrative? - documentary? - WHO is your audience?

Look at book covers. What do you like? What do you want your to look like?  It can be a blank page with text - It does not need to be an image.

-What to include inside the book? 
-What text would add to the book? Do you need text? do you need page numbers? Quotes?
-If adding text keep it simple and small. Black or gray, most of the time stay away from color.
-Sizing images for the book depends on the size of the book Page - 300PPI is a start - Then check the specs for sizing images for each book size. 
Using images sized for the book will give you better quality than using images that are too small or too large. Work from your original master files not you Facebook files.
-Did I say no watermark on images yet? The book itself is the watermark © do not add it to each image.

Images - chronologically - thematically - geographically? ———edit edit edit. Only the best!
•I like to make small prints and play with the order and edit. Much easier than on the computer

How many pages will you need? 
-Add some blank pages for pacing or emphasis. Not every page needs an image. 
-Also stay away from black backgrounds for the pages and the cover, black will show fingerprints.

Visit the library online and look at some photo books. CSN has a nice selection of photo books when we are back on campus in the fall take a look.. 

Cover page - what should be there? title of book - your name - project description/artist statement - Your photo? 

ISBN numbers? Do you want to sell your book out in the world? You need this if you are selling the books through storefronts.

Do not clutter the pages - simple is better!

•Include your NAME and contact info - a website - your instagram an email a way for people to get in touch.

Examples - Book

Kirsten Clarke
https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/1607578?__r=923539&s=w

 

week 14: April 30, 2020


•Size all images for best quality to a horizontal width 2560px before creating your Spark Page.

How to videos:  a series of videos from (Taming the Tech)
Below is the 1st 
Next look for the additional videos. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esXWRBX6Jq0&list=PLDGqD48GZCbg-d3Mvz4c6rPr3_w9NFUXb

Be sure to include contact info in your spark page
website
insta
FB
Email

•The best Spark Pages have text to help tell the story.

•Yes, you can create a project in a few minutes, but those of you who spend some time thinking about the story you want to tell, the order of the images - size - detail will have a stronger presentation to share and include in their portfolio.

A video about captions I created for my Travel Class. This is good info for this class as well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSXPG7swo8c&feature=youtu.be
 
Examples sent out on 4-20-2020 Monday email

 

week 15: May 7, 2020

Working on Final Project Presentations - I am here for questions.

- Final Projects DUE May 13 -Final Project Zoom Critique, May 14, at Noon, 2020

For your 2 semester projects the format will be a Book or a Spark Page. 
Minimum of 20 images each project.
 
Be sure to post your Spark Page or Book Preview links to our FB page.
 
- Final Projects DUE May 13 - Final Zoom Crit May 14th at Noon - Everyone is required to participate in the Zoom Crit.
Put this on your calendar
Two separate concepts/projects
1 -  Pre-covid - Out and Free in Las Vegas
2 - Covid - Social Distancing - Your personal project.

•If making a book 
The book images in order of presentation submit through Canvas
-Do a batch rename to add a number to direct the order of the images.
  Submit native resolution size, images can be cropped. -PPI 300 - JPG quality 10 -  no watermark.

In a single email send:
-A printed page with your series title, statement a link to where to purchase the book.
-Your PDF or link to Book Preview.


•If making a Spark Page  
The Spark Page images in order of presentation. Submit native resolution size, images can be cropped. -PPI 300 - JPG quality 10 -  no watermark. Upload to Canvas.

-Do a batch rename to add a number to direct the order of the images.
For best Spark Page results resize your images  to a horizontal width 2560px before creating your Spark Page.
 - JPG quality 10 -  no watermark.
 
In a single email send:
-A printed page with your series title, statement a link to where to purchase the book.
-Your Spark Page Link


Of course what you work on should be a cohesive project, not just random snaps.
Lead us through the series of images. 
What order do you want to present the work. Start to finish.

You can send me small jpg images in an order. Number the 1- ? - I will then look and see if I can help with where you are heading.
Please take advantage of my experience with this.
We can Zoom and screen share what I am thinking about when I place images. 

 

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