Kwartaal 1(Onderwerp 1 & 2) 100 Punte
Inspirasie/ Tema:
Vir hierdie kunswerk gaan jy bietjie introspeksie doen. Die volgende vrae moet jou lei: Wie is ek? Waarvan hou hou ek? Hoe sien ek myself? Hoe sien ander my? Jy moet dus navorsing oor jouself doen. Gebruik jou navorsing oor jouself om ‘n beplanningsproses te voltooi om ‘n nuwe kunswerk
met fotografie as hoofmedium te konseptualiseer (50 punte) en te vervaardig (50 punte).
Opdrag/Eindproduk:
Foto opdrag 1: Selfportret op wit agtergrond
Foto opdrag 2: Produk fotografie van jou vyf gunsteling voorwerpe op ‘n “infinity curve”
Eindproduk: Skep ‘n A3 grootte lynskets vanaf ‘n portretfoto (kop en skouers) en vul die skadu’s met foto’s van jou gunsteling voorwerpe. Versier oop vlakke met plat kleure en/ of patrone in swart ink.
Die bronboek/ visuele dagboek (A3):
Instruksies:
1. Plak jou opdrag in jou A3 visuele dagboek/ bronboek.
2. Ontwerp ‘n voorblad wat die tema uitbeeld. Jou naam, PAT 2 (lekker groot), en naam van die Pat (These are a few of my favourite things) moet op die voorblad verskyn. Herhaal lettertipes regdeur die opdrag. Laat dit ‘n kunswerk wees – maar asseblief: geen klaargekoopte versierings, letters of glitter nie. Dit moet 100% jou eie werk wees. Jy mag wel lettertipes op die rekenaar uitwerk en druk vir gebruik. Doen moeite – eerste indrukke tel baie. Moenie oorversier nie. Vorm-volg-funksie. Hou die doel van die bladsye ingedagte. Beplan jou uitleg en pas toe wat jy in teorie-klas oor die elemente en beginsels geleer het.
3. Maak ‘n inhoudsopgawe vir jou opdrag. Jy moet die inskrywings in 3 kolomme doen: Datum, Opdrag en Bladsy nommer. Los genoeg spasie vir 12 inskrywings.
4. Doen navorsing oor jouself. Die volgende vrae moet jou lei: Wie is ek? Waarvan hou hou ek? Hoe sien ek myself? Hoe sien ander my? Watter voorwerpe beskryf my as mens?
Voer onderhoude met mense na aan jou en maak inligting bymekaar oor hoe ander jou sien en beskryf.
Versamel prente van voorwerpe, plekke, dinge en kleure waarvan jy hou.
(Hierdie navorsing gaan jy gebruik om die ander opdragte te voltooi, dit is nie ‘n bladsy in jou bronboek nie.)
5. Maak ‘n breinkaart wat jou as mens uitbeeld. Sluit die volgende inligting by jou breinkaart in:
· My persoonlikheid
· Watter voorwerpe kan gebruik word om my te beskryf
· Watter voorwerpe is in my kamer
· Waarvan hou ek? Natuur, mense etc.
· Gunsteling kleure
· Gunsteling kosse
6. Bou ‘n A3 moodboard wat jou as mens beskryf. Gebruik die prente wat jy bymekaar gemaak het tydens jou navorsing en rangskik dit op ‘n interessante manier. Fokus om ‘n spesifieke tema uit te beeld en onderwerpe, voorwerpe, kleure en teksture te herhaal.
7. Kies 5 voorwerpe wat jou as mens beskryf. Jy gaan hierdie voorwerpe teken en afneem. Gebruik eerste hierdie voorwerpe as verwysing vir kontoertekeninge. Hierdie gaan vinnige klein (10 x 10cm) sketsies wees. Teken elke voorwerp 3 keer deur die volgende stappe te volg:
· Blinde kontoertekening
· Aangepaste kontoertekening
· Kontoertekening
(Jy kan in jou handbook op Bladsy 9 gaan lees hoe hierdie sketse van mekaar verskil)
8. Teken 4 selfportrette (8 x 12cm)deur die volgende stappe te volg:
· Blinde kontoertekening
· Aangepaste kontoertekening
9. Foto opdrag 1: Voorwerpe/ “My favourite things”
Ons gaan in die klas ‘n “infinity curve” oprig. Bring die 5 voorwerpe wat jou beskryf klas toe en neem dit teen die “infinity curve” af. Onthou dat jy op manual moet afneem. Maak notas oor die Aperture, Shutter Speed en ISO was jy gebruik. Kies een gunsteling foto van elk van die 5 voorwerpe, druk dit in Jumbo grootte en plak dit as “thumbnails” in jou boek. Skryf by die foto watter stellings jy gebruik het.
10. Foto opdrag 2: Selfportrette
Neem jouself (kop en skouers) teen ‘n wit agtergrond af. Sit jou kamera op ‘n stoel of driepoot en stel die “timer” om ‘n foto te neem. Eksperimenteer met verskillende lig, hoeke en gesigsuitdrukkings wat jou persoonlikheid beskryf. Onthou dat jy op manual moet afneem. Maak notas oor die Aperture, Shutter Speed en ISO was jy gebruik. Kies jou 5 gunsteling foto’s om te druk in Jumbo grootte en plak dit as “thumbnails” in jou boek. Skryf by die foto watter stellings jy gebruik het.
Tips for product photography:
#1: Use proper lighting
Let’s start with product photography lighting. Without proper light, neither your product nor your background is going to appear how it does to you in person. “A white background without light doesn’t appear white in the photo, it appears grey,” says Tony Northrup in an article for the  Digital Photography School .
There are two options for product photography lighting: studio lighting and natural lighting. The product that you’re photographing, the purpose of the photo, and the platform on which you’re advertising it will help you decide which setup to go for. Natural lighting can work really well for product photographs featuring edible items, people, and clothing, and these natural looking photos can work well in social media contexts, like Instagram.
If you’re photographing inside, you will want to set up your product facing a window so that you are gaining all the natural light that comes through. On the other hand, if you are able to photograph your products outside, do it! The best times to do this are early morning and late afternoon when the sun is out, but is not too harsh. Slightly overcast days are also preferable. If you take out your shoe inventory at noon when the sun is beating down, you are going to get a lot of glare in your snaps.
On the other hand, if your product is primarily used indoors (e.g., cookware), features small details (e.g., artwork), or is being sold on Amazon and Google Shopping, then artificial product photography lighting is preferable. Luckily knowing a few basics and  building a simple studio setup  can help you get over your intimidation of light.
#2: Use a tripod
Tripods might sound like a nerdy, unnecessary piece of technical equipment, but they make a huge difference in the clarity and quality of your product photography. And they are not necessarily expensive or difficult to use!
Tripods are essentially stands that stabilize your camera from your shaky hand. Using a tripod will ensure a reduction of blur, which is critical if you want your product photographs to look professional and high-quality. It is 100% worth taking the extra minute to set up a tripod for better looking product photographs.
#3: Shoot for the edit
Have you ever stayed up late, half-awake, to write a paper and thought, “I can just edit this in the morning.” Then, once the morning arrives, you have to start the entire assignment over, because your first draft is so sloppy that it’s taking more time to edit than it would to just scrap it.
This is what happens to lazy photographers. If you think you can throw together some sloppy product photographs and work your magic on them in Photoshop, think again. While photography editing is a skill that can make a substantial impact on the quality of a product photo, these edits can only go so far. I like to think of editing as making small touch-ups to enhance an already beautiful piece of art. If you need to change the background or completely crop something out, this is a problem.
When shooting your product photographs, try to shoot for the edit. With this mindset, you’ll shoot knowing that you plan to do minimal editing that will simply enhance the photograph without completely changing it. This will make for a far more desirable result.
#4: Take a basic photo editing class
While editing should be minimal in most cases, it’s still a necessary skill to have in your product photography handbook. Making some small edits – like tweaking the saturation or even masking small flaws within your product photograph – can make a real difference to the finished product.
The trouble with editing is that there are SO many things that you can do that it becomes quite overwhelming if you are attempting to do it on your own without any formal training. Especially if you are using a tool like Photoshop, you will want to learn some foundational knowledge from the pros so that you don’t get completely overwhelmed as you attempt to edit your product photographs.
If you’re not open to shelling out the big bucks for a photo editing course, don’t worry! Simply head to YouTube. There are plenty of free tutorials that will teach you the basics of the editing software of your choosing.
#5: Take inspiration from brands you love
It is always helpful to look to others for inspiration. You likely already have some brands in mind that you love. Take a look at their product photography and ask yourself how a similar shot or technique could work for your products.
For instance, imagine you’re operating a local women’s boutique. Look up your favorite women’s clothing brands on Instagram and reflect on what you love about their product photos. Perhaps you love the post from JCrew below. The monochromatic color scheme and simple background really highlight the product – can you create something similar with your own products?
#6: Get to know the rule of thirds
Most introductory photo classes, as well as many art classes, teach the rule of thirds, because it is a powerful tool. This rule teaches you to visualize your canvas as nine equal segments, like the example below.
The rule of thirds was designed to help artists create a well-balanced composition in each piece. It’s also useful to determine where to place the focus of your piece – your product. Your goal is to have your product positioned along the lines, optimally at the point where two lines intersect.
“Studies have shown that when viewing images that people’s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points most naturally rather than the center of the shot,” says founder of Digital School Photography, Darren Rowse. “Using the rule of thirds works with this natural way of viewing an image rather than working against it.”
#7: Use simple props
When it comes to product photography props, do not get overly ambitious! Remember, the main focus of each product photograph should be the product. With that said, props can be welcome and help brighten the photograph for your viewers.
So how do you decide what props to use? I always recommend erring on the side of light when it comes to props: keep them simple, aligned with the color scheme, and relevant to the scene or your product.
#8: Take multiple shots from varying angles
If you have a fairly large line of products you need to shoot, it might be tempting to just take one or two of each product, then move along. However, this is not going to help with shooting for the edit (as discussed in tip #3!). Taking multiple shots from a variety of angles will show your customers exactly what your product looks like. Plus, it will help give you options when it is time to edit, and you won’t be left thinking, “Should we re-do this one completely?”
Whenever I photograph food that I’m trying to post, I like to shoot from above and from a few different side angles.
Sometimes I’ll have an idea in my head as to which angle will work well, and I’ll be surprised to find that what I expected to chose would be the complete opposite. The beauty of product photography is that you have the ability to take several shots and then strategically chose the best one.
#9: When in doubt, stick to a plain white background
When I took a food photography course in college, I quickly learned how powerful plain backgrounds are. When photographing something like food, the worst thing you can do is put your prop against a patterned, busy background. Your delicious plate of pasta or beautifully decorated cake should be the star, but it gets lost in the distracting scenery.
Keeping your background plain and simple will ensure the product you are trying to sell doesn’t get lost in the shot. While other light colors like pale blue, pink, and yellow can often work well, white is always a great option to ensure your product is the star against a crisp and clean background.
Tips for portrait photography:
· Formaat: Werk op A3 papier.
· Vergroot jou gunsteling selfportret tot A3 grootte. Maak ‘n A3 grootte kontoertekening met aaneenlopende lyn van jou foto af. Jy mag by ‘n venster of op die ligtafel in die klas teken.
· Gaan jou lyne oor met fineliner of swart ink. Maak seker dat jou lyne vloeiend.
· Gebruik jou foto as riglyn om te bepaal waar die lig en skadu dele in jou portret moet wees. Knip en plak stukkies van jou produkte om die skadus op die gesig in te vul. Jy moet ten minste 50% van die portret met foto’s opvul. Jy kan ook van die oop areas met gekleure akrielverf vul of patrone met swart ink op die kunswerk byvoeg.
12. Refleksie
Die refleksie moet die vorm van ‘n opstel aanneem. Dit word geskryf nadat die kunswerk voltooi is. Die volgende word in die refleksie aangespreek:
· Hoe het jy die opdrag ervaar?
· As jy dit kon oordoen, sou jy anders te werk gaan? Indien wel: wat sou jy verander?
· Wat het goed gewerk? Wat het minder goed gewerk?
· Wat het jy geleer uit hierdie ervaring?
· Kon jy jou materiale anders gebruik?
· As jy tyd gehad het om die idee verder te ontwikkel, watter rigting sou jy
ingeslaan het?
Jy hou dus nabetragting/ retrospeksie oor jou kwartaal se werk.
ASSESSERINGSRUBRIEK
SKEP VAN FINALE KUNSWERK
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