Senior Project

jeffreaux2

Hey folks. I am doing a senior project this year that is different than simple senior portraits. I am working with a local high school senior on HIS senior project. His subject is digital portrait photography and I am acting as a community mentor to bring him along in that subject.

By project's end we will spend at least 20 hours working together to teach him basic photoraphy as well as develop a product or porfolio. In trying to keep things simple we are sticking (at least for now) to natural light. He is working with a Canon Rebel (the original one) and borrowed glass from me.

So far I have required him to read Peterson's "Understanding Exposure" and of course the manual for his camera.

His editing tools are limited, and so we are trying to get it right "in camera".

I've asked Matt to come here to Dgrin and seek out advice and honest C&C from you guys and gals. Soooo....keep an eye out for him, and give him a big welcome when he shows up asking for help!

Today was our first meeting where we actually shot photographs. Here is a shot I took.

SeniorMatt

Hey everyone! Im matt from jeff's earlier thread. Ill be posting pictures soon so come at with some honest C&C.

Im just wetting my feet with photography. Before woking with Jeff I didnt know much of anything on photography, so its definitely a working prgress. Thanks everyone!

ian408

Thank you for making yourself available to a new shooter and for the commitment to teaching him a skill he can use

adbsgicom

Matt, Good luck with the project. You are in very capable hands.
Jeff, way to give back!!!

Swartzy

Welcome...and you are in good hands....looking forward to seeing your shots.

aktse

Welcome SeniorMatt! We look forward to seeing your shots!

ian408

Welcome Matt

You've got a great teacher

anonymouscuban

Welcome to Dgrin Matt. Looking forward to seeing some your shots.

ADMIT Photography

Welcome Matt! Can't wait to see your shots!

zoomer

What a great idea....and big "good for you."
I hope the young man will be appreciative and realize what a gift he is receiving.

Hackbone

Welcome and good luck. Start posting.

Mitchell

Great idea!

Matt, you're in good hands, but the first thing I noticed was that Jeff has you shooting in a garage????

SeniorMatt

Mitchell wrote: »

Great idea!

Matt, you're in good hands, but the first thing I noticed was that Jeff has you shooting in a garage????

We did open shade/garage lighting, not that I know exactly what Im looking for, but some of the pics came out pretty good.

Mitchell

SeniorMatt wrote: »

We did open shade/garage lighting, not that I know exactly what Im looking for, but some of the pics came out pretty good.

Intriguing!

jeffreaux2

Mitchell wrote: »

Intriguing!

Hey Mitchell!

It's a simple matter for experienced shooters to pick up a camera, find some light, and pull off a decent portrait. But. We also know that there is a lot that goes into that. So. If you want to "hand off" that experience to a new shooter, how do you break that up into bite sized pieces?

Admittedly, I dont know. But. By stcking to natural light we can take one dimension away altogether.

For this first shoot I really wanted to see Matt get well exposed and sharp images. Nothing more. Nothing less. To show him that you dont need an exotic location we stayed at my home and shot everything well within a 20 foot walk. I outlined some very basic posing and framing and then watched him shoot and interact(or not) with his model. I also stressed the importance of shooting RAW and showed him why after. I think he is getting another taste of "why shoot raw" in his c&c thread as he has had several white balance comments.

I think he learned a good bit, and still is, from this first shoot. But. We have only scraped the surface!

And Ill take all the help I can get from you folks in bringing him along. Our time is limited and there is plenty to learn.

So you see the garage set up. Aee we doing it right?

ian408

I think shooting RAW is important but what if you're shooting sports and frame rate is important? Or you're working with a camera that doesn't do RAW? It's worth talking about the importance getting it right in camera so shooting JPEG or RAW, he'll have an image he can work with.

jeffreaux2

I agree Ian. In most portrait shoots RAW is a better choice. I did have on instance where we used a galloping horse with a high school senior boy rider. He was galloping nearly straight at me. My " normal" portrait methods wouldnt work. The camera couldnt digest the raw files fast enough and I hAd to shoot jpeg only.

I was disappointed that Matts rebel doesnt have a raw plus jpeg option. With that he could have played around with both file types to come to his own conclusions.

Thanks for chiming in!

ian408

The most compelling reason for 'getting it right' is the reduce the amount of post required for the image. Of course, there will always be some but shooting on deadline with a lot of images means the more that are correct; the faster the job is completed.

You're definitely off to a good start!

sweet caroline

I'm excited to see these threads, Jeff. I am teaching Middle School photography this fall, and I am already thinking ahead to projects like this for a couple of my 8th graders when they are a bit older. I look forward to watching this develop.

Having the RAW plus JPEG is indeed a fast way to learn the difference! I make my kiddos shoot in RAW and full manual (except autofocus).

Quincy T

What a great idea! Look forward to critiquing a high school senior's shots savagely and without mercy.


Please don't ever take me seriously.

cr8ingwaves

Welcome and I am jealous that you get to shoot in the magical garage. It is going to be fun watching your skill level and knowledge develop. Good luck with your project!