Inspiring images drive engagement in all forms of media. Our brains process images 60,000 faster than text. Thanks to digital cameras, you can acquire photography and image editing skills and see immediate results. The three most important principles are L-F-C: Light, Focus, and Composition. Beginners often take a lot of dark, blurry photos with a centered subject. But you can do so much better! Watch the “Create Useful Images” Prezi and Adobe Lightroom videos and discover the steps to capture and enhance your images.
WARNING: Do not download all of the Adobe Programs. Be sure to only download the one you need for this assignment or you may have to pay for the programs to finish your final projects.
Preparation
Study: Sample Blog Post
Tools: Camera and Adobe Lightroom. (Lightroom only, do not download the other Adobe programs yet)
Instructions
1. WATCH THE “CREATE USEFUL IMAGES” PREZI AND “BASIC 4 PHOTOSHOP EDITS” VIDEO (below): Your success with this activity depends on these presentations! Make sure to watch them or it will be hard to receive full credit.
2. USE A DIGITAL CAMERA TO TAKE SIX PHOTOS: If you don’t have your own digital camera, you will need to borrow one.
A. Find the Light: Take two different photos: one outside and one inside. For the outside photo, you must include sky. Look for amazing light during the first two hours and last two hours of the day. Follow the tips in the Prezi tutorial (left)
about retaining detail in the sky and achieving good exposure. For the inside photo, get next to a window or use a lamp or other light. If you are more advanced, try a flash. If you want a challenge, try this Light Painting Tutorial.
B. Control the Focus: Take two versions of the very same photo: One with the foreground in focus and one with the background in focus (see the Prezi tutorial at the left). Setup a shot that has something very close in the foreground and something very far in the background. Now, go to the Menu on your camera and look for Metering Mode (or something similar), then choose Spot Metering. Next, place the center of the frame (where the spot is in the viewfinder) on your subject. Hold the shutter halfway to lock the focus, then reframe the shot and finish pressing the shutter. The subject will be in sharp focus composed correctly, at the side of the frame.
C. Plan the Composition: Take two different photos: one with strong leading lines and subject(s) on the one-third grid lines and one with lead room (“lead room” is where the subject is on the side and facing into the frame). Watch the Prezi tutorial for more information.
3. USE LIGHTROOM TO IMPORT, EDIT, AND BATCH EXPORT (SIZE AND WATERMARK)
Download Adobe Lightroom here. You will need to set up an Apple ID and follow the steps to download the program. Or be sure to follow the video tutorial below and only download Lightroom. If you download all of the programs, then your 30 day free trial will run out and you will have to pay for the programs to finish your final projects. Remember if you are having problems contact your instructor or tutor.
NOTE: It is very important that you put in the time to learn the software, as it is very heard to teach you everything you want to know in the instructions/demo/etc. Don’t forget you can schedule time with the tutors for one-on-one help with learning the programs. There are also several tutorials available to watch, and the live demo each week that can help.
Follow the video tutorials below and use Lightroom enhance your images for professional presentation. Use sharpness, vignettes, brightness, levels as needed. Then use the Lightroom export feature to batch export your images with so the long side is 1024 pixels and add a watermark so you protect your images when placed online. Always put your name at the beginning of your image files: JakeSpencer-Outdoor-01.jpg. Rename the last part of your file name with the proper labels to identify each of the six assignments above. (Outdoor, indoor, foreground, background, rule of thirds, lead room.)
6. BLOG POST: View this Sample Blog Post. Upload all six images to your blog in the order listed here. Choose the large (not full size) option to display the photos in your blog post. Before inserting the images, add a label in the caption (Example: Light 1: Outside). Then add a few paragraphs to explain your photography and editing process.
7. SUBMISSION: Go to 8C Submission and upload a screenshot and a link to your blog post in the comments.
Tutorials
1. VIEW THE PREZI SLIDES: “CREATE USEFUL IMAGES”
2. VIEW THE FOLLOWING VIDEOS: HOW TO USE ADOBE LIGHTROOM: