The second Critique theme was "Shadows". Which opened a debate about whether or not silhouettes constituted  shadows. Which led some students to observe that it didn't pay to be subtle in the photographs submitted. Which led to muttering and the disgruntled kicking of objects lying on the floor within range. Which led to vociferousness. Which led to the expansion of vocabulary, especially of the blue variety. Which led some to ask, "How do you spell that?" Which fulfilled the mandate of Critique - to make students more articulate in discussing visual material.

Below are two of the more appreciated submissions.

Janine Esplin

 Sara Watson

2nd Year Classical 4 Light Portraits

So my second years have started their trek towards the finish line. I have the pleasure of teaching them Portraiture I this term. For those of you that do not know I introduce 7 different aspects of portraiture that applies both in the studio and on-location.  This year I have also added new content where we discuss some business basics to consider in running your own studio. The first area we discussed was the 4 Light Review - this is a chance for them to revisit some of the fundamentals of lighting that were introduced last spring giving  them a base from which we will build on as the term progresses. Their assignment called for them to create a head and shoulders portrait and a 3/4 or full-lenght portrait using two different lighting patterns. As usual the submissions were very individual in concept and execution. Below is some of their work that we would like to feature for our readers to review and enjoy.

First Years have arrived

Our first years have had a taste of the long standing traditional "Critique" or "Free Choice" as it was known in my day. This is a course that allows each student to conceptually come up with an idea, capture it and present it for review. The ideas however have to fit a previously subscribed theme. Their first taste of this was marked and critiqued this week with the theme "Curves and or Angles". How would you capture an image that speaks to the Curves and or Angles theme? As usual the images submitted were as varied as the maker's. Below is a taste of a few interpretations of Curves and or Angles". You be the judge!

Light what it sees

"Light what is sees" is a key factor in lighting reflective surfaces. Our first years had a taste of that as they had to create an image of a reflective metal surface. It was left wide open to them as to the subject matter but the principles of reflective surface photography had to be followed. It was interesting to see what their creative was with the reflective surface they chose to photograph. I was very pleased with the final results of their reflective endeavour.

It's all about the Glamour

To finish off this portrait term the second years took a look at the Glamour side of photography. Glamour photography grew out of Hollywood in the thirties and have expanded and grown since. It now has many interpretations and can take on many forms depending on the photographer. The students are no exception as their work was interpretive and varied.

Recreating the Master's

Portrait Style's is a student favourite assignment every year. It gives them the chance to emulate the style of a famous photographer who they admire. It does not matter whether they have passed on or are still with us. All they have to do is pick an individual photographer that they like and recreate it themselves. The choice of photographers is varied as are the results. Some student's were very successful in recreating their chosen photographer's style. You be the judge!

Joe McNally

Jill Greenberg

Richard Avedon

George Hurrell

Who Say's Kids Are Not Cute!

Children are a big part of all our lives. They can also be a big part of an individual studios specialty as well. Our second years had a chance to see if it was an area of photography that they might have a hidden talent for. We discussed the market, kid's attention span and working with the parents of those kids. Then it was their turn to test the waters and come up with a "Child Portrait". The stage was set for them to capture a portrait of a 3 month to 6 year old child for their assignment and hand it in to be marked. See what you think - I think that they did a great job!

Group Portraits are In!

So the second years all year long have been studying the fundamentals of lighting and posing with individual people. Now we have taken it up a notch and added more people so that they can see how to photograph a "Group". The basis of this assignment was to create a group portrait either in the studio or on-location with three or more people. Have a look below and see what you think of their efforts.

First Years Learn the Basics of Portable Flash

Our first year students have this term started to study the basics of lighting with portable flash units. We have discussed how to make use of portable flash and the advantages of taking them off-camera to  dramatically improve their images. But of course using one flash is never enough so we then moved on to how to use multiple units to light their subjects. I then talked them about the dreaded "green" pics we have all taken using flash under fluorescent lights and how we correct for martian green occurrences by incorporating the use of "CC" gels. To confirm understanding of shooting under mixed lighting conditions with flash I gave them an assignment. The assignment called for the use of two portable flashes to illuminate their subject under fluorescent conditions but still maintain the ambience in the scene. I am pleased to offer the following images for your review.

Only One Light

To challenge my second years I have a block in PHT 450 Portraiture that demonstrates the use of one light. Of course there is an assignment the purpose of which is to test their creativity and gain more experience in capturing a portrait using a single light source (flash). They were required to create a series of (4) individual portraits of their subject from the same session. Each of these portraits were to be distinctly different from one another. The results were very interesting. Below are some of the results - enjoy!