Fieldtrip: AIPAD Photo Show

Today we went to AIPAD in NYC- an amazing photo expo with a vast array of both vintage and contemporary photography. In my opinion the $25 ticket is well worth it- nowhere else will you be able to see such a diverse collection of photography- basically the history of photography in one place.

Show Information

The AIPAD Photography Show New York will run from Thursday, April 10 through Sunday, April 13, 2008, at the Park Avenue Armory at 67th Street in New York City. Show hours will be:
Thursday, April 10 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Friday, April 11 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 12 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 13 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The admission is $25 daily and $35 for the run-of-show, and includes a show catalogue. No advance purchase is required. Tickets will be available at the door. For more information, the public can call AIPAD at 202.367.1158 or at newyork@aipad.com

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AIPAD highlights, 2008:

Abe Morell at Bonni Benrubi
Two of Abelardo Morell’s photographs of Venetian rooms turned into camera obscuras. These look like slide projections but were made by covering the windows with black paper, leaving a pinhole which creates the view on the opposite wall. This always results in an upside down image unless corrected by an intervening lens.


Several original Ansel Adams prints


Sandy Skoglun's new piece




Skoglund's newest piece,Fresh Hybrid,(above) is an installation and photograph that explores the shifting boundaries between life and lifelike by fabricating an artificial landscape. Replacing blades of grass with pipecleaners and bark with wool fibers, the materials strive to transform nature into a cornucopia of human pleasure with ubiquitous soft and fluffy surfaces. As if on a spring day, the sculpted hybrid trees blossom with impossible bounty and cheer in the form of chenille chicks, mass-produced lucky charms that give us a fragile and unsettling glimpse into an imaginary lost innocence.

John Szarkowski(former photo curater of MoMA) at Pace/MacGill



Gustave Le Gray, original salt prints and paper negatives from the 1800's at Daniel Blau

(A paper negative is a negative created on photo-sensitive paper instead of a standard negative film.)

Intro to Still Life

A 4x5 view camera is one of the most commonly used formats in still life photography. In class we did a demo and took this polaroid of pair of sunglasses.



Remember when chooing your 4x5 lenses that the mm don't correspond to those on your 35mm lenses. Here is a conversion chart. We used a 210 lens, which is about the same as using a 60mm lens on your 35mm camera.



To practice a product/advertising shot, we also photographed some Chanel lipstick. Once using a plexi sweep lit from above and below, and once using natural light and reflector.


In this shot, we placed the lipstick on a plexi sweep and put a strobe below and a softbox above. Notice how there are no shadows around the bottom edges of the lipstick case. A long lens (over 100mm) was used at F11. Notice that everything in the frame is in focus because of this.




In this shot we placed the lipstick on a sheet of white paper, right next to a big window. The window lit the subject from the side and a reflector filled in the shadows. A macro lens was used at F4, creating just a small plane to be in focus, highlighting the "chanel" stamp on the lipstick. Notice that small shadows have been cast to the side of the tube, because it sits on paper and is not lit from below like the above image.

Volunteer Opportunity: Face Painting

Fundraiser on the Hofstra campus Relay for Life, April 26th.

Art student needed to volunteer to do face painting for the children during the event. The volunteer will need to provide materials.

If anyone is interested, they can contact Jessica Hochheiser at 516-496-4544 or by email hochheisers@yahoo.com.

Portraits on Black

Last week, we did an in-class demo on shooting portraits on a black background using one softbox, a fill card and a black paper sweep. Here are pictures the students took of each other in class.

Midterm Is This Week!! (3/13)

Individual meetings will be held during the 2nd half of class this week. Please bring:

8 Prints Total (8x10"):
1 Natural Light Print
1 Artificial Light Print
1 headshot
2 prints from the "Colored Light" assignment
1 silhouette shot from the strobe assignment
1 portrait on a white background using strobes
1 fashion shot using strobes

Class # 6: Strobes, Sun & Fashion

Demo # 1: SUN + STROBES



Strobes and sun have a similar color temperature and generally work well together. Because this is a mixed lighting situation, we will take 2 readings: One for the sunlit background and one for the strobe on the face. To create contrast between our subject and the background, we will intentionally underexpose the background by 1 stop to make our subject “pop” out of the background.

1. Meter the background

2. Set the power on your strobe to be one F Stop brighter than the background (take meter reading off subject when strobe is fired). For example, if the background reads F11 at 1/250, then have the reading on the subject be F16 at 1/250. Remember to have the ISO in the meter and the camera set the same. Shoot at the reading on the subject, F16.

3. Shutter speed controls the background, NOT the strobe. Bracket by shooting at a slower shutter speed to lighten the background. Try F16 at 1/125. Then F16 at 1/60. Then F16 at 1/30. You can blow the background to white without changing the exposure on the subject. Remember to keep the power on the strobe the same. If you change it, you’ll have to re-meter.

Demo # 2:

Fashion shoot on a colored background.

After delegating specific students as photographer, photo assistant, model, art director, and stylist, we did a demo on how to shoot a fashion-type portrait on a solid color back drop. To have the color appear as one sees it, the meter readings on the face must be the same as those on the background. To darken the shade of the green backdrop, lessen the light on the backdrop by one stop. To lighten the green, pump up the strobes on the backdrop 1 stop. We used 2 softboxes to light the background evenly and one strip bank and a fill card to light the subject. Students chose portraits from fashion magazines and in class we discussed how each would duplicate this type of lighting situation to recreate the photo in our studio for next week's assignment.

Art Forum

CHANGE IN ART FORUM DATES....Gustavo Von Ha has rescheduled his art forum - it will be on TUESDAY, 3/18 @ 11:30 AM IN GC 65

Reminder: Everyone must complete an Art Forum write-up and a Firehouse Gallery Questionnaire by the end of the semester.