PHOA209: W7A1: Set Up



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Discussion Assignment 
Assignment 1: Revisions and Skype Conference
Assignment Overview
All students are encouraged to review the post in the Week 7 Problems and Solutions section titled "W7A1: Prints & Portfolio - Plan and Prepare NOW" & "W7A1: Shooting New Work, Lighting Requirements, & Overall Assignment - Additional Help" before proceeding with this assignment.  There's a helpful video tutorial within that post to help prepare for this assignment.

When working on a comprehensive portfolio project, it is important to be able to identify specific areas that need improvement through feedback from an experienced professional such as your instructor. Based on previous feedback and goals, you should start to work on any remaining goals and areas of weakness with regard to your portfolio, résumé, and written statement and bring it all into its most current state for this assignment's live review with your instructor.
Assignment Description
For this assignment, you will have an in-progress critique with your instructor regarding your progress on the portfolio, written statement, and résumé. This conversation will allow you to discuss the strength of your portfolio components as well as identify specific areas for improvement. You will be required to schedule a 15-minute meeting with your instructor and will submit the current version of all your materials (portfolio, résumé, and written statement). Your instructor will organize the meeting schedule.

Consider this a business meeting and dress appropriately and dress accordingly in business casual attire. Set aside a time and place where you will be completely undistracted from other obligations such as caring from children, pets, and family interruptions. This will be an on-camera interview, so arrange your lighting so you are clearly visible to the instructor. Organize any questions or materials you would like to discuss with your instructor. Be prepared to screen share if necessary.

This meeting cannot take place on a small screen mobile device.
After the meeting, you will continue to work on building your portfolio by shooting new work, adjusting your resume, statement, portfolio (PDF) and Bēhance Profile Page. You will also begin to order 11x14 prints to place into your Binder.
Starting to Print Your Portfolio
  1. Skype Meeting:
    1. Schedule a Skype meeting with your instructor.
      1. Once scheduled you must send a contact request through Skype in order for the meeting to take place. Test your account and equipment to make sure that they are working. Feel free to do a test call to your professor to make sure it works. Be on your computer with Skype open at the time of the meeting. At your scheduled time initiate a video call to your instructor. The work submitted for this assignment will be the topic of the meeting.
        (Professor's Skype Name: melanie.fiander.ai)
        • Choose from one of the following 15 minute time slots; e-mail professor which time slot you would like to choose. If you need to schedule a separate time, please e-mail professor to check availability. 
        • This meeting takes place several days before your assignment has been submitted. It is suggested that you shoot your new work for W7A1 after the Skype Meeting.
        • Please note: Skype date is subject to change up until April 1, 2017.

        Skype Meeting Options:
        • Thursday: April. 6th @ Noon EST
        • Thursday: April. 6th @ 12:30pm EST
        • Thursday: April. 6th @ 1:00pm EST
        • Thursday: April. 6th @ 1:30pm EST

        Meetings will be 15 minutes long.

    2. Before your meeting, prepare a list of the strengths and weaknesses that you have identified in the latest version of your final project. Make note of any specific questions or concerns that you might have about your project. Have this list ready with you at your scheduled meeting time and have the PDFs you submitted open with your PDF page thumbnails visible so you can refer to page numbers. Have a notepad and pen handy to take notes.
    3. Be sure to review the post titled, "W7A1 - Skype Meetings: How to Prepare & FAQs" in the Problems and Solutions section before your meeting.
  1. Starting to Print:
    1. After your Skype meeting with the instructor, you will select 10 images to print for your portfolio.
      1. For your final portfolio (due week 11), you will print 15-20 images to place into your binder. These should be the "best of the best"!
      2. Given that you are not entirely done with the course, you may shoot something better - and want to order that print at a later date.
    2. Conduct any necessary edits to the image prior to ordering them (or printing them from home).
    3. Print the images for your final portfolio using either your own professional quality printer or from a commercial printer. (Do not use consumer printing services, only professional printing services so your images are the best quality).
      • If you are printing at a professional lab, make sure that you find out what its specifications are on color space, resolution, and file requirements. If you have any questions or are unsure about anything it is often a good idea to contact the lab via phone or e-mail.
      • Students are encouraged to consider the following online printing labs for printing images:
      • If you are printing your images via your personal printer, you will want to make sure that you consider color, space, resolution, and file requirements with regard to your own printer. You will also want to make sure of the paper type and paper profiles. Also, you will need to ensure that you remember to do some test printing before sending all images to print.
        • You will want to consider the size of the paper, the placement of the images, and layout, including any possible text that you might include.
    4. This first batch of 10 images will be due for W9A1; you will present images of your prints within your binder.
      • Please be sure to consider how long it will take for online orders to ship and arrive at your door.  No exceptions will be made for order complications in the case of the prints or the Prat portfolio binder. Plan in advance!
      • Remember in Week 11, you will finalize your final portfolio and all your final prints will be due at this time.  For now, only print the images you are 100% sure about for your final portfolio.

    After the Skype Meeting: New Work, Revisions, & Inspiration

    Perform targeted improvements to your portfolio, written statement, and résumé. Use the following guide to understand the expectations for this assignment. This assignment consists of the following parts:

    Inspirational Photographer and Photo
    • Research a reputable photographer who works in your field (chosen sub-genre). 
    • Choose one of their photographs that you admire; a photograph that clearly use mixed lighting.
      • The light can be either hard light or soft light.  If your "photo inspiration" uses soft light, try to figure out what type of accessory they had used. 
    • Make a note regarding how the photographer used mixed lighting, how many lights you think the photographer worked, and if s/he worked with any lighting accessories to harden, soften and/or direct the light.
    • Write a 100 word essay into the Discussion Thread with your explanation. 
    • Save the photographer's image to your desktop; File > Save As or take a screenshot of the photograph. Label it: PHOA209_W7_A1_LastName_FirstName_Photo Inspiration.

  2. Planning For New Work:
        • Edit your plan from past assignments
          1. Check off and update completed items: your goals, approaches, strategies, etc.
          2. Revise photographic concepts and goals as needed based on feedback
        • Consider your inspirational photograph; what will you need to have your image look similar to your chosen photographer's image?
  3. Shooting New Work:
      • Formulate a plan to complete the project according to the description and objectives that you previously identified.  (Choose a new subject to photograph for this assignment and ensure that your subject fits the chosen sub-genre of photography that you've been working on thus far; do not change sub-genres.)
      • Choose a mixed lighting set up with two light sources: key + fill.
        • Your key light may be a strobe or natural light
        • Your fill light may be a strobe or natural light
        • At least one of these light sources must come from a studio strobe; the key or the fill light.
          • Be creative with your lighting; decide if your subject requires soft light or hard light.
          • Use a paper/muslin backdrop or a location.
          • If you're working on location, you may need to "think outside the box" to plug in your light: extension chords, generator, etc.
          • Shoot and present a minimum of thirty new images that address your prioritized list of improvements from past assignments & journals.
            • You may choose to shoot more than 30 although, please be sure to narrow down all of your images so that you're only submitting 30.
            • Adjust your composition throughout your shoot: shoot both vertical and horizontal images. Adjust your focal length, shoot from different points of views as well as angles throughout the photo shoot.
          • As a reminder in regards to lighting & use of light meter: At this point, all of you have been asked to use your handheld light meter for the rest of the term when shooting new work for your chosen sub-genre.  Take a new photograph of your light meter at the location where you are shooting your assignment.  Include this photograph in your contact sheet.


            Please note: If instructor is not able to read the information on the screen of your handheld light meter, you will not receive points for using it.
            1. For further instructions on how to use your handheld light meter properly, please refer to the post in the Questions for the Professor section titled, "Handheld Light Meter: How to Show Each Contact Sheet & How to Use".
          • When you have set up your mixed lighting scheme for this assignment, take a wide-angle image of your gear.  Ensure that it is clear where the natural light is coming from in your image. 
          • Ensure that all of the gear you are using is clearly displayed in the image.  If you're photographing a human model, an inanimate object, (etc.), ensure that your photo is clearly showing where your lights were in relation to the subject.  Please see the examples below:
          • Combine the contact sheets into a single PDF document titled PHOA209_W7_A1_lastname_firstinitial_contactsheet.pdf.  Be sure to include the file number, ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.

  4. Top Images:
      • Select 3 images suitable for inclusion in your Final Portfolio based on the market segment you have established and your pre-defined goals and submit the images as three separate JPEG files. (Resolution: 300ppi, Quality: 85%, Profile: sRGB).
        • When working on revising your portfolio, think about image strength, gaps and weaknesses, post editing revisions, and order and flow.
        • Students are encouraged to keep his/her edits simple.  Try to avoid having your photographs look as though they were put through an "Instagram Filter".  Try to avoid adding heavy vignettes (dark and light).  Edit your image to be marketable in the commercial field of photography.
        • Refer to the "Editing Guidelines" noted in the Course Home section in the post titled "Welcome: Guidelines for Succeeding in Class" for further details.
      • Label your top images as:
        • PHOA209_W7_A1_LastName_FirstInitial_Top Image_1.JPEG
        • PHOA209_W7_A1_LastName_FirstInitial_Top Image_2.JPEG
        • PHOA209_W7_A1_LastName_FirstInitial_Top Image_3.JPEG

  5. Bēhance Profile Page:
      • Update your web portfolio with any new or revised (edited) images and post your Behance web portfolio link as a clickable link.
      • Adjust your Profile Page to reflect any feedback you've received in your past assignments.
      • Be sure to update the Bēhance Profile Page section of your web portfolio site to reflect any changes in your statement and résumé.
      • Update your web portfolio with any new or revised images and post your Behance web portfolio link. Complete the following screenshots:
          • Project page (landing page)
          • Profile page
          • Each of the portfolio pages (15–20 images)
        Combine all of your screenshots into a single PDF file titled PHOA209_W7_A1_lastname_firstinitial_portfolio.pdf.
  6. Résumé & Statement:
        • Revise, edit, and redraft your résumé based on the feedback you received. Use Microsoft Word's Track Changes tool.
        • Pay attention to organization, format, and design, in addition to updating the résumé to accurately reflect your skills and experience.
        • Save your completed résumé as PHOA209_W7_A1_lastname_firstinitial_resume.pdf.
      • Statement:
        • Revise and edit your written statement based on the feedback you received. Use Microsoft Word's Track Changes tool.
        • Focus on improving clarity, phrasing, and language in order to create a more effective statement.
        • Perform additional research that can be used to enhance and broaden the scope of the statement. Read the statements of professional photographers and take note of the type of information they include in their statements.
        • Save your revised statement as PHOA209_W7_A1_lastname_firstinitial_statement.pdf
    1. Write a brief bullet point statement (150 words) indicating some of the key areas you focused on improving. Describe the method and approach that you adopted to make those improvements.
      1. Type this statement in Microsoft Word first to double check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Then, copy/past your brief bullet point statement into the Discussion Thread.
  1. Submit the contact sheet, résumé, statement, and portfolio directly to the Discussion Area as a zip file by Week 7, Day 7. Paste your statement directly into the discussion thread.
  2. This assignment is due on the last day of the week.  The due date has been set to help ensure that all students have ample time to complete the work successfully.  Please avoid submitting your assignment after this due date, which would then be "outside the week it was given", as it may not be accepted. 
  3. (Please refer to the Late Work Guidelines in the posted titled "Welcome: Guidelines for Succeeding in Class" within the Course Home section for details.)
  4. Peer responses are not required for this assignment but are strongly encouraged.
Assignment 1 Grading Criteria
Maximum Points
Revised the project and created a minimum of thirty new images created with program required equipment based on areas identified in W3 Assignment 1. Submitted contact sheet of minimum thirty images and edited any final image selections. Complete metadata was included.
Included full-page lighting set up shot(s).
80
Attended the scheduled meeting with the instructor and ensured that the meeting started on time and that you were well prepared for the meeting. Presented self in a professional manner without distractions. Prepared list of strengths and weaknesess as well as questions about final project.
70
Executed targeted improvements to the résumé and statement as per the specified guidelines updating portfolio, résumé, and statement within the web portfolio site and in PDF format. Materials meet portfolio standards.
60
Completed a brief written description that addresses the approach to revising the final project material.
10
Total:
220
Point values show lower limit of grade bracket, with the exception of "F":
A B C D F
202 180 158 132 130
For assistance with any problems you may have when completing this assignment—OR—to offer your assistance to classmates, please use the Problems and Solutions Discussion area located through the left side navigation link.
Shows the help line number for The Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Online Division. The number is 1-877-872-8869.

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