This week We Are Juxt is grabbing a pencil and taking notes in summer school. Sam Smotherman of The 24 Hour Project will be leading this class every Monday. He will be teaching the fundamentals of street photography and giving assignments every week. Not a street photographer? Show up to class anyway, there is something for everyone in Summer School.

Assignment One: Understanding your light source and how it will effect your photograph

If you have ever taken a sketching class or lesson you will quickly remember working on turning to circle into a sphere with the use of shading. This week we are going to be doing something similar with an subject and a flashlight.  Working on understanding how the direction of light effects the subject is integral to creating dynamic portraits . This weeks subject is the human face. This exsize   will help you understand how light affects your subject and how it can also be a part of the story telling.

Tools:
A subject
A camera
A flashlight

Assignment:

1. To understand how a light source will affect your subject set up in a dimly light or dark room. Next you are to shine the light onto your subject in the ten positions shown below. Take at least one picture you are pleased with for every position. At the end, place the light where you think it looks best for the subject even if its not one of the ten points and take a photograph. When you are finished you should have at least 9 photographs of your subject.

2. Look through the photographs and pay attention to how each lighting position changes your composition. Take note of the mood or feeling each position dictates. Write a quick summary  for each lighting position and how it effected the subject.  You may want to answer the following questions when looking at each photograph:

What mood or emotion did the position evoke?

Was the lighting effective?

When might this positioning work for a photograph?

Is this a position you could utilize when shooting?

Was the lighting too harsh, highlighting the right area, or detracting from the subject?

How story could this position tell viewers?

3. Once you have finished taking the photographs and analyzing your data, post your favorite one with a description of why this position was the most effect and use the hashtag #juxtsummerschool_assignment1 to receive feedback for your work.

About Author

Sam Smotherman

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