Unit 7 - S-Curves Notes
- 1. Using Studio Lighting to Capture the S-Curve & using Photoshop to create Generative Art
- 2. – The S-Curve is simply a curve shaped like an elongated or exaggerated “S” – but more importantly it is an element which immediately evokes sensuality, sexuality, sensation, and subtleness, as well creating tantalizing, titillating, tender feelings – The S-Curve is possibly one of the most powerful elements in photography – We will explore the S-Curve in traditional photography, in fashion photography, in generative art and in abstract photography
- 3. – in the 1960s, a New Jersey portrait photographer named Joe Zeltsman began formalizing portrait photography – he went back to the classic forms in Greek sculpture and reverse engineered why they evoked particular responses – he realized the use of precise facial angles resulted in a more balanced and flattering rendering of the human head and face, and that poses, in the broadest sense, could be categorized as "masculine" or "feminine“ • a more politically correct categorization would be "aggressive" or "passive".
- 4. – Zeltsman also made the logical but brilliant observation that standing poses start by placing the feet on the ground – how the feet are placed and the way the weight of the model is shifted from one foot or the other will create a chain reaction reflected in the hip, spine and shoulder angles
- 6. – clayton james cubitt – he has been compared to Avedon, Lange and other masters and his highly stylized editorial work has appeared in Surface, Rolling Stone, and The FADER, among other publications – his fashion work marries high-art style and lowbrow subjects – he also noted for his documentation of the effects of Hurrican Katrian
- 13. – Generative Art refers to art that has been generated, composed, or constructed in an algorithmic manner through the use of systems – Generative Art refers to art designed from the random occurrence harnessed by computing power – Examples include: flOW, Conway’s Game of Life, Fractals, Golden Spiral Programs, Algorithmic Programs, Algebraic Solids etc. – Contemporary artists have combined the s-curve with the generative scurve to create a new genre
- 14. – Tom Carden, a British design technologist based in San Francisco – Tom is a co-founder of Bloom and was previously a designer and developer at Stamen Design – Stamen has developed a reputation for beautiful and technologically sophisticated projects in a diverse range of commercial and cultural settings
- 15. – Graham Jefferey: Colored Smoke – “There is of course no right way to photograph smoke, it is largely a matter of experimentation to find out what works for you… … What I am looking for in my own work is well composed, clearly defined line and shape with smooth transition of smoke density throughout the image. I am not trying to create pictures of smoke; I am trying to create pictures by using smoke. “I – “I have found creating smoke art at times both frustrating and very satisfying.”
- 21. • You will combine: studio lighting, the s-curve and generative art • You will create images which emphasize the s-curve compositionally • You will enhance the s-curve with generative art created in Photoshop • You will use studio settings to take images of smoke, models and other scurves • Your project is your design – you determine how to incorporate these elements: DON’T JUST COPY CUBITT & CARDEN OR JEFFEREY!