As Digital Photography teacher Mr. Savay Lieu scrolled through his students’ portfolios, a photo of a glass orb caught his eye, drawing him in with its interesting composition. The picture also revealed a tree’s reflection on the ball and the puddle it sat in, creating an artistic photo.
“The reflection assignment was our first assignment and it was designed to help train the eye to look for things that aren’t obvious,” Mr. Lieu said. “A lot of times we keep looking straight forward at eye level or at chest level, and we seldom look at things at ground level to get different perspectives.”
For the assignment, students captured reflections at floor level through reflective mediums such as water, windows and mirrors while making something creative and visually interesting.
Mr. Lieu only checked for proper exposure when he evaluated the assignment at the beginning of the year. From there, the students would move on to learn about color, forms, shapes, lines and composition.
“I really enjoy photography, building my technical skills and the creative side too,” Junior Matthew Wong said. “My favorite part of the class, honestly as cheesy as it sounds, is everyone in the class. It’s awesome to have people to share or build ideas with, and our class is always easy to have fun and work with.”
The course covers many photographic techniques and the basic principles of design. Students who take the class need no prior knowledge or equipment as they are provided and taught to use all materials needed.
All cameras are Canon Rebels, specifically t3i, t5i, t6 and t6i. Students learn to use various lenses, starting with kit lenses of the 18-55mm, 18-200mm and 75-300mm to macro and wide angle lenses.
Students rely on tripods, reflectors, studio lights, diffusers, monopods, filters, remote shutter releases and Photoshop for nearly every assignment.
Mr. Lieu creates and assigns the exercises in increasing difficulty. Students have approximately one week to complete each task, ranging from portraiture to abstractions.
“I look forward to learning more, and I really like the class,” Freshman Lillian Leung said. “My favorite projects are open projects because although it’s hard to come up with ideas, I see that my ideas and construction of photos has improved.”
Students have the option to take Digital Photography 2, which is a new course that allows students to strengthen their camera techniques and skills. They may qualify if they submit a portfolio or take Digital Photography 1.
The class is designed to guide those who are interested in pursuing photography as a career. Students will have the opportunity to complete more projects and document events, sports and activities in their own artistic styles.
TCHS School Newspaper