Portrait Photography
Assignment #3 – The Casual Portrait


Please hand in this sheet in a protective plastic sleeve together with your proof sheet(s), your print, and a piece of acid-free conservation board.

Assignment Description:
Endeavor to make a portrait that is posed, yet casual, private, and intimate, that is to say more informal than the studio portrait.  It should not be candid.  Work with available light, be it daylight, tungsten, or a combination. Alternatively, use a single light with an umbrella and possibly a reflector.

Assignment Objective:
It is not always possible to bring someone into a studio to have a portrait taken.  We must learn to be flexible and work in a variety of circumstances.  If we can work in surroundings that are familiar to the subject, they will more easily be at ease and receptive.

Suggestions:
Speak with them and help them feel relaxed.  Participate with your subject to make them look good.  Although you can work in any lighting situation for this assignment, do not be indifferent to your choices.  Directional-diffused light is recommended.  Be mindful to either throw the background out of focus by using shallow depth of field, or to include relevant objects and surroundings in deep focus.

Evaluation Criteria:
Craftsmanship - Sharpness
Exposure (full shadow and highlight detail)
Contrast (a solid black, a bright white, and a full range of gray values)
Value (appropriate lightness / darkness)
Needs dodging and/or burning
Cleanness (no dust, water spots, scratches)
Print damage
Aesthetic / Conceptual refinement (accomplishes assignment description and meets objective)

Grade ___________


Student Name_______________________________


Teacher Comments: