10 Grade 2010: Jon Lesser's Self-Portrait

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Jon Lesser's Self-Portrait

Artist Statement:

My self-portrait is much more a representation of my thoughts than either my physicality or other aspects of my life. It represents my drive to learn and compile information and opinions inside my head. On occasion I have found myself under a pile of books, struggling to reach the top as the morning hours approach faster and faster. I have strong opinions, and I stick to them when I believe whole-heartedly that I am right, but that doesn’t mean that I am not open to what other people are saying to me. Although I am a self-proclaimed atheist, I often contemplate both the existence and hypothetical power of God, represented by the light. The question of God’s existence is a personal one in the deepest possible way, because the answer is different for every person. It is a question that I can’t answer for myself now, but I want to be able to in the future. Like the great Saint Thomas Aquinas thought, the path to God is through knowledge, and that I can agree with completely. Maybe God does exist, maybe He doesn’t, but the only way I will find out is to learn as much as possible. It is these opinions and my drive for knowledge that identifies me best.

Trial and Error of Production:

In the fall trimester of my freshman year I took Ms. Martino’s Intro to Photography course, so I had some background working in the darkroom and with film. The self-portrait project was nice because we were allowed to use Photoshop and computer effects to improve our images after we took them. So I began by taking the picture of myself that I would use in the final image and carefully cropped myself out. I then found an image of a large pile of books for me to be climbing. I put myself in, played around with different levels and added a camera flare for the light I wanted. I was all set to print when I found out that my image was barely larger than my thumb. Unfortunately I had to go back, find a larger image, and redo the whole thing before I could even start the process. I finally got my correctly sized negative and began to print. I ran a few tests, and after some errors with the enlarger were fixed, I had myself a self-portrait that looked great. I learned a lot in the darkroom during this time, and if I had to do it over again, I’m sure it would be easy for me.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Jon Lesser's Self-Portrait

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What you will be assessed on	Distinguished	Proficient	Satisfactory	Unsatisfactory
Your self portrait Design/Composition Create a final black and white image that demonstrates an understanding of the aesthetics of Photography including editing.	Several of the elements in the photo used in the reflect an exceptional degree of student creativity in their creation. Uses of compositional rules are evident and appropriate to the theme. Objects are placed for best effect. Overall, it just feels right. .	One or two of the graphics or objects used reflect student creativity in their creation and/or display. Graphics are trimmed to an appropriate size and interesting shape and are arranged with some items in front and others behind. The canvas, however does not appear balanced. Uses of compositional rules are good and the composition is relatively balanced, but negative space could be utilized better to create a more cohesive feel.	One or two graphics or objects were made or customized by the student, but the ideas were typical rather than creative (.e.g, apply the emboss filter to a drawing in Photoshop). Graphics have been trimmed to an appropriate size and shape, but the arrangement of items is not very attractive. It appears there was not a lot of planning of the item placementThe portrait seems to have a little too much background or seems a little too busy. Balance has not been achieved.	The student did not make or customize any of the items in photo The portrait seems unfinished (too much empty space) or there is not enough balance between foreground and background causing it to seem much too busy and unfocused.
content The selected visuals and material enhance understanding of the topic, theme, or message.	The student gives a reasonable explanation of how every item in the photo is related to the assigned theme. For most items, the relationship is clear without explanation	. The student gives a reasonable explanation of how most items in the photo are related to the assigned theme. For many of the items, the relationship is clear without explanation	The student gives a fairly reasonable explanation of how most items in the photo are related to the assigned theme.	The student's explanations are weak and illustrate difficulty understanding how to relate items to the assigned theme
content Student artworks include images of themselves, symbols representing aspects of their identities (physical characteristics, cultural background, interests, beliefs, etc.	The student gives a reasonable explanation of how every item in the photo related to the self theme. For most items, the relationship is clear without explanation.	The student gives a reasonable explanation of how most items in the photo are related to the self theme. For many of the items, the relationship is clear without explanation.	The student gives a fairly reasonable explanation of how most items in the photo are related to the self theme.	The student's explanations are weak and illustrate difficulty understanding how to relate items to the self theme.
Overall Impression	The photo communicates the author’s understanding of the relationship of self and the enlightenment and there personal phio thought	The photo communicates some aspects of the author’s understanding of the relationship	The photopresents words and images that relate to the self and but it fails to communicate the author’s perspective or relies on general observations.	The photo does not adequately communicate the author’s understanding of the relationship between of self and personal phi thought .
Technical /digital media Demonstrates application Of creative exploration Makes use darkroom to experiment with conceptual ideas Create well-printed photographs in the darkroom	. Students utilized the digital camera and Adobe Photoshop in appropriate ways. The student went above and beyond in thier use of the digital tools.	Students utilized the digital camera and Adobe Photoshop in satisfactory and appropriate ways.	Students utilized the digital camera but only used Adobe Photoshop minimally	Students did not utilize either of the digital tools to the best of their ability.
Artist’s Journal/ brainstorming	The journal includes thoughtful reflections on the student’s decisions. It discusses successes and challenges evenly and shows deep insight into the student’s process Student can describe the intent and plan of his/her completed digital self-portrait. Develops a general plan of what will be done before beginning. Manages time well.	The journal includes some reflections on the student’s decisions, but would benefit from deeper and/or more frequent discussion of the successes and challenges the student faced. Student has carefully planned his/her digital self-portrait and can describe how he/she will get the work done and a vision for the completed project. Plans and gathers ideas on theme for portrait before beginning.	The journal lists all of the decisions or activities that the student has completed, but there is no reflection included. Student has planned his/her portrait and can describe how he/she will get the work done and a vision for the completed project. Does not manage time well and works somewhat haphazardly.	The journal is incomplete. Entries are missing or too short to provide a picture of the work that the student has completed. Leaps into action without any evidence of planning or focus
Time and Effort	Class time was used wisely. Much time and effort went into the planning and creation of the portrait. It is clear the students worked at home as well as at school.	Class time was used wisely, but it did not appear there was much work done outside of class..	. Class time was not always used wisely, but additional work was done at home or other times during the day	Class time was not used wisely and no additional effort was put in at other times or places.