Photography Project 9/17-23/25

1. In a few sentences, describe what you will photograph to respond to your photo prompt. (Note: Your photograph should have a human subject.) Also briefly discuss the overall look/feel/mood you are attempting.

Prompt: You committed a serious offense on the school grounds, and have been called into the

principal’s office for questioning. You are terrified about getting in trouble.

The idea for this prompt is to use the Principal's office, and the assistance of the school's principal as the principal who will be yelling at a student (and possibly an assistant principal/police officer standing behind the student with arms crossed and a stern expression of seriousness) who is seated at the principal's desk. The principal's face is not seen, but it is visible and could be discerned the principal's hands and palms flat on his desk, leaning over the desk and presumably yelling at the seated student (or least the principal's shoulder and head is seen). Outside the door, through a glass window, another student looks inside, terrified and worried of what is to come. An overall look/feel/mood can be one of concern and fear of the student about to get yelled at, as they look inside and see a student already getting berated. Potential options for lighting could be that the side of the room where the principal is standing is turned off, but lights are still on in the back of the room to create an ominous and interrogation-like atmosphere. Some props on the principal's desk can be the placard with the principal's name, plus the school phone as another desk prop, and papers in front of him. 

2.  Create a hand drawn version of your intended photograph. Your photo should not be taken before your rough sketch is made.  

3. With your intentions in mind, describe each of the following for your photograph:

Design, lighting, setting, costumes, hairstyles, makeup, props and decor, composition, depth of composition (flat or deep), point of view, implied distance from the subject (close-up, medium shot, long shot), offscreen space, blocking.

The design of the photo contains props that would be found in a principal's office, such as a computer, the placard with the name and title, a phone, and trivially, a mug that is labelled "Student's Tears". There are also some posters/information boards on the door that help signify the principal is in charge of administrative functions at the school. Some trivial items in the background, such as a hat with the school's logo, and an emblem with a sports team and an anchor help personalise the principal's office and workspace, which can be common in workplaces and adds to the setting. The police officer and the principal's attention are intently directed towards the student in the chair, who is in trouble and gives a concerned look about what is about to happen and what consequences are to follow. Items in the photo such as the desk, and two chairs in front of the desk help emphasise the setting of a principal's office, and a carpet at the entrance also helps contribute to the environment. The student's sweater/hoodie is pulled over their hair and head (which to note, is in violation of the school's dress code policy), signifying nervousness and fear of what is about to happen. The police officer's uniform, equipment, and stern expression represent their seriousness in the matter that the disciplinary consequences may involve the police due to the severity of the infraction. The lighting has been darkened from the original image to signify an atmosphere that intends to stoke fear and uncertainty to what consequences these figures of power are about to impose on the worried student, whose facial expression demonstrates concern. The student's hair is down and messy, which may also imply they are trying to hide themselves and are worried to face what the consequences that are to come. There is no application of makeup for the figures in the picture as there was no necessity. 

The point of view is a subjective point of view over the should of the school principal, intently looking at the student to discuss consequences. It also helps to convey the emotions and expression of the student who is in trouble by seeing their face. The composition of the shot makes use of the space in the frame, as the principal's head and shoulders occupy the lower left, the troubled student occupied the area towards the centre, but still slightly off centred (following rule of thirds), and the police officer is positioned in a matter that occupies the right side of the photo that makes use of this space. There is a student in the background, peering through the window displaying a mysterious expression that expresses worry and nosiness of what is occurring to the student in the office, which also helps use up the space effectively as the photo aims to minimise unnecessary space in order to focus on the subject at hand. There is moderately flat composition, as the photo is taking from a moderate distance (medium shot) to effectively capture the principal, student in the chair (and their emotional expression), police officer, and the student in the background. The shot does not have much offscreen space, as the shot is within a confined office with closed doors and four walls. There can be some offscreen space from the ceiling and walls that are not seen, but it is not much and is not captured in the photo to emphasise focus on the subjects in the photo.