If Da Vinci Had a Camera
Dedicated to All my future students
Renaissance In renaissance the art was real And Light and Shadows strong The artists panted for their work And da Vinci never got it wrong Arranging things in Triangles Was pleasing to the eye Soft edges and good backgrounds Were used almost every Time
Now you Try 1. Photograph only People 2. Arrange your picture in a triangular shape 3.Make sure there is a contrast of light and shadow 4.Soften the edges of your picture by focusing your camera on the center of the picture
Baroque We said goodbye to Renaissance But tried to keep their rules We took the art and made it grand But we still used all their tools Emotion was stronger The shadows more dark We cranked up our embellishments With every painted mark
Now you Try 1. Only take pictures of people 2.Make sure your light and shadows are very dramatic and strong 3.Make sure the picture is busy and full of beautiful details 4.Enhance the level of emotion by taking pictures with more action and less posing
Rococo The time for serious art was gone We focused on the pleasures With lots of cherubs and fluffy clouds We painted all our treasures The glory of a summer day The joy of play and fun We focused on the beauty of pastels To color everyone
Now you Try 1. Take pictures of people doing fun activities 2. The best setting for a rococo picture is outdoors in nature 3. Try to take pictures around sunset when the sky is orange and pink 4.Make your picture dreamlike and airy by letting more light into your camera through overexposure
Neoclassical
Though some enjoyed rococo art Others found it silly They returned to classic themes And turned away the frilly Empowered by rules and structure They used styles of ancient Greece They used restraint to brush their paint ‘til they found perfection in their piece
Now you Try 1. Take pictures of people in balanced poses 2.Use simple backgrounds in predictable places so that your pictures can be understood by everyone 3. Take pictures of simple color palettes, avoid bright and overwhelming colors 4.Make sure your pictures are framed in a balanced and symmetrical way, avoid extreme tilts or strange perspectives
Romantic Though classical art was fine and well It lacked a sort of passion Romantic artists came about And changed artistic fashion Landscapes became a subject soon With stories of nations past The artist’s emotions were most important With colors built to last
Now you Try 1. Take pictures that show how you feel inside 2.Try to portray emotions in your pictures 3.Take pictures of people or landscapes 4.Take pictures that reflect important stories or ideas from your country 5.Enhance the emotion in your pictures by using photo editing software to alter colors and effects
Impressionism
Though romantic art began to stray From paintings that looked real Impressionism goes further still Beyond to light revealed The artists loved to paint the light In ways that they saw fit They often painted outdoor scenes However they were lit
Now you Try 1. Focus more on light and color than anything else 2.Try to capture light the way you see it – adjust your settings to let in more or less light as needed 3.Capture the feeling of the moment – avoid posed photos 4.Focus more on landscapes and how the light hits different scenes at different times of the day
Expressionism
This type of art was born from a man Whose name was Vincent van Gogh His art stems from impressionism And life moments high and low He once famously said: “I dream of painting And then I paint my dream� The colors and lines are beautiful So bright they almost beam
Now you Try 1. Capture bright colors of nature and landscapes 2. Adjust your settings to let in more light and blur the edges of your photo 3. Show settings in a dreamlike way with photo editing software 4. Take pictures that express your personal feelings and impressions of life
Cubism Pablo Picasso Led the way In this different kind of art He never cared for realism Instead showing things in their basic parts He always painted two dimensions And showed motion over time And even though his work is strange It’s somehow quite sublime
Now you Try 1. Focus on photographing things that have strong geometric lines 2.Photograph simple color palettes 3.Use editing software to flatten your image and make it look less realistic 4.Focus on strengthening the hard lines to make the picture more two dimensional 5.Don’t be afraid to cut out parts of your image and re-arrange them 6.Use parts of several different photos and combine them to make a new one
Modern Art Modern art can be quite strange There are many different kinds The rules are small, if they’re there at all And come from many different minds Modern art makes us wonder And think about what we see It might be strange, it might be tame But how it makes us feel is key
Now you Try 1. The style and focus of your pictures are very flexible – photograph things that interest you 2. Try to send a message with your photo – it can be strong and clear, or more abstract 3.Think about what you want viewers to feel or think when they view your photos 4. Convey your themes through careful composition and thoughtful editing