Assignment 3

In this assignment, you will create a mini photo story (3–5 images) around a subject or event of your choice. You’ll incorporate lessons about camera choice, focal length, and basic image organization. The aim is to practice both the technical and creative aspects of photography while reflecting on how different tools or settings can shape your results.

Instructions

Step One: Choose Your Subject or Event

It can be anything—from a local event to a quiet moment in everyday life. The point is to tell a small story or document a scene through a short series of 3–5 images.

Step Two: Use Two Approaches

If you have two different cameras (e.g., your phone and a dedicated camera), capture at least one image with each device. Or, if you only have one camera, use two different focal lengths (e.g., a wide and a tele lens, or one prime lens in two shooting distances). The goal here is to show how equipment (or focal length choices) can alter the look and feel of your final shots.

Focus on: Exposure and Composition

Keep an eye on your camera settings. If you’re comfortable adjusting them, feel free to do so. Otherwise, use automatic modes—your main job is to compose effectively and get the best in-camera exposure you can. Shoot Raw+JPEG if your camera allows (store the Raw for a future editing lesson). If not, just shoot JPEG.

Step Three: Finalize Images

No heavy editing. Submit the images mostly straight out of camera (“SOOC”). If your camera or phone has built-in profiles (e.g., black and white, vivid), feel free to use them, but no post-processing beyond basic cropping or straightening.

Step Four: Organize your Files

After shooting, transfer your images to your computer (or cloud). If you haven’t established a file organization system yet, give it a try this week. Label or group your images clearly so you know which came from which camera/focal length.

Step Five: Submit your Photo Story & Reflection

Pick 3–5 images that best tell your story. If you used two cameras or two focal lengths, highlight at least one shot from each approach. Include a brief written reflection. What did you photograph, and why? How did using two different cameras or focal lengths affect your process or final images? Did you notice limitations with either device or focal length? Were there advantages to either? How did you organize your files? Finally, tell us what kind of feedback you’d like — technical, compositional, narrative, etc.

tl;dr: What to Hand In

1. Your final 3-5 images.

2. A short paragraph or two reflecting on the points above.

3. (Optional) If you want to keep it fun, you can post the images without revealing whether you used a dedicated camera or phone camera or which focal length you used for each. Let your peers guess in the comments!