Taking Picture in the Studio

Subject is not scheduled Not scheduled

Subject guarantor

Name of lecturer(s)

Learning outcomes of the course unit

The idea of this workshop is a stylization and how to archive it thanks light spots, color filters, and apertures and slits in front of the lights. The expression of the resulting photograph is emphasized.

Mode of study

Demonstration of working in the studio.

Prerequisites and co-requisites

Teamwork

Course contents

Workshop Marcel Stecker: Taking Picture in the studio

This is an experimental workshop. The workshop is focused on working in the studio, the cooperation of workshop supervisor and students during taking picture. The time for workshop in the timetables is the time for taking picture in the studio. The meetings will be focused on the realisation of prepared concepts and cooperation during taking pictures.

The idea of this workshop is a stylization and how to archive it thanks light spots, color filters, and apertures and slits in front of the lights. The expression of the resulting photograph is emphasized.

The workshop is focused on the portraits and still life photography and the workshop offers the following themes for each taking picture:

Portrait of Man with Animal (inspired by paintings by Gabriel von Max)

• Lighting installation with light spots
• Focus on the movement and expression of the animal, and possibility of working with more figures as models
• the ability to respond to unpredictable interactions based on the essence of working with the animal

Mysterious Woman (Inspiration by Photographic works by Erwin Blumenfeld)

• Working with the model in the first plan
• Focus on creating an illusory background and involving multiple layers
• work on background preparation (paper, fabric) and its perforation
• Creating a composition of shapes or illusions by perforation and cropping the background
• illumination of the space behind the perforated background and making the perforated compositions visible

Geometric Compositions

• Projection of shadows of 3D objects on photo paper
• working with basic geometric shapes
• multiple exposures
• thinking about the sequence and preparation of the composition as the shades of gray

Hands and Still Life Photography

• the model and the hands as a part of the composition of still life
• macro photography and using of large format camera 24x30cm
• macro photography of Lego figures in the context of the composition of fingers, hands, gloves, and so on

Silhouette – Silhouettes

• Working with a colorful background
• Using multiple models for compositions
• Working with image rastering and other methods of simplification and stylization

Portrait, mask and hairstyle

• Using of light spots, illumination through slots
• concentration on stylization, movement, expression, light and shadows
• working with masks
• Focus on Hairstyle (Inspiration by Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo movie)
• Inspiration by movies of the detective stories of Hercule Poirot
• Inspiration by Alfred Hitchcock’s The Rope movie (final passage with color neon)

Recommended or required reading

Any books by Andreas Feininger

Any monographs of Erwin Blumenfeld

Any monographs of Irving Penn

Assessment methods and criteria

Assessment method and criteria is presence of the students during workshop and cooperation during taking pictures. The result of the workshop will be a collection of 7 - 20 photographs and its presentation as an installation at FAMU.

Note

Marcel Stecker was born in 1988 in Prague. He graduated in the studio of Libuše Jarcovjáková and Viktor Kopasz at Department of Photography of Secondary Graphic School. He graduated bachelors and master’s degrees at FAMU, Department of Photography. He went to Paris to study at ENSAD (Studying stage 2012/2013). In 2014 he lived and worked in London (Internship).

In 2011 he had a solo exhibition in the Studio of Josef Sudek in Prague that he exhibited a collection of B/W photographs of objects with text by Miroslav Petříček. In 2017 he had two solo exhibitions in the Gallery 35m2 in Prague and Fidicia Gallery in Ostrava. He is interested in portraits, still life, reproductions and unexpected situations around that he presents as a visual essay about non-pragmatic world. His photographs are in private collections. The photographs from People of Earth series are included of PPF photography collection.

Further information

No schedule has been prepared for this course

The subject is a part of the following study plans

• Photography CZ - Bachelor - 1920-1year (required optional subject)
• Photography CZ - Bachelor - 1920-2year (required optional subject)
• Photography CZ - Bachelor - 1920-3year (required optional subject)
• Photography CZ - Master - 1819 (required optional subject)
• Photography CZ - Master - 1920_1y (required optional subject)
• Photography CZ - Master - 1920_2y (required optional subject)
• Photography EN - Bachelor-1920 (required optional subject)
• Photography EN - Master-1920 (required optional subject)