Frank2013 Loc: San Antonio, TX. & Milwaukee, WI.

Maybe the architectural class can design a vase for the pottery class to make, the botanical garden class can produce the flowers, the wood working class can make the shelf, and the floral design class can arrange the flowers for the photography class to take the picture of. See what the English class can come up with for the description of each entry and overwhelm the Judges with creativity this year. Just a thought.

Ruthiel Loc: Las Vegas

Turn them loose :) I would love to see what those creative young minds come up with.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

A shot in the dark.. No many plants in pots in my portfolio. This was softened and darkened for this purpose

A shame they can't do Single Flowers, so much you can do with a single flower....

(Download)

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

I have heard that the history classes taught at Cambridge end with the ascension of George III to the British throne. I am surprised their art department recognizes acrylics. If your school is so set on medieval standards, perhaps it's time for the replacement of the school's administration.

Bobbee

Just a thought, Your topic was too specific. Maybe that is good as the students don't have to then think a lot. But look at the some of the challenges here on UHH that the ADMIN puts up. Most of the time they are not specific but suggest a category, then the pictures are an effort to reflect that word, sentence, idea.

APB Loc: UK

The study of history at Cambridge University is as broad as that offered by any of the world's top Universities, including such as Harvard and Yale.

I'm not sure that the project mentioned here will be scrutinised by professors at the University of Cambridge, which is established along collegiate grounds rather than under a general heading, there are many other educational establishments who connect themselves to the university name.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

We had a go at something similar at our club recently. What we tried to do was 'recreate' an old master photographically. Van Gogh did some flower things didn't he and possibly Monet as well.
Its not just setting up the subject, that's the easier bit, trying to understand how these old masters interpreted the available light was much more difficult.
I though it would be boring, but enjoyed the exercise by the end of the evening.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

It sounds like you have the wrong graders

karlw Loc: Enfield Connecticut

Just add a pot

dalematt Loc: Goderich, Ontario, Canada

The original p/s photo was of a bouquet of flowers. In Corel's PaintShop, there is an app where you can take a rectangular photo and make it circular and choose your background colour. After doing that, I did my usual post processing: sharpen, contrast, vibrancy.

(Download)

OldEarl Loc: Northeast Kansas

As I recall each college faculty has its own governance. Unlike American schools, there is no central administration that prescribes a curriculum--that is up to the college.

It is what it is and his students cannot change the rules. Twenty years ago when we used film and processed it there were options available such as litho or contrast that simulated line drawings.

Maybe it is my history in oils and sketches--I ended up studying photography because my essential tremor kept me out of painting and architecture--but the challenge is intriguing. This sort of challenge is precisely that, a challenge and Treadwl should present it to the students as such. It is their responsibility to present photography as fine art--to see beyond the barriers of discipline and convince painters.

I have no problem with the "medieval" approach to education--we would have a better society if education did not bend itself to the whims of students and adapt to a less disciplined approach.

Treadwl--

Good luck. It can be done, and your students can do it. If the parameters are a potted plant on a shelf, it is pretty open. Shelves can be anywhere. Let the students loose. Remember we paint with light.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

I would have then use Topaz plug ins Glow, Impression etc can be very creative

jcboy3

Yes, it is just a vase on a shelf. And it is clear that it's a combination of composition and lighting, but without lighting there aren't many variables in the composition. To add creativity, you have to address lighting. Get the flowers and shelf into a studio with lots of lighting options.

I also suggest that part of the submission would be a picture/illustration/exposition on the lighting as well. Just to help show what the creative aspects are.

On the other hand, does it matter that they downgrade because it is a photograph? Do you have leeway to normalize their grade over your class; just inflate the grades uniformly.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

quick experiment...

(Download)

Ralloh Loc: Ohio

My question is, why are these painters being allowed to judge photos if this is their attitude? I would be raising hell with someone in charge about it. It doesn't seem too fair to the students.