Student
Handout Submitted
by:
Mike Sacco, Gelinas Jr.
High, NY
Unit: Media Arts - Photography -David Hockney
Lesson: Photocubism
- Photocollages of David Hockney
Grade Level: Middle school through high school
Photocubism:
The
Photocollages of David Hockney
Intrigued by how Cubist painters incorporated
multiple viewpoints of a single subject, British artist David Hockney
applied it to the medium of photography. You will be creating a
photocollage based on Hockney’s work.
NOTE: This is an older lesson that uses photo film rather than digital images. You can still buy film online at several locations including Amazon.
Supplies needed:
1 roll of 36 exposure color print film. Any brand film. You can use either 100 or 400
ASA film but make sure you camera’s ASA dial is correctly set if it is
not done automatically.
Alternate: To update this lesson, you would use a Digital Camera
and download the images to a computer. Student then could either Photoshop (You can buy Photoshop at the Adobe Education Store
) them or print them off a Printer
and cut the images with Scissors
. They could then glue the imageswith Rubber Cement
to Posterboard
or Bristol Board
.
- Compose a photo with a strong center of interest.
Since you are taking pictures of a very wide area, you should keep
your center of interest very close.
- If your camera has a Program mode (P) you may use it
for this assignment. If you’re using a semi-automatic or manual
camera remember to use your meter to get the correct exposure on every
shot. You must also make sure your camera is correctly focused for
each shot.
- Remember, never to move from your spot until
you’re done. You may tilt the camera up and down during the shoot,
but never change your shooting position.
- Practice shooting first. The idea behind
Hockney’s approach is to photograph a large scene by breaking it up
into many smaller ones. You must think of your scene as having an
invisible grid with overlapping squares placed upon it. Begin shooting
with only your waist turned three-quarters to the left.
Continue to shoot your first horizontal row of photos,
remembering to always overlap the photo you just took, until you
reach a position where your waist is turned three-quarters to the
right.
- Begin to shoot the second row of horizontal photos as
you did previously, but you must also overlap the top of this row
with the bottom of the last row.
- Continue to shoot the entire scene always overlapping
both vertically and horizontally until you complete the scene.
- Shoot the real thing when you feel comfortable.
Bring the film in for processing. Ask for matte finish and an extra
set of prints.
- See student samples on Mike Sacco's web page.
Roll due on: ________________
Collage due: _______________
Alternate: Take digital pictures and print them. Cut to fit.
Links
Books
Hockney's Pictures: The Definitive Retrospective
- Hockney's Pictures is the first definitive "retrospective" to show the evolution and diversity of Hockney's prolific paintings, drawings, watercolors, prints, and photography, including new and published works.
True to Life: Twenty-Five Years of Conversations with David Hockney
- Hockney's quest for the perfect perspective has led him to test the limits of painting, photography and photo-collage; he believes that Cubist paintings come far closer than photography to reproducing the perspective of the human eye
