Digital Photography
ART-150W 1680 Digital Camera
Fall 2005

Location:
A-303

Class Schedule: Lecture/Lab – Friday 10-3
Office Hours: 3-4 by appointment

Instructor:  John Sappington - john@basearts.com

Course Syllabus

Online Syllabus:  http://www.basearts.com/curriculum/DVC.DigitalPhoto.htm

DESCRIPTION:

This course is an introduction to approaches and techniques of digital imaging that focus on the use of the digital camera and digital darkroom. The course will cover the technical and practical aspects of the digital camera, and the use of image editing software (Photoshop), covering traditional darkroom concerns and exploring the particulars and potentials of the digital image.

Recommended Technical Texts:

"Photoshop CS2 for Windows and Macintosh", Elaine Weinmann, Peter Lourekas, Peachpit Press 2005
www.peachpit.com

"The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers", Scott Kelby, New Riders Publishing, 2005
www.scottkelbybooks.com

"The Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers", Scott Kelby, New Riders Publishing, 2004
www.scottkelbybooks.com

Alternate Technical Texts:
Photography, Barbara London, John Upton, Ken Kobre, Betsy Brill, Prentice Hall

Photography, Revised Edition, Henry Horenstein, Russell Hart Prentice Hall

Black and White Photography, A Basic Manual,, Little Brown and Company

"The Photoshop Book for digital photographers", Scott Kelby, New Riders Publishing, 2003
www.scottkelbybooks.com

"Photoshop 7 Professional Photographic Techniques", Janee, Nyree Costello, Gavin Cromhout, Vikas Shah, friends of Ed, 2002
www.friendsofed.com

"Photoshop 7 for Windows and Macintosh", Elaine Weinmann, Peter Lourekas, Peachpit Press 2003
www.peachpit.com

Required Supplies / Equipment:

A 2 Megapixel (or greater) digital camera is required. al camera is required.

Students are required to obtain backup media to store class example files and work in progress.

Optional media types are:

- 250MB Zip disks

- CD-ROM , Write-once or Re Writable: Approx. capacity 700+MB 

- DVD ROM, Write-once or Re Writable: Approx. capacity 2-4 GB.

Students are also required to have an e-mail account.  This can be accessed through the lab and may be a free account like those available from Hotmail, Yahoo, Freemail, Excite, etc.  The instructor will assist students in obtaining an e-mail account if necessary only on the first day of class.  Students will be expected to check this e-mail account at least once a week.  General class announcements will be reported via e-mail.

EVALUATION:

50% of student grades will be based on class participation.  Students must attend class in order to effectively participate.

40% of student grades will be based on the completion of assigned exercises.  These exercises will not be graded for skill or content, but will be checked for completion.  Incomplete assignments will be considered undone. 

10% of student grades will be determined by averaging grades on three evaluative class assignments and one final project.

Students are expected to attend all of every class meeting unless they have received prior permission from the instructor. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class meeting. Anyone absent when attendance is taken will be assumed absent from the class.   If you are late to class it is your responsibility to make sure your attendance is acknowledged by talking to the instructor. 

If you are intending to drop the class, it is your responsibility to drop the class.  You should not assume that the instructor will automatically drop you because of absences.  If you stop attending classes and you do not drop the class, and the instructor has not dropped you from the class; the instructor may be required to give you a grade of F for the class.

• Internet Resources-Links
• Course Outline - http://www.basearts.com/DigitalPhotoOutline.htm
  

Syllabus Overview - Expectations, Requirements, Objectives,

Best Practices.
File Transfer proceedures.

Assignment:

Email account exchange - email my account (john@basearts.com) with Digital Photography DVC Fall 05 in the subject line for the purposes of a class email list.

Bring 5 images minimum - However you can get them here - in whatever media ...

Reading:

Camera Manuals

Course Outline - http://www.basearts.com/DigitalPhotoOutline.htm

Review Internet Resources - http://www.basearts.com/resources.htm

Adobe Photoshop CS2 - What's New Brief and New Features Expanded

Artists:

Sites:

Masters of Photography - Good starter site for Analogue Masters
http://www.masters-of-photography.com/

http://www.lomographics.com

Freestyle Photographic Supplies
http://www.freestylephoto.biz/e_main.php

Camera Reviews

http://dpreview.com
www.steves-digicams.com
http://www.keh.com

Lecture:

Digital Imaging/Camera Basics: Camera

Lab:

Assignment:

Locate and Read Camera Manual - Cover to Cover
Set Camera to highest resolution
Bring Camera with cables (usb/firewire)

Reading:

Camera Manuals - continue with reading - make notes of questions

Artists:


Sites:

-- B&H Photo Video and Pro Audio (www.bhphotovideo.com)
-- Blue Pixel’s (www.bluepixel.net)
-- Extensis (www.extensis.com)
-- GretagMacbeth (www.gretagmacbeth.com)
-- Lexar (www.lexar.com)
-- Nik Multimedia, Inc. (www.nikmultimedia.com)
-- Wacom Technology (www.wacom.com)


dpchallenge.com weekly website photocontest, free open mempbership and other membership for contests.
deviantart.com, can set up your own online gallery that can be critiqued

Lecture:

Camera Operation - Exposure basics

Lab:

Assignment:

Bracketed Exposures - Choose 2 subjects and make 5 bracketed exposures of each.

1st exposure according to meter reading.
2nd + .5 half step greater aperture selection or more exposure (over)
3rd + 1 whole step (full stop) greater aperture selection (over)
4th .5 half step smaller aperture selection or less exposure (under)
5th - 1 whole step smaller aperture selection or less exposure (under)

*Be sure to make notes of the exposures in your journal.

Experiment with the shutter speeds + and or - one shutter speed is equal to a full stop.

Reading:

Artists:

Shoichi Aoki
Pablo Ortiz

Sites:

Lecture:

Introduction to Photoshop - Best Practices

• File Browser
• Image Size / Resizing
• Resampling
• Embedding File Info
• Layers Introduction
  

Lab:

Critique Bracketed Exercise

Assignment: - Custom Digital Contacts - 3 Subjects - 9 minimum shots exploring the subject - presented via contact sheet 2 with customized layout and concern for creating a story of the object.

Reading:

Keep working on those manuals - reread as you work on the bracketed exposures. Reread ISO controls or sensitivity controls, White Balance.

Artists:


Anne Noogle
Peter Hujar
Sophie Calle
Gregory Crewdson
Thomas Demand

Sites:

Lecture:

Scanner

Photoshop: Creating Selections and Manipulating

• Marquee
• Move
• Crop
• Magic Wand
• Paths, Bezier Objects
• Pen Tool
  
  
  

Lab:

Review Custom Contacts

Reading:

Appendix A - Seeing and Writing 2 - On the Theory and Practice of Seeing - handout
Appendix B - Seeing and Writing 2 - On Reading Visual and Verbal Texts -handout

Recommended: John Berger - Ways of Seeing

Artists:

Sites:

Camera Raw

Understanding Digital Raw Capture
http://www.adobe.com/digitalimag/pdfs/understanding_digitalrawcapture.pdf

Raw Capture, Linear Gamma, and Exposure
Why precise exposure is now even more critical when shooting digital raw.
http://www.adobe.com/digitalimag/pdfs/linear_gamma.pdf

Camera RAW Description
http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/pdfs/200302/20030204RAW.pdf

Supported Cameras Page
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/cameraraw.html

Digital Photography Workflow: Top photographers talk shop
Steve McCurry, Matthew Jordan Smith and Joyce Tenneson. Although their styles and subjects vary greatly, their digital workflows share common components. It's not merely a coincidence. Read about the technologies and workflow techniques each of these photography icons has employed to stay ahead of the game.
http://www.extensis.com/en/about/customer_stories.jsp?contentTypeView=all&ad=80302

Lecture:

Photoshop:

Luminance / Color Corrections

• Adjustment Layers continued
• Masking continued
• Selections
• cropping
  
  Discussion:
  On the Theory and Practice of Seeing
  
• On Reading Visual and Verbal Texts
  
  

Russell Brown Tips & Techniques
Image processor for Photoshop CS
http://www.russellbrown.com/tips_tech.html

Field Trip to Martinez

10:10 in Room A 303
- Depart DVC 10:30 for Marinez
- 11-1 Shooting
- 1-2 Lunch Discussion
- 2-4 Shooting

Reading:

Artists:

Sites:

Lecture:

Photoshop:

• Curves
• Compositing
• • Photo Filters
  • Levels
  • Burn / Dodge
  • Clone
  • Healing
  • History
    
    

10-20 Selection - Open Critique - Images from Marinez shoot

Assignment:

5-n-1 - Take an existing file and crop to create 5 different image files. Focus is on re-framing and composing. Not compositing.

Composite - 1 in 5 - Create one image file from the components or pieces of minimum 5 image files. Create multiple variations on the composition at will.

Reading:

"Thinking about photography: Debates, historically and now.", Photography: A Critical Introduction, Edited by Liz Wells

Artists:

Sites:

Mid-Term Reviews / Interviews

If you do not have an assigned time make sure you show up at the start of class to get one!

Lab:

REVIEW: 5-n-1, 1 in 5

Evaluation Form (Please Complete and Submit from your home system)

Lecture:

• Sharpening
• B/W techniques
  

Lab:

Reading:

Artists:

Sites:

Lecture:

Working with Flash and ambient light.

Reading Discussion

Lab:

Assignment:

Digital Art Supplies
http://www.digitalartsupplies.com

order sample sheets....!


Shooting Assignment:

Let's make it simple - 3-5 images of light. Where light is the central subject or primary focus of the image.
Consider both ambient or existing natural and artificial light sources and utiliting the flash.

Be sure to also experiment with the flash in daylight. What impact does it have ... ?

Reading:

Flash Filters and Diffusion

This book has alot of filters for diffusion.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=45184&is=REG

This book has more colors.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=45189&is=REG

Only have to pay $.01 plus shipping ($4), no gimmick.

Printers - Materials - Supplies

PS Print
http://www.psprint.com/

Preparing files for print - Pagemaker, Illustrator
http://www.psprint.com/helpcenter/preparingyourfiles/digitalcheck_pm.asp

Artists:

Sites:

Digital Art Supplies
http://www.digitalartsupplies.com

Lecture:

Photoshop: Printing

• File Types - Reviewed
• Color Management
• Resolution
• Pre-Press File Preparation
• Proofs / Printing Options from w/in PSD

Lab:


Review Light Images

Assignment:

Come with ink jet paper for printing proofs.

Reading:
Digital Photography: The Dubitative Image, from Snap to Grid: A Users Guide to Digital Arts, Media and Cultures, by Peter Lunenfeld

Artists:

Sites:

NO CLASS - VETERANS DAY - SCHOOL CLOSURE

Lecture:

Output to the Web

Lab:

Assignment:

Reading:

Artists:

Commercial Photographers - Online presence (sampling)

http://www.svenwiederholt.com
http://www.nadavkander.com
http://www.jockmcdonald.com/
http://www.milesaldridge.com/
http://www.marcleclef.com/

Lecture:

Photoshop: Web / Internet

• Optimization
• Automation Techniques

Legal / Copyright Issues

Protecting your images
Respecting the work of others

Lab:

Assignment:

Reading:

Electronic Frontier Foundation
http://www.eff.org

Intellectual Property Online: Patent, Trademark, Copyright
http://www.eff.org/IP/

U.S. Copyright Office
http://www.copyright.gov

Adobe
http://studio.adobe.com/us/tips/tip.jsp?p=1&id=54&xml=phs7addcopyright

The Free Expression Policy Project
http://www.fepproject.org/fepp/fairuseintro.html

Artists:

Sites:

Reading:

Artists:

Sites:

Reading:

Artists:

Sites: