Digital Photography

Art 82 - Section#0196 - Santa Rosa
FALL 07

Class Schedule: 
Tuesdays 12:00 - 3:00

Office Hours:
Monday / Wednesday 3:00 - 4:00 by appointment

Instructor:  John Sappington - john@basearts.com

ANALY HALL - ART COMPUTER LAB HOURS

Monday - 9:30 - 12:30
Tues./Thurs. - 12 - 4:30

Overview
Schedule
Resources

REPEAT Students <--CLICK HERE

Course Syllabus

Online Syllabus (this page):

http://www.basearts.com/L2-pages/currentsyllabi2.html
Outline: http://www.basearts.com/L2-pages/DigPhotoOutline.htm

DESCRIPTION:

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

This course will present and overview of digital imaging techniques as applied to the art of photography. Traditional and new electronic photographic methods are studied as a vehicle to understand the implication of this medium as an art form. Emphasis is placed on the creative process while exploring electronic image making as a means of communication used by contemporary artists.

Outcomes and Objectives:

Explore digital photography.
Understanding and applicable use of the tools of digital and electronic photography.
Employ creative thinking skills in assessing visual images
Develop skills in manipulating photo images with new tools
Examing past work for aesthetic and technical mastery.
Practice aesthetic criticism

Topics and Scope:

Synthesize digital tool manipulation with photographic images.
Produce work using a variety of digital equipment.
Investigate how digital tools change photographic images.
Analyze the work of current artists and designers using these tools.

Assignments:

1. Scanning Techniques
2. Digital Camera Operations *manual
3. File Management Practices
4. Printing Procedures
5. Text and Image, Alternative approaches to graphic use of photographic materials
6. Presentation Methods *Web/Internet

Recommended Technical Texts:

"Photoshop CS3 for Windows and Macintosh", Elaine Weinmann, Peter Lourekas, Peachpit Press 2007
www.peachpit.com

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

"The Photoshop CS3 Book for Digital Photographers", Scott Kelby, New Riders Publishing, 2007
www.scottkelbybooks.com

"The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers", Scott Kelby, New Riders Publishing, 2005
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

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


Required Supplies / Equipment:

A 3 Megapixel (or greater) digital camera is required.

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

Optional media types are:

- 100MB/250 Mb Zip disks

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

- Flash cards, memory sticks, etc..  

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.  Students will be expected to check this e-mail account at least twice a week.  General class announcements will be reported via e-mail.

EVALUATION:

20% of student grades will be based on class participation. Students must attend class in order to effectively participate.

70% of student grades will be based on the completion of assignments. These assignments will not be graded for skill or content, but will be evaluated for technical completion.

10% of the student grade will be determined by the final portfolio presentation.

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, please notify the instructor.  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.

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Attendance Requirements

It shall be the policy of the Sonoma County Junior College District to maintain an attendance policy and procedures consistent with State and local requirements.

1.0 Attendance

1.1 Students are expected to attend all sessions

of the course in which they are enrolled.

1.2 Any student with excessive absences may be

dropped from the class.

2.0 Excessive Absence Defined

2.1 A student may be dropped from any class when that student’s absences exceed ten percent (10%) of the total hours of class time.

2.2 Instructors shall state in each course syllabus what constitutes excessive absence for that course.

3.0 Excused vs. Unexcused absences

3.1 Unless state or federal law requires that the absence be deemed excused, no instructor shall be required to make a distinction between excused and unexcused absences.

3.2 If individual Instructors wish to distinguish between excused and unexcused absences the instructor shall state in each course syllabus all criteria for any excused absences in addition to those required by state or federal law.

4.0 Nonattendance

4.1 Students who fail to attend the first two class meetings of a full semester course may be dropped by the instructor.

4.2  Faculty are required to drop all No-Show students by the Census Date of each census course.  A No-Show is an enrolled student who has not attended any class meeting of the course at any time, or who has not contacted the instructor to make arrangements to remain enrolled in the course.

 Policy 8.15, Revised July 10, 2007

Syllabus Overview Expectations, Requirements, Objectives, Best Practices.

Assignment:

• Bring in a minimum 5 images in any form to the second class meeting- representing your interests, motivations in photography.
  
• Email john@basearts.com with your current email address
  - include SRJC Digital Photo and your section number in the subject line.
  
• Locate and Read Camera Manual - Cover to Cover
  Begin JOURNAL of questionable functions, settings, usage.
  
• Set Camera to highest resolution / lowest compression.
  
• TURN OFF THE FLASH!
  
• Bring Camera to second class meeting with cables (usb/firewire), or card reader.

Lomographic Society
http://www.lomographics.com

Camera Reviews

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

Lecture:

Digital Technology

Camera / Scanner
Scanning Procedures

Transferring images from camera/media to system.

Begin fundamentals of camera technology.

Lab:

Establish Home Directories
Work with camera connection / file transfer

Assignment:

Objects for Scanning - 3 Dimensional Objects as well as prints or flat art that you may want to digitize.

Review Historical Photograms/Montage works:

Photograms and Montage Samples

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Shooting in Low Light without a flash.

Feel free to experiment, try to find the lowest level of light possible to render a readable image.

Depending on what you may or may not know regarding ISO, experiment with this setting in your camera as well.

Artists:

Lazlo Moholy-Nagy
Man Ray
Bruce Conner
David Hockney

Olivia Parker
http://oliviaparker.com/newindex.php

Reading:

Camera Manuals continued - journal with questions/notes from the manual.

Digital Camera Review - Technical Glossary
http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/
http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Glossary/Camera_System/


LOCAL GALLERIES:

A Street Gallery
312 South A St., Santa Rosa

Arts Council of Sonoma County
529 Fifth St, Santa Rosa
www.sonomaarts.com

Sonoma County Museum
425 7th Street, Santa Rosa
www.sonomacountymuseum.org

Santa Rosa Junior College Art Gallery
Bussman Hall, Santa Rosa

Sebastopol Center for the Arts
6780 Depot Street Sebastopol
www.sebarts.org

SF Camerawork
http://www.sfcamerawork.org

Robert Koch Gallery
http://www.kochgallery.com/

Fraenkel Gallery
http://www.fraenkelgallery.com
49 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
Map

Hours:
Tuesday - Friday: 10:30 - 5:30
Saturday: 11 - 5

(415) 981-2661 p.
(415) 981-4014 f.
mail@fraenkelgallery.com

Haines Gallery
http://www.hainesgallery.com
49 Geary Street, Suite 540
San Francisco, CA 94108

Tel: 415-397-8114
Fax: 415-397-8115
info@hainesgallery.com

Urban Digital Color / Gallery 16
http://www.urbandigitalcolor.com/gallery16/galleryframe.html

Lecture:

Camera Operation

• Exposure basics
• Zone System
• Zone System Introduction: (Digital Application) Practical
  Fig 1
  Fig 2
  

Photoshop Introduction

• File Browser - Bridge
• File Types, Format

Lab

First File Transfers

Assignment:

Review Low Light Images

Bracketing Exposures -

3 Subjects - 3-5 exposures for each with alternate exposure.

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

------------------------

Experiment with White Balance Bracketing.

Artists:

Eadweard Muybridge
Paul Strand
Eugene Atget

Hiroshi Sugimoto - Exhibition @ the de Young until Sept. 23 - http://www.thinker.org/deyoung/index.asp

Sites:
Photo Sharing

http://www.dpchallenge.com
http://www.flickr.com/
http://www.slide.com
http://www.kodakgallery.com/
http://www.snapfish.com/
http://www.shutterbook.com/home/
http://www.deviantart.com/
http://www.zoto.com/

Lecture:

• Contact Sheet
• Automation Tools
  
  
• Layers Palette Introduction
• Adjustment Layers
• Levels Adjustment Layers
  

Lab:


Assignment:
Equivalents
Motion / Blur
3-5 Images which illustrate the side effects of shutter speed / time value selections.

Shutter / Time Values:
Fig 1

Reading:



Artists:

Henri Cartier-Bresson
John Divola
Uta Barth
Hiroshi Sugimoto

Sites:

Lecture

Photoshop:

PS Best Practice #2 - All adjustments to adjustment layers - no pixel damage.

• Curves - Adjustment Layers
• Channel Mixer- Adjustment Layers
  
  
  Shadows and Hightlights
  Working with layers as masks
  
  Size/Resize/ Resolution
  

Lab:

Adobe Instructional Resources Pages
http://www.adobe.com/education/instruction/main.html

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Artists:

Henry Wessel
http://www.renabranstengallery.com/wessel.html
Stephen Shore
Todd Hido
Larry Sultan


Sites:

Lecture

Photoshop:

• Working with and around Selections
  
• Photo Filters- Adjustment Layers
  
• Sharpening
  Unsharp Mask
  
• History Brush
  
  

Lab

Assignment:

Critique - 5 pnts.

5 Images - should represent beginnings of portfolio subjects either content or technique.

- contact sheets / within home directory under "contacts".

Artists:

John Baldessari
Sophie Calle
Nick Waplington

CANDACE GAUDIANI
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Mid Term Interviews:

Sign up for a time on the Sign-up sheet

Evaluation Form <--click here
(Please Complete and Submit from your home system)

Photoshop:

• Compositing
  
• Blending Options
  
  
• Roxio Toast
  
  CD and DVD Burning
  

Critique - 5 pnts.

5 Images - should represent beginnings of portfolio subjects either content or technique.

- contact sheets / within home directory under "contacts".

Mid-Term Interviews - 5 pnts
The midterm interview is mandatory and = to a shooting assignment.

Prepare a selection of ideas for you your final portfolio. Write up a brief description of each and submit during the interview. Reference specific images within your home directory if you have images related to the subjects chosen for the final portfolio.

You are only required to show up for the time of your interview.

Evaluation Form <-- click here

Lecture:

Artists:

William Carlos Williams

Sites:

10.23.07

Lecture:

Composition

-tone
-balance
-line
-framing

Lens Selection:
Link to external sites of interest regarding lens selection.

Angle of View:
Fig 1

Lab:

Assignment:
------------------------------------

5 prints - 5 pnts. - 8x10 minimum
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Assignment:

Added Assignment:

Subject explorations / Framing exercise. Shoot a minimum of 20 images of a single subject from every angle and a variety of compositional arrangements.

explore position/ balance/ background/ etc...

Photoshop: Printing

Handout - Processing a Digital Image.pdf

• Resolution (review)
  
• File Preparation
• Color Management
• Color Modes
  

Papers
Surface/Finish
Texture
Color
Weight

LAB:

Printing

Printing Demonstration - Epson R1800 / 1280 Printer Drivers

PS Print (LA based commercial printer)
http://www.psprint.com/
Preparing files for print - Pagemaker, Illustrator
http://www.psprint.com/helpcenter/preparingyourfiles/digitalcheck_pm.asp

Urban Digtial Color (SF, printer)
http://www.urbandigitalcolor.com/urbandigital/udcframe.html

Digital Art Supplies (San Diego based, print supply )
http://www.digitalartsupplies.com

---------------local printers santa rosa

Northbay Photo Supply (Santa Rosa, based photo supply)
http://www.photosupply.com
location map
http://www.photosupply.com/aboutusindex.htm

The Lab
http://www.thelabsantarosa.com

Lenny Eiger
http://www.eigerphoto.com/index_ep.php

Lecture

Lighting

- Utilizing Ambient Light
- Flash

Photoflex - Lighting Resources Catalogue and Lessons

Lab:

Critique - Current progress on portfolios

Assignment:
3-5 images of light
- Pre-Visualization
- sensitivity toward the lighting conditions(less focus on subject)

Artists:

Sites:

Review Lens Selection:
Link to external sites of interest regarding lens selection.
Angle of View:
Fig 1

Lecture:

- Review Best Practices Processing a Digital Image
for Print
- Handout - Processing a Digital Image.pdf

Photoshop
- Sharpening - LAB Color Mode/Luminance Sharpening

Additional Printing Resources:

http://www.basearts.com/curriculum/PDF/ - see contents for various PDFs

Epson R1800 Printing Guide

Lecture:

Flash
Batch and Automation techniques

Printer Profile File Names:
profilenames

Lecture

Internet Distribution

• Image Ready
• Optimization

Lab

Critique - 5-10 Progress toward final subjects

Printing continues through to the 12.11...

Photo Sharing

http://www.apple.com/ilife/iphoto/
http://www.dpchallenge.com
http://www.flickr.com/
http://www.slide.com
http://www.kodakgallery.com/
http://www.snapfish.com/
http://www.shutterbook.com/home/
http://www.deviantart.com/
http://www.zoto.com/

Compliments of Dennis De Naut:
www.smugmug.com

Commercial Photographers - Online presence (sampling)

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


Artists :
Lynn Hershman Leeson
http://www.lynnhershman.com

George LeGrady
http://www.georgelegrady.com

Reading:

http://creativecommons.org/

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

Digimarc
www.digimarc.com
http://www.digimarc.com/mypicturemarc/

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

Artists:

Sites: