Digital Photography

Art 82 - Section# 4189 - Santa Rosa
Spring 07

Location:
Room 1261

Class Schedule:
Lecture / Lab, Mon./Wed. 4:00 - 7:00 PM
Office Hours: 3:00 - 4:00 Mon./Wed. by appointment.

Instructor:  John Sappington - john@basearts.com

ANALY HALL - ART COMPUTER LAB HOURS

Mon./Wed. - 10 to 1 & 3 to 5pm
Tues./Thurs. -
2:30 to 5pm



Overview

Schedule
Resources

REPEAT Students-

Last Meeting (Group) : May 2, 2007 @ 6:00 pm Room 1261


Final Critique/ Presentations- Week 16 - May 14-16

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Outline

Schedule

 

Course Syllabus

Online Syllabus (this page):

http://www.basearts.com/curriculum/SRJC.DigitalPhotoI.htm
Outline: http://www.basearts.com/curriculum/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 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

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 2 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.

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

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.


Digital Photography
Schedule

(subject to change)
Photography Resources
http://www.basearts.com/resources.html


Week 1

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.
  Sites:

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

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

B and H Photo Video
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

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

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


Lomographic Society
http://www.lomographics.com

Camera Reviews


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

 
Week 2

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:

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

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

Hours
Tuesday - Friday 10:30am - 5:30pm
Saturday 10:30am - 5:00pm


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

Week 3

Lecture:

Camera Operation - Exposure basics

Photoshop Introduction

  • File Browser - Bridge
  • File Types, Format
Lab

First File Transfers

Assignment:

Review Low Light Images
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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

Reading:


Artists:


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/


-- Blue Pixels (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)

Week 4  

Lecture:

  • File Browser - Adobe Bridge Intro
  • Photoshop Intro

 

Lab:

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)

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Experiment with White Balance Bracketing.



Discussion:


Artists:




Sites:


Week 5 02.20.07

Lecture:

Photoshop:

  • Contact Sheet
  • Automation Tools

  • Photoshop Intro Cont.
  • Size / Resize / Resolution

Lab:

Zone System Introduction: Practical
Fig 1
Fig 2

Wikipedia Entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_System


Assignment:

Depth of Field
3-5 Images which illustrate the side effects of aperture selections.

Aperture:
Fig. 1
Fig. 2


Reading:

Wikipedia Entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_System



Artists:

Eadweard Muybridge
Edward Weston
Minor White
Ansel Adams
Robert Adams

Sites:

 

Week 6
02.27.07

Lecture

Photoshop:

  • Layers Palette Introduction
  • Adjustment Layers
  • Levels Adjustment Layers
  • Curves - Adjustment Layers
  • Channel Mixer- Adjustment Layers


    Shadows and Hightlights
    Working with layers as masks

PS Best Practice #1 - Duplicate the pixel based background layer as first step on opening a .jpeg.

Lab:

Repeat Critique - this week and next

Assignment:


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

Shutter / Time Values:
Fig 1




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



Artists:
Paul Strand
Eugene Atget
Henry Wessel
Stephen Shore

Todd Hido
Larry Sultan


Sites:



Week 7
03.04.07

Lecture

Photoshop:

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

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

Lab


Assignment:

Critique - 5 pnts.
- present best 10 images / contact sheets submitted
within home directory under "contacts".


READING:
Robert Adams Essays on Truth and Beauty


Artists:
John Divola
CANDACE GAUDIANI
---

Michael Light
http://www.michaellight.net/
Henry Wessel
http://www.renabranstengallery.com/wessel.html

Week 8
03.13.07

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




Discussion Robert Adams Essays on Truth and Beauty


Artists:

William Klein

Lorna Simpson
Richard Prince
David Hockney

Uta Barth

Reading:

"Understanding the aesthetics of photography" Jonathan Bayer

"The Decisive Moment", Henri Cartier Bresson
" A Personal Credo", Ansel Adams
"Leaflet, Written for the Los Angeles Museum", Edward Weston


Week 9
03.20.07

 

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:

Sites:


Reading:


Week 10

03.27.07

Lecture:

Composition

-
tone

-color
-light
-balance

-line
-framing

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

5 prints - 5 pnts. - 8x10 minimum


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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...

Discussion:


Artists:


Sites:


Week 11 04.03.07

Lecture:

    Photoshop: Printing

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

      Handout - Processing a Digital Image.pdf

    • Papers
      Surface/Finish
      Texture
      Color
      Weight

Lab:
Printing

Printing Demonstration - Epson R1800 / 1280 Printer Drivers


Device/Paper Profiles - additional resources

Color Field Guide - how to install and apply
Epson's ICC Profile Guide

Red River Paper -How to Install and apply profiles.Epson(PC)
Red River Color Profiles -How to Epson(MAC)

Spring Break
04.10.07

Week 12
04.17.07

Lecture


  • Lighting

- Utilizing Ambient Light
- Backlight
- Flash Modes


Photoflex - Lighting Resources Catalogue and Lessons


Lab:

Critique - Current progress on portfolios



Assignment:



Reading:

Sites:

B&H - Flash Gel and Diffusion Samples

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.

Week 13
04.25.07

Lecture:

Review: Images of Light,



Lab:

Printing

Reading:



Artists:


Sites:

Week 14
04.31-05.02.07

Lecture

 


Lab


Printing


Week 15 05.07-09.07

Lecture:

Batch and Automation techniques

Internet Distribution

  • Image Ready
  • Optimization

Lab

Printing continues through to the end...


Week 16 05.14-16.07

Lecture:


Legal / Copyright Issues

Protecting your images
Respecting the work of others


Lab

Reading:

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that offers flexible copyright licenses for creative works.

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:

Week 17 05.21-23.07 Final Critique

Presentations of selections from individual portfolios 10-20 images. = 10 pnts

Final Exam is here --> TEST