CONCEPTS & TERMINOLOGY
Week One
HOW YOUR CAMERA WORKS
Bring or Rent a DSLR camera to Thursday class!!
Join class website with @maine.edu email & Slack
- Digital Camera Modes—how to use your camera!!
- Digital Camera Sensors
- Camera Exposure: Aperture, ISO & Shutter Speed
- Camera Metering
- Depth of Field
- Camera Lenses: Focal Length & Aperture
- White Balance
- Camera Autofocus
MODEL: Ansel Adams; Set to Copeland
ASSIGNMENT 1 Learning to See (all 11 parts) & What Else There is to See
Week Two
LIGHTROOM WORKFLOW 1: IMPORTING & ORGANIZING IMAGES
- Workflow—Import, Organize, Edit/Develop, Export, Publish
- Library Module
QUALITIES OF DIGITAL PHOTOS
MODEL Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand
ASSIGNMENT 2 Getting Comfortable Photographing Strangers
Optional
ADVANCED CONCEPTS
- Digital Camera Sensor Sizes: How Do These Influence Photography?
- Diffraction: Pixel Size, Aperture and Airy Disks
- Digital Cameras vs. The Human Eye
- Hyperfocal Distance
PHOTOGRAPHY ETHICS, TECHNIQUES & STYLES
Week Three
ETHICS & RESPONSIBILITY
- Ethics, Consent, Privacy*
- Theft, Plagiarism, Wildlife*
- NPPA Code of Ethics*
- Staging Manipulation & Truth in Photography
- Street Photography
- Ethics in Developing Country
COMPOSITION
- The Rule of Thirds
- Using Diagonals for Dynamic Photos
- Negative Space – Sometimes Less is More
MODEL: Dorothea Lange
ASSIGNMENT 3: Giving Feedback using Review Criteria posted in the Guides section.
Week Four
CAMERA USAGE
- Using Camera Shutter Speed Creatively
- Reducing Camera Shake with Hand-Held Photos
- Digital Exposure Techniques: Expose to the Right, Clipping & Noise
- ETTR: Expose to the Right Explained
SUBJECTS
- Photography in Fog, Mist or Haze
- Introduction to Macro Photography
- Intro & Common Obstacles in Night Photography
MODEL: Edward Weston
ASSIGNMENT 4 CREATIVE SHUTTER SPEED
PHOTO EDITING & POST-PROCESSING
Week Five
LIGHTROOM WORKFLOW 2: DEVELOP
- Workflow—Import, Organize, Edit/Develop, Export, Publish
- Develop Module Overview: Digital Photo Editing Workflow in Lightroom
MODEL JIM KASSON
ASSIGNMENT 5: LIGHTROOM WORKFLOW
Week Six
IMAGE FILES
TONES & CONTRAST
- Histograms, Part 1: Tones & Contrast
- Histograms, Part 2: Luminosity & Color
- “Levels” Tool in Photoshop
- “Curves” Tool in Photoshop
- Image Posterization
SHARPENING & DETAIL
- Sharpness
- Guide to Image Sharpening
- Sharpening Using the “Unsharp Mask” Tool
- Using Local Contrast Enhancement
ASSIGNMENT 6 STORY PROPOSAL
Sample photo narratives: LensCulture & NYC: One in 8 Million
MODEL: RICHARD AVEDON
Week Seven
PHOTO LIGHTING
- Making the Most of Natural Light in Photography
- Portrait Lighting with One Light: Introduction
- Portrait Lighting with Two Lights: Fill Light
- Specialty Lights: Background, kickers, hair, rim, etc.
- Overall: Studio Portrait Lighting Styles & Diagrams
Spring Break
GET OUTDOORS!!
BRING YOUR CAMERA & CREATE SOME AWESOME PHOTOS!!
PONDER YOUR PHOTO STORY…
ASSIGNMENT 7 SHOW ‘N TELL
Week Eight
IMAGE RESIZING
- Digital Image Interpolation
- A Closer Look at Resizing an Image for the Web & Email
- Optimizing Digital Photo Enlargement
IMAGE STACKING & MULTIPLE EXPOSURES
- Graduated Neutral Density Filters
- Blending Images: HDR, Pano, Focus Stacking
- Using the High Dynamic Range (HDR) Feature in Photoshop
- Averaging Images to Reduce Noise
- Extending Depth of Field Using Focus Stacking
- F-Stop Stacking: Depth of Field & Corner Sharpness
Google Nik Collection, How to Shoot HDR
MODEL CINDY SHERMAN AND DIANE ARBUS
ASSIGNMENT 8 HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR)
Week Nine
PHOTO STITCHING & DIGITAL PANORAMAS
- Photo Stitching Digital Panoramas, Part 1: Overview & Capture
- Photo Stitching Digital Panoramas, Part 2: Using Stitching Software
- Photo Stitching Digital Panoramas: Image Projections
MODEL NICK BRANDT
ASSIGNMENT 9 PANORAMA
Optional
SPECIALTY TECHNIQUES
- Using Lens Corrections to Improve Image Quality
- Digital Photo Restoration: Bring Old Photos Back to Life
- Converting a Color Photo Into Black & White
- How to Create Animated 3D Stereo Photos
SMARTPHONES & SOCIAL MEDIA
Week Ten
LIGHTROOM WORKFLOW 3: SHARE
- Workflow—Import, Organize, Edit/Develop, Export, Publish
- Slides, Web & Social Media Module; ; Instagram; Facebook
MODEL NINA HAUSER and PETE TURNER
ASSIGNMENT 10 PORTFOLIO PREP
CAMERA EQUIPMENT
Week Eleven
CAMERA TYPES & ACCESSORIES
- Compact vs. Digital SLR Cameras
- Selecting & Using a Camera Tripod
- Camera Flash, Part 1: Light Quality & Appearance
- Camera Flash, Part 2: Flash Ratios & Exposure
CAMERA LENSES
- Camera Lenses: Focal Length & Aperture
- Wide Angle Lenses
- Telephoto Lenses
- Tilt/Shift Lenses: Using Shift Movements to Control Perspective
- Tilt/Shift Lenses: Using Tilt Movements to Control Depth of Field
- Macro Lenses: Magnification, Depth of Field & Effective F-Stop
- Macro Extension Tubes & Close-up Lenses
MODEL MICHAEL KENNA
ASSIGNMENT 11 ELEMENTS VISIBLE & INVISIBLE
Week Twelve
LENS CHARACTERISTICS
- Camera Lens Flare: What It Is and How to Reduce It
- Camera Lens Quality: MTF, Resolution and Contrast
CAMERA LENS FILTERS
- Choosing a Camera Lens Filter: Polarizers, UV, ND & GND
- Polarizing Filters
- Using Graduated Neutral Density (GND) Filters
- Neutral Density (ND) Filters
MODEL JOSHUA CRIPPS
ASSIGNMENT 12 SHORT DOCUMENTARY I
Optional
CARING FOR YOUR CAMERA & PHOTOS
- Digital Camera Sensor Cleaning: Tools & Techniques
- Make Archival Digital Photo Backups
- Protect Online Photos: Copying, Watermarks & Copyrights
COLOR MANAGEMENT & PRINTING
Week Thirteen
LIGHTROOM WORKFLOW 4: PRINT
- Workflow—Import, Organize, Edit/Develop, Export, Publish
- Map, Book, Print Modules
CONCEPTS
MODEL ANNIE LEIBOVITZ NYT
ASSIGNMENT 13 SHORT DOCUMENTARY II
Optional
THE PROCESS
- Color Management, Part 1: Concept & Overview
- Color Management, Part 2: Color Spaces
- Color Management, Part 3: Color Space Conversion
- Gamma Correction & Digital Tones
IN PRACTICE
- How to Calibrate Your Monitor for Photography
- Soft Proofing: Matching On-Screen Photos with Prints
- Working Space Comparison: sRGB vs. Adobe RGB 1998
WEAVING IT ALL TOGETHER
Week Fourteen
FINAL PROJECTS & PRESENTATIONS
- Exporting Lr Catalogues & Files
- Print, Share and Publish Images
- Final Slideshow/Story
MODEL MAGNUM PHOTOS