Travel Through a Digital Lens, DArt 370 Professor Sandra ...

Travel Through a Digital Lens, DArt 370
Professor Sandra Camomile Course Description: Travel Through a digital Lens is an introductory studio course to basic
concepts, techniques, and terminology in digital photography. Participants
will gain an understanding of concepts, principles and procedures, learning
the how's and why's of digital photography. The travel component of this course will challenge the student to apply
classroom knowledge in the field, aiding in the development and growth of
his/her creative skills. Participants will learn to conceptualize and
individually translate subject matter into "image writing" or cultural
iconography. Principles of photography are the underlying processes that
apply regardless of the camera. Students will develop procedures for
getting images from camera to computer, to print and to the web. Adobe
Photoshop CS5 will be used to enhance, manipulate and edit images. An
underwater photography component will be offered when the travel
destination is appropriate. Dates of Trip: March 2 - 9 3 Credits: DArt Major/Minor Credit, Art History Major/Minor Credit, LCU
Credit, General Elective Course
Course Objectives
After completing this course participants will gain new knowledge and
skills in the following: - Camera controls and menus
- Image Storage
- Lighting
- Composition
- Underwater Photography (when it is appropriate for the travel
destination)
- Conceptualizing Subject Matter
- Digital Manipulation
- Print and Web Publishing
- Travel Component : Apply classroom knowledge to capture compelling
images of the culture, environments and landscapes
Readings (Textbooks, periodicals, or other materials to be used in the
course):
Kelby, Scott, The Adobe Photoshop CS5 Book for Digital Photographers, New Riders, 2010, ISBN- 13: 9780321703569
Additional Sources
Dayley, Lisa DaNae, Dayley, Brad, Photoshop CS5 Bible, Wiley, 2010, ISBN:
978-0-470-58474-3 Fitzgerald, Mark, Photoshop CS5 Restoration and Retouching For Digital
Photographers Only, Wiley, 2010, ISBN: 978-0-470-61816-5 Gietler, Scott, Underwater Photography Guide
http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/ Online Image Hosting
Photobucket, http://photobucket.com/images/search/
Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/
Smugmug, http://www.smugmug.com/
Facebook, http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=2406207130 Book Printing Solutions
Lulu, http://www.lulu.com/ Software (students are not required to purchase software)
Adobe Photoshop CS5 Equipment and Supplies
Students are required to furnish: digital camera (preferably underwater
digital camera), memory cards, USB transfer device, rechargeable batteries
and a battery recharger. Additional supplies will be needed for the
underwater photography component. If the student's personal digital camera
does not have underwater capabilities, disposable (recyclable), underwater
digital cameras may be purchased for a nominal fee at stores such as
WalMart or Target. Semester Schedule Week One: January 17
Camera controls and menus
Composition: Motion and Night Shots
Introduction to the geography of the Lesser Antilles
Exercise #1 Critique and Review Week Two: January 23
Image Resolution and Image Storage
Lighting: Natural Light, Artificial Light
History of the British Virgin Isles Part I - Pre-Columbian
Exercise #2 Critique and Review Week Three: January 30
Composition: The Golden Ratio
History of the British Virgin Isles Part II - British Control
Exercise #3 Critique and Review
Week Four: February 6
Composition: Focal Points and Accents
History of the British Virgin Isles Part III - Emancipation
Exercise #4 Critique and Review Week Five: February 13
Composition: Leading Lines and Looks
History of the British Virgin Isles Part IV - The Modern State
Exercise #5 Critique and Review Week Six: February 20
Composition: Depth of Field
History of the British Virgin Isles Part V - Current Inhabitants, Markets,
Food
Exercise #6 Critique and Review Week Seven: February 27
Composition: Macro Shots
British Virgin Isles: Geography, Nooks and Crannies, Flora and Fauna
Exercise #7 Critique and Review Week Eight: March 2 - 11, Travel Component
Each day the participants and the instructor will meet to review the focus
for the day and to brainstorm concepts for capturing cultural, biological
and geographical iconography. Although there is a focus for the day, other
compositions should not be ignored when opportunities are presented. A
comprehensive approach, building on information from past exercises is
required. March 2
Flight from Philadelphia to St. Thomas
Participants will be asked to take advantage of traveling, by capturing
images of motion.
Photo Shoot #1
Focus: Motion Fast Ferry to Road Town, Tortola
Board Yacht March 3
The Caves at Norman Island
Breakfast Lecture: Introduction to Underwater Photography
Snorkeling into the caves of Norman Island will challenge the student's
knowledge of the use of light. This setting will also give students the
opportunity to practice and apply underwater photography
practices. Students will be instructed to capture images of the geography,
underwater flora and fauna.
Photo Shoot #3
Focus: Light and Underwater Photography March 4
Peter Island
Breakfast Lecture: Underwater Photography
Students will swim to the rocky beaches of Peter Island where they will
retrieve not only visual images of the mollusks that inhabit the beach, but
they will also gather welk and some of the mollusks, to be sauteed that
evening as appetizers. The marine life will offer an excellent opportunity
for macro shots. Compositions with focal points and secondary accents will
be required.
Photo Shoot #4
Focus: Macro Shots, Focal Points and Accents March 5
Beef Island
Participants will take dinghies into the coves and onto the beaches of Beef
Island. A short hike into the small island villages will offer students
the opportunity to meet island inhabitants and experience local culture.
Keeping depth of field as a focus will aid students with composing
foreground, middle ground and background while capturing images of people
and their environments.
Photo Shoot #6
Focus: Depth of Field March 6
Virgin Gorda
Breakfast Lecture: Underwater Photography
Dinghies will deliver students to the unique geography of the Baths at
Virgin Gorda. Huge boulders form exotic pools and natural grottos.
Wildlife is abundant above and below the surface of the water.
Participants will add a new focus to their skills, shooting over/under
imagery, splitting the composition with the waterline, capturing
information above water and below water within the same photograph.
Photo Shoot #5
Focus: Over/Under Shots March 7
Gorda Sound
This is a day for island hopping, swimming, snorkeling and hiking to ruins. Students may choose to go hiking along the "Trail of Palms" on Mosquito
Island, Gorda Peak National Park or walk the trail at Biras Creek.
Students may choose to snorkel off the beaches of Prickly Pear Island, try
their hand at parasailing or other water adventures. A comprehensive
approach will be expected for this photo shoot. Each student's activity
choice will inform their subject matter.
Photo Shoot #7
Focus: Comprehensive March 8
Anageda
Students will be exposed to the ocean culture of conch farming and fishing.
Local fisherman farm and harvest conch as a main source of food and
income. After the flesh of the conch is harvested, the large shells are
discarded into piles in the ocean. Some of the piles of conch shells have
begun forming small islands. Participants will capture photographs of the
culture, describing with images the life and experiences of this ocean
community. Students will be asked to focus on the Golden Ratio, the thirds
rule, while creating their iconographic compositions.
Photo Shoot #8
Focus: The Golden Ratio March 9
Road Town, Tortola
Pack to disembark. The trip passes much too quickly. Return to Road Town, Tortola
Fast Ferry to St. Thomas(customs)
Flight from St. Thomas to Philadelphia
Week Nine: March 12
Edit Images
Image Cataloguing
Image Storage Week Ten: March 19
Critique
Composition
Representations of Cultural and Geographical Iconography Week Eleven: March 26
Digital Manipulation: Shadows, Highlights and Histograms
Studio Work Week Twelve: April 2
Digital Manipulation: Color Correction
Studio Work Week Thirteen: April 9
Digital Manipulation: Cropping, Blending, Cutting, and Pasting
Studio Work
Week Fourteen: April 16
Layout Design for Photographic Essay
Publishing Week Fifteen: April 23
Layout Design for Photographic Essay
Publishing Week Fifteen: April 30
Layout Design for Photographic Essay
Publishing Finals Week: May 7 -10
Photographic Essay Due Course hours will have been filled after the first two weeks returning from
the trip. Students are offered the option to submit their final assignment
to complete their commitment for the course after which, classes do not
need to be attended. However, most students continue to come to class of
their own accord.
Grading
Exercises will be assigned in the form of a visual solution for each photo
shoot prior to the travel component. The completed exercise will include
twenty original photographs to be submitted as online digital images. Each
image is required to visually demonstrate an understanding of the current
topic and build comprehensively on the previous topics. Exercises are
worth a total of 100 points, 5 points for each correct photograph. One
full letter grade, 10 points, will be deducted for late exercises submitted
within one week from the due date. Any exercise more than one week late
will not be accepted resulting in a zero. The final project is a photographic essay to be submitted as a PDF document
or as a printed, published book format using Lulu Printing Solutions. The
photographic essay is a culmination of visual iconography captured during