Communications Media 167 (section F) – Digital Photography

Wilbur Wright College, Fall 2008

 

 

 

Instructor:  Hui-min Tsen / huimintsen@gmail.com

Class information available at huimintsen.com

Tues/Thurs: 11:00-12:20, Room L116

Office Hours: Tuesdays, 12:30-1:30 in L330

 

 

CREDIT HOURS:                                                   Three

CONTACT HOURS:                                             Three

COURSE LENGTH:                                             One Semester

 

CATALOG DESCRIPTION:                            A course for photographers and photography students  exploring  applications of digital photography in the field of photography.  Writing assignments, as appropriate to the discipline, are part of the course.

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:                                 To provide the student with introductory to intermediate skill with digital photography and digital photo manipulation.

     

STUDENT LEARNING

OUTCOMES:                                                            The student who successfully completes this course will learn:

 

1.     How to apply current digital photography techniques for photographic purpose.

2.     Specific techniques similar to conventional darkroom manipulations in digital photography

3.     Methods of color correction, composing multiple images and use of filters to alter images

4.     Applications for electronic imaging in Fine Art Photography, Photojournalism, and Commercial Photography

5.     How to use a digital camera

6.     How to use a scanner

 

 

Student conduct: City Colleges of Chicago students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner which is considerate of the rights of others and which will not impair the educational mission of these colleges. Misconduct for which students are subject to College Discipline (e.g. expulsion) may include the following: (1) all forms of dishonesty such as stealing or forgery, (2) obstruction or disruption of teaching, research, administration or disciplinary proceedings, (3) physical or verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, harassment and/or other conduct that threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person, and (4) carrying or possession of weapons, ammunition or other explosives.

 

Please note: Any student with a disability who is eligible for reasonable accommodations should contact the Disability Access Center located in room L135, Learning Resource Center of the Wright North Campus or call (773) 481-8016 as soon as possible.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                         

SUPPLIES:                                             2GB–16GB USB Jump Drive to save work to

                                                                        1-2 print cards to use the inkjet printer ($15 each)

                                                                        Blank CDÕs

                                                                        A Digital Camera

 

TEXTBOOK:                                           Photoshop CS3 Visual Quickstart Guide

                                                                        By Elaine Weinmann and Peter Lourekas

                                                                        (available in the Wright College Bookstore and at local                                                                                                  bookstores in Chicago)

 

 

GRADING POLICY:         My grading system is based on the principles with which you will be rewarded in the world.  Each assignment will be graded on the following criteria:

 

1. Promptness

2. Quality of presentation

3. Participation in conversation

4. Effort and originality of approach to the assignment

ÒOriginality: n. – the ability to think independentlyÓ

 

 

BREAKDOWN OF POINTS:     

Assignments (5): 50% (10% each)

Final Assignment: 20%

Midterm: 10%

Exercises/Quizes/In-class assignment/written homework: 5%

Class participation and attendance: 15%

                  Arriving late or leaving early will be marked as ½ attendance

 

 

CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE:        For many students, this will be their first art class and it is extremely important that the classroom environment is one where everyone is comfortable participating and sharing their photographs.  The classroom should be an open environment where people are able to experiment safely:

                  ¥ Always treat your fellow students with respect

                  ¥ No cellphones, email, or surfing the web during class

                  ¥ do not be late

                  ¥ do not miss critiques

 

If you miss a class it is your responsibility to make up the material outside of class time.  My office hours are Tuesday and Thursay between 12:30 and 1:30 and I am usually in the Photo Lab in A233 between 2pm and 5pm on Tuesdays and Thursays. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOME IMPORTANT TERMS AND TECHNIQUES COVERED IN THIS CLASS

Page numbers correspond to the textbook, Visual Quickstart Guide CS3

File Management Techniques:

Re-naming individual files

Batch renaming files: p.76

Burning files to a disc (see handout)

Viewing a slideshow in Bridge

Importing images using Bridge: pp. 47-48

Digital Workflow (see handout)

 

Photoshop Basics:

Resetting Workspaces to defaults: p. 90

Photoshop Palettes: pp. 6-19

History Palette: p.161

Save As: p. 60

 

Adjustment Techniques:

Color Balance: pp. 203-204

Brightness/Contrast: p.183

Hue/Saturation: p. 205

Levels: pp.208-209

Curves: pp.210-213

Black & White: pp. 200-202

Adjustment Layers  p.172-173

Adjustment Layer Masks: pp.174-175

Dodging/Burning: p. 184

 

Working with Tools and Image Files:

Showing and Hiding layers: p.174

Flattening Layers: pp. 114-116

Rotating the canvas: pp. 101-102

Changing Image Size: pp 91-96

Cropping an image: pp. 97-101

Brush Tool: pp. 215-217

Changing the size and style of brush tool

Changing the Opacity

Clone Stamp Tool: pp. 272-273

 

Hardware:

Scanning

Printing with the Epson R2400

Using a Tripod

Terms:

Photoshop & Bridge CS3

Palettes

Workspace

Pixel

Megapixel

Resolution: pp.50-52

DPI

Megabyte

Gigabyte

RAM

File extension (.jpg, .tif, .gif, .psd)

*White Balance: Tungsten, Daylight

Color Temperature

*Warm & Cold temperatures

Contrast

Saturation

ISO

ÒNoiseÓ in images

Paper surfaces: Luster, Glossy, Matte

Histogram: p.178-179

Ev Compensation on the camera

 

 

Computer Lab Hours

Day

Open

Close

Sunday

Closed

 

Monday

9:00 AM

9:00 PM

Tuesday

9:00 AM

9:00 PM

Wednesday

9:00 AM

9:00 PM

Thursay

9:00 AM

9:00 PM

Friday

9:00 AM

4:00 PM

Saturday

9:00 AM

2:00 PM

 

 

COURSE SCHEDULE: Subject to change

 

1/20 & 1/22 Week 1:

Tues: Introduction to course, supplies, slide show

                  Homework: Read over Mac tutorial, get supplies, bring camera on Thursay

Thurs: In-class shooting: Light and Shadow, EV +/-

                  Importing images, Bridge, Photoshop, digital workflow

                  Homework: Getting to know your camera handout

                                    Shoot more light/shadow

 

1/27 & 1/29 Week 2:

Tues: Making image adjustments, analyzing print quality and color

Thurs: Making image adjustments, continued

 

2/3& 2/5 Week 3:

                  Tues: Assignment #1 Due (Light and Shadow)

                                    ** 4 laser prints due (2 pictures, 2 interpretations) **

                                    Low-light slideshow

                                    Homework: bring camera on Thursay

                  Thurs:  Demo: Advanced camera techniques, White Balance, flash, ASA

                                    In-class shooting: flash & low light & painting-with-light

                                    Homework: Shoot more low light images

 

2/10 & 2/12 Week 4:

                  Tues: Demo: preparing an image for printing, using the R2400

                  Thurs: In-class work time: printing and adjusting Assignment #2

 

2/17 & 2/19 Week 5:

                  Tues: Assignment #2 Due: Low Light

                                    ** 4 Inkjet prints due **

                  Thurs: Demo: how to convert image to black&white, rotating, cropping

                                    portrait slideshow

                                    Homework: shoot portraits

 

2/24 & 2/26 Week 6:

                  Tues: Demo: dodging and burning

                  Thurs: Assignment #3 Due: Black and White Portrait

                                    ** 3 inkjet prints due **

 

3/3 & 3/5 Week 7:

                  Tues: Demo: scanning and retouching, using the cloning tool

                  Thurs: Introduction to layers, canvas size, and background

                                    In-class worktime for Panorama

 

3/10 & 3/12 Week 8:

                  Tues: In-class worktime for Panorama

                  Thurs: Midterm review

 

3/17 & 3/19 Week 9: Midterm

                  Tues: Midterm Exam

                  Thurs: Assignment #4 Due: Panorama

                        ** printed 8 inches tall on several sheets of paper **

 

3/24 & 3/26 Week 10:

                  Tues: Demo: Selection tools

                  Thurs: Demo: Adjustment Layer Mask

 

3/31 & 4/2 Week 11:

                  Tues: Demo: Text tool (Image and Text)

                  Thurs: Assignment #5: Altered Images

                                    ** 3 inkjet prints due **

                                    Final Project Description Due

                                    Homework: collect images for final project

 

Week 12: SPRING BREAK (April 6th-12th)

                  Tues: NO CLASS

                  Thurs: NO CLASS

 

4/14 & 4/16 Week 13:

                  Tues: Individual Meetings, Lab day for final project

                  Thurs: Demo: Issues for presentation (Archival, paper, boxes, etc)

                                    Online printing and publishing services

 

4/21 & 4/23 Week 14:

                  Tues: Lab time

                  Thurs: Lab time

 

4/28 & 4/30 Week 15:

                  Tues: Demo: final presentation options: web-pages, blogs, slideshows,                                        matting, framing, portfolios

                  Thurs:  Lab time

 

5/5 & 5/7 Week 16: FINAL: I Was There and it Was So Amazing!

                  Tues: FINAL CRITIQUE (3-5 8x10 prints or 1-2 13x19 prints)

                  Thurs: FINAL CRITIQUE (3-5 8x10 prints or 1-2 13x19 prints)