01 Photo Intro

"I covered the Republican convention, and I was impressed in watching my Times colleagues at how much their jobs have changed. Here’s what a reporter does in a typical day: report, file for the Web edition, file for The International Herald Tribune, tweet, update for the Web edition, report more, track other people’s tweets, do a Web-video spot and then write the story for the print paper. You want to be a Times reporter today? That’s your day. You have to work harder and smarter and develop new skills faster." Thomas Friedman, New York Times, September 8, 2012

These days EVERYONE is a photographer!

Class #1 - ORIENTATION/INTRO TO PHOTO

LECTURE: Meet your professor. Overview of course, and objectives, a review of the syllabus. Intro to Still Photography - Camera basics: pros and cons of DSLRs, iPhones, and point and shoot cameras. What makes a good picture?

Basic elements of photo composition. Students will learn about the rule-of-thirds, basic lighting concepts (use of natural light, depth of field, camera settings for different conditions.)

IN CLASS EXERCISE: Pay attention, take notes, look interested, ask questions.

ASSIGNMENT: Photo Assignment #1: "Photograph what you know best." Pick a subject or a theme related to you, your interest, you life, or your surroundings. Shoot at least 30 pictures. Bring all images to the next class, for editing in class. The idea is to produce and post to the class blog no more then three “different” images that says something about who you are. Each photo will be captioned according to AP caption style, and in addition you will identify which "elements of composition and creative devices are employed." (35 points)

How the World Changed - The installation of a Pope pre and post iPhone

GRADING CRITERIA:

This is your checklist for success. If you can say "yes" to all of these questions, you get an "A." It's that simple! (Note this first assignment will not be graded until AFTER the second class when you edit and post your three best pictures to the class blog).

1. Did you bring at least 30 images to class?

2. Did you post your best three to the blog?

3. Did you crop the photos to enhance the composition?

4. Do your photos conform to the rule of thirds? Or violate the rule in a creative and pleasing way?

5. Are the photos captioned according to AP style?

6. Did you successfully identify the compositional principles and creative devices employed?

7. Did you expose the image correctly, or use the color correction in Adobe Photoshop to fix under or over exposure?

8. Does at least one of your photographs have a “cool factor” or “wow factor”?

8 Yeses = A+ (100%)

7-6 Yeses = A (95/90%)

5-4 Yeses = B (85%-80%)

3-2 Yeses = C (75%-70%)

1-1 Yeses = D (65%)

0-0 Yeses = F (50% (Assuming an assignment was posted)

TIPS:

USING YOUR iPHONE:

1. QUICK ACCESS: To access the iPhone's built-in camera quickly, swipe your finger UP on the camera icon on the unlock screen. The iPhone opens in camera mode. (It took me a while to figure that out.) Great when you need quick access to capture immediate action.

2. SHUTTER: Take the picture by either tapping the camera icon on the screen, OR pusing the volume UP button on the side.

3. ZOOM: The camera has a ZOOM function. If you pinch the screen it will come up, but DON'T USE IT! The zoom is a DIGITAL zoom, NOT and optical zoom, which means all it does is expand the picture digitally, with a resultant loss in quality. You can do the same thing later if you want when you edit the picture, but in both cases, you lose quality. Instead ZOOM WITH YOUR FEET. That is to say: if you want a to get closer shot, GET closer.

4. GRID The iPhone camera has a GRID option, that can be displayed while shooting STILL, but NOT videos. Turn it on to see a grid that will help you keep horizontal lines, such as the horizon straight, and also remind you to think about the "rule of thirds."

5. HDR: The iPhone has an HDR (High Dynamic Range) option that can be used to pick up details in very dark or very light parts of your photo. It take three pictures (under, over, and normal exposures) and merges them together. Carefull with this. Doesn't work well on moving objects. More on this in Class #4

6. PANORAMA: This option lets you take 240 degree panoramas, by moving the iPhone along a line indicated on the screen. Again: more on this in Class #4.

7. EXPOSURE/FOCUS: The iPhone camera "auto exposes," that is sets the exposure for you. That work MOST of the time. But in lighting situations where there are very bright or very dark parts of the phot, just tap the area that you want exposed correctly. That also sets the FOCUS on that part of the picture. If the auto-exposure keeps changing when you move the canmera, tap and hod down you finger to lock the focus and exposure. To unlock, simply tap again.

SHOOTING "MORE BETTER" PHOTOS:

1. Compose before you shoot. Think "rule of thirds," check the background, turn the grid on your iPhone on if you need help thinking about the rule of thirds.

2. Stop and check the light. Where is it coming from? Use it to help set the mood.

3. Get closer. (Fill the frame, detail close up)

4. Get down. (Angle of attack) bring ladder, shovel, pickaxe

5. Climb up. The high angle shot can sometimes improve the framing. Try a "Hail, Mary," hold the camera as high as you can, even when you can't see what you're shooting and "pray" it looks good. Take a look at the result and try a few more time.

6. Avoid using flash, Whenever possible use natural light.

7. Let fast things blur. Allow some movement to blur. Also try panning to keep the main subject in focus while the background blurs.

8. Shoot the shadow, silhouette, or reflection.

9. Use the right camera settings - your point-and-shoot camera has setting for sports, portrait, macro, night scenes, etc.

10. Use tripod for time exposures, night shots, HDR photos

11. Shoot a variety of shots: wide (overall,) medium (emotional), close up (detail)

12. You don't have to look in the viewfinder. We're not in the age of film, so you can take a chance with shots that you can't precisely compose.

ELEMENTS OF COMPOSITION/CREATIVE DEVICES

1. Rule of Thirds -

2. Entry points - (Where you look first) visual stop sign (where you look last)

3. Shadow/Silhouettes/Reflection

4. Dramatic lighting

5. Perspective Objects in Foreground

6. Selective focus (Depth of Field)

7. Action/Decisive moment

8. Emotion

9. Leading lines/ Converging lines

10. Juxtaposition
11. Repetition
12. Panning/Blurring to show Motion
13. Color

14. Low Angle/High Angle

OUT OF CLASS READINGS:

-- Read pages 10-13 of "iPhone Photography."

-- Listen to this lecture by David Hume Kennerly, 1972 Pulitzer Prize winning photographer, and former personal photographer to President Gerald Ford. Kennerly has a great eye, and is an avid iPhone photographer.