lessons

Future lessons are all subject to change, depending on what we get to in lecture and any other scheduling changes. This is mostly just speculative to give you an idea of what we will aim to cover during the course.

All lecture slides will be available (after the corresponding lecture is finished) in a .pptx format, which is Microsoft Word 2007 and later. There are serious compatibility issues with older versions of Powerpoint. If you don't have the latest version, you should consider downloading the .pdf, which loses animations. Slides in .ppt are available on request, however functionality will be severely impacted, and the .pdf is recommended instead.

Microsoft offers a free .pptx viewer for people to use. Hopefully this helps compatibility. If it doesn't, feel free to let me know. (You could let me know if it works, too.) You can find it here.

Week 1 • Week 2 • Week 3 • Week 4 • Week 5 • Week 6 • Week 7 • Week 8 • Week 9 • Week 10 • Week 11 • Week 12 • Week 13 • Field Trips
Week Lecture Slides Discussion Assignment
Week 1, 01/23/12
Syllabus, Intro to Digital Cameras
Class information, followed by the history of the digital camera and the basics about digital sensors.
There is no quiz for this week. 		.pptx/.pdf None Assignment Rules / Self Portrait
Week 2, 01/30/12
Metering and Program Modes
What is a "correct" exposure? An explanation of camera metering and its relation to a good exposure. What are some situations in which camera metering systems can be fooled? Also covering program modes: what is P? M? Tv? What does the camera actually do? When do we use these? 		.pptx/.pdf Sports!
.pptx
.pdf 		Sports/Action
Week 3, 02/06/12
Blur
What is blur? A technical discussion on blur and its three main causes, as well as ways to minimize blur.
 .pptx/.pdf Photojournalism
.pptx
.pdf 		None
Week 4, 02/13/12
Using Blur Creatively
Can blur be a good thing? A discussion on how to use blur for creative purposes, including low-light demos. 		.pptx/.pdf Night/Timelapse
.pptx
.pdf 		Low Light/
Timelapse Workflow
Week 5, 02/27/12
Depth of Field
What is depth of field? Why is depth of field important? A discussion on what it is and how to manipulate it for the appropriate setting. 		.pptx/.pdf Landscapes
.pptx
.pdf 		Landscape
Week 6, 03/05/12
Perspective, Field of View
Why can pictures shot with a wide angle look so different from ones shot with a telephoto? What is perspective distortion? What is field of view? What's the 35mm equivalent? 		.pptx/.pdf Macro
.pptx
.pdf 		Combo Assignment
Week 7, 03/12/12
Noise
What causes noise? How can I avoid it? A description of the causes of noise as well as pros/cons of high ISO. What's the megapixel myth? 		Guest Lecturer: Dr. Brian Barksy See last week
Week 8, 03/19/12
More on Noise, Dynamic Range
Why can't the camera see all the detail that my eye can see? What's dynamic range? What are som techniques to increase my camera's dynamic range?
Week 9, 04/02/12
Composition and Autofocus
What are some good ways to compose a photo? What's the rule of thirds? How to I maintain my DSLR? How does autofocus work? Where does it fail?
Week 10, 04/09/12
Lighting and Off-Camera Flash
If on-camera flash is bad, what can I do? A discussion on light and how it affects subjects, including a discussion on effective use of off-camera flashes.
Week 11, 04/16/12
Color
How does a camera know colors? A look at Bayer filters and other developments in sensor technologies as well as a discussion on the drawbacks to the common Bayer filter. Also a focus on color balance and post-processing.
Week 12, 04/23/12
Optional Lecture: Photoshop
How do I use post-processing software? An discussion on basic Photoshop techniques to improve exposure, color balance and more.
Want that Awesomeness Action?
Week 13, 04/30/12
Lenses
What kind of lenses are out there? What are pros and cons to each? Includes discussion on specialty lenses like Tilt-shift, Macro and Fisheye.


field trips

We will also arrange at least one discussion field trip. This is optional, but gives an opportunity to learn hands on and get much more personal attention from the instructors. It also gives you all a great opportunity to meet other photographers in your course and critique each other's work in real-time. Plus, they're a lot of fun.

Unfortunately it's too difficult to coordinate anything with the lecture, so we will typically restrict the field trip to the discussion students.
Date Description Departure Time Return Time Number of Seats
04/21/12
Marin Headlands
We'll go view the city from Marin County in the north, catch sunset on the beach and enjoy some night photography afterwards!
 Noon? Varies TBA
TBD
???
We're not sure if this one will happen, but we'll keep you informed!
 TBD TBD TBA

© kellen freeman 2008-2012; don't steal shit