Welcome to Digital Photo I Spring 2016

The Fine Print:

Prof. Stan Strembicki

Digital Photography I SP 2016 V1.2

ART 1183 section 01

Monday & Wednesday 1:00-4:00

01/20/16          class intro; exposure and camera set up; assignment #1-(over under)        

01/25/16          Lightroom 5 orientation/downloading images/basic adjustments

01/27/16          Critique assignment #1-over under & assignment-The Color Image

02/01/16          Lecture for assignment #2-Motion and Focus

02/03/16          Lecture: Preparing files for output and printing in Lightroom CC

02/08/16          No Stan-TA lecture

02/10/16          No Stan-TA lab day

02/15/16          Critique for assignment #2 Motion and Focus

02/17/16          Lecture for assignment #3 Street Photography/Decisive Moment

02/22/16          Lecture: Assignment #4 Environmental Portrait

02/24/16          Critique for #3 Street Photography/Decisive Moment assignment

02/29/16          Scanning negatives and documents demo

           

03/02/16          Critique for #4 Environmental portrait

03/07/16          Lecture for #5 Still Life

03/09/16          Lecture for assignment #6 Narrative; Assignments #1-4 deadline for grading

03/13-19          Spring Break, no classes, lab closed

03/21/16          Lightroom tool bar extra demo/lecture

03/23/16          Lecture of assignment # 8 Night Photography & flash demo

03/28/16          Critique for #5 Still Life

03/30/16          Lecture for studio assignment  #7-studio portrait (J. Karsh; R. Avedon)

            & studio portrait lighting demo & studio lighting demo

04/04/16          Slides for Self Portrait #9

04/06/16          Critique for Assignment #6 Narrative

04/11/16          Critique for assignment #8-Night photography

04/13/16          Lecture/Demo   Presentation, mounting & matting issues

04/18/16          Critique for assignment # 7 Studio portrait

04/20/16          Critique for # 9 Self Portrait

04/25/16          Critique for #10 Personal project

04/27/16          last day to submit assignments 5-10 for grading

05/02/16          final portfolio due today

05/05/16          final exams begin                   

05/09/16          portfolios returned

Assignments:

1. Exposure and development
2. Motion and focus
3. Street Photography-decisive moment
4. Environmental portrait
5. Still Life
6. Narrative
7. Studio portrait
8. Night photography
9. Self portrait
10. Personal project

Final Portfolios:

You are expected to shoot images, perform all lab work, and final presentation. Students who use other students’ prints or files without attribution are guilty of cheating and will be referred to the Associate Dean for further action, and fail the class. Final portfolios consist of 15-20 matted or mounted prints, printed to your highest standards.  Portfolio may include assignments, may be thematic, or may just have 15 of your best images.  All prints should be ready for presentation.  All prints must be in something that resembles a folder or case.  No trash bags or loose prints please.  Label all mats on rear with your name and class.

Grading:

Work will be graded in two parts, 1) craft and technique, which refer to camera handling skills, and print quality and 2) concept and creative solution to assignment problem.

Final grade comprised of the following guidelines:

                                                                        25% assignment

25% attendance and class participation

                                                                        50% final portfolio

Attendance policy:

Students are expected to attend all classes, in case of medical excuse, students are responsible for supplying documentation to faculty.  Excessive absence  (five unexcused) will result in lowering of grade, one letter and seven unexcused, failure of class entirely.  Students should plan on arriving to class on time. Excessive tardiness will result in a lowering of the final grade.

Digital Etiquette:

This should go without saying, but let’s say it anyway: you should turn off your cell-phone and/or other devices (iPods, etc) before you enter the classroom. If your phone rings once during class this semester, we’ll all laugh and I’ll ask you to turn it off. If your phone rings again during class this semester, we’ll need to have a talk.

I understand that your phones connect you with your friends and family, but the classroom should be a place apart, however briefly, from the outside world. You will learn more, in short, if you can concentrate on the class while you’re in class. If you’re really into your phone to that extent, consider taking my class being scheduled for Fall 2016 “Cell Phones, Snapshots and the Social Network”, it’ll all be about the mobile device and making art.

Stan’s office number/voice mail:  935 8406

Stan’s cell 314 440 2894

Stan’s E mail address:  Strembicki@wustl.edu

Class blog site:

www.art1183sec01.blogspot.com

Stan's Digital Camera Recommendations

Stan’s Digital Camera Recommendations

Winter 2015 V1.2 (prices/models subject to change!)

Compact Cameras:

Sony RX100 IV                      $950.00 Fixed zoom lens

Lumix GX-8                            $995.00  Body only

Olympus E-PL7                     $550.00 with 14-42 mm lens

Fuji X100T                             $1,099.00 Fixed lens

Fuji X 1 Pro*                          $799.00 (body only)

Compact DSLR:

Nikon D3300                         $499.00 with 18-55 kit lens

Nikon D5500                         $890.00 with 18-55 kit lens

Canon 760D (AKA T6s)       $949.00 with 18-55 kit lens

Lumix GH-7                            $579.00 w/14-42 lens (mirrorless camera, not a DSLR)

Sony SLT-A77 II                    $850.00 (body only-mirrorless)

Mid sized DSLR:

Nikon D7200                         $110.00

Nikon D610                           $1,500.00

Nikon D750                           $1900.00 for body only, $2,400 with 24-120 lens

Canon 70D                             $1,249.00 with 18-55 mm lens

Canon 7D MkII                      $1,300.00

Fuji X-T1                                $1,000.00                              

Pro bodies (full frame):

Sony A7rII                              $3,200.00  Body only

Nikon D810                           $2790.00   Body only

Canon 5D mk III                    $3,000.00  Body only

Nikon D4S*                            $6,000.00   Body only

Leica M Type 240                 $6,400.00   Body only

*model due to be replaced with improved version early 2016

Stan’s Used Digital Camera Recommendations

Winter 2015 V1.0

(prices subject to change)

Digital cameras used to be a lot like used laptops, every three-five years the technology so jumped ahead there was little point in buying a used model. Just suck it up and buy the latest technology. We’re reaching the upper end of what sensor technology is offering and we now have a better sense of just how many mega pixels we need to make the photos we need to make. With improvements in software we can resample images now and a 12 MP camera usually works for many people, 16-20 MP is more than enough for 75-90% of students. Here are some “last generation”  Prosumer and professional cameras that offer great value used. In all cases it pays to get a shutter count and anything under 50,000 clicks is a pretty safe bet. The smart plan now is to “invest” in legacy lenses and buy the body for your current needs and not think about camera bodies as a long term investment.

Nikon:

D300 (12 MP) APS-C sized sensor, buy at the $350-375 price point

D7100 (24 MP) APS-C sized sensor, buy at the $700-750 price point

D700 (12 MP) Full frame sensor, buy at $900-1,00 price point

D3X (24 MP) full frame sensor, buy at $2,100-2,400 price point

D800E (36 MP) Full frame sensor, buy at the $2,500-2,750.00 price point

Canon:

5D MK II (21 MP) Full Frame sensor, buy at $1,200-1,450.00 price point

7D 18 MP APS-C sized sensor) buy at $650.00 price point

Fuji:

X100S (16 MP) APS-C sized sensor, fixed 23mm lens, buy at $750.00 price point

XPro-1 (16MP) APS-C sized sensor, buy used body for $500-600.00

Sony:

A7R (36 MP) Full Frame sensor, mirrorless, buy used for  $1,200-1,300.

Last Day of Classes!

Group Portrait from Studio Lighting Demo

Assignment #2B Shutter speed & Motion

The camera has the unique ability to freeze motion or to show an entire motion to the point where it is only a blur.  Both of these qualities can be used in a photograph in interpret movement as you would like it to be shown.

A few things to remember are:

1.  A higher shutter speed will be required to freeze motion when the motion is parallel to the film than when motion is toward the camera.

2.  If you are using a slow shutter speed, those less than 1/30 of a second, you should use a camera support.  A tripod is best, however you can brace the camera on a bench, a wall, or place it on the ground.

3.  Panning means to move the camera with the subject in motion.  This will allow you to freeze motion which is faster than your fastest shutter speed.  Panning requires practice, so try this a number of times.

 1. Make a series of exposures that show the effects of freezing motion with a high shutter speed.

 2. A series of exposures to imply motion using slow shutter speeds.

 3. Finally  a series of exposures that  demonstrate the use of panning technique.

 Remember that you must adjust the f stop to match the shutter speed you have selected to get a correct exposure.  You may find that you can not use a low or slow shutter speed in the bright sun, as there is too much light present.  In that case, you must go someplace where there is less light or wait till dusk.  The same is true of high shutter speeds, which often require you to open the lens to get enough light to make a correct exposure, this may not be possible indoors, for example.

Assignment #2A Depth of Field & Focus

Depth of Field and Focus 

As you have learned in your lecture, depth of field is the area, from the near point to the far point, which will be in focus in your photograph.  This can be used in many ways to make your photograph have more impact, to isolate the subject from a distracting background or to give a photograph more apparent depth.  Just to review:

1.  Depth of field is directly related to the f stop which you use.  A small f stop like f 16 will give greater depth of field (more in focus), and a smaller f stop (like f 2.8) will make the depth of field shallower.

2.  When you want fairly accurate indications of depth of field, you should use the depth of field scale on you lens.

3.  Focusing on a subject close to the camera will give less depth of field than focusing on a subject farther away.

 Assignment:

1.  Make at least 2 photographs which show shallow depth of field.  Remember to use a wide f stop (like f 2.8).

2.  Make at least 2 photographs to show great depth of field.  Use a smaller

f stop (like f 16)

3.  Use the remaining images to show subjects in background out of focus,

objects in foreground out of focus, and other variations of use of limited and expanded focus.

 Don’t forget, as you change the f stop, you must compensate the exposure by also changing the shutter speed.  In some cases, it will be too bright to use a open apeture like f 2.8, or too dark to use f 16.

by J.H. Lartigue