teaching digital photography.

I studied photography in college when black and white film was the

only medium taught. I had great joy in learning and went off to

venture into the art even after I was finished studying. It was

about 4-5 years ago but all we did in the sake of digital

photography was to learn the basics of photoshop.

 

Since I graduated from college, I experimented with numerous media

and trends. I must have captured somebodys attention that the dean

of a local college approached me with an idea of setting up a

digital photography certificate program and wants me to setup a

course schedule and teach a couple courses.

 

I was taught photography when everything was different and the

instructors used some techniques that were very effective at the

time. But now, everything is a lot more different with `auto-

everything` digital cameras and I would like to get input from all

of you who might have an idea or two about what could be interesting

to a digital photography student.

 

These students will all have at least a bachelors degree in a

different field and they will most likely do photography as a hobby

or to document products/buildings etc.

 

I would appreciate all comments. Thank you all in advance.

As a place to start, why not go to the web pages of some of the better Colleges (especially the ones that offer good media courses) or Art Schools around and have a look at what is being offered to get some ideas... be very careful not to simply copy anyone else's curriculum though(!!!) It'll just be a good way to get a gist for some of the things that might be important in the context of what certificate grads will 'need to know'.

If it were up to me there would be two classes;

 

1.) Introduction to Digital Photography, covering basic camera operation, related hardware and workflow as well as getting into some of the basics of composition, use of shutter speeds, etc.

 

2.) Advanced Digital Photography, getting into RAW file format, digital SLR's, exposure control and post capture processing.

Okay, so I just went to get a cup of coffee and still found myself thinking about this.

 

It sounds to me like you have a wealth of experience where it comes to photography per se, so why not concentrate on that aspect?

 

In a digital world, we still need concepts such as lighting, equipment, ways of looking at different environments (eg. studio vs. outdoors), composition etc etc etc... I guess the only step that would be different in the context of a Certificate program such as the one you describe would be to insert "Basic Photoshop Skill" where you would have originally had "Introduction to Darkroom Techniques".

Given the time I imagine you'd have to touch on this aspect, I guess you've have to stick to basic, but very useful stuff like file formats/compression and size, colour and contrast balance, curves, sharpening and so on...

 

Hope this is helpful.

Dear friends,

 

This is already becoming very helpful. Thanks for your comments..

 

I have started doing an outline for the courses. I need to have 6 courses to cover 2 semesters and a total of 18 hours a week. That is about 500+ hours of digital photography in one year!.

 

I figured I would breakdown my ideas into two basic chapters as `pre-exposure` and `post-exposure`.

 

I remember some extremely unique approaches we followed when I attended my first photo class in college. We taped the viewfinder of our cameras and we were sent on a trip around the campus. Two hours later we cameback with an exposed roll of film and we had our first lesson in developing.

 

Then came the mechanics of the camera (of which we clearly knew very little about) and the DOF and the ISO and the EVs and...

 

But with the automation of todays digital cameras (and most of the students will have a powershot or cybershot or something of that sort) it is very hard to demonstrate the basics to the students. I mean, there is almost infinite DOF for those little sensors. And diffraction limits their aperturees to F8 in most cases. You cant pull apart a prontor shutter and demonstrate how it works, you cant take out the lens of an slr and show the mirrorbox or the pentaprizm..

 

I mean digital is a wonderful tool because it gives you instantaneous feedback but it has also taken away some aspects of photography that I believe are important in learning the big picture (pun intended :).

 

So here I am trying to adapt my knowledge photography so that the new generation of only-digital kids can experience it for themselves and hopefully find a passion to pursue it further...

One of our class requirements was to use a basic twin lense reflex so we had to learn exposure control and the benefits there of. This was back in the mid to late 70's.

 

In your case, requiring a digital SLR such as a Canon D30, wouldn't be out of the reasonable for a digital photo class so you could teach these disciplines.

lighting, composition, framing, directing, editing for the best photo, looking for "the

decisive moment" --and what is possible in a (digital) darkroom.

 

Tools change but the fundamentals only get added to.

<i>Tools change but the fundamentals only get added to.</i>

 

<p>Well, I took up photography pretty recently and being of the digital generation myself, only opted for film because I couldn't afford a digital SLR. But now, I am really glad that I did. I will eventually make the transition, but the basics don't change and they don't hurt to learn.

 

<p>'What would Ansel do?'

 

<p>-Anupam

"What would Ansel do?" Well, I'm betting he would be in the thick of it. Probably be using the world's first 11x14 digital veiw camera.

The fundamentals are still the same. You're only as good as you are, not your equipment.

 

We do however still start out teaching the freshmen on 4x5s and have them develop and print B&W negs. One reason being that many of the basic procedures used in handling and printing negatives are the foundation for the tools in photoshop (dodge, burn and unsharp mask as well... etc). I agree with this in theory, but its become a bigger and bigger chore each year in just the past 4 years even to do this. To spend so much time doing B&W only to see everyone use digital for the rest of the school year has led some to want to drop film entirely from the teaching process, or at least limit it further.

I think Ellis is closest to the mark.....

Light and composition is almost the same. Almost in that you must pay more attention to the requirements of ccd or cmos in light and remember that many use the lcd screen to compose on digital imaging devices. Lag time is important in many cameras and teaching the zone focus method would be helpful to many. When we talk of DIGITAL many factors come to play such as the "modes" of shooting; A, P, NIGHT PORTRAIT etc., But keep it as basic as possible....meaning 1234 manual, aperature priority ,shutter priority, and auto everything. Each have there place.... The Darkroom is key to understanding the power of digital. This should be the second part or a seperate course. .....;)J

1st question: What's the difference? Same old Speedgraphic holding scanner back inspite film.... Or 35mm versus DSLR? Not much same aperture ring, same rule of 3rds... Same need for ripod, same ugly pics with built in flash...

Only "white balance setting" and digital processing, means use of photoshop or gimp are new.

Lern the software and go ahead! Teach photography basics, artificial lighting and most important where to find help in the web.

What Jim said.

Does the Dean want you to focus on digital photography in the means of *only* using a digital camera, or do you want to call it "digital imaging" in which you can still use a film camera, scan the developed negatives, then manipulate the images in photoshop and print them digitally?

 

If it's the first one - I'd suggest lobbying the Dean to generate an allowance to purchase digital SLR's that would be property of the college, that would be "loaned" out to students during their semester - this way they get to understand the digital SLR camera, which is what they *should* be using if they want to move further with "digital photography"

 

The second option is lobby for good quality scanners. The students can still photograph with their film SLR's, then get the film developed, and then scan the negatives into the computer, manipulate and print them digitally.

 

The second option would be the best-of-both worlds example, in my opinion.

 

Just a thought.

"But now, everything is a lot more different"

 

How? So you are a Pixelographer using a 'girlieman camera', how is that so different?

The object is still to create quality images. Just because the digicams can't do all film cameras can is not reason enough to dismiss them... they have their place & work well given their deficiencies.

Teach photography, not equipment.