Basic Photography 2012

 Class 1

 Review of Composition

• General Framing, what works and what doesn’t.
• Watching the background, developing the art of seeing.
• Rule of Thirds, dividing the picture up.
• Eye Travel, what do you see first and remember?
• Camera Angles, advantages and disadvantages.
• Keeping the right shots, snap shots and family pictures.
• People as subjects, understanding our personal space.
  

 Class 2

 Types of Cameras:

• A brief review of cameras and their history
• Different formats and file sizes
• SLR cameras in general, Program (P), TV, AV and Manual
• SLR camera light meters, average, center weighted, spot.
• Understanding Grey cards & color temperature

 Class 3

 Controlling the Depth of Field:

• Shutter speeds
• f/stop
• Exposure wheel & comparable exposures
• Understanding how the camera thinks
• Bracketing, both manual & through the camera

Class 4

 Digital formats:

• Downloading your work to computers
• How to store files
• ISO (sensitivity to light)
• Where to get your images processed
• Home printers compared to store prints
• Traveling with digital cameras
• Batteries and their importance

A.     Camera batteries & Flash batteries
B.     Battery codes

Class 5

Camera Lenses:

• Wide angle lenses
• Telephoto lenses and lenses with IS
• Zoom lenses and the importance of f/stop
• Optical zoom vs digital zoom
• Auto focus vs manual focus
• What brands to purchase and where
• A quick look at binoculars

Class 6

Understanding the modern use of filters and Photoshop

• Filters and special effects for digital cameras:
• Filters for black and white exposure
• Polarizing filters
• Neutral Density Filters
• Filter Factors
• Photoshop for Photographers

Class 7

Existing Light & Electronic Flash:

• Available light photography, long exposures
• Special effects with flash and filters
• Types of tripods
• Strobe units, manual and automatic
• Strobe Flash Sync & TTL Systems

Class 8

Field trip to Balboa Island

Practice existing light photography

What to Bring

• Camera
• Tripod
• Flashlight
• Wide angle lense
• Zoom lense
• Special effect filters

Class 9

Field trip to a daytime location: (to be decided by the class)

Practice daytime photography

1. Filters
2. Grey Cards
3. Lense hoods
4. Reflectors

Class 10

Review of the last nine weeks:

• Individual quiz
• Review pictures from field trips
• Go over the outline for intermediate class