CP 230: Photography I Course Syllabus Fall 2013

CP 230: Photography I Course Syllabus Fall 2013 TR 9-10:50am COMM 1116 (The Soundstage) CP Photo Lab & Digital Print Lab: Mon- Thurs: 12pm- 12am; Fri: 12-4pm; Sun: 12-6pm New Media Center Schedule: https://helpdesk.siu.edu/clc/hours Instructor: Alison A. Smith Email: Smithaa4@siu.edu CP Main Office Phone: 453-2365 Office: Room 1108 Office Hours: Mon/Tues. 12-2pm, Thurs. 2-4pm or by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES This basic introduction to digital photography course pairs hands- on learning with an appreciation for the wide cultural and historical contexts of the photographic medium. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the general principles of photography while learning camera functions of exposure, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance and so on. Students will develop technical photographic skills and an introductory understanding of image software using Adobe Lightroom4 to manage the digital workflow, make image adjustments and create a final output (for web and/or print). In addition to learning technical skills, this course will interject principles of art and design, such as: composition, contrast, emphasis, rhythm, balance, etc. to develop strong, successful images. Assignments and projects will coincide with lectures and demonstrations, and will enable students to develop technological and practical skills with camera equipment and image software. Students will explore image manipulation and other software controls while learning to create files for quality output and printing. Students will also acquire skills in writing and talking about photographs and concepts. SUPPLIES & MATERIALS Required Textbooks: Lightroom 4 for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby and A Short Course in Digital Photography 2 nd Ed. by London & Stone 1. Mac Laptop with Adobe Lightroom 4 software 2. Digital Camera (at least one of the following): a.) Compact Digital Camera ( point- and- shoot )* fixed lens b.) Bridge Digital Camera* - has some manual controls and more lens zoom options, preferably with at least 10 mega- pixels c.) DSLR with one normal length lens (18-55mm), preferably with RAW mode and at least 10 mega- pixels (NOTE: DSLR s will give you better picture quality and more technical/artistic control) *NOTE: Most projects will benefit from or require a DSLR. If student does not have a DSLR, cameras may be checked out of the CP PHOTO LAB CAGE during lab hours for 6 hour blocks of time. 1

3. Memory cards for camera (recommend 8+ GB) 4. External hard drive or USB thumbdrive with USB or FireWire port. Must be formatted for Mac s first (will be used when printing your files in the Digital Print Lab) 5. WhiBal G7 Pocket Key Chain White Balance Reference Gray Card (Need by Week3) 6. Approved Canon Photo Paper for Inkjet printers, size 8.5x11. Approved Papers: Canon Photo Paper Plus Glossy II (8.5 x 11") Mfr # 2311B001 Canon SG- 201 Photo Paper Plus Semi- Gloss (8.5 x 11 ) Mfr # 1686B063 (NEED by midterms) 7. Extra Cash supply for your print fund. Printing in the Digital Print Lab is $2 for a 8.5x11 (this covers the operating and ink costs; you supply the paper) 8. Binder/folder for holding all notes and handouts, etc. 9. 8.5x11 Portfolio Box (used for final portfolio) Otherwise prior prints may be turned in an office envelope or folder. 10. Sign- up for a free Flickr account & request to join the class group at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/2281414@n21/ Optional: 1. Tripod 2. Misc. camera accessories as desired - filters, external speedlite (flash) 3. Adobe Photoshop CS5/CS6 Local Suppliers: B&L Photo (618) 529-2031 204 W Freeman St., Carbondale (supplies, digital printing, used cameras, repairs) Online Suppliers: 1. www.bhphotovideo.com (ships from NYC) 2. www.calumetphoto.com (ships from Chicago, sales tax if shipped to IL address) 3. www.adorama.com (ships from NYC, good for used & new cameras) 4. www.keh.com (ships from Atlanta, good for used cameras) 5. www.fresstylephoto.biz (ships from the west coast) 2

ATTENDANCE Attendance is mandatory. Each student is allotted 3 absences. Two tardies and/or combination of early exits equal 1 absence. Every absence beyond 3 will lower the student s final grade by 3 percentage points. There are no excused absences. Extraordinary situations should be brought to the instructor s attention as soon as possible. A student is considered present only if he/she comes to class prepared. This means that he/she participates in discussions, has work to show on critique days, and remains on task during in- class assignments, group work and open lab work time. It is the student s responsibility to gather any missed material due to an absence via the D2L course page and/or obtaining notes from a fellow classmate before contacting the instructor. CLASS STRUCTURE & CONDUCT Classes will consist of demonstrations, lectures, discussions, in- class lab and group work assignments and Thursday critiques. A combination of both announced and unannounced ( pop ) quizzes covering textbook and lecture material can be expected weekly. Before Tuesday lecture/demo s student must have read the assigned topic readings in order to be best prepared for the information presented in class. Readings are listed on the schedule outline by the upcoming lecture/demo topic and labeled as Have Read. Outside class time is mandatory and necessary in order to complete project assignments. Students are required to shoot all photographs outside of class and are required to have files uploaded and ready on due dates. Cell phone use (including texting) and Web Surfing/ emailing/facebooking is not permitted during class. Students production consistency and general conduct will be tracked throughout the semester and reflected in your final evaluations. PROJECT ASSIGNMENTS Students are expected to be independently photographing every week for the assigned projects. All frames shot for the project assignments will be turned in as Contact Sheets in order to gauge the students progress, development and effort. Instructions and topics for each project assignment will be presented in class a minimum of 1 week before the deadline. Project assignments require students to apply specific techniques and concepts covered in class and readings. All digital, formatted files (uploaded to network server and flickr page) and/or prints are due by the date designated. See Evaluation section below for more information on late work. CRITIQUE Each project will culminate in a class critique to offer constructive criticism, guidance for suggested reworking of the projects and acknowledgment of successful elements. All students are required to attend critiques and contribute in a constructive manor. Critique participation is accounted for in the assignment grade. Missing a critique will automatically result in 0 points for critique participation for the assignment. 3

For Project Assignment Critiques: Have all required images uploaded according the project assignment directions BEFORE the start of class Listen carefully during critique and take notes. Offer only constructive criticism to your fellow classmates with the intention that your opinion and perspective is helpful. Remaining open and non- defensive; understanding that constructive criticism is essential to your advancement and will help you get the most out of the critique. Helpful Critique Resources: The Critique Handbook: The Art Student s Sourcebook and Survival Guide, 2 nd ed. Buster & Crawford, 2010 Criticizing Photographs: An Introduction to Understanding Images, 5 th ed. Barrett, 2012 EVALUATION Each student is responsible for turning in assignments and projects when they are due. Each consecutive day a project is late a deduction of ½ a letter grade will ensue. Project Assignments will not be accepted for a grade after 1 week overdue. Completed projects should be done thoughtfully and carefully to the best of the student s ability. Project Assignments: 50% Learning Assessments (Quizes, Reading Response Papers): 10% Midterm Portfolio Review: 15% Final Exam: 5% Final Portfolio (Digital Files + Prints): 20% Scale: A = 90 or above, B = 80 89, C = 70 79, D = 60 69, F = below 59 Grade A: Superior Strong, exceeding requirements of instructor/ Initiative: Contributions exceeding the assignment, showing independent resource fullness/ Attitude: Positive benefit to the class/ Cooperation: A Leader all group activities, constant and spontaneous/ Individual Improvement: intrinsically motivated for self growth Grade B: Good, Above Average Accurate and complete, meeting all the requirements of the instructor/ Initiative: Good when motivated by some desirable achievement/ Attitude: Proper and beneficial to the group/ Cooperation: Good in- group work/ Individual Improvement: Showing marks of progress and responding to feedback Grade C: Average Barely meeting assignments and showing evidence of need of encouragement/ Initiative: Uncertain and/or disingenuous at times/ Attitude: Generally neutral but not objectionable/ Cooperation: Neither positive nor very effective and irregular/ Individual Improvement: Very ordinary, definite marks lacking Grade D: Poor, yet passing Not meeting all assignments and requirements of the instructor/ Initiative: Lacking/ Attitude: Indifferent/ Cooperation: Just fair at times and lacking at other times/ Individual Improvement: Not noticeable Grade F: Failing Work unsatisfactory and is a failing grade, and hence, not defined. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Academic honesty and integrity are expected. If students are not sure of what consists plagiarism, please refer to SIU s student handbook. Any student caught plagiarizing images and /or text, or double dipping (turning in the same projects for more than one class will be penalized). Any photographic or cinematic work done on assignment for a news/image agency or publication during the semester cannot be turned in as a part or the entirety of a project or portfolio. Such actions may incur failure (F) of project or course, to the discretion of professor and department 4

chairperson. FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER SAY TO YOUR PROFESSOR : http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/campuslife/5- things- you- should- never- say- to- your- professor UNIVERSITY EMERGENCY PROCEDURE CLAUSE Southern Illinois University Carbondale is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for study and work. Because some health and safety circumstances are beyond our control, we ask that you become familiar with the SIUC Emergency Response Plan and Building Emergency Response Team (BERT) program. Emergency response information is available on posters in buildings on campus, available on BERT s website at www.bert.siu.edu, Department of Public Safety s website www.dps.siu.edu (disaster drop down) and in the Emergency Response Guideline pamphlet. Know how to respond to each type of emergency. Instructors will provide guidance and direction to students in the classroom in the event of an emergency affecting your location. It is important that you follow these instructions and stay with your instructor during an evacuation or sheltering emergency. The Building Emergency Response Team will provide assistance to your instructor in evacuating the building or sheltering within the facility. Students With a Disability: Instructors and students in the class will work together as a team to assist students with a disability safely out of the building. Students with a disability will stay with the instructor and communicate with the instructor what is the safest way to assist them. Tornado: During the spring semester we have a Storm Drill. Pick up your belongings and your instructor will lead you to a safe area of the basement. No one will be allowed to stay upstairs. Stay away from windows. The drill should not last more than 10 minutes. You must stay with your instructor so he/she can take roll. Students need to be quiet in the basement as the BERT members are listening to emergency instructions on handheld radios and cannot hear well in the basement. Fire: During the fall semester we have a Fire Drill. Pick up your belongings and your instructor will lead you to either the North or South parking lot depending on what part of the building your class is in. You must stay with your instructor so he/she can take roll. As soon as the building is all clear, you will be allowed to return to class. These drills are to train instructors and the Building Emergency Response Team to get everyone to a safe place during an emergency. Bomb Threat: If someone calls in a bomb threat, class will be suspended and students will be asked to pick up their belongings, evacuate the building and leave the premises. Do not leave anything that is yours behind. We will not allow anyone back into the building until the police and bomb squad give us an all clear. DO NOT USE YOUR CELL PHONES. Some bombs are triggered by a cell phone signal. Shooter in the Building: If it is safe to leave, move to a safe area far from the building away from where the shooter is located. If anyone has any information about the shooter, please contact the police after they have gone someplace safe. If it is not safe to leave, go into a room, lock the door and turn out the lights. Everyone should spread out and not huddle together as a group. Don't stand in front of the door or in line of fire with the door. Students' chair and desks should be piled in front of the glass and door as a barricade and the teacher's desk, podium and anything movable can be pushed against the door. This is intended to slow down any attempts to enter the classroom. If it looks like the shooter is persistent and able to enter, make a lot of noise and have the students use everything in their backpacks to throw at the shooter to distract him. 5

Silence all cell phones after one person in the room calls the police and informs them of their location and how many people are in the room. Be quiet and wait for the police to arrive. The police are looking for one or more shooters, and they have no way of knowing if the shooter is in the room people are hiding in. For this reason, when the police enter the room, no one should have anything in his/her hands and each person MUST raise his/her hands above his/her head. Earthquake: In the event of an earthquake, you are advised to take cover quickly under heavy furniture or crouch near an interior wall or corner and cover your head to avoid falling debris. Outside the building are trees and power lines and debris from the building itself that you will need to stay away from. In the building, large open areas like auditoriums are the most dangerous. Do not try to escape on a stairway or elevator. Do not hide under a stairway. We do not recommend that you stand in a doorway because the door could shut from the vibrations and crush your fingers trapping you there. Women's Self Defense Classes are offered to female students faculty and staff by the Department of SIU Public Safety. For more information, contact Officer Russell Thomas russellt@dps.siu.edu. CLASS SCHEDULE It is the student s responsibility to stay up to date with due dates and be prepared for the classes ahead. Project/assignment deadlines and other important checkpoint dates will be outlined and specified and announced by unit. All materials (handouts & powerpoint) lectures will be posted to the D2L course page. Important Dates: 8/25 - Last day to add a class 9/1 Last day to drop 16wk class & receive a tuition refund 9/2 Labor Day Holiday 10/14-15 Fall Break 10/25 Last day to withdraw from a 16wk class 11/11 Veterans Day Holiday 11/27-29 Thanksgiving Holiday 12/9-13 EXAM WEEK Basic Structure: Tuesdays Lecture/Lab/Demo; Reading/Writing Assignments Due Thursdays Critiques/Discussions; Photo Assignments Due SCHEDULE OUTLINE WK 1 T 8/20 R8/22: Course Introduction; Lecture: Photographic Design Elements; Demo: How to Set up Flickr Account & Upload to Flickr WK 2 T 8/27 Lecture: Digital Camera Functions, Lab: (Bring in your camera w/ manual) Get to know your camera exercises; Have Read: Ch. 1 Camera in Short Course R 8/29 Critique: Assignment 1: Photographic Design Elements 6

WK 3 T 9/3 Lecture: Aperture, DOF, Lens focal length, Shutter Speed & capturing motion; Have Read: Ch. 2 Lens in Short Course R 9/5 Lecture/Lab: Digital Workflow & Lightroom Software, Have Read: Ch. 1 Importing & Ch. 2 Library in Lightroom 3 book, DUE: Assignment 2: Testing Your Camera s Range WK 4 T 9/10 Lecture/Demo: Lightroom Editing Basics & Converting to B&W; Have Read: Ch. 5 Editing Essentials & Ch. 6 DJ Develop Part Deux in Lightroom4 Book R 9/12 Critique: Assignment 3: Capturing Depth of Field & Motion in the Still Image WK 5 T 9/17 Lecture: Manual Exposure, metering modes, ISO, Understanding the Histogram, White Balance; RAW capture; Have Read: Ch. 3 Light & Exposure in Short Course R 9/19 Small Group In- Class Lab Assignment: Metering, Exposure & White Balance WK 6 T 9/24 Lecture/Demo: Lighting & Flash; Have Read: Ch. 8 Lighting in Short Course Critique: Assignment 4: Describing Place with Light & Color Temperature WK 7 T 10/1 Demo/Small Group Work: Lighting & Flash, Review for Mid Term Project R 10/3 Critique: Assignment 5: Artificial Lighting WK 8 T 10/8: Review for Mid Term Project, Demo: Reducing Noise & Sharpening For Printing; Have Read: Ch. 8 Problem Photos R 10/10 Critique: MID TERM Project WK 9 T 10/15 FALL BREAK No Class R 10/17 Demo & Tour: Printing in the CP Digital Print Lab, Have Read Ch. 13 The Big Print in Lightroom4 Book WK 10 T 10/22 Lecture: Photographic Portraiture; Have Read: Portraits from Ch. 9 Seeing Like a Camera in Short Course, Demo/Lab: Localized Editing; Have Read: Ch. 7 Local Adjustments in Lightroom4 Book R 10/24 Critique: Assignment 6: Words to Photograph WK 11 T 10/29 Lecture: Writing About Photography, Have Read: Article Handouts (to be distributed): Critique: Assignment 7: Portraiture (w/prints) 7

WK 12 T 11/5 Lecture: Documentary Photography Part 1; Have Read: Ch. 10 History of Photography in Short Course R 11/7 Lab/Small Group Work: Peer edit 1 st draft Assignment 8: Written Analysis of a Photograph WK 13 T 11/12 Lecture: Documentary Photography Part 2, Demo: Digital Slide Show; Have Read: Ch. 12 Slideshow in Lightroom4 Book R 11/14 Due: Assignment 8: Written Analysis of a Photograph WK 14: T 11/19 Lecture: Final Portfolio & How to sequence & edit your work; Have Read: Article Handouts R 11/21 Critique: Assignment 9: Documentary Mini- Series (with prints) WK 15: T 11/26 Review for Final Technical Exam R 11/28 THANKSGIVING BREAK WK 16: T 12/3 Review for Technical Exam, Open Lab: Work on Final edits for Final Portfolio R 12/5 Final Technical Exam; Extra Credit Due: Digital Slideshow Assignment EXAMS WEEK FINAL EXAM PERIOD: Tues, Dec. 10 th 5:50-7:50pm FINAL PORTFOLIO DUE NOTE: Schedule is subject to change. Instructor reserves the right to make any adjustments to the schedule or syllabus. Students will be notified with fair warning should changes occur. 8