LIA 135 -- Digital Photography
May Term 2012
May Term 2012
Course Description:
An introduction to digital photography for visual communication and creative expression. Topics include basic and advanced operation of digital cameras, photographic lighting, exposure, composition, elements of design, focal length and perspective, and image presentation. Genres will include documentary photography, photojournalism, portraiture, still life, sports/action, low light photography, architectural photography, and travel photography. Course includes on-campus classes and a field trip to England and Spain. Students will produce a portfolio in the form of a bound, hardcover book. A trip fee will be charged.Rationale for the course:
Photography continues to grow in popularity as a medium of communication and personal expression. The use of visual images often can be as effective as language in sharing facts and ideas. Knowledge and skills gained in this course will benefit students throughout their lives as they use their photographs in PowerPoint presentations, web pages, exhibits, publications, and other forms of communicating information and engendering emotions.Course activities: In this course, students will:
This course will quickly move beyond the basics of photography to help students become adept at using the advanced features of digital cameras. Students will work in a variety of special situations such as low light, moving subjects, controlling background focus, artificial light, close-up photography and much more. As the technical aspects of photography become second nature, students increasingly will concentrate on the types of images they are trying to create, images that inform, express emotions, and lead to reflective thinking.
Students also will engage in readings about photography, discussions, museum visits, writing essays, and making class presentations. Taught with a travel component, this course will allow students to experience other cultures and reflect upon similarities and differences from their own values, customs, and lifestyles.
- review and discuss the work of some famous photographers
- visit photographic exhibitions in museums
- learn to use the advanced features on modern digital cameras
- gain a better understanding of light and how it can be effectively used in creating images
- identify strategies for anticipating actions and positioning oneself for better viewpoints
- discuss some if the legal and ethical issues which pertain to photography
- practice appropriate photographic etiquette
- use photographs to show similarities and differences among cultures
- engage extensively in picture taking activities
- write about and discuss their own work and that of their classmates
- crop images for more effective composition, and adjust color, contrast, and brightness
- create a portfolio of selected photographs in the form of a hardcover, bound book.
May 14-17 -- on campus classesExhibition: Photographs from two of the previous trips are currently on display in the lobby outside the south dining hall in the UMF Student Center.
May 21-June 9 -- travel in England and Spain
June 11, 12, 13 -- select photographs and design layouts for
portfolio hardcover book
Travel destinations for May 2012 (tentative):
- Oxford
- Bath
- Warwick Castle
- Stratford-upon-Avon
- Stonehenge
- Avebury
- London
- Barcelona
- Girona
- Tossa de Mar
- Crew races in Oxford
- Tour of Oxford colleges
- Exams celebration in Oxford
- Roman Baths in Bath, England
- Stonehenge -- exclusive visit for our group at sunset
- Warwick Castle
- Shakespeare's Birthplace and museum in Stratford-upon-Avon
- Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace
- Tower of London
- Tour of Barcelona, including Gaudi's Sagrada Familia cathedral
- Fishermen's Festival in Tossa de Mar, Spain
- Corpus Christi Festival in a small Spanish town
- Tour of Girona, Spain
"One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things."
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Crew teams representing each of the Oxford colleges compete in the annual boat races. |
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Christ Church College in Oxford was used for the filming of some scenes in the Harry Potter films. |
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Hundreds of thousands of tourists each year view Stonehenge from behind a rope barrier. By special arrangement with Stonehenge officials, UMF students visit after regular hours and walk among the stones to create their photographs. |
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Friends celebrate as scholars emerge from their last exam before graduating from Oxford University. |
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At Warwick Castle we may photograph demonstrations of archery, sword combat, a trebuchet (catapult), falconry, and a jousting tournament. |
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Street performers in London and Barcelona are willing subjects ... for a few coins. |
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Tossa de Mar, a Spanish fishing village and tourist destination on the Mediterranean Sea, provides a base for our excursions to Girona and Barcelona. |
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English school children on a water sports holiday in Spain provide an opportunity for UMF students to practice action photography. |
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At the Fishermen's Festival in Tossa, a Sunday brunch features fresh sardines that have been roasted over hot coals and served with bread and wine. |
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Colors and patterns are everywhere you look in the street markets and covered markets of England and Spain. |
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Intricate patterns of flower blossoms are created in the streets of Tossa de Mar in preparation for the celebration of Corpus Christi. |
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Ralph Granger, group leader, joins students for a ride on the London Eye to take aerial photographs of the City. |