Middlesex Community College Photography 2 Syllabus Fall 2018

MCC ART 142 Section 02 CRN#16076
Rooms HH-109 and HH-110
Teacher: Paul Light 781 280 3871
paul@lightwavephoto.com
http://www.lightwavephoto.com
Wednesdays 2:00-4:45PM

Required reading


There is no required book for this class.

During this class you will be constructing a black and white portfolio of 20 11"x14" prints. To make a portfolio of 20 prints requires more than 20 photographs. You will be making 3"x 5" work prints each week and then print the 20 best. You will be guided thru the process of sequencing photographs into an integrated body of work. You will be shown high quality portfolios as a guide to constructing your own portfolio. You will receive a grade about every 2 or 3 weeks. There are a total of 5 grades. Each grade is of equal weight. All of the grades will be averaged together to give you a final grade.

A portfolio is a linked group of 3 or more photographs. There are different types of links.The very best use of linkage can be seen in the following examples

Howard Greenberg Gallery

Mark Citret
Minor White

Bonni Benrubi Gallery
 Matthew Pillsbury

Pace/MacGill Gallery

Lee Friedlander

Robert Klein Gallery

David Fokos 
Arno Minkkinen

Robert Koch Gallery

Ken Josephson
Josef Koudelka


It is assumed that you have basic knowledge as to how to use your camera, develop film and make prints. Since this is a class space shared with people who are new to these processes, you are welcome to join in with them on topics discussed that you need more information on. You are free to begin printing once the open darkroom hours are posted. During each class you will be required to be part of the group from 2:00pm - 2:30pm and free to use the darkroom at 2:30pm until the end of class. 

MCC Catalog Listing

A continuation of ART 141. Students must provide their own camera (35mm or 120 format).

Credit Hour Policy

Middlesex Community College follows the Carnegie Unit for credit. Students are expected to spend a minimum of 45 hours of work for each credit. The most common breakdown for one credit is one hour of class instruction and two hours of homework for 15 weeks each semester. A three credit course demands nine hours each week.

Instructional Goals/Objectives

1 Intermediate usage of 35mm camera
Students will demonstrate their ability to use the control mechanisms on their 35mm cameras to produce photographs that have a sense of vision.

2 Black and White Film Development
Students will demonstrate their ability to develop film while carefully controlling agitation, time and temperature.

3 Black and White Printing
Students will be able to evaluate and explain the advantages and disadvantages of various black and white printing techniques including contrast control, burning and dodging.

4 Using Photography to Create A Portfolio
Students will assess the merits of their portfolio as art and explain their reasoning.

Class Description

This class is a continuation of ART 141 photographic principles of using a camera and making black and white prints. All students will be expected to know these principles as well as how to use them in such a way as to produce an inventive and original porfolio.

Each class will consist of 2 parts
Part 1 Looking at Photographs 2:00-2:30
Part 2 Making Prints/Portfolio Review 2:30-4:45

During the first class we will not be spending time making prints. During the second class we will only develop film. We will not make prints. This will be the only topic of discussion that day.
Beginning the third class, from 2:00pm to 2:30pm we will talk about prints. Prints will be graded outside of class time and returned to students at the beginning of the next class. We will talk about your prints, my prints and photographs from the required websites. We will be using the websites as a visual dictionary. We will be using it as a standard to how people use photographs to communicate with the world at large.

From  2:30pm to 4:45pm will be reserved for printing. There will be a 15 minute break at 3:00pm. It will take about 15 minutes to set up the darkroom and the last 15 minutes will be reserved for cleanup. All printing must stop at 4:30pm

Grading and Attendance Policies

All students will be required to produce black and white prints of subjects and techniques of their own choosing.

The school has a darkroom which you will have access to that is set up for black and white darkroom work only. Work will be graded primarily on one's ability to make an inventive and original photograph rather than on technical things like how dark or light the photograph is or how much textural detail is evident. Photographs passed in late lose 3 points per day. In some special circumstances students will be given an extra class to produce a photograph.

Students will be graded only on photographs produced during the semester. Please do not bring in photographs shot before the class started. Each of the grades will be of equal weight. They will be averaged together to produce a final grade. This average is tabulated after each class and that grade is available on request.

There is no midterm or final exam. You will be given two sick days. After this each absence will cost you 10 points from your final grade. In other words, suppose your final grade was 81, but you missed six classes. The first two absences would not affect your grade, but the other four would reduce your grade to a 41. Each time a student arrives more than 15 min. late or leaves early without my permission 5 points will be deducted from their final grade.

All grades will be made numerically. The MCC grading system works as follows

A=93-100
A-=90-92
B+=87-89
B=83-86
B-=80-82
C+=77-79

The numerical grade is only a working standard. The registrar's office only records letter grades. So, a person with a 93 will get the exact same grade as a person with a 98.

I only give straight A's to students who have gone way beyond the rest of the group and have clearly demonstrated the ability to produce consistently outstanding work.

A- is the grade for work that is somewhat outstanding. B+ is for work that goes beyond the basics of making a photograph and shows some merit. B signifies that you have successfully completed the assignment. B- indicates that the photograph has some deficiencies. C+ is given to photographs that demonstrate a limited grasp of what are the elements that make up a good photograph. Grades below C+ are given for various degrees of deficiency or more often as a penalty for handing in any given photograph after the deadline.

Method of Evaluation

Your grade for each print is made up of 3 parts
25% Technical camera use
25% Technical printing ability
50% Content
This is a measure of your ability to observe animals, people or spaces and then turn this into a photograph that is more than a simple visual record of what you saw. You will be judged on (1) choice of distance from subject, (2) choice of camera angle, (3) choice of lighting. In all of these situations I expect bold experimentation resulting in surprising and original visual images.
Decide on each of these very carefully. Look at the required websites and see how professional photographers use distance, angle and lighting.

A technically flawless photograph that is no more visually literate than an everyday photograph is a creatively worthless photograph.

Assignments submitted that ignore content issues will be given a maximum grade of 50.


The Darkroom

The darkroom is Room 110 in Henderson Hall (Building 3) on the Bedford campus. In addition to class time, there are open darkroom sessions. The days and hours will be posted on the darkroom door. A darkroom monitor will be there at all times to assist you. Darkroom work will be limited to black and white processing only.
Supplies

Students may work with any materials they find appropriate to make photographs.

A good store to buy photography supplies is Hunt's Photo and Video. Hunt's has several locations. To find the store closest to you see their website.

A good place to have broken cameras fixed is down the street from Image Inn at Sanford Camera Repair at 1056 Massachusetts Ave. (781 648 2505) - Arlington, MA

Do not leave cameras, lenses, film or paper in your car on hot days. All of these things are easily damaged by exposure to heat over 80ºF.


Schedule
You will be expected to do at least 3 hours of work outside of class between each class. Outside work will include taking pictures, making prints and looking at websites. Look over the schedule carefully as to what days we will be in the darkroom and what days we will not be in the darkroom.

#1 September 4

Creating A Portfolio

Homework: Make at least 10 3"x5" prints and bring them in September 19

#2 September 11
We will not be printing during this class
Continue work on prints due September 19

#3 September 18
Homework: Continue to make new 3"x5" work prints and bring in 4 finished 11"X14" prints next week.

#4 September 25
 Portfolio Review #1
 Homework: Make at least 5 new 3"x5" work prints.

#5 October 2
Homework: Make at least 5 new 3"x5" work prints.

#6 October 9
Homework: Bring in 4 new finished 11"X14" prints next week as well as the previous graded 11"X14". This is a total of 8 prints

#7 October 16
 Portfolio Review #2
Make at least 5 new 3"x5" work prints.

#8 October 23
Make at least 5 new 3"x5" work prints.

#9 October 30
Make at least 5 new 3"x5" work prints.
Bring in 4 new finished 11"X14" prints next week as well as the previous graded 11"X14". This is a total of 12 prints

#10 November 6
Portfolio Review #3
Make at least 5 new 3"x5" work prints.

#11 November 13
Make at least 5 new 3"x5" work prints.
Bring in 4 new finished 11"X14" prints next week as well as the previous graded 11"X14". This is a total of 16 prints

#12 November 20
Portfolio Review #4 Make at least 5 new 3"x5" work prints.

#13 November 27

Make at least 5 new 3"x5" work prints.
Bring in 4 new finished 11"X14" prints next week as well as the previous graded 11"X14". This is a total of 20 prints

#14 December 4
 Portfolio Review #5

#15 December 11
  10 Best Prints



Paul Light
paul@lightwavephoto.com
All text by Paul Light is copyrighted 2015 - 2019 Paul Light
All rights reserved on text by Paul Light
Last revised August 25, 2018

Middlesex Community College Photography 1 Syllabus Fall 2018

MCC ART 141 Section 02 CRN#15870 Rooms HH-109 and HH-110 Teacher: Paul Light 781 280 3871 paul@lightwavephoto.com http://www.lightwavephoto.com Wednesdays 2:00-4:50PM Required reading There is no required book for this class. Instead during class we will be discussing the work of a variety of the world's most acclaimed photographers doing black and white darkroom photography. MCC Catalog Listing Examines photography as a fine art form and as a tool for communication and personal expression. Emphasis on exposure, development, printing and aesthetics of photographic vision. Students must provide their own camera (35mm or 120 format). Credit Hour Policy Middlesex Community College follows the Carnegie Unit for credit. Students are expected to spend a minimum of 45 hours of work for each credit. The most common breakdown for one credit is one hour of class instruction and two hours of homework for 15 weeks each semester. A three credit course demands nine hours each week. Instructional Goals/Objectives 1 Basic usage of 35mm camera Students will demonstrate their ability to use the control mechanisms on their 35mm cameras to produce photographs that have a sense of vision. 2 Black and White Film Development Students will demonstrate their ability to develop film while carefully controlling agitation, time and temperature. 3 Black and White Printing Students will be able to evaluate and explain the advantages and disadvantages of various black and white printing techniques including contrast control, burning and dodging. 4 Using Photography to Create Fine Art Students will assess the merits of their finished prints as art and explain their reasoning. Class Description This class is an introduction to basic photographic principles of using a camera and making black and white prints. All students will be expected to know these principles as well as how to use them in such a way as to produce inventive and original photographs. Each class will consist of 3 parts Part 1 Looking at Photographs 2:00 - 2:30 Part 2 Taking Pictures 2:30-3:00 Part 3 Making Prints 3:15-4:50 During the first class we will not be spending time making prints. During the second class we will only develop film. We will not make prints. This will be the only topic of discussion that day. Beginning the third class, from 2:00pm to 2:30pm we will talk about prints. Prints will be graded outside of class time and returned to students at the beginning of the next class. We will talk about your prints, my prints and photographs from the required websites. We will be using the websites as a visual dictionary. We will be using it as a standard to how people use photographs to communicate with the world at large. From 2:30pm to 3:00pm we will talk about taking pictures. We will begin by discussing any questions that you have about your camera relative to the camera topic we are discussing for that class. Occasionally I will take a picture with one of my cameras to demonstrate a concept. This will be followed by a 15 minute break from 3:00pm to 3:15pm where you are free to take a break. During this time I will be setting up the darkroom. The last part of class, 3:10pm to 4:50pm will be reserved for printing. It will take about 15 minutes to set up the darkroom and the last 15 minutes will be reserved for cleanup. All printing must stop at 4:35pm Grading and Attendance Policies All students will be required to produce black and white prints of subjects and techniques of their own choosing. Students who would prefer assignments from me rather than choose a subject on their own should feel free to ask me. Students given an assignment by me are not obligated to fulfill it. It is a suggestion only. One photograph is due each class except the second class. Prints must be at least 8"x10". No grades are final without proof of negatives and contact sheets. No color photographs or digital prints will be accepted. The school has a darkroom which you will have access to that is set up for black and white darkroom work only. Work will be graded primarily on one's ability to make an inventive and original photograph rather than on technical things like how dark or light the photograph is or how much textural detail is evident. Photographs passed in late lose 3 points per day. In some special circumstances students will be given an extra class to produce a photograph. Students will be graded only on photographs produced during the semester. Please do not bring in photographs shot before the class started. Each of the grades will be of equal weight. They will be averaged together to produce a final grade. This average is tabulated after each class and that grade is available on request. There is no midterm or final exam. You will be given two sick days. After this each absence will cost you 10 points from your final grade. In other words, suppose your final grade was 81, but you missed six classes. The first two absences would not affect your grade, but the other four would reduce your grade to a 41. Each time a student arrives more than 15 min. late or leaves early without my permission 5 points will be deducted from their final grade. All grades will be made numerically. The MCC grading system works as follows A=93-100 A-=90-92 B+=87-89 B=83-86 B-=80-82 C+=77-79 The numerical grade is only a working standard. The registrar's office only records letter grades. So, a person with a 93 will get the exact same grade as a person with a 98. I only give straight A's to students who have gone way beyond the rest of the group and have clearly demonstrated the ability to produce consistently outstanding work. A- is the grade for work that is somewhat outstanding. B+ is for work that goes beyond the basics of making a photograph and shows some merit. B signifies that you have successfully completed the assignment. B- indicates that the photograph has some deficiencies. C+ is given to photographs that demonstrate a limited grasp of what are the elements that make up a good photograph. Grades below C+ are given for various degrees of deficiency or more often as a penalty for handing in any given photograph after the deadline. Method of Evaluation Your grade for each print is made up of 3 parts 25% Technical camera use 25% Technical printing ability 50% Content This is a measure of your ability to observe animals, people or spaces and then turn this into a photograph that is more than a simple visual record of what you saw. You will be judged on (1) choice of distance from subject, (2) choice of camera angle, (3) choice of lighting. In all of these situations I expect bold experimentation resulting in surprising and original visual images. Decide on each of these very carefully. Look at the required websites and see how professional photographers use distance, angle and lighting. A technically flawless photograph that is no more visually literate than an everyday photograph is a creatively worthless photograph. Assignments submitted that ignore content issues will be given a maximum grade of 50. One print is due at the beginning of each class beginning the fourth class. Prints passed in at the end of class will be graded as one day late. Prints must be at least 8"x10". The Darkroom The darkroom is Room 110 in Henderson Hall (Building 3) on the Bedford campus. In addition to class time, there are open darkroom sessions. The days and hours will be posted on the darkroom door. A darkroom monitor will be there at all times to assist you. Darkroom work will be limited to black and white processing only. Supplies Students may work with any materials they find appropriate to make photographs. Some recommended materials are Kodak Tri-X Film, Kodak t-Max 100, Ilford HP5 Plus, Ilford FP4 Plus and Ilford Multigrade IV RC Deluxe Paper. A good store to buy photography supplies is Hunt's Photo and Video. Hunt's has several locations. To find the store closest to you see their website. A good place to have broken cameras fixed is down the street from Image Inn at Sanford Camera Repair at 1056 Massachusetts Ave. (781 648 2505) - Arlington, MA Handle processed film with great care. It fades with too much exposure to direct sunlight and scratches very easily. Negatives should be stored in archival quality plastic storage sheets, such as those produced by Print File. Do not leave cameras, lenses, film or paper in your car on hot days. All of these things are easily damaged by exposure to heat over 80ºF. Schedule You will be expected to do at least 3 hours of work outside of class between each class. Outside work will include taking pictures, making prints and looking at websites. Look over the schedule carefully as to what days we will be in the darkroom and what days we will not be in the darkroom. #1 September 4 Types of film Exposure meters Choosing a camera Homework: Create a series of photographs of any outdoor subject shot during the first two or last two hours of sunlight using either Kodak Tri-X or Ilford HP5+.  Please do not use any other type of film. Shoot on a sunny day if possible. Buy a package of Print File storage sheets. You will need a plastic storage sheet to take your negatives home. #2 September 11 Students will demonstrate the ability to develop film paying careful attention to agitation, time and temperature. We will not be printing during this class Homework: For the next class bring the negatives developed today, printing paper (Ilford Multigrade IV RC Deluxe Paper - 8"x10" sheets - 2 packs of 25) and your camera. Please bring printing paper and your camera, and your camera manual to all of the remaining classes. Watch for the special Ilford offer where you buy a pack of paper and get 2 free rolls of Ilford HP5 film. #3 September 18 Students will demonstrate the ability to make a contact print of the negatives that were developed in the previous class. Homework: Shoot first half of a second roll of film. #4 September 25 Work Prints Students will demonstrate the ability to make a work print. Work prints serve as a basic outline for final prints. Homework: Shoot remainder of the second roll of film. Process film. Make into contact sheet. Bring contact sheet and negatives to next class. First print is due next class. #5 October 2 Printing Filters Students will demonstrate the ability to use printing filters to control the contrast of the print. Homework: Second print is due next class. #6 October 9 Spotting Students will demonstrate the ability to spot out white spots due to dust on prints Homework: Third print is due next class. #7 October 16 Burning Students will demonstrate the ability to burn areas of a print to selectively darken parts of the print. Homework: Fourth print is due next class. #8 October 23 Dodging Students will demonstrate the ability to dodge areas of a print to selectively darken parts of the print. Homework: Fifth print is due next class. #9 October 30 Shutter Speed Students will demonstrate the ability to fully control shutter speeds on their cameras. Homework: Sixth print is due next class. #10 November 6 Aperture Students will demonstrate the ability to fully control aperture settings on their cameras. Homework: Shoot first half of a third roll of film. Seventh print is due next class. #11 November 13 Wide Angle Lenses Students will demonstrate the ability to use a wide angle on their cameras. Homework: Shoot remainder of the third roll of film. Process film. Make into contact sheet. Bring contact sheet and negatives to next class. Eighth print is due next class. #12 November 20 Long lenses Students will demonstrate the ability to use a long angle on their cameras. Homework: Shoot first half of a fourth roll of film. Ninth print is due next class. #13 November 27 Other lenses Students will demonstrate the ability to use a long angle on their cameras. Homework: Tenth print is due next class. #14 December 4 Adding Light 1 Students will demonstrate the ability to add light to an indoor shooting situation by adding light from a window, by using reflectors or by using electronic flash. #15 December 11 Adding Light 2 Students will demonstrate the ability to add light to an indoor shooting situation by adding light from a window, by using reflectors or by using electronic flash. Paul Light paul@lightwavephoto.com All text by Paul Light is copyrighted 1987-2019 Paul Light All rights reserved on text by Paul Light Last revised August 25, 2019

Middlesex Community College Photography 1 Syllabus Fall 2016

MCC ART 141 Section 02 CRN#15870 Rooms HH-109 and HH-110 Teacher: Paul Light 781 280 3871 paul@lightwavephoto.com http://www.lightwavephoto.com Wednesdays 2:00-4:50PM Required reading There is no required book for this class. Instead during class we will be discussing the work of a variety of the world's most acclaimed photographers doing black and white darkroom photography. MCC Catalog Listing Examines photography as a fine art form and as a tool for communication and personal expression. Emphasis on exposure, development, printing and aesthetics of photographic vision. Students must provide their own camera (35mm or 120 format). Credit Hour Policy Middlesex Community College follows the Carnegie Unit for credit. Students are expected to spend a minimum of 45 hours of work for each credit. The most common breakdown for one credit is one hour of class instruction and two hours of homework for 15 weeks each semester. A three credit course demands nine hours each week. Instructional Goals/Objectives 1 Basic usage of 35mm camera Students will demonstrate their ability to use the control mechanisms on their 35mm cameras to produce photographs that have a sense of vision. 2 Black and White Film Development Students will demonstrate their ability to develop film while carefully controlling agitation, time and temperature. 3 Black and White Printing Students will be able to evaluate and explain the advantages and disadvantages of various black and white printing techniques including contrast control, burning and dodging. 4 Using Photography to Create Fine Art Students will assess the merits of their finished prints as art and explain their reasoning. Class Description This class is an introduction to basic photographic principles of using a camera and making black and white prints. All students will be expected to know these principles as well as how to use them in such a way as to produce inventive and original photographs. Each class will consist of 3 parts Part 1 Looking at Photographs 2:00 - 2:30 Part 2 Taking Pictures 2:30-3:00 Part 3 Making Prints 3:15-4:50 During the first class we will not be spending time making prints. During the second class we will only develop film. We will not make prints. This will be the only topic of discussion that day. Beginning the third class, from 2:00pm to 2:30pm we will talk about prints. Prints will be graded outside of class time and returned to students at the beginning of the next class. We will talk about your prints, my prints and photographs from the required websites. We will be using the websites as a visual dictionary. We will be using it as a standard to how people use photographs to communicate with the world at large. From 2:30pm to 3:00pm we will talk about taking pictures. We will begin by discussing any questions that you have about your camera relative to the camera topic we are discussing for that class. Occasionally I will take a picture with one of my cameras to demonstrate a concept. This will be followed by a 15 minute break from 3:00pm to 3:15pm where you are free to take a break. During this time I will be setting up the darkroom. The last part of class, 3:10pm to 4:50pm will be reserved for printing. It will take about 15 minutes to set up the darkroom and the last 15 minutes will be reserved for cleanup. All printing must stop at 4:35pm Grading and Attendance Policies All students will be required to produce black and white prints of subjects and techniques of their own choosing. Students who would prefer assignments from me rather than choose a subject on their own should feel free to ask me. Students given an assignment by me are not obligated to fulfill it. It is a suggestion only. One photograph is due each class except the second class. Prints must be at least 8"x10". No grades are final without proof of negatives and contact sheets. No color photographs or digital prints will be accepted. The school has a darkroom which you will have access to that is set up for black and white darkroom work only. Work will be graded primarily on one's ability to make an inventive and original photograph rather than on technical things like how dark or light the photograph is or how much textural detail is evident. Photographs passed in late lose 3 points per day. In some special circumstances students will be given an extra class to produce a photograph. Students will be graded only on photographs produced during the semester. Please do not bring in photographs shot before the class started. Each of the grades will be of equal weight. They will be averaged together to produce a final grade. This average is tabulated after each class and that grade is available on request. There is no midterm or final exam. You will be given two sick days. After this each absence will cost you 10 points from your final grade. In other words, suppose your final grade was 81, but you missed six classes. The first two absences would not affect your grade, but the other four would reduce your grade to a 41. Each time a student arrives more than 15 min. late or leaves early without my permission 5 points will be deducted from their final grade. All grades will be made numerically. The MCC grading system works as follows A=93-100 A-=90-92 B+=87-89 B=83-86 B-=80-82 C+=77-79 The numerical grade is only a working standard. The registrar's office only records letter grades. So, a person with a 93 will get the exact same grade as a person with a 98. I only give straight A's to students who have gone way beyond the rest of the group and have clearly demonstrated the ability to produce consistently outstanding work. A- is the grade for work that is somewhat outstanding. B+ is for work that goes beyond the basics of making a photograph and shows some merit. B signifies that you have successfully completed the assignment. B- indicates that the photograph has some deficiencies. C+ is given to photographs that demonstrate a limited grasp of what are the elements that make up a good photograph. Grades below C+ are given for various degrees of deficiency or more often as a penalty for handing in any given photograph after the deadline. Method of Evaluation Your grade for each print is made up of 3 parts 25% Technical camera use 25% Technical printing ability 50% Content This is a measure of your ability to observe animals, people or spaces and then turn this into a photograph that is more than a simple visual record of what you saw. You will be judged on (1) choice of distance from subject, (2) choice of camera angle, (3) choice of lighting. In all of these situations I expect bold experimentation resulting in surprising and original visual images. Decide on each of these very carefully. Look at the required websites and see how professional photographers use distance, angle and lighting. A technically flawless photograph that is no more visually literate than an everyday photograph is a creatively worthless photograph. Assignments submitted that ignore content issues will be given a maximum grade of 50. One print is due at the beginning of each class beginning the fourth class. Prints passed in at the end of class will be graded as one day late. Prints must be at least 8"x10". The Darkroom The darkroom is Room 110 in Henderson Hall (Building 3) on the Bedford campus. In addition to class time, there are open darkroom sessions. The days and hours will be posted on the darkroom door. A darkroom monitor will be there at all times to assist you. Darkroom work will be limited to black and white processing only. Supplies Students may work with any materials they find appropriate to make photographs. Some recommended materials are Kodak Tri-X Film, Kodak t-Max 100, Ilford HP5 Plus, Ilford FP4 Plus and Ilford Multigrade IV RC Deluxe Paper. A good store to buy photography supplies is Hunt's Photo and Video. Hunt's has several locations. To find the store closest to you see their website. A good place to have broken cameras fixed is down the street from Image Inn at Sanford Camera Repair at 1056 Massachusetts Ave. (781 648 2505) - Arlington, MA Handle processed film with great care. It fades with too much exposure to direct sunlight and scratches very easily. Negatives should be stored in archival quality plastic storage sheets, such as those produced by Print File. Do not leave cameras, lenses, film or paper in your car on hot days. All of these things are easily damaged by exposure to heat over 80ºF. Schedule You will be expected to do at least 3 hours of work outside of class between each class. Outside work will include taking pictures, making prints and looking at websites. Look over the schedule carefully as to what days we will be in the darkroom and what days we will not be in the darkroom. #1 September 7 Types of film Exposure meters Choosing a camera Homework: Create a series of photographs of any outdoor subject shot during the first two or last two hours of sunlight using either Kodak Tri-X or Ilford HP5+.  Please do not use any other type of film. Shoot on a sunny day if possible. Buy a package of Print File storage sheets. You will need a plastic storage sheet to take your negatives home. #2 September 14 Students will demonstrate the ability to develop film paying careful attention to agitation, time and temperature. We will not be printing during this class Homework: For the next class bring the negatives developed today, printing paper (Ilford Multigrade IV RC Deluxe Paper - 8"x10" sheets - 2 packs of 25) and your camera. Please bring printing paper and your camera, and your camera manual to all of the remaining classes. Watch for the special Ilford offer where you buy a pack of paper and get 2 free rolls of Ilford HP5 film. #3 September 21 Students will demonstrate the ability to make a contact print of the negatives that were developed in the previous class. Homework: Shoot first half of a second roll of film. #4 September 28 Work Prints Students will demonstrate the ability to make a work print. Work prints serve as a basic outline for final prints. Homework: Shoot remainder of the second roll of film. Process film. Make into contact sheet. Bring contact sheet and negatives to next class. First print is due next class. #5 October 5 Printing Filters Students will demonstrate the ability to use printing filters to control the contrast of the print. Homework: Second print is due next class. #6 October 12 Spotting Students will demonstrate the ability to spot out white spots due to dust on prints Homework: Third print is due next class. October 19 Professional Day - No Class #7 October 26 Burning Students will demonstrate the ability to burn areas of a print to selectively darken parts of the print. Homework: Fourth print is due next class. #8 November 2 Dodging Students will demonstrate the ability to dodge areas of a print to selectively darken parts of the print. Homework: Fifth print is due next class. #9 November 9 Shutter Speed Students will demonstrate the ability to fully control shutter speeds on their cameras. Homework: Sixth print is due next class. #10 November 16 Aperture Students will demonstrate the ability to fully control aperture settings on their cameras. Homework: Shoot first half of a third roll of film. Seventh print is due next class. #11 November 23 Wide Angle Lenses Students will demonstrate the ability to use a wide angle on their cameras. Homework: Shoot remainder of the third roll of film. Process film. Make into contact sheet. Bring contact sheet and negatives to next class. Eighth print is due next class. #12 November 30 Long lenses Students will demonstrate the ability to use a long angle on their cameras. Homework: Shoot first half of a fourth roll of film. Ninth print is due next class. #13 December 7 Other lenses Students will demonstrate the ability to use a long angle on their cameras. Homework: Tenth print is due next class. #14 December 14 Adding Light 1 Students will demonstrate the ability to add light to an indoor shooting situation by adding light from a window, by using reflectors or by using electronic flash. #15 December 21 Adding Light 2 Students will demonstrate the ability to add light to an indoor shooting situation by adding light from a window, by using reflectors or by using electronic flash. Paul Light paul@lightwavephoto.com All text by Paul Light is copyrighted 1987-2015 Paul Light All rights reserved on text by Paul Light Last revised August 24, 2016

Middlesex Community College Digital Photography Syllabus Mondays Fall 2021

MCC ART144 Section 302 CRN#18289
Location: Online Course
Teacher: Paul Light
781 280 3871

paul@lightwavephoto.com
http://www.lightwavephoto.com
 
Mondays 2:00-4:45PM


Required reading

There is no required book for this class. 

MCC Catalog Listing
In this course students will explore photography as a visual art and a mode of contemporary communication. The student will be taught to use various techniques to capture, process, and print original photographic images. Through shooting assignments and class exercises, students will create work that documents and interprets the world around them. Examples of current and historic photography will be examined. Professional software is used to edit and organize photos.

Since this is an online class, there will be no printing or discussion of how to print. The printers are part of the school computer lab which we will not be using this semester.

Credit Hour Policy

Middlesex Community College follows the Carnegie Unit for credit. Students are expected to spend a minimum of 45 hours of work for each credit. The most common breakdown for one credit is one hour of class instruction and two hours of homework for 15 weeks each semester. A three credit course demands nine hours each week.

Academic Centers for Enrichment/Tutoring: The Academic Centers for Enrichment (ACE) provides individual and group tutoring, and study skills support for all disciplines through eTutoring and Peer Tutoring. eTutoring provides a weekly tutoring schedule where you log-in to meet with a tutor using Zoom web conferencing or a writing assignment can be submitted for asynchronous feedback. If the eTutoring schedule does not fit your availability, you can make a request for a web conferencing session with a peer tutor through the online request form.  To access the eTutoring schedule or request an appointment with a peer tutor, follow the directions on the ACE website at https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/ace/default.aspx or email ACE@middlesex.mass.edu for more information.

Instructional Goals/Objectives
1 Camera Use
Students will demonstrate their ability to use the control mechanisms on their digital cameras to produce photographs that have a sense of vision.
2 Basic Aspects of Lightroom Classic and Photoshop
Students will demonstrate their ability to use Lightroom Classic and Photoshop to correct color, contrast, brightness and saturation in their photographs.

3 Digital Printing (this is not part of the online class)
4 Using Photography to Create Fine Art
Students will assess the merits of their finished photographs as art and explain their reasoning.

Class Description.
This class is an introduction to basic photographic principles of using a digital camera and digital editing. All students will be expected to know these principles as well as how to use them in such a way as to produce inventive and original photographs.  

This is an online class that will consist of making digital  photographs and using image editing software. Students will be able to use a digital camera or smartphone of their choice. Students will also be guided through some basic editing options in Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. There will be detailed evaluation of students photographs made during the class.

Each class will be divided into 3 equal parts and in the following order 

Part 1  Photographs 2:00 - 2:50

Break    2:50 - 3:00
Part 2  Cameras 3:00 - 3:50

Break    3:50 - 4:00
Part 3  Editing Software 4:00 -4:45

Photographs will be graded outside of class time and given a grade before the beginning of the next class. From 2:00 - 2:50 we will talk about your photographs, my photographs and photographs by established photographers. During the first class we will not be talking about student photographs. This will be followed by a 10 minute break from 2:50 - 3:00 where you are free to go offline. From 3:00 - 3:50 we will talk about cameras. We will begin by discussing any questions that you have about your camera relative to the camera topic we are discussing for that class. This will be followed by a 10 minute break from 3:50 to 4:00 where you are free to go offline. After the break we will talk about image editing software from 4:00 - 4:45.  

Grading and Attendance Policies
All students will be required to produce photographs of subjects and techniques of their own choosing. Students who would prefer assignments from me rather than choose a subject on their own should feel free to ask me. Students given an assignment by me are not obligated to fulfill it. It is a suggestion only.
One photograph is due each class beginning the second class. 

Work will be graded primarily on one's ability to make an inventive and original photograph rather than on technical things like how dark or light the photograph is or how much textural detail is evident.

Photographs passed in late lose 3 points per day. In some special circumstances students will be given an extra class to produce a photograph.

Students will be graded only on photographs produced during the semester. Please do not bring in photographs shot before the class started. Each of the grades will be of equal weight. They will be averaged together to produce a final grade. This average is tabulated after each class and that grade is available on request.

There is no midterm or final exam. You will be given two sick days. After this each absence will cost you 10 points from your grade that week. Each time a student arrives more than 15 min. late or leaves early without my permission 5 points will be deducted from your grade that week.

All grades will be made numerically. The MCC grading system works as follows

A=93-100
A-=90-92
B+=87-89
B=83-86
B-=80-82
C+=77-79

The numerical grade is only a working standard. The registrar's office only records letter grades. So, a person with a 93 will get the exact same grade as a person with a 98.

I only give straight A's to students who have gone way beyond the rest of the group and have clearly demonstrated the ability to produce consistently outstanding work.

A- is the grade for work that is somewhat outstanding. B+ is for work that goes beyond the basics of making a photograph and shows some merit. B signifies that you have successfully completed the assignment. B- indicates that the photograph has some deficiencies. C+ is given to photographs that demonstrate a limited grasp of what are the elements that make up a good photograph. Grades below C+ are given for various degrees of deficiency or more often as a penalty for handing in any given photograph after the deadline.

Method of Evaluation

Your grade for each photograph is made up of 2 parts

50% Technical

50% Content

Content is a measure of your ability to observe animals, people or spaces and then turn this into a photograph that is more than a simple visual record of what you saw. You will be judged on (1) choice of distance from subject, (2) choice of camera angle, (3) choice of lighting. In all of these situations I expect bold experimentation resulting in surprising and original visual images.

25% Camera Use

25% Image Editing

17% Distance from subject/Portrait Pose

16% Camera Angle

17% Lighting 

Decide on each of these very carefully. 

A technically flawless photograph that is no more visually literate than an everyday photograph is a creatively worthless photograph.

Assignments submitted that ignore content issues will be given a maximum grade of 50.

One photograph is due at the beginning of each class beginning the second class. Photographs passed in at the end of a class will be graded as one day late. 

Supplies
A good store to buy photography supplies is Hunt's Photo and Video. Hunt's has several locations. To find the store closest to you see their website. A good place to have broken cameras fixed is Sanford Camera Repair at 1056 Massachusetts Ave. (781 648 2505) - Arlington, MA

Schedule
You will be expected to do at least 3 hours of work outside of class between each class. Outside work will include taking pictures and editing them. You should tried to take lots of pictures each week and then choose the best one.

September 13
#1 Choosing A Camera, ISO - Shutter Speed - Aperture, Image Editing Software
We will discuss what is a suitable camera relative to individual student budgets, a camera's basic mechanisms, and setting up image editing software.
Homework: First photograph is due next class.

Links for today's class

Robert Klein Gallery

Cameralabs

Exposure Simulator

September 20

#2 Varying Exposure Brightness and Editing Brightness And Contrast
Students will demonstrate the ability to vary exposure brightness and to use image editing tools to control brightness and contrast.

Homework: Second photograph is due next class.

Varying Exposure Brightness

Ask Tim Grey

September 27

#3 Shutter Speed 1 and Editing Brightness and Contrast 2

Students will demonstrate the ability to use shutter speed and to use image editing tools to control brightness and contrast.
Homework: Third photograph is due next class.

Shutter Priority

How to Transfer Photos from Camera to iPhone or iPad

October 4
#4 Shutter Speed 2 and Retouching Editing Tools
Students will demonstrate the ability to use shutter speed and to use retouching editing tools.
Homework: Fourth photograph is due next class.

Tripods

Smartphone Tripods

Clone Stamp Tool 

Removing Straight Lines With Photoshop 

No Class October 11

October 18
#5 Aperture and Selection Tools
Students will demonstrate the ability to use aperture and to use selection tools.
Homework: Fifth photograph is due next class.

October 25
#6 Aperture2 and Selection Tools 2
Students will demonstrate the ability to use aperture and to use selection tools.
Homework: Sixth photograph is due next class.

November 1
#7 Night Photography and B+W Editing
Students will demonstrate the ability to make night photographs and convert a color photograph to black and white.
Homework: Seventh photograph is due next class.

November 8
#8 Night Photography 2 
Students will demonstrate the ability to make night photographs.
Homework: Eighth photograph is due next class.

November 15
#9 Panoramic Photography and Photo Merge
Students will demonstrate the ability to make panoramic photographs and work with the Photo Merge tool in Photoshop and Lightroom
Homework: Ninth photograph is due next class.

November 29
#10 Wide Angle Lenses 
Students will demonstrate the ability to use wide angle lenses.

December 6
#11 Long Lenses 
Students will demonstrate the ability to use long lenses.
Homework: Tenth photograph is due next class.

December 13
#12  Altered Imagery 
Students will demonstrate the ability to make altered images.

paul@lightwavephoto.com

All text by Paul Light is copyrighted 2007 - 2021 Paul Light
All rights reserved on text by Paul Light
Last revised September 6, 2021 

Middlesex Community College Digital Photography Syllabus Thursdays Spring 2019

MCC ART144 Section 1 CRN#10885
Room AR-209
Teacher: Paul Light
781 280 3871

paul@lightwavephoto.com
http://www.lightwavephoto.com
 
Thursdays 2:00-4:45PM




Required reading

There is no required book for this class. Over the past few years I have created 2 learning resources to give students options to a textbook. Both are works in progress. I would like to add new material to them more often, but see both as very long term, very exciting projects that sometimes I wish I had a small group of Star Wars like robots to help me with. Where is R2-D2 when I need him most? 

The first is a series of bookmarks of some of my favorite photographers. It is a biased list. I have intentionally not included photographers whose work I don't like. I do not expect anyone to work as many hours as these photographers or to produce work of the same caliber. These are benchmarks. Something to aspire toward. Something to help you understand what photography as art actually looks like.  The link is

Some Favorites Sites

The second link is to my blog. I fully understand many blogs are used to share one' s personal life with others. This is not that type of blog and no disrespect is intended toward personal blogs. This blog is an index of short technical articles about taking pictures, using image editing software and digital printing. Occasionally I will also write articles about exhibits that I am very excited about. The articles are arranged chronologically. There is a search box at the top left which I think is the easiest way to use this resource. The link is

http://paul-light---notes-on-photography.blogspot.com/

Flickr

All students will be required to open and maintain a Flickr account. Flickr is free. Many previous students have found this a valuable site to see previous MCC student's work.  It is also a great way to extend your audience beyond yourself and the class and help in your self evaluation of your photographs. To use Flickr's many features you post photographs and after doing so you must login to see all of the features.

Under the word "Your Photostream" you will see the word "Photostream".

To the right of this you will see a series of linked words. Click on "Recent Activity".

You should see a list of thumbnails of your photographs.

Click on the thumbnail and the screen will change to the full view of that photograph.

Below your photograph you will see "Comments and faves". Most people who like your photograph will make it a favorite rather than comment on it. Occasionally they will do both.

When someone chooses your photograph as a favorite, you will see a star followed by their name and the words " added this photo to his/her/their favorites". If you hope to have this person continue to follow your photography, you should click on this link, which takes you to all of their their favorites and make one of their photographs one of your favorites and consider making them a contact. This is similar to "friending" in Facebook

Scroll to the top and under their username click on "Photostream to see their photographs.

Click on any of their thumbnails and when the full photograph appears you will see a button at the top left with a star followed by the word "Favorite". Once you click on it, it goes into your favorites photograph collection as well as automatically sends that person a message that you have made this a favorite. You also may want to consider making them a contact.

Monitoring views is a good way to determine the visual impact of a photograph. The numbers can be played so comparative numbers are the best indication of visual impact. A photograph that gets 10 views probably does not have the visual impact of one that gets 50

It is not likely that very many people will see posted photographs on Flickr without interacting with other people. This can be done in two ways. The first is to go to

http://www.flickr.com/explore

Over 8 million photographs a day are uploaded to Flickr. From these they use a secret algorithm to choose 500 images a day for the Explore section of the site. I have been lucky enough to be chosen for this honor 14 times.

The objective is to get "views", which is a good way to get started on getting an audience response to photographs beyond a small circle of family and friends. The best way to boost your views is to put your individual photographs in as many groups as possible.

The second way is using contacts favorites as a way to find your own favorites and new contacts.

The "popular" index is another way to measure the visual impact of a photograph, although probably less accurate than monitoring comparative view numbers.

I have used Flickr for my own photography since 2006.

MCC Catalog Listing
Introduction to digital photography as a fine art and as a means of personal expression. This class gives students the needed technical and aesthetic skills to make quality digital photographs. Topics covered include: digital cameras, basic use of Adobe Photoshop and inkjet printing. Students must provide their own digital camera.

Credit Hour Policy

Middlesex Community College follows the Carnegie Unit for credit. Students are expected to spend a minimum of 45 hours of work for each credit. The most common breakdown for one credit is one hour of class instruction and two hours of homework for 15 weeks each semester. A three credit course demands nine hours each week.

Instructional Goals/Objectives
1 Camera Use
Students will demonstrate their ability to use the control mechanisms on their digital cameras to produce photographs that have a sense of vision.
2 Basic Aspects of Photoshop
Students will demonstrate their ability to use Photoshop to correct color, contrast, brightness and saturation in their photographs.
3 Digital Printing
Students will be able to evaluate and explain the advantages and disadvantages of various materials and processes.
4 Using Photography to Create Fine Art
Students will assess the merits of their finished prints as art and explain their reasoning.

Class Description.
This class is an introduction to basic photographic principles of using a digital camera and making digital prints. All students will be expected to know these principles as well as how to use them in such a way as to produce inventive and original photographs.  .

Each class will consist of 3 parts
Part 1 Looking at Photographs 2:00-2:30
Part 2 Taking Pictures 2:30-3:00
Part 3 Using Flickr, Image Editing and Making Prints 3:15-4:45
During the first class we will not be spending time making prints.
Beginning the second class, from 2:00pm to 2:30pm we will talk about prints. Prints will be graded outside of class time and returned to students at the beginning of the next class. We will talk about your prints, my prints and photographs from the required websites. We will be using the websites as a visual dictionary. We will be using it as a standard as to how people use photographs to communicate with the world at large.
From 2:30pm to 3:00pm we will talk about taking pictures. We will begin by discussing any questions that you have about your camera relative to the camera topic we are discussing for that class. Occasionally I will take a picture with one of my cameras to demonstrate a concept.
This will be followed by a 15 minute break from 3:00pm to 3:15pm where you are free to take a break.
The last part of class, 3:15pm to 4:45pm will be reserved for using the computers to work with Flickr to do image editing and print photographs.

Grading and Attendance Policies
All students will be required to produce prints of subjects and techniques of their own choosing. Students who would prefer assignments from me rather than choose a subject on their own should feel free to ask me. Students given an assignment by me are not obligated to fulfill it. It is a suggestion only.
One photograph is due each class beginning the third class. No grades are final without proof of the camera file.
The school has a computer lab which you will have access to that is set up for digital printing. Work will be graded primarily on one's ability to make an inventive and original photograph rather than on technical things like how dark or light the photograph is or how much textural detail is evident.

Photographs passed in late lose 3 points per day. In some special circumstances students will be given an extra class to produce a photograph.

Students will be graded only on photographs produced during the semester. Please do not bring in photographs shot before the class started. Each of the grades will be of equal weight. They will be averaged together to produce a final grade. This average is tabulated after each class and that grade is available on request.

There is no midterm or final exam. You will be given two sick days. After this each absence will cost you 10 points from your final grade. In other words, suppose your final grade was 81, but you missed six classes. The first two absences would not affect your grade, but the other four would reduce your grade to a 41. Each time a student arrives more than 15 min. late or leaves early without my permission 5 points will be deducted from their final grade.

All grades will be made numerically. The MCC grading system works as follows

A=93-100
A-=90-92
B+=87-89
B=83-86
B-=80-82
C+=77-79

The numerical grade is only a working standard. The registrar's office only records letter grades. So, a person with a 93 will get the exact same grade as a person with a 98.

I only give straight A's to students who have gone way beyond the rest of the group and have clearly demonstrated the ability to produce consistently outstanding work.

A- is the grade for work that is somewhat outstanding. B+ is for work that goes beyond the basics of making a photograph and shows some merit. B signifies that you have successfully completed the assignment. B- indicates that the photograph has some deficiencies. C+ is given to photographs that demonstrate a limited grasp of what are the elements that make up a good photograph. Grades below C+ are given for various degrees of deficiency or more often as a penalty for handing in any given photograph after the deadline.

Method of Evaluation
Your grade for each print is made up of 3 parts
25% Technical camera use
25% Technical printing ability
50% Content
This is a measure of your ability to observe animals, people or spaces and then turn this into a photograph that is more than a simple visual record of what you saw. You will be judged on (1) choice of distance from subject, (2) choice of camera angle, (3) choice of lighting. In all of these situations I expect bold experimentation resulting in surprising and original visual images.
Decide on each of these very carefully. Look at the required websites and see how professional photographers use distance, angle and lighting.

A technically flawless photograph that is no more visually literate than an everyday photograph is a creatively worthless photograph.

Assignments submitted that ignore content issues will be given a maximum grade of 50.

One print is due at the beginning of each class beginning the third class. Prints passed in at the end of a class will be graded as one day late. All prints must be at printed on 13"x19" paper.

The Computer Lab

The Computer Lab
The computer lab is Room 209 in the Academic Resources building on the Bedford campus. In addition to class time, there are open computer lab sessions. A monitor will be there at all times to assist you.
.
Supplies
A good store to buy photography supplies is Hunt's Photo and Video. Hunt's has several locations. To find the store closest to you see their website. A good place to have broken cameras fixed is Sanford Camera Repair at 1056 Massachusetts Ave. (781 648 2505) - Arlington, MA

Do not leave cameras, memory cards and paper in your car on hot days. All of these things are easily damaged by exposure to heat over 80ºF.

Schedule
You will be expected to do at least 3 hours of work outside of class between each class. Outside work will include taking pictures, making prints and looking at websites.


January 24
#1 Choosing a Camera, Choosing ISO and Choosing Resolution
We will discuss what is a suitable camera relative to individual student budgets.
Homework: Create a series of photographs of any outdoor subject shot during the first two or last two hours of sunlight.

Buy a flash drive and a 20 sheet package of 13"x19" Epson Premium Photo Paper Glossy and bring it to all of the remaining classes. You will need these supplies plus your camera to participate in next week's class. These are the only supplies you will need for this class.

January 31
#2 Varying exposure brightness, Levels, Printing Steps
Students will demonstrate the ability to use Levels.
Homework: First print is due next class.

February 7
#3 Levels -Part 2
Students will demonstrate the ability to use Levels.
Homework: Second print is due next class.

February 14#4 Clone Stamp Tool,
Students will demonstrate the ability to use the clone stamp tool to remove flaws from their photographs.
Homework: Third print is due next class.

February 21#5 Clone Stamp Tool - Part 2,
Students will demonstrate the ability to use the clone stamp tool to remove flaws from their photographs.
Homework: Fourth print is due next class.

February 28#6 Printing Papers
Students will demonstrate the ability to evaluate the merits and differences of contemporary photography digital papers.
Homework: Fifth print is due next class.

March 7
#7 Shutter Speed
Students will demonstrate the ability to use Levels.
Homework: Sixth print is due next class.

March 14
#8 Aperture, Magic Wand
Students will demonstrate the ability to use the magic wand to selectively edit specific sections of their photographs.
Homework: Seventh print is due next class.

Spring Break 2019 - March 18- March 23 (No Day or Evening Classes)

March 28#9 Lenses, Magic Wand-Part 2
Students will demonstrate the ability to use the magic wand to selectively edit specific sections of their photographs.
Homework: Eighth print is due next class.

April 4
#10 Curves
Students will demonstrate the ability to use Curves.
Homework: Ninth print is due next class.

April 11
#11 Curves 2
Students will demonstrate the ability to use Curves
Homework: Tenth print is due next class.

April 18
#12 Black + White Printing
Students will demonstrate the ability to convert a color photograph to a black and white photograph.
Homework: Eleventh print is due next class.

April 25
#13 Repieced Photographs
Students will demonstrate the ability to create a repieced photograph.

May 2 Assessment Day- No Day Classes, Evening Classes Meet

May 9
#14 Night Photography



paul@lightwavephoto.com

All text by Paul Light is copyrighted 2007 - 2019 Paul Light
All rights reserved on text by Paul Light
Last revised January 17, 2019