Beginning Camera
Wednesday 5:30pm - 7:30 pm
6 weeks beginning June 21, 2000
Offered at the University of Maryland's Art and Learning Center
Heather Kelley, Instructor

Syllabus:

June 21
Introductions
Explanation of supplies & where to get them
Discussion: light meters, shutter speeds, apertures, film, composition
Hand out: Photo Log sheets
Explanation of Assignment #1

June 28
Group Critique of Assignment #1
Discussion: depth of field and how to achieve it, ways of capturing motion on still film, perspective
Explanation of Assignment #2

July 5
Group Critique of Assignment #2
Discussion: lighting, flash use
Hand out: Model Release sheets
Explanation of Assignment #3

July 12
Group Critique of Assignment #3
Discussion: how to take pictures of people, portrait work
Explanation of Assignment #4

July 19
Group Critique of Assignment #4
Discussion: advanced composition, incorporating texture, pattern and design into your photographs
Explanation of Assignment #5

July 26
Group Critique of Assignment #5
Discussion: where to go from here?


Assignments:

 Assignment #1 -- Study of an Object
For your first photography assignment, choose an object to study (if you shoot a roll of 36, you may choose 2 objects, but no more than 2). You are going to shoot the whole roll of film on this one object. Take some time with this -- be sure to check the object out from all angles. Try shots from above, from below, etc. Think about what you are trying to say about this object. Are you trying to be very realistic so that anyone who looked at your photograph would instantly recognize the object? Or are you perhaps trying to be mysterious, taking shots so that nobody could tell what it was unless you told them? Try taking shots both ways, and come up with yet more of your own creative ways of looking at your chosen object.

Assignment #2 -- Technical Aspects of Photography
This assignment will get you familiar with thinking about and using the following three technical controls: Depth of Field, Motion and Perspective.

Depth of Field
This is the area in your picture, from front to back, that is sharply in focus. Shallow depth of field is when only a small portion of your picture is in focus; deep depth of field is when everything in your picture is in focus. Depth of field is mainly controlled by the aperture setting on your camera (the aperture is the opening that lets light through to your film) -- a wide aperture (a small number, such as 2) produces less depth of field, while a smaller aperture (a large number, such as 22) produces greater depth of field. Depth of field can also be controlled by your proximity to the subject (the closer you are, the shallower the depth of field) and the focal length of your lens (the longer the focal length, the shallower the depth of field). You can fiddle with the depth of field for the technical mastery of it, or (even better) you can find ways to incorporate depth of field into your composition, where the subject and the depth of field are used to complement each other.

Motion
There are various ways of showing motion in your pictures. Your shutter speed is going to be a deciding factor for a lot of it. You can get a blur with a moving object and a longer shutter speed (car head and tail lights on a rainy night are especially beautiful); or you can freeze motion with a short shutter speed, and also with a flash (sports, dance, etc.). You can also try something funky called panning, which is when you follow the movement of your subject with your lens. The result, when done correctly, is a picture where the background is blurred and the subject is in focus -- try bicyclists and cars. Zoom bursts are another instance where motion is conveyed. If you have a zoom lens, try taking an exposure of around a second or two, and zoom the lens all the way out during the exposure. When done correctly, the subject will be more or less sharp in the center, with radiating streaks emanating from it. Again, this can be done for the technical mastery of the technique, or it can be used in conjunction with your composition to achieve a specific goal (for instance, a golfer in the middle of a shot, hence giving the impression that the golf club is shattering the image).

Perspective
Perspective can help give your photographs the illusion of being three dimensional. You can play with different types of lenses (for example, fisheyes) and with different focal lengths (this is the distance between the lens and the film when your camera is focused on infinity, the farthest distance on your lens) to achieve different perspectives. You can also change the angle that you're shooting from, and change the composition of your shot. Try playing with linear perspective (such as a road receding to a dot in the distance), diminishing size (objects getting smaller as they recede, such as fence posts), aerial perspective (when subjects at a distance appear more monochromatic and fuzzy due to atmospheric haze, hence heightening the perceived distance between viewer and subject), overlapping forms (when an object in the foreground obscures objects in the background, helping create the idea of depth) and depth of field (shallower depth of field works in much the same way as overlapping forms, with the in-focus object obscuring an already obscured background, again creating the idea of depth).

Assignment #3 -- Light & Shadow
This assignment encourages you to look at light and notice it in a way that you might not have done before. Below is a list of different lighting situations -- see how many you can achieve. Practice, as usual, is the key.

  1. Front Light: Produces a picture much as we expect "real life" to look like. The light usually comes from behind the photographer and lights the front of the subject. Shadows will be behind the subject, so perceived depth is diminished. Usually not recommended for portraits, as it tends to produce shadows around the eyes and under the nose of the subject.
  2. Back Light: Produces a picture where the subject can have glowing edges. Be sure to measure off the subject up close, else you will end up with a silhouette. In a non-portrait situation, such as a landscape, pictures can be very dramatic; shadows will fall towards the foreground of the picture, with the subject itself in shadow.
  3. Side Light: Shadows are long and deep, emphasizing depth and texture. Light comes from either the left or right of the subject. When the sun is low in the sky, side-lighting is emphasized dramatically.
  4. Diffused Light: Produces a shadow-less picture. Light comes from either sunlight that is obscured by clouds, or is bounced off of other objects, such as a light-colored wall, concrete floor, or professional reflector.
  5. Point Source of Light: The light is the subject in these pictures. Experiment with different sources -- lamps, fires, candles, etc. Be sure to meter appropriately. Try unusual situations, such as photographing candlelight outside during the day.
  6. Time Exposure: This produces streaks of light, a technique especially effective with the head- and tail-lights of cars. Be sure to have a tripod, or other means of holding the camera steady, as this procedure will require an exposure of a second or more. You can also try painting with light -- using a light source such as a flashlight, write or draw on a dark surface.
  7. Silhouette: This will produce a photograph that shows the shape, but not the detail, of your subject. The light comes from behind the subject. An easy way to achieve a silhouette is when the sun is close to the horizon and the background is the sky. Be sure to meter the background for the exposure.
  8. Shadow: Try making shadows the subject of your exposure. Often times we do not see the patterns and shapes that they cast on objects, adding another layer of depth to pictures.

Assignment #4 -- Portraits
Dividing up into pairs, you will practice being behind and in front of the camera. Having a lens "in your face" can be very disconcerting, and a good photographer should not only be aware of this, but should have skills in putting people at ease in this sometimes awkward situation. Help each other relax. Spend some time getting to know your partner -- sometimes the difference between a mediocre portrait and a great portrait is the difference between taking a shot of a stranger vs. someone you know.

Try out different poses -- different faces need different camera angles to look their best. Practice telling your partner how to turn their head or how to place their hands: see what works best for each person.

Try out different backdrops -- indoors, try standing your partner in window light; outdoors, try the horizon (silhouettes!), etc.

Poses to try:

Assignment #5 -- Shape, Form, Texture and Pattern
This assignment can turn out very differently depending upon whether black and white or color film is used -- try them both and see which you like better!

Shape
This can be approached from an artistic perspective, where the shapes in your composition are the subjects themselves. Or, you can use shapes to enhance the actual subjects in your frame. Try back-lighting to produce a silhouette, or using side-lighting and choosing a "clean" background to emphasize the shapes of your subjects. (A fun exercise is to see what kinds of objects are recognizable merely by their silhouettes. Also, shadows often create very interesting and beautiful shapes).

Form
This is where you try to accentuate the fact that you're photographing three-dimensional objects. Side-lighting will assist you with this task, as will camera angle and composition. (My favorite subjects for this are trees -- side-lit so that half the trunk is lit, and the other half is in shadow).

Texture
Again, try taking abstract shots that have texture as their subject, and also try to incorporate texture into photographs of other subjects. Side-lighting will often exaggerate textures, but try using light in other ways as well. (Try rocks and pebbles -- perhaps moist from a stream or the ocean).

Pattern
By now you're probably aware that incorporating these design elements into your photographs makes them more interesting and vibrant. Once again, for pattern, try abstract compositions where the pattern is the message, and also photographs where patterns are made a part of your composition. Patterns to look for include natural as well as human-made. (Be on the lookout for spider webs, tall grasses, walls, formal gardens… ). Also, try to include more than one design element in a particular photograph.


Where to Buy Camera Supplies:

 There are several excellent camera supply stores in our area.

Media Express, Stamp Student Union, (301) 405-5500
Be sure to ask for 10% student discount!
They sell a few different types of slide film, and can also process slides with a quick turn-around time.
Penn Camera, 11710 Rte. 1, Beltsville, (301) 470-1116
Here you can buy everything from cameras, to film, to accessories. They also develop. Penn is a local chain that has other area locations.
Abbey Camera/Industrial Photo, 8676 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, (301) 587-3600
An even larger selection than Penn!

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