Class runs from October 26th until Dec 16th. All work needs to be completed by then.
There are four elements we need to juggle in order for this to be a successful experience for everyone...
1. The class syllabus... here are all the assignments and links to readings that you will need to work through the problems for each week of the class. The syllabus is found with this address: jnevins.com/digitalphotographysyllabusonline.htm or click here.While you are at it, browse around the rest of my site to get to know me better. I have posted a portfolio of my photography, links for finding galleries and museums online, my teaching philosophy and more. The assignment for each week is posted on it. Read it carefully and work to incorporate the main idea into your work that week. The link for the syllabus is in the upper right hand side of the blog.
2. The Class Blog. This is where we will build a sense of community. It is important to post examples of your work each week as well as comments about your images to accompany the images posted as well as comment on the work of others in the class... you can ask questions to me personally anytime via email, but here is a public place to offer suggestions, ask questions and just generally where we can create a class environment. Blogger is very easy to post to...
Your grade is based on your posts to the blog and more importantly your portfolio of photographs, illustrating your understanding and completion of the assignment for each week.
I have added you to the class blog … you need to respond to the link that Blogger.com sent you in order to become a member of the class blog. Once you are a member, you can post there. I'd prefer to stay in contact with you via regular email. Please email me at jnevins@albertus.edu or jnevins@jnevins.com. You may call me at home anytime (up until 9 pm) if you would like to talk personally or to help solve a technical issue that would be harder via email. It is very important to get all technical issues solved and out of the way at the outset, in the first week.
3. Photoshop CS2... This is available free with a lifetime serial number as Adobe no longer wants to officially "support" it. You can do everything for class with this version. http://www.adobe.com/downloads/cs2_downloads/ Be sure to copy the serial number ad observe if you are downloading the Windows version or the Mac version. Taking the picture is just the first step! You need to edit each picture you care about for light, focal point, contrast, color balance, etc. I have videos linked in the upper right hand side of the blog to show you how. Note: the newer Macs have an operating system that won't work anymore with CS2. You can still download a free version of the latest Photoshop at http://adobe.com/downloads for 30 days, then get another 30 days for free to take you through this class....To get the 2nd 30 days you need to sign up for the month to month billing at $9.99 then remember to quit just as the next 30 days is up...
This first week, we must iron out all of the technical issues to be sure that you are up to speed. I have asked for you to post a creative self portrait and to tell us something about yourself. This is an art course and its primary focus will be on your portfolio as the basis for your assessment. Study the syllabus to get a sense of what I will be looking for. Links I have posted to visual images and readings are an important component of the class... I'll be looking at how you are in dialog with the images and ideas linked in the syllabus as a component of your grade. Also important is that I get a sense of your spending time at the assignments and are growing in the medium of photography as the course unfolds. Posting your best one or two images you are creating to the class blog about twice a week is vital to your success in this class. Use the comment button to respond to your classmates posts. One of the strong points of using this blog is the ability to post comments as well. I am expecting 7 images per week as the bare minimum… (6 that really fulfill the intent of the assignment and more like 10 would be a better number… this is digital!)
Any comments, suggestions, or observations as to how I can smooth the way for you as we get going will be welcome. My goal is your success and your feeling that this was well worth your time.
Looking forward to launching this new class!
Best wishes,
Jerry
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI am Raymond Fenner, I currently in my senior year at Albertus Magnus who is working toward my B.A. in Human Services. I have always enjoyed the art of photography although I am not a photographer. I would like to learn the in's and out's of photography to try my hand at amateur photography.
Hi my name is Dawn Snowden. I am in my third year at Albertus Magnus College and will be graduating with B.A. in Social Work. I like to try my hand at new things and I figured photography, why not? I am not a photographer by any stretch of the imagnination but I have a love of the arts in general!
ReplyDeleteI am a mother of five children, four biological and my niece who I adopted when she was eight. I work full time in accounting and finance. My life for the most part consists of work, and school and travelling back and forth to RI to take care of my children.
Aside from wanting to try something new, I decided to take this class because I am very attracted to the art of photography. I love to see a photograph that draws me in for any number of reasons. It could be an old black and white photo of a woman whose face tells her story and the story of the photo. It can be of the most beautiful places on earth or the most war torn ravaged places on earth. I love when a photograph actually does speak a thousand words. I feel the expression that can be captured in the moment a picture is taken can be emotional, fun, whimsical, sad, logical and illogical. I would really love to learn how to take the kinds of photos that stops people in their tracks and makes them want to know more!
I am looking forward to seeing everyone's photos and learning as much as I can.