This is late and probably nobody cares anymore, but I have to say my piece or I'll fidget.
Larry and a few others suggest using film cameras in a beginners course on photography. I think this is crazy and here's my analogy: it's like giving a beginning writing course and requiring everyone to show up with an old mechanical Underwood typewriter, then learn how to thread the ribbon and apply white-out. If I go to a basic writing course, I'm there to learn how to write. Not how to work an obsolete typewriter. I want to learn how to tell a better story using words. If I go to a basic photography course I want to learn how to tell a better story using images. Okay, I can sleep now. On Sat, Jan 14, 2012 at 9:48 PM, Larry Colen <[email protected]> wrote: > > On Jan 14, 2012, at 8:01 AM, Christine Nielsen wrote: >> Thus far, this is what I'm assuming: >> >> - Kids aged 9 & up... maybe even a 9-12 group, and a 13 & up? >> - Mostly p & s cameras, esp with younger kids >> - Composition getting greater emphasis than ins & out of exposure - >> we'll deal in Auto modes > > >> - Teaching practical applications... finding "good" light, how to >> photograph your friends, your pet, sports, landscapes, your vacation, >> macro, etc... >> - Keep it fun... a photo scavenger hunt? a website they can post >> pics/contribute to? "A day in the life", or other photo projects..? >> - Maybe 4 - 6 classes, 90 mins each >> >> What do you think? Anyone out there ever done this sort of thing, or >> have any good resources to share? I'd be most grateful... > > I doubt that I'm the only one on this list that learned photography at age 12 > using a fully manual camera, and processed my own film in a darkroom. Don't > underestimate the ability of younger people to understand things like > exposure. > > For a young kids class, I'd teach them: > how to hold the camera > How to look for good light: > not shooting into the light > not mixing sun and shade > enough light > how to use zoom, how to wait for focus > How to put the camera on a tripod (or a beanbag) and use the self timer > don't aim directly at a window with the flash > > extra credit > fill flash > composition > > > As a matter of fact, that's pretty much the stuff I'd teach people who don't > want to learn photography, but want to take pictures. > > For general photography I'd suggest: > All ages, kids under 12 by special permission. This way parents and kids > could do it together. > Adults only > > I'd ask around for people with developing tanks, changing bags, old 35 mm > cameras and light meters collecting dust. > > Day1: > I'd cover the basics in the above class. Homework, go and play with cameras > Day 2: > I'd teach them the basics of exposure, using the histogram to illustrate. > I'd then show them how to use a lightmeter (internal or external) then give > them each a roll of Tri-X and a camera/lightmeter, and show them how to > load/unload the camera and give them until the next class session to shoot > the film > Day 3: Process the film and look at it. In many ways, they'd learn as much > just taking a roll of C41 B&W to walgreens, but I think that processing the > film would be a lot of fun. I'm specifically avoiding color film if we're > talking exposure. > Day 4: scan the negatives look at the results on a computer, and discuss. > Review using the histogram, how to set exposure and when to use > auto or manual exposure. Assignment, take pictures using both manual and > auto exposure > Day 5: review digital exposure homework. teach depth of field, manual focus, > auto focus, and when to use tripods to stop down and get more depth of field > at slower shutter speeds. > Day 6: color balance, grey cards, raw versus jpeg > > I don't care for the holga idea, it may be fun, but not as instructional on a > base level > > > > -- > Larry Colen [email protected] sent from i4est -- -bmw -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
