On 1/21/2012 5:40 PM, Bruce Walker wrote:
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.
You make some good points. And I should explain my reasons.
I suggested using a film camera for one day, not for the whole course.
First and foremost, there is something very cool, about taking a photo,
developing the film, and seeing and having the tangible evidence in your
hands.
I suppose that a lot of this could be done using photo paper and contact
prints. Or for that matter, photo paper and a pin hole camera that they
made themselves. Then possibly contact prints by placing the paper
negative face to face with another piece of photo paper.
I also suggested looking at the negatives, and using those as a way of
understanding exposure. I think that using film, and explicitly thinking
about each step of the process would do more to bring home the concepts
than magic handwaving and a camera that does everything for you.
As to your typewriter analogy, I would not require people to use a
typewriter in a creative writing class. However, I might well have them
write and maybe even do the first edit of a piece long hand. Writing
things out long hand slows you down, and forces you to think about each
and every word. It also discourages verbal diarrhea, since it takes so
much more effort to write. In the same vein, shooting with a completely
manual camera forces you to look at each step of the process, think
about it and correct any errors earlier.
But, my main reason for suggesting spending a day with physical
photography rather than going right into digital, is because it would be
cool and fun. In retrospect, contact prints, or possibly contact
prints and pinhole cameras would likely work even better, if for no
other reason than the skill required to roll film onto the developing reels.
It would probably be fairly easy to make the equivalent of an enlarger
for contact prints out of a clamp light, and some cardboard and aluminum
foil so that one student could expose their contact print and not
everyone else's at the same time too.
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
--
Larry Colen [email protected] (from dos4est)
--
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.
