Sorry if I've said this before. Something I've learned from my students is the typical viewpoint on "how things work."
For many people, the concept of focus is limited to the "whole picture" being fuzzy or sharp. Think of focusing a movie projector. The image is either sharp or it isn't. The idea of selective focus isn't even in their mental model of the world. Given that, teaching someone how to focus or how to select between "spot focus" and "area focus" is fairly meaningless. The concept of controlling depth of field us pretty tough without selective focus. At the first session, I ask people to watch a tv show or a movie and watch how the director uses light and focus to draw the viewers attention to or away from action on the screen. The next session's discussion almost always starts with someone saying that they had never noticed any of that before. When you're describing things to the general public, I've found that you have to start by describing the artistic effects that can be achieved and WHY you might want to achieve them. Then describe how those things can be done technically. Exposure, depth of field, etc. All of these things are just means to the end of making a picture and guiding the viewer's eye through that picture. GS George Sinos -------------------- [email protected] www.georgesphotos.net plus.georgesinos.com On Sat, Jan 21, 2012 at 8:06 PM, Larry Colen <[email protected]> wrote: > > > 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. -- 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.
