Digital SLR Photography 2 (FLEX)
An in-depth 4-week course expanding on and practicing the central skills of photography from color, light, and lenses to patterns, portraiture and street photography. Intended as a continuation of Digital SLR Photography 1 (also 4 weeks).
Alex Zuccarelli
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(4)
What's included
Homework
2-4 hours per week. ASSIGNMENTS Students will complete and submit: - (2) technical / practical photography assignments - (4) creative photography assignments - (2) image analysis assignments Technical assignments will take 20-60 minutes to complete. Creative assignments may require several hours over the course of a week with the exact time determined by the student's dedication to creating the best work possible. In other words, you decide how much time to spend on your art. Image analysis assignments will take anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour. SLIDESHOW CONTENT Each week's interactive slideshow introduces the topics in short, concise chunks of text -- about 170 words per subject. Text is accompanied by photos, diagrams, illustrations, and animations. A typical weekly slideshow will take 45-60 minutes to work through.Assessment
Students will be given in-depth, structured feedback on each and every assignment. They will also complete multiple self-check mini-quizzes.Class Experience
This 4-week course is intended to follow Digital SLR Photography 1 (FLEX), which is also (4) weeks.
In Digital SLR Photography 2, students will:
(1) learn about advanced components, features, settings, and options offered by their digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera
(2) study and practice a wide-range of fundamental and less common compositional rules and photographic techniques
(3) learn about and use the third mechanism that influences exposure (ISO)
(4) learn to manually control shutter speed, aperture, and ISO all at once and balance these mechanisms according to exposure needs and aesthetic intentions
(5) learn to use color as a powerful compositional tool
(6) learn to distinguish the color casts of different light sources, learn how and when to balance them with white balance controls, and practice these skills
(7) learn to recognize and effectively use both hard light and diffused light
(8) learn about and know how to use (6) different types of directional light both in candid photos and when creating portraits
(9) learn how to pose a subject for a traditional portrait
(10) develop the skills needed to construct creative portraits and environmental portraits
(11) become confident approaching and adjusting to challenging lighting conditions
(12) further develop their skills of photographic analysis and criticism
(13) take multiple mini-quizzes on light, color, and exposure
(14) complete and submit (2) technical assignments
(15) complete and submit (4) creative assignments
TEACHING APPROACH
Many years of instruction and tutoring in diverse situations and with many age-groups has taught me the importance of having a varied approach to teaching. Particularly with visual art, I make it a point to provide methodical instructions, demonstrations and ample photographic examples to inspire my students. Each week the learners will be given an interactive Google slideshow, which will cover the topics in detail and also include quizzes, photo analysis, and assignments. These will be complemented by as many as a dozen video lessons that go into even greater detail on many of the more complicated topics. Weekly office hours will be scheduled so that students can meet with me to discuss topics and concepts, ask questions about the lessons and assignments, and get help and advice when needed.
CURRICULUM WEEK-BY-WEEK
WEEK 1
ISO: Light Sensitivity
ISO & Grain / Noise
The ISO Scale
Prioritizing the Holy Trinity
Color & Mood
Color Temperature
Time of Day
Artificial Light
Color Balance Settings
Quality of Light
Hard Light
Soft / Diffused Light
Directional Light
Front Lighting
Back / Rear Lighting
Side / Half Lighting
Three-Quarter / Rembrandt Lighting
Overhead Lighting
Bottom / "Monster" Lighting
Tricky Lighting Situations
Lens Flare
Mini-Quiz: Real-World Problems
Practical Task 1: Balanced & Unbalanced Light
Creative Task 1: Dramatic Light & Color
*This week's materials include video lessons in addition to the interactive slideshow materials.
WEEK 2
Full Manual Exposure
Equivalent Exposures
Basic Daylight Exposure (BDE)
High Key Images
Low Key Images
Lens Basics
Angle of View / Field of View
Wide-Angle Lenses
Normal / Standard Lenses
Telephoto Lenses
Isolation
Compression
Macro Lenses
Lens Types Compared Side By Side
Perspective / Point of View
Using Lines
Horizontal & Vertical Lines
Diagonal & Converging Lines
Curving Lines
Shadows & Contrast
Mini-Quiz: Real-World Problems
Practical Task 2: Directional Light
Creative Task 2: Perspective / Point of View
*This week's materials include video lessons in addition to the interactive slideshow materials.
WEEK 3
Exposure Revisited
Gray Card Use
Fill Flash
Custom White Balance
Traditional Portraiture
Posing Subjects
Street Photography
Candid Portraits
Composition:
Symmetry
Patterns & Repetition
Negative Space
The Visual Pathway
Mini-Quiz: Real-World Problems
Creative Task 3: Photographing People
*This week's materials include video lessons in addition to the interactive slideshow materials.
WEEK 4
Environmental Portraits
Creative Portraits
Slow-Sync Flash
Photographic Layers
Visual Story-telling
Close-Up / Detail Shots
Gear:
Investing in Lenses
Tripod Upgrade
UV Filter
Polarizing Lens
Taking Care of Your Gear
Basic Image Editing Tips
Creative Task 4: You Decide
*This week's materials include video lessons in addition to the interactive slideshow materials.
LEARNING ASSESSMENTS / FEEDBACK
The (6) photography assignments will be submitted to me through shared Google Drive folders. Though traditional grades will not be issued, students will receive detailed and constructive feedback on each of their assignments -- photo by photo. In the case that a class has multiple learners, students will be encouraged to also view and critique their classmates' work.
For image analysis assignments, students will study and analyze a series of professional photographs and submit their written responses to me. They will do this in conjunction with the Week 3 and Week 4 lessons.
PREREQUISITES
Digital SLR Photography 1 (FLEX) is a strongly recommended prerequisite to this course.Learning Goals
By the end of the 4 weeks of instruction, learners should:
(1) feel confident shooting in Manual Mode and controlling all aspects of exposure, focus, and color balance
(2) feel at home with all of the major features provided by their DSLR camera
(3) be skilled at working in all types of lighting conditions -- natural and artificial
(4) be able to use both hard and diffused light appropriately
(5) understand and be able to effectively use lens flare, high key and low key styles, lines of all types, isolation, compression, shadows, contrast, symmetry, patterns and repetition, negative space, close-up detail, visual pathways, and story-telling in their photos, while also having expanded their use of the rule of thirds, through lines, balance, framing, camera orientations, freezing motion, motion blurring techniques, depth of field, and tilts.
(6) have a strong knowledge of the different lens types and the situations where they're best used
(7) feel comfortable posing and lighting a subject with natural light
(8) have an increasingly acute sense of how to fill the space in the photographic frame
(9) have made significant progress in establishing a unique visual style
(10) have the knowledge to invest in and care for quality photographic gear and accessories
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Content-wise, there is nothing in this class that's controversial or of concern. However, no one becomes a good photographer without a lot of practice, and students will need to go out and shoot. As the photographic art is largely a solitary one, it will be necessary for learners to be out on their own and have the freedom to wander a bit in search of good situations and light.
Supply List
WHAT I'LL PROVIDE Interactive slideshows (Google Slides) will be provided each week, which will include text lessons, mini-quizzes, photographic examples, assignment instructions, images to analyze, animations, etc. Occasionally, these lessons may include links to external websites. Students will also be provided with 30-50 minutes of video lessons each week, designed to complement the written materials. WHAT STUDENTS WILL NEED (1) A digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera. Any make and model is fine. (2) At least one lens. Most people will just have the lens that came with their camera kit, and that is sufficient to begin with. But if you have other lenses, by all means, put them to use. (3) At least one memory card. (4) A tripod. A cheap, mass-market tripod will be fine for this course. (5) Regular access to a computer. Assignments will only require JPG files, so these can be downloaded and submitted straight from the camera without any editing required. (6) Regular access to the internet. You'll need this for the slideshows, videos, and other content I'm providing, which is all web-based, as well as to submit your assignments.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined September, 2020
5.0
4reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I studied photojournalism at the Brooks Institute of Photography and have worked as a freelance photographer off and on throughout the years, having been involved in this art form for about 25 years. I've spent most of my adult life teaching in a variety of contexts (full-time and part-time) and working with students of many different ages, but especially learners in the middle school and high school range.Reviews
Live Group Class
$20
weekly or $80 for 4 weeks4 weeks
Completed by 1 learner
No live video meetings
Ages: 13-18
