Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 

Reply
Show Printable Version Search this Thread
02-01-2015, 03:28 PM   #31
Site Supporter
Site Supporter




Join Date: May 2014
Location: Minnesota
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 2,034
I would start with the basics EXPOSURE, EXPOSURE, EXPOSURE, meaning how the combination of ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed affects a picture. Then maybe you can explain focal length and the difference between Full Frame and cropped sensor. Most colleges these days start off with B&W film. Therefore, a student must purchase a film camera and learn how to develop film. Something that they probably will never use in real life. I might go over film and film cameras during the course, but I certainly would not make it a requirement or base the entire class on film.


Last edited by hjoseph7; 02-02-2015 at 07:59 AM.
02-01-2015, 06:16 PM   #32
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
sholtzma's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Salisbury, NC
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,043
Original Poster
Let me clarify. This is not a college course, or even (at least at this point) a community college course. It will almost surely be a class or set of classes that we offer the community on our own, perhaps not even connected in any way with any institution. Think of going to a workshop put on by an individual, say, about investing or real estate or what not. So, maybe even calling it a "class" is misleading some folks. We want to help people take better photos.
02-02-2015, 06:38 PM   #33
Otis Memorial Pentaxian
Otis FanOtis FanOtis FanOtis FanOtis FanOtis Fan
Loyal Site Supporter
clackers's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Melbourne
Photos: Albums
Posts: 16,394
Sholzma, a radical suggestion on your method rather than syllabus, from my past life as a physics teacher.

This is a practical activity.

Avoid explaining and lecturing.

Show them the shutter speed control, get 'em to take pictures of a fountain at extreme low and high values, and explain back to the instructor what they conclude the dial does.

So they're doing and thinking, rather than reading and listening.

It will stay with them (active learning).
02-02-2015, 09:14 PM   #34
Pentaxian
sherrvonne's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Texas
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 1,975
Give them one of those lists of:
* Photography Related Terms and Definitions.
*Some paperwork explaining the rule of thirds, examples etc.
*Explain Manual, Av, Tv settings. (I tend to stay on manual and then I have the bad habit of using my nice digital K3 like it was film camera. If I was shooting with a low ISO setting and ten I get into a shaded area I keep reducing my shutter speed instead of changing to a higher ISO as if I have a roll of low ASA film in there and I can't change it out.) LOL, now everyone knows why my exif data is like that.
*Explain what the lens on their personal camera will do.
*Let them go take some photos
For a first time DSLR owner this will be a lot of info. Even for someone that has worked a camera for a while will have 'gaps' in their knowledge. I know I do, that's why I joined this forum. The more advanced one will most likely voice what they need to know. Maybe pair the Newbie students with a more knowledgeable student who is willing to help out. I say this because onceI had the misfortune of attending a series of art classes) and the Accomplished Artist giving the class favored the more advanced ones and left the newbies to flounder around. She used 'high falootin artsy words' instead of expressing herself in a way that everyone could understand. I was one of the students helping out the floundering ones that she ignored. In the class I was in there were artists that were accomplished in different fields such as sculpture, fiber art, pastel, metal foundry, etc, but the Teacher never brought that up or expressed how their art could be applied to what they were learning now. I agree with Clackers 'practical activity' , give them basics and let them go out and do it. I will never forget having to explain to the newbie next to me that no one in the class knew what the "Solitary Surrealism that forms the abstractness of the Ethereal Feel of this work" meant. Huh? LOL well that's what it sounded like she said.

02-03-2015, 12:36 AM   #35
Otis Memorial Pentaxian
Otis FanOtis FanOtis FanOtis FanOtis FanOtis Fan
Loyal Site Supporter
clackers's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Melbourne
Photos: Albums
Posts: 16,394
QuoteOriginally posted by sherrvonne Quote
I agree with Clackers 'practical activity' , give them basics and let them go out and do it.
Actually, you can do quite concepts as well as skills by getting the students thinking instead of talking at them.

For example, you can display a selection of low and high key photos and get a discussion going until the class participants work out the categories for themselves.

Afterwards you can compare with a textbook definition. Let the spirited arguments begin!

Last edited by clackers; 02-03-2015 at 03:52 AM.
02-03-2015, 07:58 PM   #36
Senior Member




Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 211
em, the topic says 'beginning' photography class. Not 'advanced' or 'wannabe experts'. Why confuse beginners with stuff they don't need to know to shoot photos? Let them get comfortable first before you start to confuse them with 'exposure' 'high key' or sensors formats.
02-03-2015, 08:04 PM   #37
Pentaxian
normhead's Avatar

Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Near Algonquin Park
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 40,442
QuoteOriginally posted by Volker76 Quote
em, the topic says 'beginning' photography class. Not 'advanced' or 'wannabe experts'. Why confuse beginners with stuff they don't need to know to shoot photos? Let them get comfortable first before you start to confuse them with 'exposure' 'high key' or sensors formats.
I can't believe you included exposure in that list.

02-03-2015, 08:24 PM   #38
Senior Member




Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 211
QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
I can't believe you included exposure in that list.
I did. Let them start full auto. The camera will work it out for them. Let them get comfortable with composition and all those 'rules' - and when to break them. Where to place the focus etc pp.

Then, when the camera stopped being scary, you can pull them out of auto mode and start with exposure. I wouldn't even touch ISO at that stage. Just aperture and shutter speed. Let them get comfortable and then next step.

Seriously, nothing sucks more than to sit in a beginners course and because of some *beeeeep* who is way too experienced, the teachers jumps ahead. Beginners are beginners (sorry). Cameras are scary (the handbook of my K3 is bigger than the one of my car).
02-03-2015, 08:46 PM   #39
Veteran Member




Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 714
QuoteOriginally posted by MadMathMind Quote
Post processing. Maybe it's a bit too advanced? But I find that the more I processed images, the more I understood the quirks of digital photography. What situations lead to poor contrast? How can we improve it beforehand? What are highlights? What is clipping? Why can I correct some images nicely but not others? (e.g., why is underexposing by a stop better than overexposing by one, in general.\?)

You can dramatically improve your images once you understand the very simple concept of levels and how digital imaging works. It replaces the chemistry lessons of days of old. How film worked was essential to photography years back. Why is "how digital imaging works" not considered just as essential? It's much simpler and it's something everyone can do, unlike the darkroom techniques of yesteryear.
true on pentax/sony/nikon etc..... NOT on Canon. Canon recovers highlights really well. There is a lot of headroom. However you can't recover underexposure on canon without serious noise problems. just go to the canon forum and look up stuff on high iso and ETTR (expose to the right).... have to be careful about teaching stuff that is too general.
02-03-2015, 09:53 PM   #40
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
sholtzma's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Salisbury, NC
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,043
Original Poster
We assume we are going to get mostly, if not entirely, beginners. Of course, that raises its own set of issues? Do we ban cameraphones? Do we require at least a bridge camera with manual mode?

And so my thinking (before I talk at length with my friend the pro) is to market the class FOR beginners. But we'll have to consider who has been asking us for help over the months and who actually is willing to commit to a for-pay class. It may turn out not to be for rank novices or, more likely, to be for a range of experience levels...
02-03-2015, 10:24 PM   #41
Otis Memorial Pentaxian
Otis FanOtis FanOtis FanOtis FanOtis FanOtis Fan
Loyal Site Supporter
clackers's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Melbourne
Photos: Albums
Posts: 16,394
QuoteOriginally posted by Volker76 Quote
I did. Let them start full auto.
I reckon the opposite, Volker.

Let 'em start full manual, and through guidance, deduce what all the important dials do.

Put them back in control of their camera, instead of it making their decisions for them. Ban green buttons for the purpose of the course.

Otherwise, artistically they might as well stick with their phone and P&S (which is fine for some people, but you'd hope a photography club could aim for better than that.)
02-04-2015, 06:29 AM   #42
Veteran Member
rburgoss's Avatar

Join Date: May 2008
Location: San Jose, Costa Rica
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 972
All answsers so far are quite interesting, but i do feel most of them concentrate on the technical side of photography, or "how to get the most of our gear".

Thinking for a split second about someone who knows nothing from photography and wants to learn (at least, the basics), I would do my best to teach and make them understand the following concepts, even before touching a camera.

1) What is photography? The recording on visible two dimensional media of some special moment in life, captured by a light grabbing device that when properly used, will produce the desired results.

2) Types of photography: Not all pictures are created equal nor all pictures pursue the same intent. Sports, action, documentary, photojournalism, boudoir, glamour, portrait, wedding, special events, nature, landscape, forensic, advertising, etc. This lesson could take at least three to four hours (I guess). The point is to make your students understand that when anyone says "photography", it will most likely mean something different for each one present in the room.

3) The music comes from the performer... not from the instrument played! While using a good quality instrument is very convenient for the desired effect in producing a certain photograph, your students must understand that the final magic occurs when the photographer, after learning all the technical aspects to control and having the necessary experience, trips the shutter in that precise moment that grabs the intended moment in life.

4) After the first three concepts have been covered, then I would start with the technical stuff. First, by going through a good collection of examples (photos) that needed certain different controlled technical situation (by the photographer) and is not an obvious "accidental good shot". Show pictures where its obvious that shutter speed was controlled, aperture, sensitivity, perspective, available light, flash, fill in lights, tripods, depth of field control, contrast control, etc. After most of this concepts are well explained, teach your students that unlike "slide film" back in history, the story with each photograph does not end there. It may and will continue at the "darkroom stage" which is the postprocessing. For this, let them know there are different tools for the trade and depending on what they are looking for, then so is the tool needed. For God's sake, make them understand that by purchasing a full Adobe Creative Suite license (at $3500 or so), does not make them instant experts in image post-processing.

5) After all the mentioned theory is well explained, then let them touch the cameras. Program a series of "standard" picture situations and let them experiment with the camera settings, but tell them to look and try certain effect or look in the photograph. Have them experiment with portraits, landscapes, some action, perspective, group photos, etc. It would be interesting to get some "examples" somewhere, and tell them: "I want you to produce a picture similar to this one". Have them figure out the technical details, guess the focal length used, aperture and shutter speed used. Let them figure out where and what kind of light was used, etc. Do this experiment with portraits, sports, pets, babies, etc.

At first, try the "replication" experiment with pictures that are most likely produced "out of the camera" without any or very little post-processing. Only after this matter is well covered and fairly dominated, have them touch the computer and let them play with photoshop or your choice of image processing software.

Then... the sky is the limit. Your photography course could end up in ten to 12 weeks or continue for years as a photography community club.
02-04-2015, 06:36 AM   #43
Pentaxian
TaoMaas's Avatar

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Oklahoma City
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 3,574
Pretend that these people will be taking pics with their smartphone (like 99% of the public). Would they gain more from learning about exposure? Post-processing? Composition? I'd answer that question, then work backwards from there.
02-04-2015, 07:48 AM   #44
Pentaxian
normhead's Avatar

Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Near Algonquin Park
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 40,442
I always started day one of instruction in my course handing my students some manual lenses and showing them what an aperture is and how it works. Then I handed them a K-1000 with no lens and showed them how a shutter worked. I don't believe I did the things where.

QuoteQuote:
the teachers jumps ahead. Beginners are beginners (sorry). Cameras are scary (the handbook of my K3 is bigger than the one of my car).
Next we memorized the parts of the camera, so when I talk about the camera, they know what I'm talking about. No sense in talking about the EV exposure adjustment if they don't know where it is on their camera. But then, I actually taught for 15 years, so I'm a little biased towards getting things done quickly and efficiently, and getting the students out the door and shooting as quickly as possible, learning to use the camera they own.

But you're right, there could be a separate course for people who want to do photography with their cell phone. I wouldn't include such people in a class for DSLR shooters. And like you, I'd probably just work on composition. Tell them, go out and take some pictures and we'll sit around and talk about them. Honestly, shooting with cell phones, what else could you conceivably do?

Last edited by normhead; 02-04-2015 at 08:32 AM.
02-04-2015, 07:59 AM   #45
Pentaxian
sherrvonne's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Texas
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 1,975
QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
I always started day one of instruction in my course handing my students some manual lenses and showing them what an aperture is and how it works. Then I handed them a K-1000 with no lens and showed them how a shutter worked. I don't believe I did the things where.



Next we memorized the parts of the camera, so when I talk about the camera, they know what I'm talking about. No sense in talking about the EV exposure adjustment if they don't know where it is on their camera. But then, I actually taught for 15 years, so I'm a little biased towards getting things done quickly and efficiently, and getting the students out the door and shooting as quickly as possible, learning to use th camera they own.
That is how I did it, but I did not have the benefit of an instructor, I had to get books and read it myself. I had bought a K1000 and Two lenses.
Reply

Bookmarks
  • Submit Thread to Facebook Facebook
  • Submit Thread to Twitter Twitter
  • Submit Thread to Digg Digg
Tags - Make this thread easier to find by adding keywords to it!
class, photography
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
What would you want next? Lens selection Imp Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 28 01-05-2015 08:57 PM
Pets Well, what is it? What do you want from me? I am just a mere kat. rrstuff Post Your Photos! 6 02-17-2014 08:37 PM
Buy a Pentax, if you want hassle free photography. irivlin Pentax K-3 & K-3 II 10 02-14-2014 07:28 AM
What would you do? In a Pickle! northmole Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 16 10-02-2012 08:06 AM
What type of tutorials would you want to see? hockmasm Photographic Technique 3 12-21-2010 10:36 AM



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 12:47 AM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top