PHO 111 Introduction to Digital
Media
COURSE SYLLABUS: Spring 2014
Friday: 1 – 4:50 pm
Wathena Room 207
Instructor:
Kristina Smith
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: kristina.smith@tamuc.edu
Course Blog: http://pho111idmspring2014.blogspot.com/
Course Description:
Introduction to
Digital Media (IDM) is an intensive semester-long course in which you will
learn the technical and conceptual tools to understand the basics of digital
media as well as begin to learn the language of visual imagery. In this class,
you will begin to explore the photographic fundamentals of composition and
lighting, as well as build a blog as a means of communicating and presenting
your work to a wide audience.
Student Learning Outcomes:
At
the conclusion of this course students should be able to demonstrate the
following:
-
editing and archiving digital files using digital asset
management software
· (Lightroom and
Photoshop)
-
how to make color correct inkjet prints by using technical software
· (Lightroom,
Photoshop, Canon Printers)
-
an understanding of the photographic vocabulary
-
how to analyze and interpret photographic images
-
effective critique by participation in critical evaluation regarding your own
work and the work of others
-
create a professionally presented portfolio of images (printing and matting)
-
have submitted a weekly blog of commentary and assignments
-
have entered artwork in no less than two (2) competitive contests
Materials –
Textbooks, Readings, Supplementary Readings:
Due to the rising cost of photo textbooks
that are often outdated by the time of publication, there is no mandatory text.
Instead of a textbook, it is recommended that students get a Lynda.com account,
an online tutorial for software and photographic information.
Optional Textbooks
A
Short Course in Digital Photography (2nd Edition), London/Stone, 2011
Photography, Upton and London, 7th,
8th, or 9th Edition
Photography, The Essential Way, Upton,
Stone, London
Adobe Photoshop CS6 for Photographers, Martin
Evening
Adobe Photoshop CS6 Classroom in a Book,
Adobe Creative Team
Adobe
Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book, Martin Evening
Instructional / Methods /
Activities Assessments
This course will
consist of a series of photographic assignments and exercises to assist you in
achieving the objectives of this course. Each week you will work on various
combinations of shooting, blogging, and participating in critiques and
discussions.
This will be a
fun learning experience so please bring your energy, enthusiasm, and a
willingness to share into this class.
It is important to attend class, keep your blog up to date, and turn in
your assignments on time.
Maintaining a Blog:
In-class
assignments, reviews of other art blogs and photographic projects will all be posted
to your blog. Blog posts will be accepted without penalty until 11:59 pm on the
due date.
Articles and Reviews:
On
a weekly basis you will review other art blogs and write a review. These reviews
will be posted to your blog.
In-Class Assignments:
Throughout
the semester there will be in-class assignments. These assignments
will
be either turned in to me or posted to your blog.
Art Opportunities Applications:
You
will be required to submit artwork to two different art opportunities.
Projects:
There
will be 3-5 main projects throughout the semester. Project assignments will be
posted to your blog and also turned in as digital files. We will project your
files in class for critique, and also look at work in print format. Critiques
should be thought of like an exam. You should come to class prepared to present
your work and participate in class discussion.
Final Project:
Your
final project will consist of a 10-15 image photographic project on a single
theme. You will be required
to submit a proposal and a mid-term before submitting your final project. The
mid-term will consist of 5 photographs turned in as digital files. At the time
of the final critique, you will need to have your final 10-15 photographs
printed and matted. You will also need to turn in these photographs as digital
files as well as post them to your blog.
Grading
20% Article and Review Posts (2% each)
20% In
Class Technical/Shooting Assignments
30% Projects
25% Final
Project
5% Art
Opportunity application submissions (2.5% each)
Students will receive
a numerical grade that will be assessed based on performance and conduct in
critiques, assignments, discussions, and the blog site, as well as attendance
and class / lab participation. Project grades will be determined with a
combination of the following categories: Creativity, Technique, and
Presentation. The following grading scale will be used:
A = 100-90, B = 89- 80, C = 79-70, D =
69-60 and F = 59 to 0.
It is advised to make an appointment with me before mid-term and
finals to individually go over your grades and progress in the course.
Students will have access to a
Macintosh OS X computer and print lab equipment with all the software needed to
complete photographic assignments and exercises.
Students will need to provide the following:
•
Digital camera and media cards.
-
Note: Please find the instruction manual and
read it / make sure that the camera is in good working order. Cameras are also available from the 3rd
Floor of Journalism Check-Out for student's use.
•
An external hard drive
-
Two hard drives would be better. (Back up your files!)
-
Hard drive should be at least 500GB.
•
Printing and Matting costs
Retail and Internet Sources for Supplies:
1. ARLINGTON
CAMERA:
544 West
Randol Mill Rd.
Arlington,
Texas
817-261-8131
2. FREESTYLE:
5124 Sunset
Blvd.
Los Angeles,
CA 90027
Phone: (800)
292-6137
3. B&H
800-952-1815
4. CALUMET
PHOTOGRAPHIC
1-800-calumet
5. KEH
Camera
1-800-342-5534
6. Competitive
Camera
2025
Irving Blvd.
Dallas,
TX 75207
7. Fort
Worth Camera
2900
W 6th St
Fort
Worth, TX 76107
(817)
335-3456
8. Denton
Camera Exchange
117
Piner St.
Denton,
TX 76201
(940)
206-5112
9. Adorama
800-223-2500
10. Red
River Paper
888-248-8774
You can also find cameras
at Costco, Walmart, and other local retailers. Additionally online retailers
such as Amazon, Ebay, and Craigslist can be looked at.
External Hard Drive
Resources
I have found Seagate,
G-Drives, and Lacie to be good and reliable brands for external hard drives. We
will be working on Mac computers in class. Your hard-drive should be MAC
compatible or have the ability to partition the hard drive.
NOTE: On Backing Up- "You
are all photo grown ups now and you should have an efficient backup
system." -- Marnie Shindleman.
IE: If your
computer, external hard-drive, or memory card is lost, stolen, or fails; it is
not an excuse for late or missed work. Back up your files.
Hard-drives
and flash drives are sold at many retailers, electronic and computer stores. Check out: NewEgg, http://www.newegg.com,
Fry’s Electronics, Best buy, Amazon or other local electronics
suppliers.
COMMUNICATION AND SUPPORT
Interaction with Instructor Statement:
Please
contact me through email.
Email: kristina.smith@tamuc.edu
Office
Hours: By Appointment Only.
**Please
contact me at least one day in advance to schedule an appointment.**
COURSE AND UNIVERSITY PROCEDURES/POLICIES
Course Specific Procedures:
Procedures & Policies for
Submission of assignments:
A.
Due Date:
-
All assignments and exercises are due on the
date and time given by the instructor and must be complete and ready for
presentation at the beginning of class. Incomplete work at any stage will not
be accepted. Any work that is late will be reduced by one letter grade. All work handed in after critique will be considered late,
including partially completed assignments. It is your responsibility to inform
the instructor of any problems that might make a project late well before the
due date. Five minutes before class is not good enough. Assignments
will not be accepted if they are more than a week late. It is your responsibility as the student to turn the work in; I
will not ask for it or track you down.
-
NOTE: All
images must have been shot, processed, and printed this semester for this class
only.
B.
Print
Submission:
-
All work
must be from files that were produced during this semester. No images from previous classes can be
submitted. All printed assignments
will be printed on 8 X 10 or larger inkjet paper and presented in a
professional manner. Work must be handed in at the beginning of the critique
designated for that particular assignment to be counted “on time.”
Attendance:
A. Regular
and punctual attendance is required and will be recorded at all class and lab meetings. No
class lectures will be repeated. Students are solely responsible for obtaining
notes and missed information from the instructor or classmates. Attendance counts for a maximum of 100 points. Students will start
with 100 points and 10 points will be subtracted from the original 100 points
for each class day missed. You will lose 5 points for arriving after roll is
taken.
Note: A total
of 4 absences from any class meetings (lecture or lab) will result in a failing
grade ("F") for the course and you will be dropped from the class.
Excused absences are listed under Class Attendance (A13.02) in the
A&M-Commerce Procedures. Verifiable excuses for absences must be turned in
to the instructor. Students that are sleeping or using cell phones,
text messaging, & social networks during class lectures are marked absent.
B. Attendance and participation on all critique days is mandatory.
This includes critiques that are broken into two days because of class size.
Failure to attend or have work at any critique may result in failure of the
assignment.
Expected
Behavior and Cell Phone Use:
Students are expected to treat instructors and fellow
students with respect. This includes, but is not limited to proper use of electronic devices during class. Computers are for class work and not for surfing the internet or checking email and social
networking. Computers are not for use during Lecture or Critique. Students are not
allowed to use cell phones or music players in any capacity during class
lectures or demonstrations. Students may only use electronic devices quietly
during work hours. Cell phones that are heard, seen, or used for texting during
class will be confiscated until the end of class. Students are responsible for
retrieving confiscated devices from instructor after class. Students in
violation of this policy will be marked absent without warning.
University Specific Procedures:
ADA Statement
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal
anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection
for persons with disabilities.
Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with
disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable
accommodation of their disabilities.
If you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact:
Office of Student Disability Resources and Services
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Gee Library 132
Phone (903) 886-5150 or (903) 886-5835
Fax (903) 468-8148
Student Conduct
All students enrolled at the University shall follow the tenets of
common decency and acceptable behavior conducive to a positive learning environment. (See Code of Student Conduct from Student Guide Handbook).
COURSE OUTLINE / CALENDAR
** SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE **
** The Instructor
reserves the right to make adjustments and changes to this calendar. Any
changes will be mentioned in class or via email / blog. **
In
PHO 111, IDM, each class will consist of one or more of the following
activities:
–
Lectures on contemporary art –
Technical demonstrations
–
Guided in-class shooting sessions –
Studio work time for assignments
–
Individual and Group Critiques –
Discussions
In PHO 111 IDM, we
will be shooting still and perhaps video shooting assignments as well as a
variety of technical exercises.
Please post all of
your assignments to your blog. Please include additional research and comments
for your assignments on your blog as well. We will work on assignments
according to the needs of the class. We may not get to all of them, we may do
them in a different order, or I may add/delete assignments depending on the
individual class.
The following is the
basic outline of what will be covered:
Blogging
Introduction to the
3rd Floor Check-out area
Introduction to the
Print, Mount, Matting Lab
Introduction to
Lightroom
Introduction to
PhotoShop
Introduction to Photo
Design and Composition
Introduction to
Printing, Matting, Mounting, Framing, and Presentation
Introduction to
Cameras and Lenses
Possible Assignments:
Self
Portrait/Portraits
ABC’s
Siskind
David Hockney
Night Shots
Panoramas
Still-Life/object
Multiple Me
Possible Field Trips: Dallas/Fort Worth
Possible Shooting Field Trips: Cooper, Sulphur Springs,
Greenville, Paris
