Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Camera Parts Assignment

You will complete this assignment in groups of four our five. You may choose your groups.


In your group you will develop a presentation that will familiarize our class with a specific camera. Once you have formed your groups, come to me for your camera assignment.

Your presentation should include all physical parts of the camera, including all buttons, levers, switches, pieces, parts, etc. Information about your camera can be found online, or I have the manuals that came with the cameras.

You do not need to demonstrate all functions of the camera, but you must demonstrate the following:
  • How to change shutter speed.
  • How to change aperture.
  • How to change ISO.
  • How to format the memory card.
  • How to insert/remove memory card.
  • How to insert/remove/charge batteries.
Your presentation should be at least 5 minutes long and involve all members of your group. It must also utilize a multimedia approach, meaning that you should have pictures, charts, or movies in your presentation.

You will have 2 class periods to prepare the presentation.

If you have questions, please ask them on the comments section of this post so that all students may receive the answer.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Photography, Tuesday January 26th

Sorry I'm not here today guys. Hopefully you'll make it through this lesson without me! Read through this entire blog post and watch the videos and follow the instructions as you go.

This first video I created last spring when my wife was about to have a baby, so ignore the comments at the very beginning. Also, we will not be writing the article that the video talks about starting at 7 minutes 10 seconds (we'll write it later this semester!) so you can stop at that point. This video will give you a brief introduction to the idea of exposure. We'll be talking a lot more about exposure in the coming weeks!




Notes:

  • Understanding exposure separates photographers from picture takers!
  • Exposure occurs any time that light reaches your film or digital sensor.
  • A good exposure accurately represents light and color throughout your image.
  • An underexposed image generally appears dark and has loss of detail in the darkest areas.
  • An overexposed image generally appears too bright and has loss of detail in the brightest areas.
  • Quality and quantity of exposure can be manipulated in your camera with the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
  • No singular exposure exists for any given situation. There are always multiple combinations of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO that will result in the same exposure.
After watching the exposure video, check out this short video on shutter speed:




Notes:
  • Shutter speed determines how long light can enter through your lens and expose your photograph.
  • When your shutter speed is too long, your photo will be over-exposed or too bright.
  • When your shutter speed is too short, your photo will be under-exposed or too dark.
Assignments:
  • Become familiar with how to change the shutter speed on the Nikon D80 and the Canon S5.
  • On the Nikon turn the top dial to "S" which stands for shutter speed and adjust it using the dial on the top right of the back of the camera. Your shutter speed will show in the top left corner of the display. If it doesn't show, gently press and release the shutter button half way down to activate the display.
  • On the Canon, turn the top dial to "Tv" which stands for time value, and adjust it using the directional pad on the top right of the back of the camera.
  • Once you become familiar with the operation of shutter speed, help any students in the class who are having trouble.
  • Look at photography blogs on the internet. After considering many blogs, put a link to your favorite on a new post on your blog so that I can check it out.
  • Good Luck!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

First Photo Assignment

Welcome to photography!

For your first assignment you need to do the following:

  • Create a blog on www.blogger.com
  • Write your blog address on my list (it should start with http)
  • Take 5 pictures of anything in the school.
  • Post 5 pictures to your blog.
  • Look at a variety of photography blogs on the internet.