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5 - PDF Version of Your Camera Manual 6 - Are You Borrowing a Camera from ICP? |
Welcome to our class!
Please feel free to contact me with any questions before the class.
Go to Contact Jim.
The class description is below.
In brief, our class is about:
• Using your camera.
• Editing with Lightroom.
• Printing with Lightroom.
Here's a visualization of the approximate percentages of the above three areas.
Camera: 50%
Print: 20%
LR: 30%
Photography 1: Digital
This course introduces beginners to the creative and technical possibilities of digital photography.
Through demonstrations and hands-on sessions, students learn the basics of using cameras and imaging software to produce digital photographs.
Topics include camera operation, shutter speed, aperture, focal length, RAW file formats, white balance, and composition.
Using Adobe Lightroom, students learn file management, image enhancement, and printing.
Lectures on historical and contemporary artwork explore creative approaches to photography, and assignments build photographic skill sets.
The themes below will appear throughout our class.
• Light
• The automation, that you pay so much for, doesn't work as well as it should.
The best photography still requires a person with an intelligent shutter finger.
• What you see is not what you get.
• Photography is harder than it looks.
• The glass is half full.
• Igor
• Fun
If you haven't been a student for a long time, you may not be used to being confused.
You'll be confused for a while.
Some class meta goals are:
• To increase your energy and confidence.
• To learn more about the art of photography
• To learn more about how-to-be a photographer.
Digital I won't teach you everything about your camera, editing, and printing.
Please continue your studies with Photography 2: Digital.
The class will be a critique of prints of your work.
Some of the prints will have been done in class.
You can print the other prints at home, at a lab, or while using the Digital Photography Lab at ICP.
Students receive ten free hours in the lab.
There is a fee for ink usage, and for paper if you don't bring your own.
Lightroom 4 has stringent computer requirements.
Check to see if your computer can run Lightroom 4.
Go to:
• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 / Tech specs
• The ideal computer setup for Lightroom Martin Evening
Lightroom 4 requires Windows Vista or Windows 7.
Windows XP is no longer supported.
Lightroom 4 requires:
• A 64-bit Intel processor.
32-bit Intel processors are no longer supported.
To check your processor, go to How to tell if your Intel-based Mac has a 32-bit or 64-bit processor.
Mac computers prior to about 2006 don't have Intel processors.
• OS 10.6.8 or higher.
We'll use Mac computers in class.
There's very little difference between the Windows version and Mac version of Lightroom.
Download the PDF version of your camera manual.
Why?
The indexes of camera instruction manuals are often incomplete.
You can search for a topic easily on the PDF version of the same instruction manual.
Go to the website of your camera manufacturer.
Or, Google using these search terms: Brand Model PDF Manual.
If you're borrowing a camera from ICP, please read on.
If not, jump ahead.
1) Please pick the camera up before the class if you can.
You'll be able to use your camera during the first class.
If you can't pick it before the class, your camera will be inoperable.
Why?
• You need to charge the battery.
• You need a memory card.
2) Purchase a memory card for the camera.
The Canon XSi and Pentax K-7 cameras use SD or SDHC memory cards.
Buy an 8 GB memory card, or thereabouts.
3) Buy a cable or a card Reader
You need to connect the camera or the memory card to your computer.
You can use:
• A cable.
• A card reader.
If you borrowed a Canon camera from ICP, buy a USB 2.0 A-Male to Mini-B cable, such as this one.
If you borrowed a Pentax K-7 camera, buy a USB 2.0 A-Male to Micro-B cable, such as this one.
You may already have a cable from an old camera or other device.
The Mini-B plug is about 7 mm wide by about 3 mm thick.
The Micro-B plug is also 7 mm wide, but is thinner.
It's 7 mm wide by 1.8 mm thick.
You can buy a card reader instead.
Do the following.
1) Remove the memory card from your camera.
2) Insert the memory card into the reader.
3) Plug the card reader into your computer.
Downloads from card readers are faster compared to using a cabled.
Purchase or upgrade to Lightroom 4.
Do this right away.
Don't dawdle.
You'll be left behind if you don't have it ready to go.
So, go online right now and buy it!
While you're waiting for Lightroom 4 to arrive, you can use the free trial for up to thirty days.
Go to Download a free trial of Photoshop Lightroom 4.
Go to Lightroom 4 Help.
Software sellers may or may not consider ICP to be a school.
For example, Adobe doesn't consider ICP to be a school.
Therefore, you probably won't get a student discount at Adobe.
If the seller doesn't consider ICP to be a school:
1) You may order Lightroom.
2)You may later find out that you're not eligible for the student discount.
3) You'll have to return the program, if you can.
As of March 20th, 2012, you can obtain a 10% discount from NUBSCC.
To order software from NUBSCC, call Jack at 800-231-6987.
This writer doesn't know the student-eligibility policies of other software sellers.
Check whether ICP is considered to be a school before placing your order.
You'll need proof that you're a student at ICP.
Your confirmation letter may be sufficient.
You may need a student ID.
Your ICP student ID will be given to you during the first class.
If your camera is a brand-new model, Lightroom may not be able to "see" the raw files.
If so, download the beta-version of Lightroom, if it's available.
You can Download a free trial of Photoshop Lightroom 4.
Please bring your camera to the first three classes.
Make sure:
• The battery is charged.
• There's space on the memory card.
Camera questions will pop up during subsequent classes.
Therefore, you may want to bring your camera to all classes.
While this may be burdensome, this writer believes photography students should always carry their cameras with them.
You'll receive extensive handouts about camera tools and Lightroom.
Please bring a three-ring binder that can hold about 300 pages.
If you want an early look at the handouts, go to Beecher's Handouts and Lightroom.
We won't be covering everything in the above handouts!
This syllabus is subject to change.
C = Camera
LR = Lightroom
P = Printing
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1 |
C |
• Check out cameras • Holidays, restrooms, break • Handouts & website • Sticky notes • Light • WYSINWYS • Automation may not perform as expected • Set camera to save raw files • Assignment #1: Mundane Assignment |
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2 |
C |
• Questions • How to bring your Lightroom (LR) catalog to class |
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3 |
C |
• Questions • Assignment #1 Critique • Assignment #2 |
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4 |
C |
• Questions |
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5 |
LR |
• Questions |
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6 |
LR |
• Questions • Assignment #2 Critique • Assignment #3 (To be printed) |
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7 |
LR |
• Questions |
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8 |
C |
• Questions • Excursion |
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9 |
P |
• Questions • Excursion critique |
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10 |
P |
• Return cameras • Class evaluation • Questions • Assignment #3 Critique of Prints • Camera "quiz" |
If you come to class, read the handouts twice, do the assignments, ask stupid questions, you'll achieve the above class goals.