For Jim's Students > ICP Students >
Dear Student
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.
Visualization of the Above Goal Areas
Here's a visualization of the approximate percentages
of the above three areas.
Class Description
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.
Class Themes
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
Not Been a Student for a Long Time?
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.
Meta Goals
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.
Photography 2: Digital
Digital I won't teach you everything about your
camera, editing, and printing.
Please continue your studies with Photography 2: Digital.
Last Class = Prints
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
Summary
Windows
Lightroom 4 requires Windows Vista or Windows 7.
Windows XP is no longer supported.
Mac
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.
5 - PDF Version of Your Camera Manual
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.
6 - Are You Borrowing a Camera from
ICP?
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, ASAP
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!
If you purchased Lightroom 3 recently, you
may be able to obtain a
complimentary upgrade to Lightroom 4.
Known Bugs in Lightroom 4
Go to
Lightroom 4 Hot Issues.
Get the Lightroom Free Trial
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.
Get the Lightroom 4 Help PDF
Go to
Lightroom 4 Help.
Student Discount
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.
Which Sellers Consider ICP to be a School?
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.
ICP Student ID
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.
Did You Buy a New Camera Model?
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.
Reminder
You can
Download a free trial of Photoshop Lightroom 3.
8 - Bring Your Camera
To the First Three Classes
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.
If you want to have an early look at the handouts, go to
Beecher's Handouts and
Lightroom.
The assignments in Beecher's handouts are not for our
class.
We won't be covering everything in the above handouts.
This syllabus is subject to change.
C = Camera
LR = Lightroom
P = Printing
|
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
|
|
2
|
C
|
• Questions
• How to bring your Lightroom
(LR) catalog to class
|
|
3
|
C
|
• Questions
• Assignment #1 Critique
• Assignment #2
|
|
4
|
C
|
• Questions
|
|
5
|
LR
|
• Questions
|
|
6
|
LR
|
• Questions
• Assignment #2 Critique
• Assignment #3 (To
be printed)
|
|
7
|
LR
|
• Questions
|
|
8
|
C
|
• Questions
• Excursion
|
|
9
|
P
|
• Questions
• Excursion critique
|
|
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.
