DIGITAL MEDIA PROGRAM
Course Syllabus—subject to change with notice
DIGM2352: Digital Photography
Spring 2011
Lecturer:
Patrice Charleville
mobile: 713-542-9736
pec@uh.edu
Office hours:
By appointment, call or email as needed.
Lab assistant:
Can Le (chle3@central.uh.edu)
Program website:
Course location:
Lecture: online, Blackboard, Lecture Section 23483
Lab day/time:
Lab Section 23485: Wednesdays, 2:30–5:30 p.m.
Lab Section 23495: Wednesdays, 5:30–8:30 p.m.
http://www.graphics.tech.uh.edu
NOTE: You need to attend the lab you registered for.
Open Lab:
When posted (separate handout).
Course Description:
Prerequisite:
Credit:
Course Goals:
Digital cameras; photographic principles; image organization, metadata, evaluation, and correction; digital asset management; creating
image portfolios for the web; and use of color management to soft- and
hard-proof finished photographs.
DIGM2350
3 semester hours
Students completing the course will be able to describe, demonstrate,
compare, integrate and critique Digital Media technologies related to:
1. features of consumer-, prosumer-, and professional-level digital
cameras, including lenses, file modes (RAW, TIFF, and JPEG), and
storage media;
2. the use of digital camera controls, including, but not limited to,
aperture- and shutter-priority, white balance, and flash;
3. the use of composition rules and lighting techniques;
4. the use of a digital camera to tell stories, capture people and nature
and/or create documentaries;
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5. the use of digital asset management software to import digital
photographs and add relevant meta-data;
6. rating photographs based upon technical and aesthetic considerations;
7. o
rganizing images based upon meta-data, keywords and evaluative
criteria;
8. improving images through cropping, sizing, white-balance adjustment,
color correction, highlight and shadow alteration, sharpening, noise
reduction and local repair;
9. d
elivery of finished photographs through websites and soft- and
printed-proofs; and
10. archiving finished photographs.
Required textbooks:
Required tools:
Kinghorn, J. & Dickman, J., Perfect Digital Photography. 2nd Edition.
New York: McGraw-Fill/Osborne (ebook: ISBN 978-0-07-160167-2;
paperback: ISBN 007160166X/9780071601665).
Long, B., Harrington, R. and Luna, O., Aperture 2—Professionally
Manage Digital Photographs. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press
(ISBN 0321539931)
USB external drive or thumb/flash drive—(minimum capacity 20 GB—
MUST be Mac compatible) to store and backup your files.
Digital camera (there are cameras available in the lab, please see
Can Le about check-out procedures).
Optional tools:
8X to 20X magnifier (loupe); stainless steel ruler graduated in inches
and picas.
PDF files:
Why 5 hours per week?
Materials for the online lecture will be supplied in Adobe Acrobat
Portable Document Format (PDF). These files can be read on any
Windows, Mac, or Unix computer providing you have the correct
Acrobat Reader Software. Acrobat Reader is available free of charge
from the Adobe Website (www.adobe.com). You can read the files
on-screen or print the files on your own printer. However, you cannot
print them using the Mac lab printers (we don’t have the budget for all
the paper and toner it would take).
DIGM2352 is an online lecture, in-class lab and is governed by
University policy as well as policies of the accrediting bodies. Each hour
of class credit requires three hours per week: one hour in lecture and two
hours of personal study/homework. Thus, a three-hour course requires
nine hours per week: three in class and six on your own. However, lab
earns in-class credit at one-third the rate of lecture. Thus, it takes three
hours of lab to earn one hour of lecture credit. DIGM2352 requires you
to spend two hours in lecture. For those two hours, you receive two hours
of credit. The three hours of lab, counted together, are worth one hour of
credit. Thus, you spend five hours per week in a three-hour lecture/lab
class. Remember that you still “owe” Ms. Charleville a total of nine hours
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for the three-hour course. Nine minus five equals four. Thus, you should
spend four hours per week on your own reading, studying, and working
on homework and on-line quizzes. That’s the expectation of this course.
Important Information:
Research Theme/
Term Paper:
As a student of the University of Houston, information available at
http://www.uh.edu/provost/stu/stu_syllabsuppl.html will be critical to
you in insuring that your academic pursuits meet with success and that
you encounter the fewest financial and academic difficulties possible.
Please take a few moments to review each of the areas, and become
familiar with the resources detailed on the website with regard to: The
UH Academic Honesty Policy: the UH Academic Calendar; Students with
Disabilities; Religious Holy Day FAQs; and Other Information.
Every Digital Media major is required to have a “research theme.”
This is an area of endeavor within Digital Media (print, web,
photography, videography, management, leadership, logistics, sales,
etc.) that you will study outside of class time during each DIGM course
you take. You should choose a theme that interests you…something that
you want to be an “expert” in by the time you graduate.
In each DIGM class, beginning with 2350, you will be asked to do
research on your theme and, in doing so, expand your knowledge base.
Then, you are to write your findings in a short (two-three page) paper
that meets the APA manuscript requirements.
Your research theme will culminate when you are a senior and take
DIGM4378 (Senior Project) and DIGM4390 (Current Issues in Graphic
Communications).
If you are not a Digital Media major, you still have to write a short (twothree page) paper for this class on a topic related to Digital Media (see
sub-areas above).
If your paper has more than three spelling or grammatical errors, you
will earn no higher than a D grade. If the topic is explained well and
the English grammar and spelling are OK, you will earn a C. To earn
an A, you must also provide supporting documentation (bibliography,
photographs, links, samples, cost analysis, and so forth). A B paper has
some documentation, but is sketchy.
Your paper is due the day of the Midterm Exam. It is worth 5% of your
total course grade.
Lecture assignments:
Assignments and quizzes will be scheduled and posted on Blackboard
each week.
Quizzes
Quizzes are open notes/open book and may be taken at your leisure
during the week each quiz is available. They will form the basis of the
midterm and final, although questions not appearing in the quizzes may
be used in the exams.
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Schedule subject to change.
Week
Date
Read Kinghorn &
Dickman. Assigned
website articles
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Lecture Topic
Lecture
WebCT
Quiz
Lab Topic
Lab Activities
Weekly Photo
Assignments
1
19jan11
http://www.apple.com/
ilife/tutorials/iphoto/
index.html
Introduction and orientation
—
iPhoto 9 Tutorial
Lab orientation. Importing digital
photos into iPhoto; using iPhoto to
organize photos.
TBA
2
26jan11
Chapter 1–2
Introduction to Photography.
Equipment: Camera types, lenses,
and zoom
Quiz 1
Shoot and import images with varying
Getting acquainted
lenses and/or zoom. Upload photos to
with your camera
Site folder using iWeb.
TBA
3
2feb11
Chapter 4
Basics of Photography: light,
shutter speed, aperture, ISO speed
Quiz 2
Getting acquainted
with your camera
Shoot and import: color temperature,
shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
TBA
4
9feb11
Chapter 3, 5
Basics of digital photography: file
formats, resolution, flash, media
Quiz 3
Getting acquainted
with your camera
Shoot and import: various “quality,”
resolution, and file format settings.
TBA
5
16feb11
Chapter 6
Photographic composition
Quiz 4
Composition
Shoot and import: rule of thirds,
s-curves, rhythm, horizon lines, etc.
TBA
6
23feb11
Chapter 7
Telling stories with photographs
Quiz 5
Catch up on
assignments
Open lab to catch up with
previous assignments.
TBA
7
2mar11
Chapter 8–10
Photographing people, places,
and nature
Quiz 6
Prepare hard-copy
and web portfolios
Print images for portfolio; create
portfolio website using iPhoto.
TBA
8
9mar11
Midterm Exam
—
Read Luna
& Long
9
Choose term project Strategize for term project. Mandatory
theme and team
portfolio review by end of session.
TBA
March 14–19, 2011 Spring holiday.
10
23mar11
1–3
Organizing, evaluating and
rating images
Quiz 7
Aperture tutorial
Complete lessons 1–3 in Luna.
Term project.
TBA
11
30mar11
4
Basic image adjustments in
Aperture, Bridge, and Photoshop
Quiz 8
Aperture tutorial
Complete lesson 4 in Luna.
Term project.
TBA
12
6apr11
5–7
Preparing images for customer
perusal/approval
Quiz 9
Aperture tutorial
Complete lessons 5–7 in Luna.
Term project.
TBA
13
13apr11
8–9
Advanced image editing in
Photoshop
Quiz 10
Term project
Complete lessons 8–9 in Luna.
Term project.
TBA
14
20apr11
10–12
Soft proofing using ICC profiles
Quiz 11
Term project
Complete lessons 10–12 in Luna.
Continue shoot for term project
TBA
TBA
—
15
27apr11
Photo output and archival
Quiz 12
Term project
Mr. Halliday—photobooks
(www.unibind.com). Term project
photos imported into Aperture;
organize, rate, metadata.
4may11
No lecture
—
Term project due.
Final portfolio evaluation.
Exams
Extra credit:
There will be at least one exam given—a midterm and/or a final. The
midterm will cover all lecture material covered up to the exam. If a final
exam is given it will cover all material covered after the midterm.
Overall course extra credit may be earned through participation in the
University of Houston chapter of the International Graphic Arts Education
Association (UH/IGAEA). Students who join UH/IGAEA and attend a
minimum of three association meetings will earn three points extra credit
on their final grades. UH/IGAEA officers will receive five points of extra
credit on their final grades.
Should the IGAEA not meet during the semester, Ms. Charleville will
assign alternative course extra credit assignments.
Exam extra credit:
Students may earn up to 3% extra credit on each exam by demonstrating
Cougar Pride by wearing an article of Cougar clothing. .
Attendance:
Attendance at all class sessions is expected. There will be a grade penalty
for all absences. There is no such thing as an excused absence. Be on time
for lectures and labs! Tardies of more than 10 minutes count as 1/2 an
absence. You may only accumulate three total absences—lecture or lab,
full-days or tardies. You may be dropped after the fourth absence. There is
no way to make up any lecture or lab that you miss. Notes from friends or
textbook readings are no substitute for actually being present in class when
Ms. Charleville explains a concept or process.
Grading:
Item
Percent of grade
Attendance.................................................................................10%
Exams (2 @ 10% each or 1 @ 20%).............................................20%
Quizzes......................................................................................25%
Research Theme/Term Paper . ........................................................5%
Photo assignments.......................................................................20%.
Lab activities...............................................................................20%.
Percent/letter grades:
B+....... 87–89
C+....... 77–79
D+....... 67–69
Photo assignments:
Lab activities:
A....... 94–100
B.......... 84–86
C......... 74–76
D......... 64–66
A–....... 90–93
B–........ 80–83
C–....... 70–73
D–....... 60–63
Photo assignments will be assigned and are to be completed each week.
Each weekly photo assignment should be downloaded from your camera
to your portable or flash drive and organized in weekly folders in
preparation for weekly lab assignments.
Lab activities are to be completed as soon as possible and placed into
an on-line photo gallery to be submitted on the lab day during midterm
week (for review purposes) and on the day of the final exam (for
grading). Include all the projects listed on the course schedule
(page 4) unless otherwise instructed by your instructor. Hard-copy and
on-line portfolios may be as simple or elaborate as desired. However,
students should remember that they only get one opportunity to make a
good first impression.
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Lab activities and photo assignments are all graded according to the
following:
Unsubmitted projects will receive an F grade.
If a project is submitted but has any technical flaw that will prevent it
from working, it will receive a D grade. For example, if the project is
submitted at the wrong size, it will receive a D.
C is the standard project grade. It means that the content of the project
is technically accurate.
A B project is not only technically accurate, but also attractive. In
addition to “working,” the project shows that the student has applied
the basic principles of graphic design (use of type, balance, and so
forth).
A is assigned to projects in which the student has obviously
gone above and beyond the call of duty. Captions and attractive
presentation are examples of “beyond the call of duty.”
There is no need for a student to earn any less than a B on any
project. Don’t be meek! Show your work to Ms. Charleville or to your
lab instructor in advance for advice!
Projects are to be uploaded and submitted as online photo projects
(samples will be shown in class). The portfolio should be clearly
organized and kept simple and attractive.
Portfolios are due online for preliminary review on the day of the
midterm and again on the day of the final. Any grade earned on a
project during the midterm preliminary review can be upgraded by the
student by repairing defects or improving the appearance of the work.
Simply resubmit your reworked projects to Ms. Charleville. Grades for
projects submitted on the day of the final examination are final.
Your midterm portfolio will consist of online representations of the
following projects:
Midterm Portfolio:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Your final portfolio will include approximately 12–18 photographs and
will consist of photographs from the following categories:
Final Portfolio
Lenses/zoom
Color temperature (white balance)
Shutter speed
Aperture
ISO
“Quality” settings
File format settings
Rules of composition
1. Telling a story.
2. Photographing people, places, and nature (choose ONE of these three).
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You will be required to import your photos into Aperture, organize, rate
and apply meta-data. The final portfolio will need to be submitted to your
online site and printed to be printed and bound into your final photo book.
Grade expectations:
Students in the course should be capable and motivated professionals.
No such student should be content with a grade less than B. Please
provide the attention, motivation and effort necessary to reach
this grade expectation.
Test/exam policy:
WebCT (Blackboard) quizzes: you may use any materials you’d like
during these quizzes and you may take them at you leisure during
the available period. Exams may be open or closed, at the discretion
of Ms. Charleville. Missed quizzes and exams cannot be
“made-up.” If a student is aware that s/he will not be available for
a test, arrangements must be made with Ms. Charleville to take the test
early. No student may begin taking a test or exam after the first person
has completed it.
Due date policy:
Assignments must be turned in on schedule. See the class schedule for
specific due dates. Late work will receive a grade penalty of 10% per
class session. If you cannot attend class on a day that an assignment is
due, you must make arrangements to get the work to Ms. Charleville no
later than the next business day.
Adds/drops:
Please refer to the University’s Undergraduate Catalog and the Schedule
of Classes for the appropriate add/drop dates and procedures. Those
procedures must be followed to the letter.
Incompletes:
An “incomplete” grade will only be issued if the student is maintaining an
acceptable level of achievement and cannot, due to some factor beyond
the control of the student, complete one or more major assignment. If a
student wishes an “incomplete” grade, s/he must explain the situation to
Ms. Charleville in advance and make specific arrangements to make up
missing work no later than one year after the “incomplete” is issued.
Social Networking:
Social Networking is becoming an integral part of Digital Media.
Properly using Digital Media is also extremely important in developing
your own personal “brand” as well as employment success.
There are some Social Networking sites that are primarily “personal”
in nature. Your faculty suggest that you appear on these sites using
a pseudonym or be extremely cautious in what you post on them.
Employers are known to seek out applicants’ pages and gather not-toflattering information prior to job interviews. Employers are also known
to monitor employees’ pages looking for content that reflects negatively
about their companies.
You also need a “professional” brand on a “professional” Social
Networking site. On such a site, you must strive to paint and extremely
proficient portrait of yourself. Spelling, grammar, photographic content
and quality, and content of your posts and responses all count and all
make an impression on the outside world.
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Netiquette in Class:
The College of Technology’s building are fully wireless capable. That
means that you can log-on to the Internet from any part of any of our
buildings, including the classrooms. We encourage you to bring your
laptops, netbooks, and so forth so that you can take digital notes,
download materials your professor provide, and take advantage of
websites that your professor suggests.
However, it is extremely rude to use your laptop for surfing the web,
answering e-mails, playing games, or other off-task functions. It is also
a waste of your money since your lectures are packed with important
information being presented by your professor who knows more about
the topic than you do. You are paying money to be in class. Do not
waste your money by trying to ineffectively multi-task during class!
Cellphones, PDAs, and other handheld devices fall into the same
category as laptops. They should not be used in class.
Your professor realizes that you are an adult and are free to squander
your time any way you want. However, you do NOT have the right to
interfere with other students who are trying to listen to lectures. Therefore,
if you insist on texting, e-mailing, or surfing, sit in the back of the
classroom where you won’t bother anybody.
Classroom cleanliness:
Janitorial services are rarely provided in rooms 102A-T, 102B-T and
102F-T. For this reason, and to keep the equipment clean, no food or
drink is allowed in the room for any reason at any time. Please clean up
after yourself!
FAX:
Americans
with Disabilities Act:
The college will not accept assignments that are faxed to the office. There
is no use trying.
Any student who may be in need of additional help under the
ADA guidelines should contact Ms. Charleville ASAP.
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