This is not a photography class

However, it may be helpful to know a little about cameras.

Digital vs. Analog:

In the past, analog systems were used for media, including cameras. Analog uses a variable signal that consists of frequency and amplitude.

Digital systems use a discrete discontinuous signal. Digital is generally not as high fidelity but it is less susceptible to noise and wear.

Old school film cameras are considered analog. DSLR’s, point & shoot, mirrorless, and other electronic devices (like your phone) are digital.

Point & Shoot vs. SLR (Single-Lens Reflex):

Point & Shoot cameras display a live view of what the camera lens is seeing. Often the embedded lens is somewhat lacking and configurations are limited. There is a certain amount of disparity between what you see and what you capture.

An SLR or single-lens reflex camera uses a single lens that flips up when you take the shot. SLRs also have much more manual control and more advanced lens support. What you see is what you get.

DSLR (Digital Single Lense Reflex) Camera (back)

Lens:

This focuses the picture using a compound lens.

Focal length and aperture are the two main features of a lens

Focal length is the distance from the surface of a lens to its focal point (ccd sensor)

There are a ton of different lenses available, generally:

Normal lens:

Angle of view is 50 deg. and a focal length equal to image diagonally.

Wide-angle lens:

Angle of view wider than 60 deg. and focal length shorter than normal.

Telephoto lens:

Narrower angle of view and long focal length.

This can easily be the most expensive piece of equipment. Never touch the lens, you will scratch it!

Aperature:

The aperture controls the diameter of the lens. It is expressed as F-stop. The smaller the F-stop number (f/value) the larger the lens opening.

You need to use a larger aperture for low-light and to capture fast actions (faster shutter speeds necessary). 

Here is a nice page on aperture on Wikipedia

Depth of Field

Depth of Field is portion of a scene that appears sharp. If you want to have a larger depth of field (everything it focus, like a landscape), use a small aperture. If you want a smaller depth of field (one subject in focus, like a portrait), use a large aperture.

Shutter Speed:

Shutter speed is basically how long the shutter is open, exposing the film or sensor.

The longer the shutter is open the lighter the photograph will be.

Use this in combination with aperture to affect the lightness and darkness of your capture.

Here is a nice page on shutter speed on Wikipedia

ISO:

ISO refers to the speed of your film, or in our case, the sensitivity of the sensor.

The lower the number the slower the speed (daylight). The higher the number the faster the speed (night).

The photo on the left has a slow ISO and the right has a fast ISO. Notice how much more grain there is on the right. Moral of the story is only use a higher ISO as a last resort.

Typography:

Typography is the study of typefaces. It involves the appreciation, creation, and/ or application of type. This is a crucial skill in a graphic designer’s arsenal. Graphic design students at four year institutions would be required to take this as a whole course by itself. As such it is a topic beyond this course but we will cover a brief amount.

Letterform:

Letterform is the description of the glyph that represents the letters in a typeface. Type can be described by its anatomy. You might be surprised by how in depth it goes.

Type Classification:

Type can be broken down into major categories based on their letterforms and uses. There is some differing information here but this is how I would break it down.

Applying Type:

Words have explicit meaning but the way they are written can produce implicit meaning. Most of the time you are trying to further push the meaning of the text.

Try different typefaces and place the type in different ways. Experiment.

Text Tools:

The options are pretty much the same you would have in Microsoft word. To have access to the Character and Paragraph panels press Window>Character/Paragraph. This will give you more options.

Abstract and Text-Based Image:

Often new artists will focus too much on a subject and not enough on composition. This assignment is meant to force you to focus on your entire image. You will produce two images; an abstract photo, and a text-based graphic.

• Abstract Photo: Take any camera you have (DSLR, point & shoot, phone, etc.) and shoot the world around you. You are look for interesting compositions not interesting subjects. Look for textures, patterns, appealing compositional lines.Try different angles; canted, birds’ eye, worm’s eye, etc. Once completed choose your best one and adjust it. You may also combine abstract photos if you find that a single photo is boring.
• Text-Based Image: First you should think of a message. This can be one word, a quote, really anything, but it should have meaning to you. Then you will choose your typeface, color scheme, and layout an interesting composition. You may even use some of your abstract images to help with this assignment if you would like.

Exploration and experimentation is highly encourage in this assignment. Once you complete your two images save them and submit them to Blackboard.

You will submit this digitally on Blackboard. All assignments will also include the project cover sheet. You can grab it here. Just answer the questions in the document.
Be sure to post your images on the Discussion Board for critique.