From Raw to Polished: Improving Your Digital Pictures
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA Mondays, November 2 through 30, 2015 9:30 am - 12:20 pm
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY – DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER CAMPUS
To learn more and register click here.
The invention of the digital camera has made taking photographs extremely easy. But there is a difference between the multiple snapshots anyone can shoot and a great photograph. Great images produce an “aha” moment—a sense that this picture rises above the ordinary. It might seem that you have to capture a great photograph the first time, but in fact many seemingly ordinary photographs can be made better using computer software.
In this workshop class we will learn how to record images and then spend some time walking around Vancouver taking pictures. Back in class, we will review your selected images and you will learn how to enhance them using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software. Our concluding session will allow for follow-up questions, and suggestions will be provided for moving forward with digital photography.
What will I learn?
Week 1: Basics
Our first session will be a three-hour classroom meeting where we will discuss urban travel photography, techniques of image composition, creating a “shooting game plan” and setting up a camera for travel photography.
Week 2: Taking pictures
This week, we do a three-hour urban walkabout in and around Burrard Landing, taking pictures as we walk. We will also be encouraged to photograph on our own between weeks one and three.
Week 3: Computer class
During our day in the classroom, we will review our selected images and be exposed to working with the Developed Module in Adobe Photoshop’s Lightroom software—a very powerful tool for enhancing images. You will receive a letter outlining ideal digital file requirements for submission to the instructor.
Week 4: Taking pictures again
Having run once through the process of taking pictures and editing our images, we will return to the street armed with new knowledge and aware of new possibilities.
Week 5: Computer class again and a debriefing
For our last class, we will look again at image editing software, edit our photos once more and discuss how to move forward with digital photography.
How will I learn?
- Lectures
- Discussion (may vary from class to class)
- Essays (applicable only to certificate students)
How will I be evaluated?
For certificate students only:
Your instructor will evaluate you based on an essay you will complete at the end of the course. You will receive a grade of “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory.”
Extra requirements
You are required to have access to and be familiar with how to use a digital camera. As this is not a course on how your camera works, you should be familiar with its features and functions before the class.
You are welcome to bring your digital camera to all classes. For the urban walkabouts (weeks 2 and 4), a sturdy tripod would be helpful, but not a requirement.
Ideally, although not a requirement, your camera will have a “quality” setting that allows for RAW file capture which maintains all of the original camera data recorded. This will be very useful for getting the most out of your images.
You should be familiar with how to download and transfer your images to a USB drive for presentation to the instructor.
Weeks 3 and 5 will focus on editing your images in Adobe Photoshop’s Lightroom. You are not required to purchase this software. You are welcome to download a free trial of the software. If you choose to do so, please bring your fully-charged laptop to class to follow along. (The free trial is for 30-days only. Do not download the trial before Nov 1, or you will not be able to use it in class on Nov 30.)
To learn more and register click here.