Training Course:
Fundamentals of Digital Photography

Student projects: Patricia Schroeder, Texas, experiments with size (top), John Williams, Ohio, captures depth of field (middle), and Fadha Abdulraman, Saudi Arabia, tackles time lapse (bottom).

Digital Photography Course: Digital cameras can be easy to use but confusing to learn.

What are all these controls, buttons, knobs, dials, features, and functions for? How can I take better photographs? How can I transfer images from my camera on to my computer or the Web?

The Fundamentals of Digital Photography course is designed to answer all these questions and more. You'll get a hands-on tour of your camera's features, learning technical terms as you go. In each exercise, you'll discover your camera's potential by practicing classic shot techniques. Finally, you'll learn how to manage your digital assets, by editing, printing, and archiving images or preparing them for Web distribution.

Instructor:
Ken Milburn is a professional photographer and leading expert in digital photography... get bio

Course Developer:
Donald Gambino is a computer artist, consultant, educator, and trainer ... get bio

Develop a basic understanding of a digital camera’s features and controls.

Learn some key terms and concepts to look for in a digital camera manual.

Undertake some creative experiments to get familiar with a digital camera.

Learn how to save digital images for posting to the Web.

Prepare for a shoot by identifying the objectives of a photo project or assignment.

Employ some classic photography techniques such as stop-action, back lighting, close-ups, and abstract shapes.

Troubleshoot common camera problems and learn where to seek further resources.

Apply basic tips for organizing and editing images on the computer.

Take creative photographs representing a theme and write an artistic statement representing each photograph.

Outline:

LESSON 1 Inside Your Digital Camera Ready to make your new camera disappear? Lesson One show you how to make technology "transparent" by understanding your digital camera inside and out. We'll take you on a virtual tour of your camera, learning key technical terms along the way. You'll learn how to decode your user manual. And because digital photography is all about learning through doing, you'll experiment with basic techniques in the exercise, discovering how to use depth of field, back lighting, motion-blur, and more.

LESSON 2 The Principles of Photography To get the most out of your camera, you must know thyself. What kind of photographer are you, and what kind of shots will you take? In Lesson Two, you'll explore the concepts and techniques that create interesting digital photos: from composition to cropping, to color, closeup, and more. You're also learn troubleshooting tips to save you time and expense when you're "on location." In the exercise, you'll practice these techniques, posting your results for other students to see!

LESSON 3 Managing Your Digital Assets Swimming in a sea of digital photos? Lesson Three is your life-raft. We'll show you how to transfer images to your computer, organize them, print them, and optimize them for Web viewing. Software options for both Mac and PC are discussed, and further learning resources identified. To wrap up your Intro to Digital Photography, you'll present yourself as a digital photography artist in the exercise, selecting your five most interesting works for other students to view. Ansel Adams, look out!

Tuition: $421 US