If you are a guy nearing your college graduation day, you will be looking to capture some amazing images of this day which will happen only once in your lifetime. So it is essential to ensure that you get the best pictures to record your memories. In this guide I will describe and show the best college graduation picture ideas Continue Reading
Photodoto
Posts Tagged ‘College’
College Graduation Picture Ideas for Guys: What Works
09
Oct
College Photography Instructor Bans Kit Lenses, Cites “Subpar” Quality
10
Jul
The post College Photography Instructor Bans Kit Lenses, Cites “Subpar” Quality appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
How do you feel about kit lenses? Are they capable of good photos? Or are they an utter waste of time, the type of lens that should be discarded at the earliest opportunity?
According to one college photography instructor, who banned the use of kit lenses in her editorial photography course, kit lenses aren’t just poor quality; they simply shouldn’t be used – at least not by photography students. As the instructor explains in her syllabus, “You are talented enough by this point to not compromise your image quality by using these subpar lenses…You should do everything within your power to never use these lenses again.”
Here’s the full quote, as posted to Reddit by a frustrated student:
The 18-55mm kit lenses that come with entry-level, crop-sensor DSLRs are NOT good quality. You are required to have the insurance for this class, and since most assignments require a trip to the cage for lighting gear, I am also blocking the use of these lenses. You are talented enough by this point to not compromise your image quality by using these subpar lenses. Student work from this class has been licensed commercially as stock photography, but if you shoot with an 18-55mm lens, you are putting your work at a serious disadvantage, quality-wise. You are not required to BUY a different lens, but you are required to use something other than this lens. You should do everything within your power to never use these lenses again.
The student went on to explain that the class is designed for second-year photography undergraduates, and that the “cage” – where students can borrow lenses to complete assignments – “is only accessible two hours a day, two days a week.”
In other words, while students who don’t own acceptable equipment (i.e., non-kit lenses) can technically continue the course without purchasing additional lenses, they’ll need to show greater dedication than their peers, put in extra hours on campus, and compete with other students for access to school-owned equipment.
While this lack of course accessibility is bound to frustrate plenty of current and would-be students, it’s the instructor’s sweeping criticism of kit lenses that has photographers up in arms.
As the Reddit community was quick to point out, plenty of beautiful photos, including work published in top-notch newspapers and magazines, have been taken with kit lenses or similar. And furthermore, there are high-quality kit lenses available, many of which are perfectly adequate for pro-level photos. Sure, some kit lenses do offer soft image quality, but you can often correct the problem by stopping down to f/8 or so.
And as the original poster explained, even “older full-frame kit lenses are more than adequate for all but the most demanding of applications,” and the class assignments involve “shooting with big strobes – mostly [at] f/8+ and ISO 100.”
For me, kit lenses are one-hundred percent adequate for a whole host of situations. Their image quality is often decent, and with the right technique, you can come away with some very nice results. Plus, kit lens focal lengths tend to be very useful. At 18mm, you can capture scene-setting wide-angle images; at 25-35mm, you can do some impactful street and photojournalistic photography; and at 45-55mm, you can do intimate portraits, headshots, and more.
That’s not to say that kit lenses are superior to their much more expensive prime counterparts. Kit lenses aren’t as sharp, as fast focusing, or as effective in low light as, say, a high-quality 50mm f/1.4 lens. But the point isn’t that kit lenses are the best, it’s that they’re good enough – and that both students and professionals can use kit lenses to great effect.
Now over to you:
What do you think about kit lenses in photography? Do you like them? Dislike them? Do you think they should be banned from photography classes? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
(Via PetaPixel)
The post College Photography Instructor Bans Kit Lenses, Cites “Subpar” Quality appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
Journey Summertime Camps For college students
06
Mar
Exclusive camps are made available to young children, small children and grownups in the course of their summers. sleep away camps in Maine are distinctive camps which appear up with out of doors education and learning, youth & women retreat and many other special adventures for the people. The occasion campaign is an organized program conducted for the duration of summers for a specialized period of time. Generally, this kind of campaigns will be conducted in almost every country across the world to meet the demands of the people and satisfy their requirement successfully. The summer months campaigns conducted by the institution will be licensed, insured and recognized as per the statute of the state and federal government.
The experience campaigns are said to be the best for the students to spend their holidays reasonably. Special trainers are appointed in these programs to make the courses more meaningful and perfect. The trainers appear up with qualification, experience and knowledge in this field and expose their skills to the pupils required. The campaign will be offered to all age group people and restrictions of events will be enforced as per the age groups. Generally, everybody can participate in the journey, sports program but certain age limit is fixed for the exercise. Generally, the campaigns will takes place in separate places where no disturbances will be there.
Variety of summer camps will be provided to the people and differs with regards to each institution. The programs, schedule, courses, age limit, timing and prices will be different from institution to institution. Campaigns are conducted especially for young ones, children and older people using qualified, experienced trainers to enable the pupils to come up with other extra curricular activities. Individual attention will spent on the pupils and coaches or training will be provided as per the capacity of the students. The main purpose of conducting summer months camps is to develop the environment with every possibilities and opportunity available.
Foods, accommodations are also provided in the camps to reach the college students very soon and enable them to increase their potential very earlier. The prices charged for summer season camps will be reasonable and competitive. The price chargeable by the institution campaign will differ from one individual to another. This campaign offers more special advantage to the customers and huge number of people hires the benefit provided by the organization. It is an organized institution where programs and training will be presented using unique equipments and techniques. It ensures good interactions with others and develops self confidence to the students with extra curricular activities for competitive prices.
The post Journey Summertime Camps For college students appeared first on Photonovice.
Should you Study Photography at College or are There Better Options Now?
30
Jan
If someone were to ask me whether it’s worth going to college or university to study for a degree in photography I would find that a difficult question to answer. I don’t think there is much value in studying photography at college, yet I don’t want to destroy anyone’s dreams (the good news is that there are plenty of other less expensive paths to a photography career).
If you are thinking about studying photography at tertiary level, these are the two most important questions to ask:
- What will you learn during your course?
- How much will it cost you?
You can learn a lot about photography by going to Amazon and spending a few hundred dollars on photography books, or purchase ebooks like on offer here on dPS. I’ve learned far more from books than I ever did from my photography degree.
What will you learn?
The first is important because, incredible as it may seem, you may not actually learn much while taking a photography degree. I know this is true because I studied photography at what was supposedly the UK’s top photography college, only to find that the level of teaching was so low, that I made my way through the three year degree learning next to nothing.
Let me give you an example. In our third year, the tutor gave a single one hour class per week. After a few weeks he gave up on doing that because only five or six students (out of a total of around 30) were turning up. The reason for the low turnout? Most of the others were so worried about writing the required thesis that they couldn’t concentrate on photography. And the reason they were so worried? The same tutor had spent weeks explaining how the thesis would be one of the most difficult things they had ever done, without giving any practical support or solutions to us.
Another example (bear in mind that I took my course between 1996 and 1999). We had one computer between 90 students, with an out of date version of Photoshop installed on it. The college had identified digital photography as an important trend – yet didn’t support the students enough to learn it.
By GotCredit
The truth is that degree courses are a tremendously inefficient way to learn. Whereas a typical working week is filled with 40 odd hours of work, a typical week in our course only had a few hours work. The rest of the time was wasted.
Plus, you may have the additional living costs of moving to another part of the country to study, and the loss of income from not being able to work a full time job while you are at college.
My theory is that our course was caught in bit of a time warp – the tutors probably came from an era when it was normal for arts courses to take a relaxed approach to education. University education was free in the UK at that time, and there was little concept of students paying for an education and expecting to receive value for money in return. Whether that has changed since then I have no way of knowing – I hope so.
The world of education has changed tremendously since I was at college. You can go online and learn by reading the blogs of some of the top names in the business. You can buy books, ebooks and video courses for just about any aspect of photography you care to learn about. Computers are much cheaper, and almost every student would have one.
You can also learn by taking workshops with some of the best photographers in your field. They may seem expensive, but it is a pittance in relation to the cost of obtaining a degree.
dPS writer Valerie Jardin runs photography workshops in the United States, Australia and Europe.
If you were going to study a photography degree today, the main question you have to ask is, what value does it give you over and above what you can learn from books, online resources, and workshops? Here are some ideas.
Interaction with other photography students: If you struggle to find like-minded people to talk about photography with, then this may be an attraction.
Industry experience: Does your course give you actual experience working in the area of photography that you want to get into?
Industry contacts: Very important, as these contacts will help you when you leave college to embark on your career.
Solid business training: Most photographers are self-employed, so it is essential to know the basics of self-employment and running a business. If your chosen course doesn’t teach these, then don’t even consider it. You won’t be prepared for the practical side of a career in photography.
An understanding of the newer ways of earning money from photography: Do the tutors on your course understand the emerging world of the business of workshops, and creating ebooks and video courses to sell online? This is important because these are all ways you can bring income into your business. One day there may be more money to be made from teaching photography, than from doing commercial photography assignments, and you need to be ready for that possibility.
The quality of your tutor:. Is there a highly regarded tutor at your college who can help you get started on your journey as a professional?
Another important factor is that drive and determination, combined with some innate creative talent, good business sense, and a willingness to learn are the primary characteristics you need for a successful career in photography. How many of these are taught at college?
Digital Photography School has a fine selection of photography ebooks for you to learn from.
How much will your course cost?
How much will your photography course cost you to study? The answer varies widely because it depends on where you live, and where you’d like to study. Bear in mind that graduating from college with lots of debt is a financial handicap that may hold you back for many years to come. Don’t forget to factor in living costs, and loss of income, as well as the cost of the course itself.
A good exercise is to calculate how much your course is going to cost you each week. Then, once you know how much you will learn during each week, you get a true idea of value.
In my opinion, the only reason that you should get into debt for an education is if you are studying something such as medicine, engineering or law which holds the promise of a lucrative career path at the end of it.
By GotCredit
Photography doesn’t have that lucrative career path. Some photographers make lots of money, some don’t. Lots of photography students (including some from my course) end up in careers other than photography. There are no guarantees in this business, and you need to be aware of that.
In the book The Millionaire Next Door the authors take in-depth look at the characteristics of the typical American millionaire. Most of them leave school early, start a successful business, and build it up. Very few millionaires have a college education. Why? The years spent studying (and therefore not working or building up a business) and the debt built up during that time prevents most people, regardless of qualifications or earning potential, from building up enough income or assets to become millionaires.
The solution
If you have a burning desire to make a living from photography, then look at these learning opportunities first.
- Books and ebooks
- Video courses provided by photographers and organizations like Lynda.com
DPS has two video courses for photographers. There are countless others available online.
- Workshops (half-day and full-day)
- Longer workshops (two days to a fortnight)
- Part-time courses provided by local schools and colleges
- Online courses provided by organizations like the New York Institute of Photography (I have no experience of these courses and no idea whether they are any good, so do your research).
All of these will be significantly less expensive than a photography degree, and can be carried out in your spare time while you have a full-time job.
Another approach is to look for a job in the industry. While you might not immediately be able to get a position that you really want (such as an assistant for a prestigious advertising photographer) you may be able to work in a related position.
For example, you might get a job working for a picture agency, a job as a receptionist in a portrait studio, a position working for a photography magazine, a job as a picture editor somewhere – you get the idea. There are lots of possibilities, and working as closely as you can to the area you want to end up will give you the opportunity to learn from established professionals and make the contacts you need to develop your career.
Given my experiences I would never advise anyone to study photography at college or university. However, I appreciate that there must be courses that are far better than the one I took. If you had a positive experience studying photography at college I’d love to hear about it, please post your comments below and let’s discuss it.
Mastering Photography
My ebook Mastering Photography: A Beginner’s Guide to Using Digital Cameras introduces you to photography and helps you make the most out of your digital camera. It’s aimed at beginners and will teach you how to take your camera off automatic and start creating the photos you see in your mind’s eye. Click the link to learn more or buy.
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The post Should you Study Photography at College or are There Better Options Now? by Andrew S. Gibson appeared first on Digital Photography School.
A Chapel in Space: Images Projected onto King’s College Ceiling
14
Nov
[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]
Galaxies stretch across Gothic columns and spatterings of stars span the archways of the chapel at King’s College, immersing hushed crowds who have come to hear a lecture on space. Artist Miguel Chevalier transforms the cavernous interiors of this stunning structure at the University of Cambridge in England to go along with specific lectures, plunging guests into the subjects at hand visually as they listen to speeches by renowned professors and alumni.
The space visuals help illustrate Stephen Hawking’s research on black holes, while additional projections in the series explore visual interpretations of history, literature, religion and other subjects. Rather than simply playing video clips to accompany the lectures, or interpreting the subject matter in a literal way, the projections create a richly colorful and moody atmosphere.
The site-specific installations were created in real-time, and represent the first time an outside artist has been invited to alter the chapel in any way. Previously, Chevalier has projected his stunning creations onto Moroccan mosques and an Italian castle built in 1240 for a project called ‘Magic Carpets.’ Biomorphically inspired, these patterns shift and swirl, making the surfaces seem alive.
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Fantastic Digital Cameras Made for College Students
26
Nov
Most university students will have lots of new adventures to record while in college; but let’s face it, these days, young people want to take excellent photos of their dorm room parties and campus life and appear cool while they’re doing it. A contemporary camera in hand not only helps folks save their college memories, but it also can make Continue Reading
The post Fantastic Digital Cameras Made for College Students appeared first on Photodoto.
How To Build a Photography Portfolio for College Part 1
01
Jan
froknowsphoto.com This is Part 1 of 3 where I help Sam select images for his college photography portfolio. Sam is trying to get accepted to Antonelli Institue and they requiere a 10 photo portfolio that is reviewed by the administration. In this part I take a look at the photos that Sam currently has to see if he has enough solid images to create his portfolio. There are a few shots that are worthy and a few that could definitely be built upon. Check out the video to see what the outcome of Part 1 is. To connect with FroKnowsPhoto please follow below Facebook: www.facebook.com Twitter : www.twitter.com Google + : plus.google.com Please Subscribe www.youtube.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Chesapeake Bay Photographer’s Sailing Adventure – Experiential Learning @ Washington College
21
Nov
The Multimedia Production Center hosted a 4 day sailing adventure on the Chesapeake Bay for student photographers during the 2010 Fall Break. Video production by Brian Palmer. Note: Video footage for this video was shot using both Go Pro HD Hero and Canon 5D Mark II cameras. Still images were provided from all the students and Brian Palmer, from Nikon, Canon, and Pentax DSLR cameras.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Photographing NCAA College Basketball
01
Aug
Tag along with Pro Sports Photographer Miguel (Mike) Antonio Olivella as he photographs an NCAA college basketball game. Miguel walks you through where to position yourself, what gear to use, camera settings and other tricks he uses to get the shots.
Photography College
03
Dec
Should you or shouldn’t you go
When young photographers are starting out and beginning to learn the technical craft of photography, there seems to be a lot of confusion on whether or not photography college is the right choice. I get a ton of emails asking me whether or not I think it’s important to go to college and/or to get a degree in photography. And honestly it’s one of those questions only you can answer. Everybody is different and everyone learns in their own way. For some people, college is an important, integral part of their growing process and really want to participate in that kind of schooling process. Others are more self-motivated and learn better by doing. Experience is their best teacher and they flourish without the restraints of a school environment, all aspects of it including peer pressure and social mine fields. I can tell you about my experience and you can use that insight to help determine your own destiny but I, in no means whatsoever, would ever assume I know what’s best for you. So while I’m eager and happy to share my story, I suggest asking a lot of different people their opinion and do your research. One person’s perspective is not enough when you’re really on the fence about something this important and life changing.
I was 17 when I decided to become a professional fashion photographer. While I had the inspiration and the vision and the ideas, I had a very tough time mastering the technical aspect of photography. So in other words, I had the concepts, I just didn’t know how to execute them technically to see the results. And I was probably weakest in lighting. Composition and angles, I was pretty good at as well exposure and depth of field. I got that stuff fairly easily on my own by reading books and experimenting. But lighting!! That was a killer.
I put together a portfolio in high school and got accepted into Otis/Parsons in Los Angeles for my first year of college. I was really eager to learn how to light and then I was pretty much going to go out and conquer the world, or so I thought. I had a father that was willing to pay for Art College. If you don’t have financial help and you’re going to have to take out loans or work part time to put yourself through school, that’s something to consider. Because the work load is going to be tough and holding down a job that can support you is going to be even tougher. And student loans are a bitch to pay off. So that’s one thing to really take into consideration when considering photography college. In my family, education and college were very important. My father went to USC and he was very proud of his Alma Mater. So he was willing to pay for me to get a college education and a diploma. In saying this, let me assure you, that these things have never held importance to me. ( I told you, I was always the rebel kid). But I knew for myself, that the discipline of school and the fact that I HAD to show up and I HAD to participate was going to be the catalyst to me learning the craft. I am not a very disciplined person. I needed the pressure of keeping a GPA and I needed the stimulation and competition from my peers to improve and challenge myself to work harder and thus proving results by doing good work. So after my first year at Otis/Parsons, I got accepted into The Art Center College of Design. Now this was back in 1984 when the school was tough to get into and even tougher to stay in. It was not only very expensive, even back then, but it had a grueling work load. I mean, the school opened at 7 AM and closed its gates at 11PM, I think, and I honestly was in school that many hours, 6 days a week, during my first year there. I had no social life, I had to break up with a boyfriend about half way through my first term, I never saw or hung out with friends outside of my classmates, I was busy!! But I’ll tell you something: I learned. And I learned a lot. Especially about lighting.
Art Center Campus
But I can also tell you, that first year of lighting classes were not about lighting beautiful models. I was lighting toasters and wine glasses and shiny metal objects and occasionally my classmates. I carried 7 classes my first term and we had an assignment due every week from every class. If the assignment was rejected on the critique wall then we had to re-do that assignment, plus get the new assignment in by the following week. It was daunting. We worked hard at Art Center back in those days. I’m not sure how difficult it is now. I’ve heard that they aren’t as tough in the admissions process. Back then, it took me 3 tries to get in. My work was deemed too “avant-garde” and they wanted me to take some night classes in lighting to get accepted. I did what it took to get in there because I knew that I lacked the technical skills to master my concepts and I would learn those skills at Art Center. I also have to say that back in those days, there were only a handful of good photography colleges to choose from. There was Brooks Institute, RISD (Rhode Island School of Design), Pratt and Parsons. Nowadays, with the digital explosion and everyone including half of their family wanting to be a photographer, there are photography colleges everywhere! I mean, I’m blown away at how many photography colleges and schools there are out there. I mean, how do you choose? Do you want a degree? Do you just want some basic classes to hone your skills? Do you need a degree? Is it important to actually go to school?
Okay, so here’s the low down. While Art Center is a very prestigious school and I’m grateful to my father for footing that extravagant bill (he spent around 0K and that was between 1984-1987). Yeah, a truckload of money. You got that right. But no one has ever asked me to produce that diploma that made my father so proud! I’ve been asked if I went to school, but no one has asked for proof of my diploma.
Did I become a better photographer because I went to school? Well, yes. I did.
Did Art Center prepare me for the “Real World” out here? No, it didn’t. Nothing does but cold, hard experience.
If I had it to do over again, would I go? My first question would be, who’s paying? If I had to pay that kind of money to put myself through photography school, I couldn’t go. In my early twenties, which is when I attended, I didn’t have that kind of money and with the workload, it would’ve been impossible to work and go to school.
So my short answer to anyone asking whether or not they should go to college is:
- Can you afford it?
- Can you live and eat while going to school?
- Are you going to be taking out massive loans to put yourself through college?
- My last question would be, How important is getting a diploma?
Like I said earlier, my father wanted me to get a diploma because education was important to him. But if you’re serious about becoming a professional photographer, having a diploma doesn’t amount to much. At the end of the day, your images in your portfolio are what get you the job, not your diploma.
If you need the discipline of school to learn, then school would be a good option. If you’re motivated to go out and experiment and learn on your own, you don’t need school. I would recommend to anyone who’s just starting out to assist a pro photographer and learn from them. You can pick up lighting set ups and learn technical skills right there on the job AND you’re earning money instead of paying someone to teach you. At the very least, intern for someone and work part time so you can learn from a pro and then your part time job can support you while you’re learning. Another great way to learn where you don’t have to spend the money for a degree is workshops. It’s a small investment and you can learn from the pros. It doesn’t have to necessarily be fashion oriented either. You can learn lighting and exposure through a lot of the weekend or even week-long workshops being offered world wide these days. DVD’s and tutorials are another great way to learn. Blogs, the internet, websites, there are literally thousands of them out there giving great tips and advice on lighting and technical knowledge.
It’s really up to you and your financial situation. My personal story is that I’m glad I was fortunate enough to have a father who paid for me to go to college. But I kept learning out of school and nothing beats learning through experience. And school ultimately did not prepare me for the real world of commercial/fashion photography. School can’t even begin to teach one how to deal with the politics and the marketing and the ins and outs of developing relationships with clients. That education is learned through the school of hard knocks. And I will say that I have met plenty of professional photographers who did not go to college. They are self-taught and have done absolutely great in their careers. So do your homework, research the schools you’re thinking of attending, figure out how much money it’s going to take to get through school and live at the same time and then make a sound decision based on all of the above to decide if college is indeed something you need or if you can learn through assisting, workshops, DVD’s and experience! And best of luck to all of you out there trying to make this important decision!
Fashion Photography Blog – A Resource for Fashion Photographers, Created by One.
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