Course Descriptions
PH 118 – Beginning Digital Photography
(2 credits; 1 lecture and 2 studio hours per week)
An introductory course that familiarizes students with the basics of photography from visual, aesthetic, and technical viewpoints. The course explores the differences between conventional, silver-based (analog), and digital photographic tools. Students learn camera technique, the transfer of the image from the camera to the computer, basic scanning, and digital printing. Students are required to possess their own digital (DSLR) cameras.
PH 171 – Digital Darkroom
(2 credits; 1 lecture and 2 studio hours per week)
This course offers an in-depth study of the workflow necessary for the storage, editing, and output of digital photography. Students are introduced to computer-aided tools and techniques that apply to the production and aesthetic concerns of photography in the digital environment.
Semester 2 Courses (Planned to offer in Spring each year)
PH 130 – Lighting 1
(2 credits; 1 lecture and 2 studio hours per week)
Students are introduced to the craft of lighting. They explore the qualities of various kinds of light and observe light from a scientific perspective which informs their aesthetic decisions. This course is taught using digital cameras.
PH 272 – Photoshop 1 for Photographers
(2 credits; 1 lecture and 2 computer laboratory hours per week)
Students engage in a comprehensive study of Adobe Photoshop tools using the Macintosh platform. Methods and management techniques for scanning, creation of selections, layers, color correction, and basic image manipulation are studied.
Semester 3 Courses (Planned to offer in Summer & Fall each year)
PH 230 – Lighting 2
(2.5 credits; 1 lecture and 3 studio hours per week)
Prerequisites: PH 130- Lighting 1
Students continue the exploration of light begun in PH 130. They apply techniques learned with continuous lights to strobe lights, the standard lighting tool of the professional photographer. Students explore the unique quality of strobe lights and develop techniques using the monoblock strobe.
PH 274 – Photoshop 2 for Photographers
(2 credits; 1 lecture and 2 computer laboratory hours per week)
Prerequisites: PH 272- Photoshop 1 for Photographers
Students develop an advanced knowledge of layers, channels, curves, image merging, color correction, and color matching in the Adobe Photoshop program. Scanning devices, file formats, and resolution levels are explored.