Next Up in Class!

Studenti,

Watch this video on making a slideshow in iPhoto:

http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/#iphoto-slideshow

Next, get together with your teammates to select your best images and arrange them into a slide show.  You'll be doing this on ONE person's computer, not all of them.  Select music from the pre-installed ones (no custom at this point).  You'll share the finished slideshow with the class by putting it on a flash drive for me to put up on the big screen.

Then, we're going to check out this article from the Nikonians real quick before critique.  Yayyy!!!

~mrc

WinMo7Pho(z)!!

Studenti,

The new Windows Phone 7 commercials are starting to come out!  What do you think?



"Less stop and stare.  More glance and go."  Is this the new "I'm a Mac.  And I'm a PC?"



This one's pretty funny, I think.  The ending's a little flat, but I can definitely relate.  Can you?  How would you redesign phones?  What are you using now?  Why?

~mrc

Today, We Are All Pizzarazzi...

Studenti,


Next week we begin working with Photography, and outside of grades and personal edification, what could be more motivational than $500 cold, hard cash?


Check out this vid:





So, I've decided that we should try to win this thing with students in the BA&D program.  That means YOU.


Starting Wednesday, we'll be doing hands on activities with cameras and lenses during (and outside of) class, and why not get started with a pizza party?  If you'd like to have dinner with the class, bring $3-$5 in singles and we'll pool our resources at the beginning of class, order our pizzas, begin the lecture, and start shooting when the pizzas arrive.  I'm also down if anyone wants to try for a Saturday lunch pizza shoot after the lab closes down, and a pizza party to screen a Photography Documentary and other videos I have.  We'll discuss in class Wednesday


This isn't the only exercise we'll begin Wednesday, either, so if you're not down for the pizza party, don't think that's all there'll be to class.


In fact, here's your reading:


Composition 101

1. TWIP Tips for Beginners
2. NatGeo on Composition
3. DPS on the Rule of Thirds
4. DPS on 10 Questions to Ask When Taking a Photo
5. Nikonians on 5 Easy Composition Tricks

Technical Beginnings

1. DPS on Learning Exposure
2. DPS Introduction to Aperture
3. DPS Introduction to ISO
4. DPS Introduction to Shutter Speed
5. Aperture and Shutter Priority Modes
6. DPS on Controlling Aperture and Shutter Speed on P&S

Camera Work

1. DPS on Digital Camera Modes
2. NatGeo on Camera Symbols

Helpful Guides for Your Projects

1. DPS Macro Tips
2. NatGeo Tips for Shooting Macros
3. NatGeo on Action Photo Tips
4. NatGeo on Storytelling
5. DPS Interview with Self-Portraitist and 365er Anna Gay
6. PhotoNet Exhaustive Look at Architectural Photography
7. DPS Urban Landscape Tips
8. DPS on Great Group Photos
9. DPS on Shooting Pets (with cameras, not guns)
10. DPS on Landscapes
11. Scott Bourne on B&W Photography
12. PhotoArgus on Painting with Light

If this all seems daunting, you're over-thinking it and under-estimating yourself.  I want to make sure you have the basics down, that you're not afraid to experiment, and that you get in the habit (at least for this semester) of taking photos regularly.  We're going to have fun.  You're going to learn a lot.  And you're going to take a lot of photos.  Remember, as Henri Cartier-Bresson said, "Your first 10,000 photos are your worst."

I do NOT expect you to read all of this before class Wednesday (9/29), but I do expect you to go through this in the weeks ahead, and I wouldn't be surprised if an online quiz (announced) showed up on a Saturday morning (or two).


Happing snapping!

~mrc

Class Cancelled Wednesday, 9/22

Class,

I am still not well, so I will not be in class tonight.  I will post your next assignment and reading in the Course Documents Online section at right soon.

I hear many anecdotal complaints from students that extra time to complete the assignment due tonight would be appreciated.  Therefore, ALL 18 of your images are now due by 5PM on Friday, 9/24.

Please make good use of the time in class tonight.  Remember, I am always available by text, email, and phone.

I'm sorry I'm sick; we WILL have class next Wednesday and be sure to check the blog for homework assignments.  We are moving into photography ASAP!

~mrc

Great Source for Additional Images

Students,

A great, free resource came into my email inbox this morning in the form of National Geographic magazine's Photo of the Month for September.  It's one of a series of images in a broad range of subjects available in 1600 x 1200 pixel images to download as desktop wallpapers.  That's more than enough pixels for great images in slides, and you might want to look around for inspiration and material for your project due tomorrow.

The National Parks wallpapers are located here, but from there you can backtrack from there to all sorts of additional categories like Urban, Daily Life, Animals, Landscape, and even abstract ideas like Motion and Pattern.  HIGHLY recommended for great quality images for building presentations (so long as sources are cited).

~mrc

Agenda for Tonight's Night's Class

All,

Here's our agenda for the evening:

1. Recording volunteer for Thursday 9/23
2. Seating chart and saving files
3. Photoshop finish-up
4. Importing images from a scanner
5. Importing photos
6. Flickr
7. Homework

See you soon!

~mrc

You're Overdue for Some Innovation

Reposted from Gizmodo.  Thought you folks might be inspired/depressed/motivated by this.  ~mrc

From Gizmodo

This Beautiful Tokyo Flash Watch Was Designed by a 14-Year-Old

Kids. If they're not making a million bucks before they're 16, they're building web design companies or showing us adults up some other way. Like designing really cool Tokyo Flash watches at the age of 14.

It's one of the most basic creations submitted to Tokyo Flash's competition, and YOU can decide whether it gets made. There are 26 days left remaining to vote on its future—so if you like what you see, please do grant the Canadian Tynan Mayhew a thumb's up. [Tokyo Flash via Technabob]

A Note on Late Assignments

In general, I will always accept late assignments.  Not without penalty of course, but you can always turn in work.  Even if it's been so long and you get a failing grade for the assignment, do it anyway.  The learning is in the doing.

In specific, a HANDFUL of you turned in your PLN summaries that were due Saturday by 1PM.  To those who have yet to do so, you may still turn in your summaries for credit, albeit with points deducted for lateness.  HOWEVER, I will treat them as if they were not turned in late if you include 3 extra articles in your summary.

Act now because this offer may not last!

~mrc

Let's not let this thing go chronic!

Photoshop Basics Slideshow from Class

Class,

As promised, below I've embedded the Photoshop Basics slideshow I presented last week.  Lots of good information in there for your review.

~mrc

Academy of Art University Open House 9/25 in DC

Students,

Those of you considering careers in art and design and are looking for additional coursework or to study elsewhere may be interested in Academy of Art University's open house in Washington DC at the end of the month.  Saturday the 25th from 10-5 (all day, basically) representatives will be on hand at the Westin City Center at 1400 M Street, NW to review portfolios and answer questions about financial aid and their accredited degree programs (Animation, Game Design, Graphic Design, Education, Fashion, et al).  More info at: www.academyart.edu.

If you can get away, DC's always a great town to visit with lots of free art, and Rich Salcido's solo show Beautiful Failures will be up at the awesome Art Whino gallery.

~mrc

HOMEWORK due Saturday!

You guys only partially dodged a bullet Wednesday night!

I will post additional reading for next week as we wrap up Photoshop 101, but in the meantime, don't forget your 2nd PLN summaries are due tomorrow, Saturday 9/11 by 1PM!  That deadline was posted the first week of class, so I won't be well-disposed to late assignments.

~mrc

HOMEWORK Finally!

Class,

Not sure why your homework assignment didn't auto-post after I tweaked it, but I don't want to inundate you with reading now with just a day left before class (thanks to those students who alerted me that homework had not posted yet!).  Therefore, please just come to class having read the article linked to below, a guest post on Scott Kelby's blog from Ryan Booth.  It's long, but oh so good.

http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2010/archives/11890

Also, come to class thinking about things you want to accomplish this semester in Multimedia.  I will introduce your self-directed projects Wednesday.

~mrc

HOMEWORK Coming Soon

I want to make some changes based on how we ended last night.  Will post this afternoon.

~mrc

Marty!!

Man, these take me back!  And they may be real someday soon.  Looks like a homemade hack proof of concept for those self-lacing Nikes from Back to the Future!

~mrc