1/22/12

Welcome

Photojournalism (CCOM: 329 01)

Mondays 6:00 pm - 9:15 pm. January 23, 2012 - May 14, 2012
We meet in the MAC lab H-123.

This is the official blog for the course, feel free to make yourself at home and take a look around. We will being using this blog as an information center all semester. The column on left should provide all the vital information. Be sure to book mark it, this is the web address: http://ramapophotoj.blogspot.com/. You can learn more about me. And you can peruse the lessons of past semesters if care.

WEEK 1:
  1. Intro
  2. Blog
  3. SLICE -connect
  4. Syllabus
  5. Review course
  6. Please note that the last day of Add/Drop (all schedule adjustments) is January 30, 2012.
  7. Weekly Slideshow -MSNBC
  8. Photoshop basics
  9. Captions
  10. Submitting to DROP folder
  11. Assignment #01 Self Portrait



There are many purposes of the course.
I've listed some of the main objectives below, pulled directly from the syllabus. But above all else, it is my hope that by the semester's end, you will have developed at the very least an appreciation for good photography.

Main objectives of this class:
  1. teach you about the field of professional photojournalism
  2. develop a visual language; learn how to discuss photographs
  3. understand how to operate a camera, and how it works
  4. create images that communicate
  5. recognize and analyze good photography, and what makes it good
  6. have fun making pictures (hopefully)

Students will first learn how real photojournalists work, and they will be expected to work in a similar fashion. They will be given selected weekly assignments in which they must produce good story telling images. They will learn how to develop a story idea, cover events, and produce images like a professional.

This course will be conducted in a manner similar to the real working world of professional photojournalism. Students will be responsible for taking pictures with their own cameras, or cameras borrowed from the college, and producing their own developed negatives or digital images.

They will learn how to edit their own photographs and how to scan and prepare selected images in Adobe Photoshop.

The emphasis of this course will be on picture taking... not picture developing.
-This is NOT a darkroom class or a basic photography class.
-All film and print developing will be done outside of class.
-It is suggested that each student have some basic photography experience.
(a basic understanding of exposure and camera operation is required)

Digital or film cameras with manual exposure controls are acceptable -we will discuss in full detail which will be sufficient. If you have more than one type of camera, or if you're unsure, bring them to class so we can discuss.

You will have a shooting assignment every week. If you do not own or have access to a camera, we will discuss your options for the course. The college has cameras which can be signed out each week. Be prepared, there will be shooting assignments every week.

Please pick up your text books now, they're in stock at the bookstore.

***IMPORTANT NOTICE
Last day to withdraw with 100% tuition and/or meal plan refund is Tuesday January 30, 2012.

Below is my contact info.
Thomas E. Franklin
tfrankli@ramapo.edu
Adjunct Professor / Photojournalism Ramapo College
http://thomasefranklin.blogspot.com/
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