CDES 206

FINAL EXAM

Just a reminder that your final exam is today. We'll begin promptly at 6:00 in Holt 170. Please bring a couple of pencils, I'll provide everything else.

Byron 

Extra bonus office hours

I have office hours scheduled on Monday from 11 - 1. I'm extending that time until 2:30, so now it's from 11 - 2:30.

Byron

Anti-piracy warnings

An additional new warning that will appear on DVDs and Blue-ray. Enjoy.

Chip got to wondering about my comment the other day about not seeing the anti-piracy warnings at the start of movies much anymore (since I almost always stream from Netflix, these days). It got him to wondering, and he ran across this article in Wired that talks about upcoming changes in the warning system.

Thanks Chip!

Byron 

What to do?

Gathered around tables in what appeared to be delicate operations, participants tried to fix items that had been set for the trash. Ilvy Njiokiktjien for The New York Times

 

That's the question I posed for us to consider this past Monday when contemplating all the many effects that our techno-consumer behavior has on our world. This interesting article appeared today in the New York Times and is one small piece of the answer. It's about a Dutch "Repair Cafe." I think Wendell Berry might approve.

Byron

Byron's finals week office hours

Byron's office hours for finals week will be:

Monday 11 - 1

Tuesday 2 - 4

Office hours for this week remain the same as previously scheduled.

Surviving the Promise and the Final Exam

Here's a more lighthearted look at the relationship between technology and people. It's a Medieval Help Desk.

Here are the visuals (with links) from Surviving the Promise of Technology.  Download SURVING THE PROMISE 

And finally, here is the study guide for the cumulative Final Exam which is next Monday at 6:00 PM in Holt 170 (our regular classroom).  Download 206FinalExamStudyGuideS12

Study for that final and see you soon!
Byron

Alternative process photo class: Fall openings

A cyanotype by Anna Atkins, 1843. One of several alternative process you'll likely learn in ARTS 343.

As I indicated in lecture yesterday, there will be an alternative (historic) process photography class offered in the Art Department this Fall. The course number is ARTS 343/434. It can be used toward the Photograpy Minor.

If I had time, I'd take it. It's sure to be interesting and fun. For more details, please contact Tom Patton (tpatton@csuchico.edu) in the Art Department.

Byron

 

Digital Imaging: Legal and Policy Issues plus some comments on careers

Shepard Fairey's HOPE poster, an iconic image with a complicated legal history that touches on many of the topics presented in this week's lecture. Read about it here.

Here are the visuals from this week's lecture on legal and business issues in photography.  Download Legal&BusinessIssues2

Byron

 

Failure vs. Perception

You've heard me talk about how photography has never been "one thing." That is, it has always been multiple competing technologies and methods, each with unique inherent properties.

Ten years ago, if you had been taking this class, one of the biggest challenges you would have had to face was failure. When photography was predominantly a film and chemistry undertaking, technical failures were the norm. Exposure was conceptually and technically difficult. Quality of prints was always a challenge. Answers to questions and solutions to problems were elusive and required persistence. It could've been four weeks into class before you had a reasonably decent print that we could then discuss. From an educational standpoint, I often felt like a big part of teaching photography required me to help people learn how to deal with failure and self-doubt. Persistence in the face of difficulty was a pre-requisite for success.

Today, it's different. With the advent of digital imaging, most of the conceptual and technical barriers that existed between you and a technically sufficient picture have been removed. Making a picture that's sharp and reasonably well exposed is easier than ever. All of those "photographic elements" (framing, composition, focus, timing, light...) that we've worked on all semester endure and still require time and attention, but the once-central lessons that came from technical failures are far less frequent.

From my observation, we've moved away from having to deal with technical obstacles to spending more time talking about how photographs work, and how to see the world in ways that yield new insights and revelations. In short, we talk a lot more about perception. How do you see (and show others) the world with fresh eyes? It's hard to do, but worthy of attention.

I don't mean to say that failure and perception are exclusive to the different methods of photography, but I do think that the scales of emphasis have tipped from one to another. I suppose one thing that has remained consistent is that persistence in the face of a challenge is still a pre-requisite for success.

Billy sent me the video (above) about a snowboarder turned wet-plate tintype photographer. Tintypes, if you recall, are a wet-plate process that produce a one-of-a-kind image, somewhat akin to daguerreotypes. Tintypes were often referred to as the "poor man's daguerreotype". This guy has a passion that is consistent with people who become consumed with a creative enterprise. He converted a large van into a mobile camera obscura and has dedicated his life to making mammoth tintypes.

What's most interesting to me in the video is how, despite his pure devotion to his enterprise, he still has to struggle with the failure of his medium. It just points out to me of how the lessons of photography have changed along with the medium.

Thanks Billy!

Byron

Color theory, please review

It would be a very good idea to review your notes and the visuals from Monday's lecture on color theory and practice prior to your lab this week. It will help inform our in-class exercise.

Byron 

Captions, color theory, and space and time

Mark Klett and Byron Wolfe, 2008. Reconstructing the view from the El Tovar to Yavapai Point using nineteen postcards.

 

Today's class had a lot of parts. First, there's was the discussion about captions. While not a requirement for this last project, you may find that using words in conjunction with your pictures might help create a context for a viewer.  Download CAPTIONS2

Second, I talked about some basic principles with color theory and color correction of digital images. The photoshop demos aren't included, but these are the visuals that led up to it.  Download ColorTheoryAndPractice2

Finally, here are the visuals from some work I've done over the years that relate to time, space, and photography. Download 206 Time&Space4 (it's a big file, please be patient.) The Third View Project has a web site and you can see a video demo of the DVD here. If that's not enough, you can see more at klettandwolfe.com.

Byron 

Real photographs of actual levitation - honest!

 

Natsumi Hayashi

I'm sure that I won't have time in today's class to show these pictures, but I just found them, and don't want to forget to share them. The photographs are made by Natsumi Hayashi. At first, they seem a little silly, and completely staged - in the same way that the Spirit Photographs I showed last week were contrived. But while her pictures are "set up," they're real in the sense that she is capturing a precise moment with a fast shutter speed. And after looking at a few of them, they start to take on an other-worldly quality.

Her blog is here.

Enjoy,
Byron 

Smoke and mirrors

Tupac Hologram Performs at Coachella -  A holographic image of deceased rapper Tupac Shakur performed at the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 15 in Indio, Calif.

Ryan alerted me to the recent Tupac hologram that appeared at the Coachella music festival this past weekend. There's a little background information and video in this article. It has received enough buzz that there's even been an editorial in the New York Times.

So, was it a super, high-tech laser hologram projection? Not really. Although the figure was, in effect, computer generated, the method of projection is one that's been used since 1862! I believe it's a technique that is partly responsible for the phrase "smoke and mirrors" which refers, of course, to a kind of visual trickery.

Byron

 

Veracity in photography

Here are the visuals from Monday's lecture Veracity in Photography.  I compressed the file, but it's still 22 megabytes. Please be patient. Download VERACITY2

Here's some stuff I put in a posting for another class about the 3D animation and printing stuff I'm playing with.

 

The Perched Rock as a 3D editable mesh, made from photographs

Here is the Perched Rock walkaround that served as the source for the 3D video: http://youtu.be/qZHuvYlLRAQ

Here is the Perched Rock 3D video: http://youtu.be/0JeiB0CZKX4 and http://youtu.be/1RGz_6WdBp4

Here is the Perched Rock 3D file as a "mesh" that I'm editing in preparation of making a 3D print on my Makerbot Thing-o-matic. I put bunny ears on it just for you. http://youtu.be/UFTbGj1uhD8

Here is my sleeping cat photographed quickly yesterday: http://youtu.be/2tBmaU04NII

The software I'm using to turn the photographs into a 3D model is called AutoDesk 123D Catch. Another interesting application I considered using for our little research project was Autocad 123D Make. They will both soon be available as online apps, as well as for Mac, Windows, and iPad. I'm using the Windows version for testing and prototyping. 

The mesh editing software is Meshmixer07.

My 3D printer is a Makerbot Thing-o-matic.

Byron

Project Four: Everyday and moments

Radiolab presents: Moments by Will Hoffman. This films is a celebration of life that was inspired by David Eagleman's book, Sum.

Here is a small selection of images from the Everyday work I showed in class today. Download EverdaySelections2. I know that it sounds impossible to make pictures on a regular basis (every day?), but you can do it. Just get in the habit of looking, and feeling, and paying attention.

I neglected to post the visuals on Ansel Adams and the background on working with curves with masks a few weeks back. It's here: Download ANSEL D0DGE:BURN

Byron

Extraordinary photographs from the Civil War

The 150th Pennsylvania Infantry camp on Belle Plain, Virginia, is pictured in March 1862, three weeks before the Battle of Chancellorsville. (AP Photo/Library of Congress)

Remember last week when I discussed things like Daguerreotypes, Callotypes, and Tintypes? One process that I talked about thrived during the Civil War. The "wet plate process" required a glass plate negative to be sensitized and coated immediately prior to exposure. I had a couple samples with me in class - perhaps you saw one? 

This article on Civil War photographs was recently published in The Atlantic and has some extraordinary images - most of which I've never seen before - that were scanned from the original glass plate negatives held in the Library of Congress and the National Archives. They're worth a look.

Byron

A story about standards

Remember how I discussed ISO speeds (and the International Standards Organization) in lecture a few weeks back? Well, here's a great story about how arbitrary standards can be. It's about a "smoot" - a very specific measurement that has a great back-story.

Enjoy,
Byron

 

Post mortem photography - an article

Post mortem daguerreotype of a young child, n.d.

If you are interested in the post mortem photographs I mentioned in yesterday's lecture, you'll enjoy this article on the topic in Boing Boing.

Byron

Lecture - week nine: The Democratic Art

Anna Atkins, 1846. 

Here are the visuals from this week's lecture on Photography: The Democratic Art. The examples I brought into class are from Special Collections in Meriam Library. They have thousands of original historic photographs and they'd be delighted to show you more. 

Please make a point to do the reading for this week. It's a more thorough discussion of some of the things I presented in class this afternoon. The online reading you can be accessed via a link in the schedule (at left).

Questions or comments? Please use the comments link below.
Byron

The haiku project

Although we have a midterm exam today in class, we still need to move forward with your third project. I won't be discussing it in lecture, but your lab instructor will talk about it in class this week. You should plan to make pictures during spring break.

Please access the link at left to download the handout for project #3. In short, you are going to make pictures - in a very specific way - to illustrate one of six possible haiku. It's important that you read the handout before you begin.

The examples from below are terrific examples from last semester's students, using different haiku.

Byron

 

Bethany Barndollar

 

Bryan Clendon

 

Connor Wysard

 

Elizabeth Mishkit

 

Julialynn Copeland

 

Michaela Swenson

 

Nicole Davis

 

Rachel Cahill

 

 

 

 

Lecture: week seven - dynamic range, flash fill, study guide

Just so you know, Ansel used a Kodak Wratten no. 15 (G) filter to make this picture.

Here is the study guide for next week's midterm exam. Download 206 MidtermStudyGuide  As I mentioned in class, you just need to bring a pencil, I'll bring everything else. We will not have a lecture afterwards.

Here are the visuals from this week's lecture on dynamic range, flash fill, filters, and more.  Download Week 7 FlashFill:Filters:Review

Here's to a great week!

Byron

Kodak's early days

Later in the semester, I'll talk about how Kodak was the Apple of its day. But they've hit rough times as a company unable to pivot quickly enough in the rapid and ever-changing world of digital imaging. They've recently filed for bankruptcy. Back in their heyday, they held contests for amateur photographers using their $1 cameras. Here are some really wonderful pictures taken by amateurs. These are from the New York Times Lens blog.

Lecture: week six - ISO, The Zone System

 
 

Here is the Zone System handout I described in class. Please download it and study it in preparation for the midterm exam. 

Here are the visuals from this week's lecture on ISO, the Zone System.  Download ISOandZoneSystem  We also spent the first portion of class going over the quiz. 

Questions or comments? Please use the comments link below.
Byron 

Project two - need inspiration?

Alexey Titarenko/Nailya Alexander Gallery, New York Untitled, (Crowd 1), 1992

If you're looking for some ideas for project two, you might enjoy this posting by journalist and science writer Robert Krulwich. There are some extended exposure still photographs as well as a high speed, high def video. 

Enjoy,

Byron 

Lecture: Week Five - curves and depth of field

Keith Carter, Fireflies: Photographs of Children

Here are the visuals from this week's lecture about depth of field.  Download WEEK 05 CDES 206-Depth The file contains the study guide for next week's quiz, as well as links to the Lytro camera, and that online camera simulator I demonstrated.

The first part of class was dedicated to curve adjustment layers. As that was real-time and in photoshop, I don't have visuals to reproduce here.

Don't forget to download the next project and read through it for details.

Have a great week and see you soon.

Questions or comments? Please use the comments link below so that all may share in the discussion.
Byron 

Lecture: Week Four

Abelardo Morell, Light Bulb, 1991

Here the visuals from week four which refer to the lecture on lenses, their properties, and the concept of "working up an idea."

Download WEEK 04 CDES 206-Lenses&Aperture2

Questions or comments? Please use the comments link below so that all may participate in the conversation.
Byron 

Lecture: Week Three

Photograph by Jacques Henri Lartigue, child prodigy

In preparing today's lecture, I disocovered that I hadn't posted last week's. Here they are. The emphasis in this lecture was on some digital definitions (especially resolution) and the effect of shutter speed on photographs.

Download WEEK 03 ExposureShutterTime2

Questions or comments? Please use the comments link below.

Byron

Lecture: Week Two

A screenshot from the Nova ScienceNow video on Mirror Neurons.

Here is a pdf file with the visuals from this week's lecture. Download CDES206 Week02 It contains the link to the video I showed, as well as numerous examples of photographs that inspired your first project.

Questions or comments? Please use the comments link below so that all may share in the discussion.
Byron

 

First tasks

Paul Caponigro, Galaxy Apple, 1964

Here are the visuals from todays first lecture:  Download WEEK 01 CDES 206 S2012 visuals2

1. If you've not done so already, sign up to receive email alerts when postings are made on this blog.

2. If you're a Communication Design major, go here and sign up to receive the Communication Design e-mail announcements.

3. Download and print the course syllabus, schedule, and FAQs. Links at left.

4. Research your camera options. If you have questions, contact your lab instructor but provide us with links to the camera manufacturer's description. E-mail addresses at left.

4. Get your camera and other supplies together for lab next week.

Questions or comments? Please use the comments link below so that all can share in the discussion.
Byron 

Welcome, please subscribe

 

Welcome to the first posting for the Spring 2012 semester of CDES 206. Please subscribe to this site so that you'll get an email notification whenever there's a new entry. If you haven't done so already, enter your name in the upper right hand corner of this web page and click the "subscribe me!" button.

Alternatively, you can subscribe to an RSS feed so your browser always notifies you when there's been a change to the site. If you'd like to use that method, click the "subscribe to this blog's RSS feed" link.

And if you're a Communication Design major and haven't done so yet please sign up for the Communication Design web site:  http://chicocdg.com/cdes-mailing-list-sign-up

Byron

Questions or comments? Please use the comments link below.