Fotothing Update

Marla McBride writes:

Hi Jerry,

I was finally able to get into Fotothing.com. You may want to inform those that are having problelms getting the email confirmation to forward an email to support@fotothing.com and ask to have an email confirmation sent, so they can log in. That's how I was able to get access.

Hopefully, this helps.

Marla

Thanks Marla!

We now have 15 students signed up ... half-way there! I would be great if you would add each other as friends that way when you go to your home page, everyone else is there as a friend... That would make it easier to see what everyone is up to.

Joy Bush joined and is on my friends page. She is the University photographer at Southern Connecticut State University... She is really interested in doing the assignments along with everyone and seeing how an online course like this can unfold. Take a look at her self-portraits!

I spent most of today working on creating online video tutorials... I'm almost there... stay tuned.

Hey Ya'll

Hey Ya'll,

I was having some serious tech difficulties... I think on track now. I also just got a new camera so that was one more thing I had to learn just to keep up with you guys ;). My self portrait is a pic of me.... Looking a hot mess :) I know it wasn't very creative this time, but I promise not to bore you with pics of me....me.... and more me. I'll try and amuse you from time to time. lol..I'm looking forward to learning so hopefully before this class is over I can look back and these pictures and laugh as I see my pics grow. I'm also looking forward to getting to know all of you and watch your work grow as well:) !

Self Portrait

This taken in my hall. It took my a little bit of time to think out of the box for a self portrait. I love the ones I have seem on here so far. Very creative. Also just to let you guys know on Fotothing my name is Cubanmami. I have added some that I have found. I am really excited to be learning more about photography. :o)

Black Pinky

Hello again-

I seem to be having trouble with my Fotothing downloading a bit too. So I take it upon myself to post another image, so you all know that I am clicking away over here. :)

I took this shot in my bathroom mirror. Not too original on the way it all came together, just point and shoot. (and yes I know there are a few object mergers) But I like the fact that the camera covers the main focus of the face, the eyes. I like that you have no idea who really is behind it. I named the image Black Pinky for the obvious reasons.
Hopefully my next post will be through Fotothing.

lk06

"Behind every beautiful thing, there's been some kind of pain." dylan

How to Post

For those of you still having issues posting to the blog, I just put up this short tutorial on jnevins.com/howtopost It's fun! it's easy! Post early! Post often!

For the fun of it, I just dug out my old trusty Nikon Coolpix 990... (3 mp circa 2000)... and pointed it down at the base of my desk lamp. The body swivels back and I could watch the lcd screen to compose the picture... My computer monitor is visible on the right also..... I like the way the curved metal base bends space and also made my hands really huge relative to the rest of me. No digital tricks, just staight shooting by available light.

Edit Your Images

Finding good light is just the beginning of the process. Christina Gonzalez photographed this wonderful sky/seascape in Key West... This picture didn't come off her camera that way.... I used Picasa to boost highlight and shadow definition as well as color balance the shot just a bit. On the top is how the file came off her camera... on the bottom is a better interpretation of what I think she felt when she pressed the shutter. When you change the way your image looks based on your feeling or artistic intent, the work is far stronger.

Natural Light Photography

Using natural light is the key to improving your photographs! When the flash on your camera is used as the primary light source, the light is harsh and flat. Objects are not sympathetically rendered. So, if there is one big rule from here on out, it is TURN OFF YOR FLASH!

Whew! Got that out of the way....! Now, as you look at what to photograph, I want you to be drawn by the quality of light more than anything. Refine your photograph through good composition, but first, make it about the light. Choose the time of day you will shoot very carefully.

Take a look at the beautiful landscapes of Joseph Holmes here. Click on his Gallery link. I met Joseph at a conference in New York last year. He works with arge format 4x5 film, high resolution digital scans and a wide format Epson printer to make prints up to 4' x 6 ' in size. As you look at the work, ask yourself, how does the quality of light that Joseph perceives contribute to the quality of the piece?

-Jerry

Self-Portrait assignment......

As you work on photographs that I call the "self-portrait" , I am much more interested in using yourself as a springboard for observing things more closely... Reflections is one way to proceed.... take a look at some of these links, pulled randomly from a search using Google Images. Post your best 6 to 10 examples to your fotothing portfolio by Monday evening.

http://www.jek2004.com/1056-reflections-of-the-shi.jpg

http://www.fotothing.com/Grimacher/photo/6fdfd8d09e7561c550c7dd99b4d47cd8/start=14

Some Christmas ornaments

Deb Richardson's blog with many inventive self portraits

You shadow is another form of self portrait... Set your camera to its widest angle.....

" Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan's photograph of his own shadow cast on the coal black lunar surface December 1972."

Littlewing

Heya'

1st time blogging. I am a "light meter" using, manual camera loving person. I decided to have a whack at digital. Everyone else is doing it, why can't I?

I'm leaving for Italy and June, and hope to get some good shots out there. Never married, no kids, love to travel. I'm a freshman at Albertus, future major is Art Therapy. I took this shot in the mirror, then overlayed my signature over it.

Oh my name is Leanna Kearney, signed LK06. I see there is another Kearney in the class :)

I look forward to seeing everyone's work.

"If I don't meet you no more in this world, I'll meet you on the next, don't be late." Hendrix

- lk06

Yiovannie and Shaine

Hell0 class,

My name is Yiovannie Torres and I am 28 yrs old. I have been working for Pratt & Whitney for the last 6 yrs. I have no children of my own but I am currently rasing 2 of my nephews. (Why didn't someone warn me !!!) :) That is Shaine in the Pic & he is a great kid. I am a very outgoing person. I would definatley call myself the life of the party. :) My Fiance thinks I am to bossy :) but maybe that is because I am the boss. :)

Beauty, Nature and the Artist

Our role as photographers is to notice visual things.... to be observant, humble and quiet... to be able to see more deeply than most. We use our craft to bring that subtle visual awareness alive so that others may see more deeply as well. Consider what Courbet and Cezanne have to say....

The beautiful is in nature, and it is encountered under the most
diverse forms of reality. Once it is found it belongs to art, or
rather to the artist who discovers it.
::: Gustave Courbet :::

What is one to think of those fools who tell one that the artist
is always subordinate to nature? Art is in harmony parallel with
nature.
::: Paul Cezanne :::

Second Section Added

This idea of an online photo class has apparently taken off! We have a second section of 15 students. So that this blog doesn't get too crowded, I am setting up a second blog here

Please feel free to visit anytime to see what the other group is doing.... for now I'll just have the members of that group post there and invite them to see what's up on this blog... without posting.

Keep the introductory posts coming!

List of Class Members

Here is a list of everyone in the class. We capped the class at 16 members.... (there are some on a waiting list)...

Blish, Christopher

Cotman, Denise

Credle, Kathryn

Davis, Kristin

Fafard, Theresa

Gonzalez, Christina

Hampton, Kennedy

Kearney, Jane

Kelly, William

Kiss, Joseph

Lumbra, Christine

Quinonez, Christina

Richardson, Monica

Segui, Mary Kay

Soucy, Eleanor

Christina

Hi everyone my name is Christina. I work at The Hartford Insurance Company for 4 & 1/2 years. I love Mickey Mouse I think that he is great & without him there wouldn't be any cartoons :o) 

Steps to take early this week....

-Email me your home email address so I can add you to the "Members" of this blog list. You need to be a member to post here or add comments. Very Important! my email is jnevins@albertus.edu... please leave out the .cc (directs mail to campus cruiser)

- Download and install Picasa2 from Google... get familiar with it

-Do the readings linked from the syllabus.

-Take an inventive self-portrait and post it to the blog using Picasa2. Tell us something about yourself.

-Communicate with me any issues, snags, problems, successes.

-Set up a fotothing.com account and add jnevins to your group of friends. That will build a community for our online portfolio.

-Above all, have fun! Let's get started!

Self Portrait Ideas

Visit Fotothing to see some interesting and inventive examples of self portraits here
As this is a public site, the quality can be variable but I am generally impressed with the quality of what I am seeing on Fotothing... I should be seeing your first posts during the first week, May 22-29.

My Self Portrait

Self portrait, Chapter House, the Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC. I used Picasa to open and edit and post this photo using the "Blog It" button in Picasa. By way of personal introduction, I have taught in the Art Department at Albertus for the past 26 years. I am married to Debbie, my high school sweetheart (going on 31 years in June) and I have 2 sons, Tyler, 26, married and living in Richmond, VA, where is is a graphic designer, and Conor, 22, who is a full time student ar Lewis University in Illinois where he is an aviation major. I'm really looking forward to this online experience with you over the next 7 weeks! 

Great Photosharing Site

One on my students this past semester in digital photography used Fotothing to host all of her work from spring semester. She posted 189 images... I particularly like the slide show feature and the "friends" feature of other online portfolios. We should build a similar community for this class. See the work of other members of the class easily will help everyone get the most out of this experience. The basic membership is free and it just takes a minute to sign up. Fotothing is a British service. One limit of the basic, "free" membership is that you are limited to uploading 10 images per day... so post early, post often! My online screen name there is jnevins and you can get to it here

Original Image, without Fill Light adjustment

Here is the original photograph staright from the camera. Notice how blocked up the shadows are... the next post shows how using the "fill light" adjustment can help your work immensely. 

Use "fill light" in Picasa

As a rule of thumb, each and every photograph you take will need to be edited. The camera can't read your mind and can't see the way you see. I took this image at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York during a visit there with my ADP students enrolled in "The Museum Experience" course. This Terracotta vase was created around 500 bce in Greece and is known as Attic ware. During week 4 we will photograph "Shadows and Light". Notice how I moved the frame of the camera to the right and placed the focal point of the picture on the shadow itself. I used Picasa's "fill light" slider to open up the dark shadows that otherwise would have been solid black and the vase would have been too dark as well. 

Syllabus for Online Summer Digital Course

The syllabus for our summer online class is now posted to my website, jnevins.com. Click on syllabi from the home page.... that syllabus and this blog will be the main tools for our online course success. There are numerous links there to readings, images to ponder and suggestions for your weekly assignments. I welcome your comments and questions...

"Can Absence Make a Team Grow Stronger?"

As I think about the pitfalls of running a course online, the main sticking point to me is the problem of building a community of learners. Face to face, we have much to learn from each other. A class is like a team. You success often hinges on your ability to interact with others doing the same work. What if you never met your colleages, or in this case, fellow students? What if you never met the instructor? Will your learning experience suffer? I just came across this intriguing study today titled "Can Absence Make a Team Grow Stronger?" This article published in The Harvard Business Review offers the possibility that... "it isn't necessary to bring team members together to get their best work. In fact, they can be even more productive if they stay separated and do all their collaborating virtually." The article goes on to discuss " Team members felt freer to contribute--especially outside their established areas of expertise. The fact that such groups could not assemble easily actually made their projects go faster, as people did not wait for meetings to make decisions, and individuals, in the comfort of their own offices, had full access to their files and the complementary knowledge of their local colleagues." To read the full text go to:

http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=R0405J

What are your thoughts?

Jerry