Photography workshop What would you want to learn?

[RexK_Cozumel]

So I was offered the chance to teach a 4 week photography workshop at the university here in Cozumel, and was wondering what people out there would be interested in learning. I am not too sure how advanced the students will be into photography so I am going to try to cover the basics and get into more advanced stuff and basically try to fit in as much as I can into the 4 week period. The classes are only 1 day a week for 2 hours a day so there really is not a whole lot of time. I have a list of things that I think I will cover but wanted to know what everyone else would be interested in learning.

So if you were taking a photography class what would you want to learn?

[LoveDSLR]

Originally Posted by RexK_Cozumel

So if you were taking a photography class what would you want to learn?

"How to become a successful wedding photographer in four weeks...Experience not required. Camera optional'.

Seriously, you must have a targeted group of students. Don't try to teach everything to everybody.

Describe properly what students can get out from your workshop and the prerequisites. If possible, involve your students in the workshop and use plenty of A/V presentations.

BTW, I hope you have some experience in teaching and public speaking. I only had six hours to prepare for my first class.

[douglas]

it really does depend on how "advanced"they are. If fairly new I would spend some time onFstops and speed settings. What they are and why change them.
Just a thought.

[RexK_Cozumel]

I tried to ask the university what to expect as far as the students level of knowledge in photography but they were not very helpful. They told me that probably there will be a mix of beginners to more advanced students so I am going to basically start from the assumption that they know little to nothing about photography. Anyways as far as lessons go so far this is the general outline of what I am thinking.

Lession 1: Exposure / Choosing the right camera for you

Shutter speed, ISO, Aperture and what effect each has on the photo. How to read a histogram. Dynamic range, how to use a light meter, white balance, depth of field. Using exposure to affect the mood of the image. What the different camera modes are and how they work and when to use what mode. What to look for when choosing a camera.

Assignment: 5 properly exposed images

Lession 2: Composition

Rule of thirds, perspective, converging lines, filling the frame, negative space, leading lines, using light and shadows, experimenting with angles, checking for distractions.

Assignment 2: 5 interesting photos of every day objects

Lesson 3&4: Lighting

Hard light vs soft light, differences between continous lights and flash and when to use each, shooting using natural light, balancing flash with ambient light, using different light modifiers (softbox, umbrellas, beauty dishes, grids, flags, scrims, reflectors, gels etc.) Managing reflections (diffuse and direct), how to use light to bring out texture or hide texture.

I know that I am leaving out a bunch of topics but since it is only a 4 week workshop I am trying to just cover the basics. I know that the lighting sections is a bit more advanced but I figure it would be good for any students that are a little more advanced in their photography studies.

So do you all think I should just scrap the lighting lessons for something else. What other topics do you think I should cover?

[Saralonde]

Lighting is really important, but can be very intimidating. I might stick to fill flash and good use of natural light (where the sun should be, night shots, etc.) if they are beginners, adding the rest if you see they are handling the info well.

Consider discussing simple editing, macro/close-up and sports/action photography.

[Quo Fan]

The same thing I teach my advanced karate students.

BASICS.

All the fancy stuff is an extension of how well you grasp the basic concepts of whatever you are doing.

[candidrachel]

I would want to know how to frame prints and make them look presentable. Every man and his dog does "composition" "wedding" "how to photograph children" etc but what about the final piece of the jigsaw - presentation!

I contacted my local adult education classes the other day to enquire whether they did a framing course and they said that hadn't even thought of that one!

[Serczh1]

I need absolute info on the workflow for images after they've been adjusted.
From adjusted image to print, large prints. (resize, dpi, ppi, etc)
Oh yah, and a color management workflow
that doesn't include expensive monitors and printers.

[thebragal]

I think you have a very ambitious lesson plan. Do your students even all have SLR cameras? If they do, I think you will do OK but ISO, aperture and SS in one lesson maybe too much. I recently took an online class, those three things were lessons 1 & 2. Our SS assignment was to deliberately capture/freeze movement and the aperture one was to have the whole photo in focus vs bokeh. I know it is hard to put everything in 4 weeks but if they are truly new to photography you can't go too fast. Make sure you have handouts, really good ones.

if you Have SLR equiped students, I'd recommend teaching either aperture or SS plus iso and lenses In lesson one. The other ( aperture or SS) in lesson two along with the basics of composition. Lesson three, bring aperture, iso and SS together. In week 4, put it all together along with lighting.

If they may have p&s cameras, I'd focus on composition, lighting, how mega pixels relate to printing etc and let your SLR students shoot in program. If you try teaching aperture and SS to p&s students, they will be very frustrated. In this class, framing (as another poster suggested) might be a good idea. If you have SLR students, they really need to learn manual techniques and you won't have time for framing

HTH