ART103: Writing & Painting with Light in Digital Media

Credit Hours:
3
Estimated Hours Per Week:
5

Overview

The digital medium has opened a whole new creative palette for the photographer. Today’s amateur photographers and videographers can achieve results that are on par with professionals using the most expensive and innovative equipment. The tools are now available to any photographer using substantial digital video and still cameras coupled with an understanding of light and approaches to lighting.

This course seeks to provide you with the skills necessary to photograph and reshape still and motion images. You will become familiar with light as the photographer’s primary medium. You will become proficient in using light, its qualities, and its moods to communicate meaning.

Please note that a digital video camera, a digital still camera, digital video encoding software, tripod, and a YouTube account are required for this course.

Course Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Explain the relationship of the camera to light: how it adjusts the iris, shutter-speed, and gain in response to changing conditions.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the difference between hard light and soft light and how each might be used.
  • Analyze light’s differing qualities including color and temperature.
  • Demonstrate understanding of various techniques to manipulate light including the use of gels, nets, filters, reflectors, and silks.
  • Effectively light scenes for differing environmental conditions including interviews, outdoors, indoors, and night time.
  • Utilize common hardware store items to construct a light kit that, when used properly, produces professional results.
ENROLLMENT
To enroll in this course, please complete the online application.

Special Requirements

In this course, you will be producing digital video and photographic work. Therefore, the following are required:

  • A digital video camera that allows for full manual control of iris, focus, and white balance
  • Capability to digitally transfer video from camera onto a computer hard drive
  • Video-capture and editing software such as Windows Movie Maker (standard with Windows XP) or iLife (Mac)
  • A digital still camera
  • A sturdy tripod
  • A free YouTube account
  • Video lighting kit, or sufficient budget to build a personal lighting kit using guidelines in ART103 (approx. $200) For more affordable light stands, consider checking eBay and Craigslist.

Required Texts
ART103 texts are available from the JIU/Follett Bookstore