Dan Armendariz, Instructor
danallan@mit.edu
http://danallan.net/

Harvard Extension School

Photography has exploded in recent years as digital cameras have become affordable and easier to use. There are many courses that teach students the artistic aspect of "how to become a better photographer" or "how to improve your eye," but this is not one of them. Instead, students—from one-time users to professionals—become better photographers through an understanding of the technical aspects and terms of a digital camera. Learn why photos look blurry at night, why color management is important, what the difference between sports mode and portrait mode on the camera's dial is, and how to manipulate the camera without the need of these modes in the first place. Topics include exposure and metering, flash, dynamic range, CMOS and CCD sensors, color filter arrays, RAW versus JPEG formats, color spaces and profiles, editing photos with Photoshop, and optical and computational artifacts. Through lectures and hands-on assignments, students understand the jargon and compromises of digital photography that ultimately expose the workings of digital cameras. You are not required to own a digital camera, but if you do, one with a manual mode and an option for RAW is recommended.

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These lectures were filmed in Sever Hall in HDV by Chris Thayer.

If you have questions or would like to discuss the material with others, you may want to join the Google Group at right.

Lecture 1: Welcome! ▶ play ▾ expand all
Lecture 2: Software Tools & Light ▶ play ▾ expand all
Lecture 3: Exposure ▶ play ▾ expand all
Lecture 4: Exposure (continued) ▶ play
Lecture 5: Optics ▶ play ▾ expand all
Lecture 6: The Histogram ▶ play ▾ expand all
Lecture 7: Software Tools (continued) ▶ play
Lecture 8: Movie Night!
Lecture 9: Digital Cameras ▶ play
Lecture 10: Digital Cameras (continued) ▶ play
Lecture 11: Color ▶ play
Lecture 12: Artifacts ▶ play
Lecture 13: Even More Software Tools

Cancelled, material covered in lecture 12.

Below are projects.

If you have questions or would like to discuss the material with others, you may want to join the Google Group at right.

Keep an I[SO] Out
Great (Focal) Lengths
Frames of Mind
Raw Material
Final Project

Below are problem sets.

If you have questions or would like to discuss the material with others, you may want to join the Google Group at right.

Problem Set 1
Problem Set 2
Problem Set 3
Problem Set 4