ePortfolio Week 1 - First attempt to understand photography terms

2.8.13 (Week 1)
Vanessa A/P Ah Lir, (0315830)

Introduction to Photography

LECTURE - Introduction

I admit that I am a complete novice when it comes to photography. By taking up Introduction to Photography subject, I could learn how to operate a camera, produce high quality pictures, and that process was definitely not going to be easy. Thankfully, my lecturer, Mr. Vinod Nair was a really patient person.

He was telling us what sort of specifications the camera we had to buy for future classes. I bet the whole class was just as confused as I was. I have never heard of CCD, or even know some cameras had a manual mode. I tried to digest as much info as possible, asking questions along the way. Mr. Vinod's explanations were more than sufficient and he was only too happy to share his experience as a professional photographer with us.

When it came to the cost of buying a good camera, almost everyone was concealing their astonishment. Two thousand bucks for a camera, according to Mr. Vinod, was reasonable. Some excellent ones for those who were really into photography might even cost up to twenty or thirty thousand. I was sure the shock of realizing cameras could really rip off a large amount of money off your wallet were reflected in everyone's eyes.

Instructions

We were also given an assignment:

1. Choose five personal photos. May it be regarding yourself, your family or a shot you really liked that you captured yourself.
2. Choose five photos from five different photographers which you find interesting.
3. Explain each photo. Eg. Why you like it? Where is it taken? How much do you understand each photo?
4. Present it in front of the class.

We had two weeks or so to get it done. So until then. Lots of work to do.

REFKECTION

I will be taking Interactive Multimedia as my degree course next year. I consulted my Programme Director about which elective subject would aid me better in the preferred course. He said both Introduction to Photography and Human Communication would help, but he emphasized on Photography.

As a novice in photography, this subject would be yet another challenge for me. I hope by the end of the semester, I would be able to know how to operate a DSLR, know each and every part and what its functions are and of course how to take better quality photos.