Mid Term Final Grades

Here are the grades for the mid terms....enjoy your Holiday. Bob

1318 A
1323 A
1338 B
1335 B
1342 C
1343 F
1359 B
1230 B
1106 A
1387 C
1241 D
1242 C
1391 D
1392 D
9013 A
1146 C
1255 B
1404 B
1413 B
1157 B
1424 C
1298 B
9123 C
1315 B
1326 B
1327 B
1336 A
1340 A
1341 A
1346 A
1378 A
1379 B
1381 A
1394 B
1401 A
9116 A
1416 A
9118 A
1427 B
1442 A
1444 A
1445 A
1106 B

Digital Restoration

As soon as we return from Christmas break, we will be starting the copy and restoration of old photos section of the class.

You will need to dig into your family archives and find some old black and white family photos or portraits. The older the better. Try to find photos that have been damaged over the years so you can restore them...

This will be your first digital assignment. You will not have to print anything. The way we will be handling the digital assignments this next semester. You will be saving your work on your Jump Drives* and turning them in on Fridays and we will be critiqing your work on the projector.

* If you havent already purchased your jump drive, make sure you get one prior to class starting after Christmas Break. You will need a minimum of 512mb, but the bigger the better. You can purchase these pretty much anywhere. At Christmas they are super cheap as stores sell them as stocking stuffers. A gig flash drive is much better than a 512, but a 512 will get you through the semester.

Mid Term Finals

Your final dates:

These dates are determined by Ponderosa HS. If you have a conflict at your school, make sure to let me know as soon as you know, so we can make an alternate date for you. Get to work.

0-1st periods: 12-18-07
2-3rd periods: 12-21-07

REMEMBER: When you return after Christmas Break, to bring along your "Old Photo" for restoration. We start digital the first day back.

Final Assignments:

These cannot be changed or traded with other students. They are yours only.

Mid Term Final Assignments: 2007

Gold Mining Angulo/Webster

The Fishing Blues Bacchi / Benton

Motor Madness Boswell/Chaisson

Night Life in EDH Couch

That Bugs Me Burlson

Old Structures in El Dorado County Fontana/Luce

Musical Nights Garza/Petroff

Gellato’s Hessler/McGee

Open Mike Snipes/Reed

Santa Heckley/Williams

Day In The Life of Frankie d’Narc LindseyShepard

Animal Shelter Blues Magdano/Pa

Downtown Placerville At Night Koster

I Want New Car Clark

A Dogs Life McDowell/Anderson

Folsom At Night Kruger /Johnson

Restaurant Life Waldren

Mt. Democrat Parlin/Willette

Visa Card Blues Parcher

Christmas Tree Farm Sapio

Regional Transit Liggett/Silva

Winter Sports Chord /Blackburn

Cosmic Café Kirk/Chambers

New Construction (EDC) McClung

Double Standard Waldren

EDH Mercedes Benz Burton

Christmas Spirit Jacobs

Starbucks Dynasty Ingoglia

Mid Term Final: Crieteria

Final Criteria: Photo Journalism Assignment=500 pts.

A: 5 prints: One Theme, different subjects. Must tell story.

1 8x10

1 5x7

1 3.5x5

1 2.5 x 3.5

1 square print of any size

B: Mounted on 3 8x10 mount boards

C: All 3 boards must be attached to each other vertically.

D:The 8x10 must be on the fold.

E: Boards are bound with Black Duct Tape.

F: Contact sheet dry mounted to left, rear of board.

G: Negatives are mounted on left rear over contact sheet.

H: Approved storyboard mounted to right rear of board.

I: At least a paragraph story about the photos (documentary style)

Must be typed.

J: Must have a title graphic mounted to front with photos.

K: Edges of mountboard must be black with felt pen.

L: Must be presented to class on designated day. No exceptions

Oh yeah, the Sihouette is also due next week...

Since all of you are getting so fast about your assignments...your Silhouette image is due on Friday also...this is because the next week is Thanksgiving and there are only 2 days in that week...so what we will do is, on Friday, you will turn in the Veterans Day image....on Tuesday, you will turn in the Silhouette image. Also on Tuesday, we will give you your assignments for your Mid Term so you can start working on it...these will take a lot of planning so dont put off till the end....you will not pass it. Good luck.

Veterans Day

It is the time of year that Veterans Day comes around. Pay tribute to the Vets and come up with a creative and interesting image that follows this theme. There are several Veterans Day festivities around the area...so, this shot has to be done on Monday only, as that is a Holiday...No school.
Check the paper for a listing of events, times and venues. Remember, If you miss Monday...you will have no other chance to do this.

New Assignment: Circles

Something in everyday life. Circles. Not snapshots, well thought out and composed Photographs.
Make them a fine art print. The use for these is great as "stock" photographs. Here are a few images for some Ideas...

New Assignment: Backlight

Your assignment this week is "backlight". Any subject, Outdoor, have light behind subject with main subject properly exposed. Move in close to take reading with your meter, back up, compose, shoot. Watch for lens flair (in black and white it doesnt look "artsy", just bad.

New assignment: Special Effects

Special Effects. This weeks assignment will test your creativity and darkroom techniques. You must turn in 1 5x7 print using different special effects. Multiple exposures on one frame of film (check your cameras manual to check if your camera is capable of doing this function). Printing multiple exposures one one print. Placing foreign objects in the original frame during printing. Solar posterazation (exposing film to light during the processing stage), Solarazation (exposing paper to light during processing), High Contrast-Super grainy prints using the "cooking" method.
Make sure you are here on Friday to get the lesson...this will be a hard one to make up.
You might Google "special effects photography" for more ideas...

New assignment "Song Title"

OK, this one will be fun. Use you imagination. This week its a Song Title...any song, within reason, photograph an image that portrays the song.
The 4 examples shown were for one song called "The Long and Winding Road" by the Beatles.
You do not need to use that song, its just an example.
I do not want any images that show anything contraband to school rules, this is paramount.
It can be after dark, or indoor or outdoor...the sky is the limit. It could even be the sky as long as it follows the theme of the song.
Let your imagination run wild.

New Assignment: Night Shot

Night Shot:

For this assignment, you will need a camera, film and tripod (if you have one)...if you dont have one, you will need to find something to set your camera on...fence, car, rock, wall something where your camera isnt going to move...at all.

Having moving lights works well if the camera is dead still.

To shoot this:
1. Set camera shutter speed to B or BULB.
2. Set fstop to f8.
3. Hold down trigger and count seconds (one thousand one, one thousand two)
4: Shoot for 1 second, 2 seconds, 4 seconds, 8 seconds
5: Take several shots at same spot. We call this Bracketing.
Good Luck....

In N Out revamp

Add to the original In N Out Post......3 different photos....make it a photo story.....

New Assignment: In N Out

The one you've been waiting for. In N Out!!!
Criteria:
Must have In N Out logo in the image.
Must be photographed at Placerville location only.
No photos are to be taken inside of the store.
Do not distract employees for the photographs.
You may use people in photos, only if you know them. Do not photograph patrons.

I know, there are a lot of rules, but there are reasons for this. We only have permission to photograph at Placerville store.
Right to Privacy Act gives patrons right not to have photos taken for any purpose. Management has stated that no images are to be taken inside. If these rules are broken, we will lose future use of In N Out. There will be consequences if these rules are broken. I do not want a phone call from the manager.

New Assignment: Apple Hill

Your assignment this week is an image that depicts Apple Hill in Camino. Try to concentrate on people and objects. Get close ups, human interest images etc. Take a lot of variety. Last week, there were several images that were underexposed....check your exposure every time.
Have fun, and dont eat too much.
Bob

New Assignment: Landscape

OK, here is a fun one. Think of all those great landscape images that you have seen by Ansel Adams, Ed Weston, National Geographic. Actually, almost every magazine you pick up has some great landscape images.

Keep in mind....exposure, composition, time of day and subject...here are some examples...have fun.

Grave Yard

Hey guys,
Your assignment this week is "Grave Yard". We are looking for Story Telling images....bring a friend or family member with you to use as a model. Remember, props help tell the story...shoot it at sunset or dawn....no exceptions. If you have a tripod, use it. If not, brace your camera on a head stone/monument and hold your breath.

Assignment #2 Wheels

First of all, sorry I couldn't make it to class Friday. I had a medical procedure and couldn't make it.
Hope you enjoyed the movies.
Your assignment this week is "wheels" (see example). I want to emphasize being creative on a simple subject....you can show a bit more of the car, if you choose, but not absolutely. Use reflections, like the maker of this image did, yet not YOU or YOUR CAMERA reflection.
We will critique your Architecture images on Monday first thing...
See you Monday.

Field Trip Friday

Our first field trip for the school year....Architectural Photography. The photography of buildings and interiors, specifically for Architects, Land owners, Commercial advertising...The object: To make the buildings look their absolute best. To make the architects work look awesome.
To do this, there will be multiple camera angles, low high, close up on objects, etc.

Start Time: 7AM
Place: El Dorado County Government Buildings
360 Fair Lane, Placerville
Meet at: El Dorado Co. Library (across the street from Govt. buildings)

See you there....
Directions: Google Maps....360 Fair Lane, Placerville, Ca. 95667

First Week is Finished

Whew, we all made it....the first week is finished. I hope you are enjoying the class. This next week, you will NOT need your cameras until Friday.....more on that later. Finish shooting your film this weekend, if you haven't already done so...Monday morning we start teaching film processing.
You guys are a hoot. See ya Monday...

Digital...

Everyone knows that Digital is the hottest thing in Photography. We will be perusing this during 2nd semester, where 1/2 of the assignments will be digital.

You do NOT need to go out and purchase a digital camera. If you don’t have one, you can scan film and do your assignments. If you already have one, you may use it for your assignments during 2nd semester

Welcome to ROP Photography 07-08

Hello, I’m Bob Calkins. I am the instructor of Commercial Photography for the Central Sierra Regional Occupational Program. You recently signed up for next our class for the 2007/2008 school year.

As you know, our class meets at Ponderosa High School in room ROP 2, which is located at the back of the school across from Cosmetology. This newsletter is kind of an introduction to our class and a forum to showcase the work of some of this past years photo students. But the main purpose is to let you all know what the class is all about, what you will need and the class direction.

This is an intense class and being a ROP class, mandated and controlled by the State of California, so we have some different regulations than the High Schools have.

We have students from all the county High Schools, Ponderosa, El Dorado, Oakridge and , Union Mine, and Golden Sierra. ROP classes are open to all persons that are 16 or older, so we even have some adults too…

Since our class is a 2 hour class, students really become close and enjoy each others company. Our class has a relaxed atmosphere, but there is a lot of work to do.

Class starts at 6:30 AM Room ROP2 at Ponderosa

Because Ponderosa has no zero period any longer, and we have students from all schools in county, We have to start class at 6:30 AM. (0-1st period). All adults, and non Ponderosa students will be scheduled for 0-1st periods so you can get back to your respective schools on time.

Any questions, call me at 644 1587 or 409 7733.

What will I need for class?

This is one of the most common questions asked prior to class starting.

A: First, you will need a 35mm film camera (or access to one). The camera needs to have manual F-stops and shutter speeds. It may be an auto focus camera, however, it must have a manual override.

B: If you are wanting to buy a camera, good used ones are readily available through the Sacramento Bee, Pardee’s Camera in Sacramento , Action Camera in Roseville. As well as craigslist.com & ebay.

If you want to buy a new camera, it totally depends on your budget. Good cameras can be purchased in the $150-$250 range. I have found that students that have Canon Rebels ($175) or equivalent cameras, generally have great negatives and prints. But this totally depends on your individual needs and budgets. Wal Mart and Filco & Costco are good places to look for these

C: One USB Jump Drive (at least 512mb or larger). These wont be needed until January. The price for these usually runs in the $15-25 range. You can get these at most stores that sell computers even Wal Mart has them. They are everywhere.

D: Photo portfolio, at end of year. Cost about $6.00 at Filco.

E: At years end you will publish a book of your work including your digital and traditional photography. These will be available through:

www.mypublisher.com

These books will run about $15 and is really cool. Again, you wont need this till about mid April.

What kinds of things will we be learning?

Good question. We will be covering many different types of traditional photography and digital imaging using Adobe Photoshop.

We will show you how to do informal & formal, indoor and outdoor portraiture. Commercial indoor and out, large and small, photojournalism, CD covers, photo stories and many more.

You will have 1 assignment a week for first semester and 2 per week second semester.

Everyone will be expected to have a finished portfolio with all of their work for the school year.

You will also have a multi media slide show (digital) of all completed work at the end of the school year.

Everyone will be expected to fill an internship with a photographer during the school year. This is a 4 hour internship so you can get a better grasp of the photographic industry.

Field Trips

We will be having several field trips off of the school grounds throughout the school year. We will visit a portrait studio, commercial studio, color lab, digital darkroom, newspaper and several location shoots.

All Field trips will be within the county as the State of California regulates transportation to the ROP programs.

All students must provide transportation to and from the field trip location, However, if any field trips are out of county, a school bus must be provided and no students can drive their own cars to location out of county.

What we provide to you in supplies...

What the ROP provides for supplies.

The program will supply all Black & White film and Chemistry for the school year.

When school starts, we will provide you with 1 package (25 8x10 sheets) of 8x10, black and white photographic paper. This should get you through the 1st semester if you are not wasteful.

When that paper is finished, you will be required to supply the remaining paper for the school year. Paper can be purchased at Filco in Folsom. It usually runs about $20.00 for 25 sheets.

We are sorry that we had to take this action, but due to the States Economic problems, we had to take this action. Since 2nd semester is half digital assignments, this should help.

If you desire to print your digital images for your portfolio, you can do this independently.

From the Instructor...

Let me take a moment to introduce myself to you.

I’m Bob Calkins, I am the instructor of the Black & White Photography class. I have been teaching for ROP since 1993 at Ponderosa. I have been in the Photography industry since 1976, being the owner of MotherLode Photography, a full service studio specializing in Family & Senior Portraiture as well as Weddings..

I also teach 3 part-time classes at Sacramento City College, Portrait/Weddings, Fashion/Glamour, and Photo Business classes.

I am one of the few people, I know who loves his job. It is always different, challenging and I love creating images.

Please feel free to contact me by e mail this summer if you have any questions. at:

motherlode@innercite.com

If you would like to see some of my work, just log onto my website at

www.motherlodephoto.com

Update...

Here are a few more images created by the class this Spring....

A few more images...