CS 39J - The Art and Science of Photography Dani's camera

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Designed by Steven Chan

 
Schedule & Notes

This page is an overview of each week's session, with a breakdown of topics discussed.

Notes Clicking this icon takes you to the Notes for each session.
* This icon precedes an assignment.

 

Week 1 (24 January) — Welcome
*

Welcome to CS 39J

*

Photographic ethics and questions to ponder
*

Preliminary quiz
*

Aperture size and controlling the volume of light for a lens and the eye
*

Depth of field
*

Exposure control
*

Film speed
*

California photographic tradition
*

Group f/64

NotesSee the Detailed Notes for Session 1...
   

Week 2 (31 January) — Film
*

Administrative matters
*

Photography as Art, and Photography Teaching Us to Really See
*

Negative Film
*

Slide Film
*

Prints from Slides
*

How to Expose for Slide Film vs. Negative Film
*

Brands of Slide Film
*

Questions to Ponder on Light, Color, Human Vision System, Color Perception ...
*

Berkeley Photofinishing Labs

NotesSee the Detailed Notes for Session 2...

*
assignment

Take a photograph of the Doe Library (similar to this) — but make it your own! Every student should bring some slides to class next week.
   

Week 3 (7 February)
*

Administrative Matters
*

Buying Film
*

Books
*

Lens
*

Film
*

Saturation
*

Critique of Photographs of the Doe Library
*

Computer Lab Basics

NotesSee the Detailed Notes for Session 3...

   

Week 4 (14 February) — Sebastião Salgado exhibit

We will go on a field trip to see the Sebastião Salgado "Migrations" photography exhibit at the Berkeley Art Museum, on Bancroft. (Read the exhibit's press release.) Do not go to Soda Hall, but instead meet at the entrance to the museum. Our trip will take place during our normal 4-6pm class section.

NotesSee the Detailed Notes for Session 4...

*
assignment

Write a very brief report on the photo exhibit.

 

  

Week 5 (21 February) — OPTICAL video project
*

Introducing the OPTICAL project
*

Making computer graphics look more like photographs
*

Submitting a video piece to the SIGGRAPH 2002 Computer Animation Festival
*

Depth of field
*

Cinematographic terminology, Pixar's Tin Toy
*

Creating our video piece
*

The assignment
*

Comments on the video piece
*

Books
*

About last week's field trip
*

Wrapping up

NotesSee the Detailed Notes for Session 5...

*
assignment

Take photographs (slide or digital) for possible inclusion in the upcoming OPTICAL video. It needs to be representative of "Berkeley" — explicitly or implicitly. The original photograph looked like this, but with different text.

 

  

Week 6 (28 February)

We evaluated our photographs taken for the OPTICAL video project.

*

Student Work
*

The Case of the Leaning Tower
*

Overexposure and Light
*

Miscellany

NotesSee the Detailed Notes for Session 6...

 

  

Week 7 (7 March) — Photography chemistry

Special guest lecturer Dr. John Below, Ph.D in chemistry discussed the science behind photography.

*

OPTICAL video
*

Dr. John Below's introduction
*

Comparison of digital and "silver" (or classic) film
*

How film works
*

Fixation
*

Question Break
*

Coming Attractions

NotesSee the Detailed Notes for Session 7...

*
assignment

Take a photograph of some detail. For example, a photograph close-up of some eye. We've been doing some macro pictures; this time, we'll try some micro (but your work need not be of microscopic proportions!). You can be creative and do something interesting.

 

  

Week 8 (14 March) — Artistry and interpretation

Special guest lecturer Gale Jesi shows us how to interpret photographs based on the photo's time era and historical background, as well as artistic considerations such as composition. She exposes us to the works of Ansel Adams, Margaret Bourke White, and many others.

*

Introduction
*

Cartier-Bresson
*

Margaret Bourke White
*

Paul Strand
*

Berenice Abbott
*

Edward Weston
*

Imogen Cunningham
*

Ansel Adams
*

Garry Winogrand
*

Robert Frank
*

Walker Evans
*

Sherrie Levine
*

Cindy Sherman

NotesSee the Detailed Notes for Session 8...

 

  

Week 9 (21 March) — Photoshop
*

Introduction to Photoshop
*

Presentation
*

The Computer Lab

NotesSee the Detailed Notes for Session 9...

 

  

Spring Break (28 March) — No Class
 

 

  

Week 10 (4 April) — Photoshop
*

Photoshop Revisited
*

Correcting color casts
*

Adjusting Tones, Colors, and Variations

*

Crop

*

Sepia

*

Selections

*

Stupid Filter Tricks

*

Blurring the Background

NotesSee the Detailed Notes for Session 10...

 

  

Week 11 (11 April) — Special Talk

Special guest lecturer Dr. John Below, Ph.D will complete our discusson on the science behind photography.

*

H&D Curve
*

Blur
*

Resolving Power & Sharpness

*

Wave Effect and its consequences

*

Finding Best F-stop for Compromisable Depth
*

Bokeh

NotesSee the Detailed Notes for Session 11...

*
assignment
  • Send an email to Steve (with subject line "CS39J: My Photos") containing at least one of your photographs that you have taken. For slides and print film, you'll need to scan them in the computer lab.
  • Which of the photos on the student work page are yours? Send another email to Steve (with subject line "CS39J: Those Photos").
  • Be prepared to have your photograph taken for next week's session. We will spend a few minutes in the beginning of class having a little photo shoot.
   

Week 12 (18 April) — Photoshop, Lenses
*

Photoshop: Dodge, Burn, Masks, Selections
*

Dr. Stan Klein
*

On Lenses

*

Depth-of-field

*

Field of view

NotesSee the Detailed Notes for Session 12...

 

  

Week 13 (25 April) — Outside Photo Shoot Day: An Hour in the Life of Berkeley

"An Hour in the Life of Berkeley"

As an homage to the theme used in the "A Day in the Life of ..." series of photography books, this assignment is for the class to spread out to different venues on the UC Berkeley campus at the same time for about an hour". Everyone should meet first in 405 Soda at 4:10 pm for an organizational meeting led by Steve and Gidon.

During that beginning organizational period this Thursday,
there will be a demonstration about basic ambient lighting techniques, such as use of a fill flash and reflectors. Please try to arrive on time so as not to miss this! Have fun!

*
assignment

Send an email to Steve by Wednesday, 11:59 pm with the subject line "CS39J: Berkeley". Select a few of your scanned photographs you took during session 12. Attach them to the email with the names of the photographs' locations. Restrict each photograph to 1 MB size, in JPEG format (at least 60% quality).

 

  

Week 14 (2 May) — Light, Color, Perception, and Color Space Theory
*

"A Week in the Life of Berkeley" assignments
*

Light and Color Science

NotesSee the Detailed Notes for Session 14...

*
assignment

Send an email to Steve by Wednesday, 11:59 pm with any more photographs for the project.

 

  

Week 15 (9 May) — Final Presentation
*

Group photographs taken
*

"A Week in the Life of Berkeley" final exhibit presentation

*

Critique of our slides and photographs
*

Simone hands out some very delicious cupcakes

You can view our final exhibit.

 

  

 

 

 

Department of Computer ScienceOfficial Website for the University of California, Berkeley


Current webmaster: Steven Chan (mr_chan@uclink.berkeley.edu).
CS 39J: The Art and Science of Photography is a freshman seminar taught by Professor Brian A. Barsky.
Site design by Steven Chan.