Digital photography has changed the way photographers create images, both in terms of the actual work with the camera, and the possibilities that exist in the digital darkroom. The instantaneous nature of digital capture means the photographer can now relate to the image while still at the location. This presents possibilities for improved exposure and composition, as well as new visual discoveries and insights that arise from seeing the photo immediately after it has been exposed. In the digital darkroom, software like Lightroom and Photoshop allow for unparalleled creative and technical control, as well as the ability to use metadata and keywords to create a well organized and searchable image archive.

This class is a combination of presentation, exploration and discovery. Most days are a combination of camera work on location, learning exposure and capture techniques and using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 for cataloging and refining images and exploring the best workflow practices for digital photography. For certain techniques images are brought into Adobe Photoshop CS4 for further editing.

The class is geared towards photographers using digital SLRs that are capable of capturing RAW images. A digital SLR camera is required for this course. Some of the topics to be covered include:

Camera Work: Camera Resolution & Image Size, File Format and JPEG Compression Issues, White Balance & Other Camera Settings, The Importance of Full Frame Composition

Seeing the Light: Know Your Light Meter, Using the Histogram in the Field, Controlling the Highlights, 8-Bit vs. 16-Bit, The Importance of Capturing in Raw

The Right Stuff: Exposing for the Ideal Histogram, Multiple Exposures for Increased Dynamic Range, Creative Use of Aperture and Shutter Speeds ,Panorama & Night Photography

In the Digital Darkoom: Download & Archive Techniques for the Traveling Photographer, Designing a Scaleable Structure for your Image Archive, The Importance of Metadata and Keywords, Creating & Managing Image Catalogs in Lightroom, Mastering Raw image processing with Lightroom & Photoshop, Local Editing (dodge & burn) in Lightroom, Color Correction, Color to Black & White & Toning,Creating Slide Shows & Web Galleries in Lightroom, Photomerge, Panoramas, Selective Tonal & Color Correction with Adjustment Layers, Combining Multiple Exposures for Increased Dynamic Range, Basic Retouching Sharpening and Other Essential Production, Filters, Printing from Lightroom & Photoshop,  Preparing Files for Outlab Printing