Columbia Scholastic Press Association

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Summer Journalism Workshop - Class Description

Digital Photography

Enrollment is limited to the first fully paid 20 participants for this class. 

Strong publications - whether newspaper, yearbook, magazine or online - all rely on great photographs. CSPA's Summer Journalism Workshop helps prepare the photographers on your staff to provide these amazing images by helping them see light in a new way, learning how to tell stories with their images, and a proper workflow for managing digital files.

Sunday:
Basics of Photography
Light, Composition and Camera Handling. Learning to see in a different way to improve your photographs.

Monday:
Practice, Practice, Practice
Monday morning walking tour around Columbia University looking for great light and learning about strong composition. Monday afternoon includes Photoshop workflow and editing tips.

Tuesday:
Critiques. Of Your Work, and the Work of Others.
More Practice - Photo Storytelling. Learn how to think and shoot with a multi-frame photo story in mind.

Wednesday:
Even More Practice
We'll photograph around the campus and area today, working with feature photos and environmental portraits. "Central Park Invasion." We'll also continue working in Photoshop/Lightroom to fine-tune our workflow and editing skills.

Thursday:
Portfolio Preparation
Build a showcase of your best work from the week, from classroom photos to sports to portraits to picture packages.

Friday:
Final Critique
A classroom discussion of the work produced by each participant during the week. The digital portfolio will be based on the specific needs of each participant, but could include photos from SJW, sports, portraits or other photographic assignments.

Required:

Digital photography students must bring a laptop computer with Photoshop (version CS5 or later preferred) or Adobe Lightroom pre-installed. 30-day trial versions of both Photoshop and Lightroom are available from the Adobe website, as long as a demo version has not been previously installed on the computer.

Students must also bring a digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera as well as a battery charger, connection cables and a card reader for loading images onto their laptop computer. USB drives, extra memory cards and any additional equipment (lenses, flash, tripod, etc.) are recommended. Students should also bring a current portfolio of 5-10 images, either in print form or digitally.

Class Instructor

 
Jacob Palenske has many titles: Convergence and graphics guru, Technology addict, Retired semiprofessional fat man dancer, and Cupcake-seeking sweets fiend. While those titles describe him best, his business card says he’s the the Marketing and Communications Manager for Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services in Garland, TX. In his spare time, Palenske is a frequent instructor and speaker at scholastic journalism events across the nation and in Europe. He's a recipient of both the SIPA Elizabeth B. Dickey Distinguished Service award and a CSPA Gold Key.