Cameras & Equipment
Digital Cameras
If you elect to use your digital camera in a workshop, please be aware that you will need to be technically self-sufficient and bring the following equipment with you:
• A laptop computer with CD burner – PC or Mac. It is recommended that the laptop has at least 15-20 GB of available hard drive space and at least 1 GB of RAM. It does not matter which platform you are using—Mac or PC—but it is important that your operating system is up-to-date.
• The current version of an image editing application installed on your laptop such as Adobe Photoshop CS3, Adobe Lightroom, or Aperture from Apple. Trial versions of these applications are available from the manufacturer’s Web sites.
• Digital memory cards with card reader
• Power adapters and cables for laptop and digital camera
• Camera manual
• Batteries and charger for rechargeable batteries
• Blank CDs or DVDs for burning images, jumpdrive, or an external hard drive to store images.
Unless you are taking beginning workshops with Marcia Reifman or Sarah Meghan Lee, it is expected that you know how to download images from your camera to the laptop, edit images using your software, and organize the edited images for critique. Please note: The classroom computer workstation and LCD digital projector are for staff facilitation of critique and projection. They are not for participant use.
Using Your Camera in Manual Mode
A solid technical foundation enables you to advance more quickly in a workshop. Having a working knowledge of your camera in manual mode means that you are capable and comfortable with evaluating your “in camera” light meter reading and can then choose the appropriate manual settings. If you cannot answer the following questions, please study your camera manual in preparation for your workshop.
• What happens if you choose a faster shutter speed than your meter suggests?
• Do you understand depth of field?
• If you open up the aperture setting, how do you compensate with the shutter speed to achieve the correct exposure?
