Available Light Photography Workshop

If you can see something, you probably can photograph it in some way, even if the scene or subject is under lower levels of available light. Yet the outdoor photographic possibilities that occur after sunset, at night, or before sunrise are fascinating: colorful skies, illuminated buildings and urban scenes, light patterns from traffic, or signs and artworks accented with light. By taking the camera indoors, we can photograph portraits, still life, museum displays, and a variety of scenes not usually encountered outdoors. Using available light helps us preserve the "look" of the scene and communicate to viewers how things would appear if they were there. In this course we learn how and when to make photographs using lower levels of available light. You will learn focusing techniques, exposure adjustments, camera steadiness, using digital ISO sensitivity or film speed, setting white balance for various lighting conditions, selecting good viewpoints and times to make photographs. Students participate in two photography sessions on the UCI campus and complete one photography assignment outside of class. All photographs will be reviewed during class.