Another NYIP student's blog

I know a lot of visitors to this blog are looking for information on NYIP so here:

I discovered another NYIP student's blog, My NYIP Experience, by Matt Fulkes.  Mr. Fulkes describes the blog as "Tracking my progress through the Professional Photography program".   He doesn't describe the course in much detail, but he has included assignment photos and his instructor's critiques for the first two lessons.  (Based on my experience and research, the most difficult part of the NYIP  course is actually taking the photographs and submitting them.)

The other blogs I found only had 1 or two posts about NYIP. Most stopped posting at all after that. As I've noted before, I don't know if they stop because they are busy studying, busy creating stunning photographs, or just got tired of writing and/or photography.
Another student, Cat D, led a discussion about NYIP at 365Project.

Aaron Stott has a 2 part article about his NYIP experiences on his blog. 

Other blogs I found only had 1 or two posts about NYIP. Most stopped posting at all after that. As I've noted before, I don't know if they stop because they are busy studying, busy creating stunning photographs, or just got tired of writing and/or photography.

Addendum 10/17/2012: Miranda, a new visitor to this blog, has started posting her own experiences with NYIP on her blog Life's Greatest Blessings.  The first post is New York Institute of Photography - Making the Decision.

Fundamentals of Digital Photography 2012 - FREE!

creativeLive is offering another free workshop.  This one is a 5 day workshop on the  Fundamentals of Digital Photography 2012 by John Greengo.  Yep, a 5 day workshop for free.  It's live from 9AM - 4PM (PST) April 9 - 13.

CreativeLive offers a lot of free workshops so be sure to check them out soon.

Update 4/14/2012: I wasn't able to watch the whole 5 day Fundamentals of Digital Photography 2012 workshop, but creativeLive replayed each day's workshop in the evening so I was able to watch bits and pieces here and there after I got home from work. I liked John Greengo's teaching style and the information he presented so much that I bought the workshop (25 hours of video + 10 pdf files of the slides).    Topics include The Photographer's Eye, Cameras, Lenses, Light, Focus, Exposure, Gadgets, and Composition.

I downloaded the videos to watch and rewatch whenever I like.  Actually I have been downloading them for the past 3 days and don't have them all yet.  Just an example of how exensive this training is: the 10 pdf files contain over 1,500 pages.

I would definitely recommend this course over the NYIP Complete Course in Professional Photography.

NYIP Photo Assigments

For those of you who visit Persimmon Tree Photography only in your search for NYIP information, DOFmaster has posted photographs submitted for NYIP assignments from 2000 - 2003 along with comments from the NYIP advisers that you may find interesting.

You may also want to visit DOFMaster's main page where you can find applications, charts, tables, and articles for depth of field (hence the name DOF Master). You can also find the Navy Basic and Advanced Photography Courses from 1993.

I don't understand how NYIP decided on their assignments. The first assignment is to take a photograph "using shutter speed to express a sense of motion or speed."  I'm not a photographer nor an educator, but as a student, I think something else would be more appropriate for one's first photograph.  Something that would re-inforce the lesson, but would let the student be comfortable with the camera.   I also think the assignment should emphasize technique more than subject.  Each of the assignments do help reinforce learning about exposure and lighting, but then they should just be about the technique and let you choose an available subject.

While I'm complaining, I don't know why NYIP insists on having all the assignment photographs mailed instead of sent electronically.  It just looks to me like using modern technology would be less expensive and easier on everybody.  They could still have one or two assignments on printing photographs if they wanted.

I don't think I've listed them before, so here are the assignments in 2011 (they aren't quite the same as in 2000, but close).  Each assignment is for 3 - 5+ photographs.

Unit 1:

1. Using shutter speed to express a sense of motion or speed.
2. Using selective focus to make the subject stand out
3. Creating a feeling of distance by using great depth of field

Unit 2:

1. Emphasizing the subject by the size and off-center placement
2. Using framing to focus attention on your subject
3. Using leading lines to draw attention to your subject

Unit 3:

1. Using sidelighting to emphasize surface tension
2. Using backlighting to enhance the surface
3. Using "open shade" to photograph a person outdoors
4. Using a reflector board as a second light source

Unit 4:

1. Using window light for a portrait
2. Using one or two lights for a portrait
3. Making an indoor location portrait
4. Photographing a baby, young child, or pet
5. Making a group portrait

Unit 5 (you only have to do 3 of the 4):

1. Photographing a newsworthy event
2. Photographing a sports event
3. Making a fashion photograph
4. Creating a photo essay/photograph story (10+ photos)

Unit 6 (you only have to do 5 of the 9):

1. Shooting a product photograph
2. Photographing a building exterior in daylight
3. Photographing a building exterior at night
4. Photographing the interior of a home or office
5. Photographing close up
6. Photographing a still life
7. Creating a glamorous portrait
8. Photographing to minimize facial flaws
9. Creating a special effects photograph

I still haven't got started with the assignments and I meant to have them completed by now, but I have 2 more years so I'll probably wait another year (I'm such a procrastinator!).  I have read in a couple of forums that students got stuck at Unit 4 because they couldn't find anyone willing to pose for the portraits.  I will probably have that problem also.  I read that several (many?) years ago NYIP sent you a plastic or foam, bald head (called Shirley) that you could use for portraits, but, dang, they don't do that any more.

Another NYIP blog

If you're looking for news from actual NYIP students, check out the Nan Schefcick Photography blog.  Currently Nan is enrolled in the NYP Photography Course and has shared comments from her student advisor for the first three unit assignments.

[Update 2/23/2012 - There have been no posts since Unit 3, I think in April 2011.]

NYIP Photography Course Review

Gustavo asked - "Did you like the NYIP course?"

To answer your question, Gustavo, I didn't dislike it.  Well, at least some of it. There were parts of it I liked and parts that really disappointed me.  At this point I don't think it was worth the price, but I haven't turned in any of the assignments or asked for much help from the advisers so I could be wrong.  

On the plus side (in no particular order):

• it covers a lot of different topics (some better than others),
• the newer booklets were easy to read and well illustrated
• the "free gifts" were of better quality than I thought they would be,
• the one question I've asked of the student advisers was answered promptly and the answer was helpful,
• I liked the instructors - never met them but they seemed nice when talking with each other on the audio CDs and DVDs,
• the DVDs were informative, and
• the audio CDs were interesting.  

On the negative side (in order, starting with most negative):

• some of the booklets were too old - a few were WAY too old.  I think over 20 years old is too old for a textbook   This was the biggest disappointment for me,
• some of the topics weren't covered in enough detail so I had to do a lot of additional research,
• there should have been more DVDs on more topics,  They updated the videos from VHS to DVD but they were the same old videos - mostly pertinent, but they could have added at least one new one,
• I didn't find the audio CDs as instructive as I thought they should have been,  They were mostly interesting, but .....,
• I thought each lesson should have its own CD - sometimes there were several lessons on one CD and sometimes a lesson was split over 2 CDs, and
• I didn't find the comprehensive exams very helpful.   

Some other comments:

• The school claims that you can continue to ask questions of them after you graduate which would be a plus, but of course I'm not there yet so don't really know.
• I noticed in the older booklets that they had a page of "homework" - pictures you should take to reinforce the lessons - I don't know why they left those out of the new books.  I think it would have been very helpful. 
• I finished the reading, audio, and DVDs in under 4 months, but one of those months I hardly touched it and the time includes a lot of additional researching.   I mostly did the course on weekends.  (What I'm saying is that it didn't seem to be a lot of content for the money.) 
• I learned a lot from the course which to me is more important than liking the course, but I think I could have learned the same information for less money and possibly learned it better.  I did a lot of research before I took the course and I couldn't find one self-study course that offered the structured learning that NYIP offered and I needed that to get started.  I should have looked harder because there are some out there.  Some for more money and some for less.  Update 09/20/2012: for two examples see my posts Fundamentals of Digital Photography 2012 and Karl Taylor's Free Photography Mini-Course.

NYIP Links

Here are some links to NYIP sites in case you're looking for more information:

New York Institute of Photography home page
NYIP Photo Forum - a great place to read what NYIP students are really saying.
NYIP PhotoWorld - an online magazine featuring NYIP's collection of photography tips and articles
NYIP Blog - features a different style of photography related articles
NYIP PhotoView - audio-podcasts that are similar to the audio CDs that come with the NYIP photography course
NYIP Student Center - read interviews with NYIP students

My NYIP Review

Well, I took the last comprehensive exam for the NYIP complete course in professional photography and completed reading the text, listening to the last audio CD, and watching the last DVD.    That took about 4 1/2 months, but for almost an entire month I didn't touch the lessons. 

Students are supposed to complete a photographic project at the end of each unit and submit them for review, but I haven't done any of them yet.  I have 3 years to completely complete the course to get a certificate, but I plan to have all the projects done by the end of the summer.   I will reserve my final opinion until I graduate.  

To summarize my experiences with the NYIP course to date:

I calculated that this course cost $28.50 an hour if you only count the time spent listening to the CDs and watching the DVDs. But there's more, much more!, as they say in television infomercials. 

• I got 31 text booklets (with copyright dates from the 1970's through 2010), 3 update booklets, and 6 pdf lessons that I downloaded from the NYIP Internet site.   (I see no excuse for having 30 year old text books in a course costing this much money.  And don't give me the excuse that some things in photography haven't changed so it doesn't matter because (1) printing technology has improved and these booklets could have/should have been updated , (2) camera technologoy had changed GREATLY in 30 years, (3) the business of photography had changed, and (4) post-production technology is vastly different.)
• The texts were accompanied by 19 audio CDs which, as I've noted  before, were more conversation than lecture.  This made them more interesting and they were educational in their own way, but I would have preferred more lecture type information, if you know what I mean, or (even better) more DVDs. 
• Matching slipcase binders were included for the text booklets and CDs and DVDs.  (I could have used another one for the business booklets.)
• I got 6 booklets (about 50 - 70 pages each) from the NYIP Essential Business Skills Series.
• There were 5 business related CDs.  I found the conversational style in these CDs more valuable than in the other audio lessons.
• I found the information in the 6 DVDs to be pertinent despite being dated and I might watch them again as I complete the projects. 
• I got about $50 - $100 worth of 'free' gifts and a discount by paying the tuition in full:
• A 16 x 18 zippered travel bag with the NYIP logo emblazoned across the exterior pocket
• 4 GB hi-speed USB thumb drive
• Professional mono-pod with travel case
• 5-in-1 reflector with travel case
• Large lens cleaning cloth
• Photographic umbrella
• Professional gray card
• Professional photographer's log and reference guide
• Two slipcover type cases (one for the lesson booklets and one for the CDs/DVDs but none for the business booklets)
• NYIP Photoworld press card with a plastic holder to put on a string around my neck (I provide the string)
• Students can get a substantial student discount on Adobe products like Photoshop and Lightroom when purchased directly from Adobe and a 7% discount at RitzCamera.com.  [Update 3/20/2012: I did buy Lightroom last year directly from Adobe at a very nice discount with my NYIP student card.  I did not need a separate photo ID as some other posters on other sites have advised. ]
• I haven't needed to interact with the student advisers, but they are supposed to be there if I need them. I was supposed to receive the name of a personal student advisor with a personal phone number, but apparently I don't have one.  I get four!  All advisers share a common email address, but I do get a phone number for each one.  However, the calls aren't toll free.  The listed advisers for me were Chris Corradino, Tom Cavalieri, Associate Dean Jerry Rice, and Ella Manor.  (Update 09/20/2012 - I did send one or two emails questions and a different advisor replied within one or two days.)

Lesson Booklets:

Unit 1

Eye of the Photographer

The Camera

The Lens

How to Use Your Camera

Unit 2

Image Capture

Exposure

Processing Black & White Film

Digital Processing

Filters

Developing Your Eye

Unit 3

Natural Light and Available Light

Artificial Light

Electronic Flash & Strobe

Travel Photography

Nature and Landscape Photography

The Perfect Print

Optional: The Darkroom (pdf download)

Unit 4

Basic Portrait Lighting

Studio Portraiture

Location Portraiture

Child and Pet Photography

Wedding Photography

Optional: Color Film Processing (pdf download)

Unit 5

Photojournalism 1

Photojournalism 2

Fashion Photography

Finishing Touches and the Zone System

Macro Photography , Astrophotography, and Copying

Color Film Printing 1,2, and 3 (pdf download)

Unit 6

Advertising and Still Life

Architectural Photography

Optional: View Camera (pdf download)

Optional: Glamour and Nude Photography

Optional: Video Handbook, Part 1

Optional: Video Handbook, Part 2

Business Booklets:

Freelance Opportunities

Introduction to the Business of Photography

Clarity is Your Only Style

Business of Wedding Photography

Starting Your Own Business

How to Open Your Own Studio

Business Audio CDs (5):

Freelance Opportunities

The Business of Photography

Clarity is Your Only Style

How to Enter and Win Contests

The Business of Wedding Photography

Advanced Business Techniques

DVDs:

Depth of Field, Shutter Speed, and Panning

Exposure, Filters, and Developing Your Eye

Portraits and Lighting

Wedding Portraits and Lighting (3)

Added 11/26/2011 - You may also want to read NYIP Photography Course Review and NYIP Photo Assignments.  

NYIP, Unit 6

I finished the NYIP Unit 6 last weekend, but we've had terrible storms and lots of rain in this area so my Internet has been down.  I've really missed it because I'm on the Internet a lot, playing games, searching for recipes, reading news (including the weather), and researching whatever takes my interest.  Currently that's photography.

Anyway, that's why I haven't had an update in a week and this is what Unit 6 was about:

Advertising and Still Life - the booklet had a copyright of 1982.  Most of the pictures were in black and white.  Black and white photographs can be dramatic and make a statement, but it's not usual to see advertisements in black and white in 2011.  The last page of the text included a list of practice projects which I don't remember seeing in more current lessons.  Of all things to omit when updating the booklets, I don't think this should have been one of them.

Architectural Photography - copyright 1979.  I know updating the text costs money, but, really, 1979?  The pictures were in black and white and the subjects weren't that interesting or inspiring.  And I found the text uninteresting as well even though the use of case studies was a nice angle. 

The other lessons in Unit 6 were optional:

View Camera - this was a 40 page pdf file from 2009 that I had to download from the NYIP website.  I'm not sure why a booklet wasn't available.  I did download it, but decided to read it later if I decide to use a view camera.  I did thumb through the booklets and they cover everything from the crew, the script, the budget, shooting, and editing. 

Glamour and Nude Photography - this booklet was revised in 2010 and was an optional lesson as some people might find the nudes objectionable.  Apparently, my idea of "glamour" photography is different than many other people's.  As I am wont to say on occasion, "Sometimes there's a fine line between sexy and slutty."  There were some good tips for photographing nude models in this text.  Like don't invite your friends over to watch. 

Video Handbook 1 & 2 - copyright 2009.  My camera can record video so I will probably read these sometime, but right now I want to concentrate on learning to shoot better than average photographs.

There was also a booklet on Updates from 2009 which included brief information on the Digital Revolution pertaining to the topics covered in Unit 6.

There was only 1 audio CD for this unit.  The discussion on glamour and nude photography bordered on funny as I got the impression the instructors were trying not to giggle through some of it.  I didn't find these conversations as interesting as those for the other units.  They concluded by saying that you could continue to ask questions and get help from NYIP even after you complete the course.

The business topic covered in Unit 6 was opening your own studio which included a little bit about a lot of pertinent topics.

The last 3 DVDs (for Units 4, 5, and 6) were all on wedding portraits, but the techniques would apply to any type of portrait work.  They were excerpts from a seminar given by the late Monte Zuckerman, a well known portrait photographer.  I found the information on lighting invaluable, but I didn't like his poses.  I found them stiff and occasionally even silly, or as another reviewer put it "cheesy".   I was disappointed that 3 of the 6 DVDs in this course were on the same subject.

Get 5 Still Life Lighting Tips of Beginners from the Digital Photography School that has an article on just about any photography topic you can think of.  There's more depth and accompanying photo examples in the article on Still Life Photography at ePHOTOzine

An article by Phillip Greenspun at photo.net on How to Photograph Architect (Exterior) was much more informative and helpful to me than the NYIP booklet.  By the way, Mr. Greenspun has a FREE online text book called Making Photographs.

Photography.com says in their article on glamour photography, "Glamour shots are suggestive and erotic but not explicitly pornographic. True glamour shots produce an air of romance and sexiness without crossing the boundaries of good taste."

I got a 90% on the final exam (which only covered the 2 non-optional lessons) which means I have an average of 93% for the course.

NYIP, Unit 5, Done!

I just finished Unit 5 of the NYIP course.  I got an A on the comprehensive exam.  Which surprised me a little but the questions I got right and the ones I got wrong surprised me a lot.

I've already the discussed the photojournalism lessons.  The next lesson was called Finishing Touches; the copyright on the text booklet was 1979.  The topics covered were The Zone System, How to Mount Prints, How to Spot Prints, How to Tone Prints, and How to Set Up a Darkroom.  Much of this referred to film and film cameras.  If you're still using film and want to develop your own prints/slides, I'm sure this was very helpful.  In my opinion this was an odd place in the course to have this lesson - between photojournalism and fashion photography. 

The lesson on fashion photography was good and the audio part was interesting.  If you think you'd like to become a fashion photographer (or a fashion model), I recommend you watch Tyra Banks and America's Next Top Model.

This unit finished up with Macro Photography, Astrophotography, and Coping [old pictures, documents, and paintings].  This lesson included how to take pictures through a microscope and telescope which was interesting, but one has to wonder how many photographers are going to have access to a microscope or telescope. 

Actually, the last lesson in this unit was Color Printing which was about processing color film.  Because this lesson is being revised, a text booklet wasn't available and I had to download it in pdf format from the NYIP website.  However, the lesson and final exam were optional and if I send NYIP an email, they'll send me the booklet when it's available.

I understand the general principles of the Zone System, but that doesn't help me use it. 

Wim Reyns has a guide to matting, mounting, and framing a photograph that includes lots of how-to pictures (some are inter-active).  Frame Destination has an article on several different types of Picture Frame Mounting Techniques.

Check out the fascinating micro-photographs on Dark Roasted Blend.

If you want more information on astrophotography, the website Catching the Light  by Jerry Lodriguss looks like a great place to start.  I wasn't interested in astophotography before I saw the photograph of the star trails on the last page of the NYIP text booklet, so I'm going back to Catching the Light as soon as I can get a round toit.

This unit included a booklet and audio lesson on Starting Your Own Business which were very helpful.  The audio conversation between four of the NYIP staff of varying ages and experience was quite interesting.  A few of the best tips they gave included (1) utilize the free services of the U. S. Small Business Administration, (2) write a business plan, (3) get your own business cards as soon as possible, and (4) set up a blog and/or website. 

On to the last unit!!

NYIP, Unit 5 begun

I started on Unit 5 in the NYIP course.  So far, I'm not impressed. 

We started with Photojournalism 1 and 2.  They covered a lot of ground: everything from the local newspaper to the national wire services, sports, features, the picture story.  They had lots of pictures and lots of text.  The narrative text was smaller than normal (compared to their other text booklets), but readable.  However, the text under the pictures was very small and I couldn't read it without a magnifying glass.

This section was a great example of how much our world has changed in the last decade.

1. The booklets both had a copyright date of 1993. 
2. When they said 'digital' they meant scanned images, not photos taken with a digital camera. 
3. They noted that one item every newspaper photojournalist needs is a 2-way radio to keep in contact with the Editor back in the office.
4. There was no mention of on-line news sites.

I know it's hard to keep up with changes in technology, but one has to wonder how out-dated and appropriate their other non-technology information was about jobs and careers in photojournalism.

The unit did include an Update booklet that was more up-to-date, but only included 3 1/2 pages of updates on photojournalism (and this included lots of white space and large section headings.  The audio lesson/conversations were up-to-date and even mentioned the importance of learning video.

I don't think I've mentioned that not all of the text booklets are the same size.  Some are taller than the others  The all fit in the box provided by NYIP, but still ....

National Geographic has an informative and interesting Photography Guide for photojournalists.  It's an easy read as it's target audience is 6th to 8th graders.  (Unfortunately, most of the links are broken.)

NYIP has several good articles on sports photography in their ezine, Photoworld.

In their photography articles on Tuesday Tips, the Chicago Tribune discusses 10 Key Traits of Winning Photojournalists.  To see what a working photojournalist actually does, check out Alex Garcia's blog Assignment Chicago  or Scott Strazzante's Shooting from the Hip.  Not only are the pictures great, but the boys are kinda cute, too.

NYIP Review Blog

I found a new blog from a fellow NYIP student.  If you'd like a different perspective on the NYIP course, check out Scott's NYIP Review Blog.  Unfortunately, he only updates it once or twice a year.

(Update 09/20/2012 - the above link is dead as the entire blog has been deleted.  Try the links in this post: Another NYIP Student's Blog)

I've seen a few other blogs and websites from NYIP students who started reviewing the course unit by unit, but they all quit writing before they got to the end.  I don't know if they stopped taking the course or got so busy taking photographs that they didn't have time to write.

NYIP, Unit 4 Portraiture

I'm almost through NYIP Unit 4 which is about lighting, portraiture photography, and wedding photography.  The audio CDs are up to date, but the five text booklets are older  (1983 - 1995) and the references to film cameras is a little distracting, especially when there is no corresponding information for digital cameras.  This unit does include a booklet on updates that addresses how digital cameras have changed portraiture photography, and building a professional photography website.

Much of the audio is on wedding photography because apparently this is a good way to begin a career in professional photography (or maybe "a common way" is more appropriate than "a good way".    The conversation covers many different aspects of wedding photography, including how to dress appropriately (hint: wear comfortable shoes) and what equipment you'll need (hint: you might need a step ladder).

Digital Photography School has an article discussing 10 Ways to Take Stunning Portraits and 18 other portrait photography tutorials.

Epic Edits' 16 Inspirational Portrait Photography Techniques is an out-of-the-box look at portraits.

I have not read the book Fine Art Wedding Photography but it got great reviews on Amazon.com (and other sties).


Later in the day: I took the Unit 4 exam and got an A, but I'm not happy that I missed 4 of the 50 questions.  Some of the questions and answers were worded a little tricky (it's multiple choice).  You are able to download the exams and fill in the answers using the texts then complete the exams on-line to submit them.  Sometimes none of the answers seemed right.  If they had worded the choices on the test the same way they were worded on the answer sheet (where they graded the test) they wouldn't have been so confusing. There were a few answers that were worded so differently I'm not sure they were the same answer.

NYIP, Unit 3 - completed

I'm half way through the NYIP course.  YEAH!  I only missed one question on the Unit 3 exam and that's because I miss-keyed the answer on the online text - I had it right on my printed version. 

The NYIP audio CDs are just conversations between 2 or 3 NYIP staff that support and reinforce the reading material, but, frankly, sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.    They are usually interesting because the participants are real photographers discussing how they take photographs, how they got in the business, what equipment they use, and so no, but there are times when I could do with a little more lecture and a little less talk, if you know what I mean.

The DVD accompanying this lesson was very good.  It demonstrated how you could set up a temporary studio in your dining room using sun light from a window and Jerry Rice and Don were back in the botanical gardens photographing flowers from a different angle.  Jerry is a good instructor.

The last three topics covered in Unit 3 were Landscape and Nature Photography, Travel Photography, and the Perfect Print.  We've finished the basic photography techniques and are moving on to using the techniques for different photography genres.

These lessons seemed to be rather short but they covered a lot of ground.  Landscape and Nature covered landscapes, flowers, rainbows, and snow.  NYIP's tips on travel photography from Chris and Chuck were helpful and interesting.  The Perfect Print booklet was published in 1985 and while there are many aspects of a perfect print that hold true in both 1985 and 2011, this section really needs updated to include digital prints and computer editing software. 

There are 5 tips for improving your landscape photography at Your Digital Photography.com.   Digital SLR Guro has 5 different tips on landscape photography.  Photo Tuts+ has an interesting article on black and white landscapes and a video lecture,  Edward Burtynsky on Manufactured Landscapes.

Digital Photography School and the travel experts, Fodor's, have several articles on travel photography.

NYIP, Unit 3 - more on lighting

After a month I finally got back to the NYIP course.  Today was lesson 13, Electronic Flash and Strobe.  I didn't really understand all that I read in this lesson.  Lighting in photography is a broad subject.  There are different kinds of lighting, different kinds of flashes,diffuser and reflectors and light boxes, guide numbers, and ratios.  Learning lighting is going to take some more study and practice.  

They used the term "hot shoe" in the NYIP lesson today, but if they ever defined it I missed it (which could very well have happened - my mind goes on walks without me all the time).  A hot shoe is the thingee on top of your camera where you can attach a flash.   Best Family Photography Tips has a picture of a hot shoe along with an explanation of its use.  [Note added 4/3/2011: NYIP's lesson did indeed define hot shoe and had a picture of it.] 

Photo Tuts+ has several tutorials on lighting including The Complete Guide to Your Hot Shoe Flash which isn't really a complete guide except it does tell you a little about a lot of different flashes and it's a good place to start.  While you're there don't miss The Complete Beginners Guide to Natural Light. 

I'm not sure how to define lighting ratios except to say it refers to using multiple lights and how "strong" each light is. Photography Master Class has a video tutorial on lighting ratio and lighting techniques.  They have other photography videos as well. 

Studio Lighting approaches lighting ratios from another angle (pun intended).   This site has a ton of free articles and tutorials on lighting.

If you believe the saying "one picture is worth a thousand words", study the 30 photographs that illustrate the use of natural light on Web Design Ledger.  No words, just pictures.

Updates

I haven't signed up with Lynda.com yet so this is a short update on that site.  I have not been inundated with emails from them wanting to know why I haven't.  I got 2 or 3 maybe 4 emails total from them in the month since I signed up for the 2 week free trial. 

This is good.  Companies that won't take no for an answer and send me a gazillion emails should be banned from the Internet.  Lynda.com does not appear to be that kind of company. 

On another note, I have not been keeping up with my NYIP lessons as I got side-tracked last month and haven't been able to get back to them.  (Procrastinator is my middle name.)  I did receive the lesson materials for the rest of the units a couple of weeks ago along with a reflector umbrella. The umbrella looks like this one but I think it's smaller. I'm not sure if umbrellas are measured across or over the top. The one I got is 33" across the top, 23" diameter.



A couple of months ago I also got the lens cleaning cloth from NYIP that I had to request because they were out when they sent the first unit.  The cloth is a generous 15" x 15", probably a $5 - $10 value.

Photoflex Lighting School has a free lesson on using umbrellas if you're interested.  They have several free lighting lessons because they sell lighting equipment. 

Web Photo School also has a free lesson on using umbrellas with strobe lighting.

LightenUpandShoot.com has some suggestions for umbrella brackets.  This is an irreverent photography site from two fun dudes.  Check it out.

NYIP Unit 2, Done!

On Monday I finished the rest of the lessons in Unit 2, Digital Processing, Filters, and Developing Your Eye, then tonight I finished the Live Action Video. 

The DVD was very interesting and informative, even though much of it focused on using film cameras.  However, many photography techniques apply equally to film and digital cameras.   The video included a segment on how to assess a used camera and lens.  NYIP discourages students from spending a lot of money on cameras, accessories, and gadgets. 

About 75% of the Digital Processing lesson covered scanning.  I didn't find this relevant and skimmed through it.  There were paragraphs here and there that were pertinent to cameras, but I probably missed most of them. 

I learned that the most important filter to own is a polarizing filter, and then neutral density filters.  Many effects that used to be achieved with filters can now be done with image editing software.

Developing Your Eye was a short lesson on learning to look and see before taking photographs.

1. The Digital Photography School has an article on 10 Deadly Post-Processing Sins that's funny as well as helpful.
2. Cambridge in Color has a good tutorial on lenses.
3. There are great tips on how to take great pictures by focusing on your subject at Photography by Briana.
4. You might also want to check out the NYIP podcast on Three Guidelines for Great Photography.

I took the exam before watching the video and, as I said in an earlier post, I didn't pay as much attention to the lessons as I should have.  I only got 52 of 60 questions right for a grade of 87% (B+).

The "Sunny 16" Rule

I forgot to mention in the previous post that NYIP covered the "Sunny 16" rule in Lesson 6.  The Sunny 16 rule says that on sunny days the approximately correct exposure settings would be f/16 with the shutter speed set approximately equal to the ISO speed.  So if the ISO was 100 the aperture would be f/16 and the shutter speed would be 1/100th (give or take a little).

Jim Pickeral Digital Grin has an entertaining explanation of the Sunny 16 rule and explains how to adapt it to different conditions and apertures.

Ben Long at Complete Digital Photography defines exposure and discusses the 3 exposure controls (ISO, shutter speed, and aperture), the Sunny 16 rule, and reciprocity.  We studied reciprocity in Lesson 6, but I didn't pay much attention.   In my opinion, this article explains it much more clearly.

NYIP Unit 2, Lesson 6 cont.

I finished Lesson 6 yesterday.  The one on Exposure.  Frankly, I didn't find this lesson all that informative.  Maybe I wasn't paying attention.  This is the stuff you have to know to take better than average pictures.  There will probably be more information in the video. 

I have found already, just 6 lessons into the course, that they do repeat topics and go into more detail in following lessons or even in different parts of the same lessons.  For example, yesterday they discussed light meters in more detail and explained more about how to use them.  

They also talked a little about using auto exposure features on a camera.  And they gave some hints on special situations such as photographing snow, night scenes, fireworks, and the moon.

I would recommend that anyone taking this course practice what is taught as soon as possible after the lesson.  (This applies to any other course for that matter.)  I'm not heeding my own advice and I know I'll regret it later when I won't be able to remember a darn thing. 

While exploring photography topics on the Internet, I read over and over that Bryan Peterson's book on Understanding Exposure is a must have in every photographer's library.

I also "completed" lesson 7 yesterday which was about developing black and white film.  This was a short lesson and one which I'll probably never need.  They didn't discuss it much, but recommended that students keep the lesson booklet for future reference if needed.

NYIP Unit 2, Lesson 6

Lesson six = exposure.  This is one of the most important lessons in the course, or so I was told in the first part of the lesson. 

The lessons come on CDs with several tracks on each CD to help break up the lessons into manageable segments.  With Unit 2 I received a lesson explaining that Track 6 was really Track 2 and Track 2 was 6.  I listened to Track 1 last weekend and listened to Track 6 this morning.  I'm old and forgetful so I thought I'd forgotten something when they started talking about page 50 in the book when I'd only read to page 21.  Turns out, they'd fixed the error and Track 2 actually was Track 2.

So far we've discussed evaluating correct exposure and light meters.  The instructors said the reflective light meter in your digital camera is probably all you'll need unless doing specialized photography, such as advertising.  However, you can't rely on the meter alone - it can't do all your thinking for you.  They also said that if you were going to buy a meter, get an incident meter and they mentioned the brand name Sekonic.

1. The NYIP web site has a short article on incident light readings and use of an 18% gray card. 
2. Cambridge in Colour does a nice job explaining camera metering and exposure.
3. The Digital Photography School has a lesson on using your camera's light meter in their (free!) Photography 101 course. 

We also discussed digital cameras and histograms.  I didn't even know digital cameras had histograms, much less what they were used for.  Now I do.  Here are some tutorials if you want to learn more about using the histogram to improve your photographs.

1. Cambridge in Colour has a 2-part tutorial on histograms.
2. The National Parks Service has a 4 page pdf leaflet on Understanding Histograms.   While I was there I noticed they also have a leaflet on Digital Storage Media.
3. Digicamhelp  also has a good little tutorial on using histograms.

NYIP, Unit 2, Lesson 5

I started on Lesson 5, Image Capture, last week.  The first section was about how film works.  This is the kind of information that somebody feels is important to teach, but that few students appreciate.  It's suppose to help you understand why you set certain measurements to what on your camera, whether it's film or digital.  It's probably very useful information, but it was still boring.

OK, maybe it wasn't that boring.

How Film Works:
Yes Mag has a simple explanation of how film works.  Visit this page to see one of the earliest color picture even if you don't give a rat's hat about how film works. It almost looks 3-D. 

Visit the University of North Carolina's article from How Stuff Works for a more thorough, but still readable, explanation. There is a simple ISO (film speed) chart that you might find useful.

ISO Settings:
The ISO settings rate the "speeds" of different films.  The film speed refers to its sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO rating the "faster" the film (the more sensitive it is to light).  Digital cameras also have ISO settings and the relationship between ISO speed to light sensitivity is the same as film cameras.

Face the Light Face the Light explains ISO and adds a summary at the end of each section so if you don't want to read all the details just look for the "Summary" section. 

For visual learners, Digital-Camera has a video tutorial. 

White Balance:
There's a simple explanation of white balance on Sandro Digital Photography as part of their free photography course   There's a video that shows how to set custom white balance on Canon cameras.

Memory Cards:
The professionals who conversed for this lesson said that any name brand memory card is good, but they mentioned SanDisk and Lexar by name.   They also said that it's better to buy several smaller cards (1 GB) than cards with more memory, format the card in your camera, and that it's better to delete the pictures from your computer than your camera.

The Digital SLR Guide explains digital SLR memory cards and memory card reader.