Open University Course Week 1

[Rob MacKillop]

Started the OU T189 Digital photography: creating and sharing better images course today. It is a ten-week course, with a different assignment each week. I will report on each week as I work through the course. Comments and questions welcome. The fee is £205, for which I got an ILA Grant of £200 - so it cost me a fiver They give you for free a fully working copy of Photoshop Elements 8

This first week seems to consist of two parts - a very general discussion of what makes a good picture - both technical matters and subject choices. Nothing too detailed so far. The second part is an overview of Elements 8, tagging, filing, etc. Again, nothing too in-depth. Although I already had Photoshop CS3, I will be working with Elements, to save me from getting confused between the two - easily done.

Our first project is to photograph a bottle...while thinking of three aspects: colour, light and viewpoint. We had to restrict our time on this to 20 minutes, to help sharpen the mind...

I've just done these images - all unprocessed, straight out of the X100, macro setting and Velvia colouring. I am desperate to do some pp here and there, maybe even black and white for one or two of them, but I'll be thrown off the course if I do that now

I have to choose three of the following:


Week1 Bottle 016 by RobMacKillop, on Flickr


Week1 Bottle 010 by RobMacKillop, on Flickr


Week1 Bottle 008 by RobMacKillop, on Flickr


Week1 Bottle 003 by RobMacKillop, on Flickr


Week1 Bottle 023 by RobMacKillop, on Flickr


Week1 Bottle 027 by RobMacKillop, on Flickr


Week1 Bottle 030 by RobMacKillop, on Flickr

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Hmm...I just noticed while adding the images that I no longer have the option in flickr to export ''Large'' images. So, Elements 8 must be restricting the size to 640 x 425 max. Also, despite rotating the last two images, they have appeared as I shot them. So, little tweaks to do here and there in Elements, I think.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Great stuff Rob ... i was hoping you were going to share your progress through this course with us!

 

[Ben Jennings]

I did this course back in 2007 as part of my honours for my degree, it's a good course, hope you have fun doing it.I really like the first picture, the texture is very cool

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I wonder if it has changed much since 2007, Ben? Probably just tweaked here and there. The forum for the course seems very active, with everybody keen to get stuck in. Seems well laid out, but there is no instructor, which some might find odd. It just has online tuition in text, images and video, and a forum which has three moderators. It is not their job to comment on your images, but they might. At the end of the course we have to submit three images which have been worked on during the course, and you get pro feedback on them.

Hamish - can you save these posts into a blog? Or do I do that myself?

 

[Hamish Gill]

You do it your self mate

click "blog this post"
remove the [ quote] [/quote ] code from either side
and put it into a category of you making ... let me know if you get stuck..


I wonder who the Pro's that give you feedback are?

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I think I've done it...

 

[Pete Askew]

Sounds interesting Rob. I do like No 1, 4 and 5 but a nice series anyway on the subject (I quite like St Peter's Mild too!!).

 

[alfie Wright]

Nice one , Rob! I'll watch this blog with interest. Looks a great course to do mate.

I really like 1 & 4 for the texture & colour respectively.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Cracking start - and a great illustration of how setting or being set a theme can spark some creativity and make things interesting.

Looking forward to seeing how the course develops, and what you think of it.

Can't complain for a fiver - bargain!

 

[Pete Sykes]

1, 3 & 4 get my vote Rob.

Pete

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Looking forward to your giant turnip shots, Pete

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Couldn't resist another couple of bottle shots, especially when the lady in green seemed to be emerging from the bottle...


Nero2 by RobMacKillop, on Flickr


Nero1 by RobMacKillop, on Flickr

 

[Paul Lange]

Respect Rob for signing up for a course. No one does it for me. I think it's the mix of literal and abstract that works so well.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Hi Paul. I thought you said ''no one'' but I think (hope) you meant number 1

 

[Paul Lange]

Yep I mean't No one as in Number one!