Book Project is Back on Track!

The Spring semester is quickly coming to a close and in-between getting my final exams ready (among a deluge of other things) I actually carved out some time this weekend to work on my book project.

Yes…that book project I was so excited about a few months ago. As usual it stalled due to the constant demands of teaching, freelancing and my DL duties.  I always had the project in the back of my mind, working it out conceptually. I was initially inspired to revisit it by an all day Adobe Creative Suite workshop that I attended this past Friday. The new applications I learned in the seminar got me thinking about innovative ways to organize and prioritize my hundreds of photographs in a program called Bridge.

Andei at the Beach and Posing for the Camera

Anyway… I started laying the book out and designing the template in In-Design and Photoshop two different times and couldn’t decide how I wanted the overall design to be for the photographs and journal entries. Since that time however, I discovered Blurb an online Book Publishing company with excellent and nicely designed templates and advanced layout features for someone with design skills. I also decided to start small in order to learn the Blurb software and see how a finished book looks from this company.

My darling daughter Andei’s 16th birthday (Yikes I feel old) is in June so I’m doing (and dedicating) my first book for her. It’s essentially a series of black & white photographs and journal entries I took of her since she was born. I’m also laying out a second book with all the best photographs she’s taken since she has been interested in photography. So I have my work cut out for me, but it should go fast because Blurb is very user friendly and has a relatively quick turn around time.

Andei in late afternoon light with Globe and Silly Expression

Once I get these two projects finished I’ll be ready to work on the bigger BOOK project that will include a cross section of photographs juxtaposed with my  journal writing over the past 25 years.

Andei and I in New York City 12/07

It’s always a great feeling to actually see some progress on a major creative “personal” project - I feel confident I can get these first 2 books out by the middle of May and mailed to my daughter in time for her birthday. I am envisioning laying out an entire series of photo books in the coming years.  You gotta LOVE  technology!

Thoughts on Teaching Art Appreciation and History

I’ve been teaching art appreciation and art history for over twenty years and I must admit I never get tired of the material. Art has so much incredible emotional and intellectual depth to it - the desire to communicate is an integral part of the human condition since those first prehistoric people began expressing themselves with earth minerals, bits of charcoal and pigments on the walls of the caves of France. This is a subject I am deeply passionate about. It seems I learn something new about art and its amazing history every semester I teach it. In fact, I learn a great deal from my students (in my online courses across the state) who bring so much new and exciting information to our discussion boards.

The one thing we as students of art history must notice as we research the various periods and styles of art. ART is a MIRROR of society and it reflects the issues, concerns, fears, hopes, beliefs, superstitions and agendas of every period in history throughout the world back at us viewing it today.

It is so much more than for decoration. Developing a deeper awareness and understanding of art through the ages gives us insight into the actual history of civilization before the non-objective and abstract art twentieth century because art is essentially a visual journey through time.

There is so much more to art (painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, etc.) than initially meets the eye, and without an understanding of the visual language and the historical context of any given art work we as viewers cannot truly extract all the information (content) out of the work.

Rococo - Neoclassical Art

What continues to fascinate me is how the styles of art change EVOLVE from period to period and region to region. It is as if one art style is responding and reacting to the previous one. Rococo art to Neoclassical is a great example of this powerful reaction of one art style to another

I believe that having a broader understanding and appreciation of art enriches and enhances our lives. To be able to view a great work of art and glean all the intellectual, emotional and cultural content out of it is an exciting and fulfilling experience. It makes a visit to a museum an exciting adventure and unique learning experience rather than a boring stroll through vast galleries of unfamiliar pictures and statues.

Art is NOT just for the rich. It’s NOT just for intellectuals and the elite. Art is for EVERYONE and it only takes a little bit of knowledge, insight and background to truly understand, appreciate and enjoy all types of art from purely representational to the totally abstract.

Digital Photography Workshop - After Thoughts

I presented another Digital Photography Workshop in Jacksonville NC yesterday. This time I gave a more advanced presentation to a small group of local photographers. It was a nice surprise to see one of my former Photography graduates Dean Remington show up for my talk. He sure has come a long way with his photography. He now runs his own portrait studio in Jacksonville. I love the fact that we as teachers can make a “difference” in peoples lives and impact people in a positive way.

Putting together a presentation like this forces me to truly think about the medium of photography in new ways. Digital technology is changing (evolving) so rapidly it is very difficult for anyone in the field to keep abreast of the various aspects and dynamics of photography. It must be almost overwhelming for people just learning photography or any aspect of computer / imaging technology. The one thing that hit me as I wrote this presentation is that Photography in itself has not really changed. Taking a unique, interesting, dynamic, well composed photograph is pretty much the same whether you are still using a film camera or have moved to digital. It is the PHOTOGRAPHER who SEES the potential image NOT the camera. I must admit I am a little nostalgic for traditional film photography although I must admit to not having shot film in over 5 years. This decision was made for both health concerns and the time factor. As I mentioned to my students yesterday…there is something about the inherent quality of a black & white “silverprint” that cannot be replicated digitally. At least I’ve not seen a digital b&w photograph that reveals the subtle nuance, fine detail and tonal delineation that a traditionally printed b&w print has. With that said…it’s not the act of making the pictures that’s changed over the past 10 years. That for the most part is still relatively the same, although it seems that people tend to take more photographs when they know they can delete them from their flash cards or have a 2 gig card that holds hundreds of images. I think film photographers tend to be a little more selective in their choice of subject matter and how they may compose and expose it. This is just a personal opinion however, not based on any real research other than anecdotal.

The real changes have occurred in the processing of the image after the initial exposure is taken. The digital processing can be faster because you don’t have to process the film in chemistry and then print the images. You see the photograph immediately and can process it in image manipulation software like Photoshop, Aperature or Light Room in a matter of minutes although if the photographer has limited computer skills this can be a timely procedure as well.

Anyway…I am attaching my Powerpoint presentation at the bottom of this post for anyone who wants to view it. Photography is constantly evolving as technology advances. I think it is important NOT to loose sight of the fact that making GOOD photographs is still in the hands, mind and heart of the photographer. Computers, software and digital gadgets are just TOOLS to help us as image makers produce the very best and expressive photographs possible. The best photographs control the tools and don’t let the tool control them and how they make pictures. CLICK LINK BELOW FOR POWERPOINT

digitalphoto1

Thoughts on the Future of Teaching / Learning

I am at the Distance Learning Alliance Conference in New Bern North Carolina. As I sit through the keynotes and various presentations I’m realizing its mind boggling where education is has been going just in the past few years. To think where online instruction was ten years ago and the phenomenal strides that have been made in just one decade. Such as the high level of technical sophistication that Course Management Systems like Blackboard are developing and the vast array of instructional communication tools online teachers have at their disposal.

Teaching / learning has gotten more mobile and the thing that is becoming more evident to me is the MELDING of tools, applications and rich media throughout the internet and in our culture in general.

This is all new territory and I don’t think anyone can predict where the technology is going. I see it all getting more and more seamless and fluid weaving between the web, course management systems, blogs, podcasts, video content, text messaging, Instant Messaging, Screen casts and even voice mail.

I see the bigger challenge as educators is to harness, channel, master all the various technologies, applications and media into our teaching styles and methodologies.

There’s no doubt the culture is changing worldwide and without a basic understanding of the various learning styles of different groups of learners we as educators can’t truly incorporate / apply these powerful tools into our classes.

All this change can certainly be intimidating to teachers. Especially instructors that are new to online education. The one thing that is becoming more and more evident is just how computer literate educators have to be these days, in addition to being willing to commit to the concept of “life long learning”. Its not just about knowing your content anymore. We have to be content specialists as well as keep ourselves abreast of the constantly changing / evolving content delivery systems and melding tools and applications. To me its a matter of embracing it and NOT being afraid of what the future has in store for us as educators. There really is no choice if we are going to remain viable and credible in our classrooms whether they be online or in a more traditional setting.

Teaching is so much more than just teaching in 2008. We are all at different points on the technological continuum and be willing to accept this fact of life and do our best to accept and even thrive in an ever changing and very dynamic teaching / learning environment.

Click here for link to my presentation that my colleagues and I gave yesterday.

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