This will be session one of four photography workshops in the month of May. The objective of the series of workshops is to learn basic photography techniques, view the works of master photographers, and have hands on experience with peer-to-peer critique of your work. It will be designed so that participants can chose to participate in all sessions or pick and chose sessions as they choose based in their needs and interests (however curriculum will be designed for students who want to participate in all classes). Ultimately I would like to put the images up in a show that we would curate as a group around Ramadan (if participants choose to do so). I would like to give the class a little bit of freedom in the workshop but would also like a theme so the first session we can discuss how to frame the personal project. Please note that participants are responsible for the cost of all materials.

Week 1:

• Introduction to class and objectives
• Elements of a good photo
• Photography techniques
• Software editing techniques
• How to chose the best photos to fit your story
• Framing of personal project (to be completed by week 4)
• How to operate the camera (for those who bring their camera to class and have questions on how to operate it, this will be done at the end of class on an individual basis so that others may leave if they wish to do so)

Requirements:

• You do not need to bring these to class but they will be necessary for shooting assignments
• Camera: Digital SLR is the best option, however since not everyone can afford one you can bring a point and shoot camera. If you cannot afford a point and shoot camera but have a good quality camera built into your smartphone (such as an iPhone) you can feel free to use that, however a proper camera is best.
• Photo editing software: Photoshop is the best option ($699.00), however since not everyone can afford Photoshop, there is a a Photoshop Elements version ($99.99) which is a little more limited however has a lot of great features you can use to edit your images. Both are available for Mac and PC. Another option for PC users is Microsoft Photo Manager, however this product is extremely limiting. You may also download the trial version of each of these products for free for 30 days.

About the Instructor:

Alexandra holds a BFA in photojournalism from the Rochester Institute of Technology and is one of the organizers of the Progressive Muslim Meetup. Her main interest is in documentary photography and has worked on several projects documenting the Muslim community in New York.