Introduction
to Advanced Panoramic Architectural and Landscape Photography
Digital Panoramic Photography course
in Guatemala
Professor
Nicholas Hellmuth will now be offering courses and training on
fundamentals of panorama photography including large format digital
panorama photography.
This
course is unique in that it's an actual professional expedition
to do large format digital panoramic photography. Once we photograph
this specific area of Guatemala, the course will not likely be
repeated.
This
is a hands-on courses with limited participation size. We have
the top of the line digital panorama camera from BetterLight.
If enough people sign up we mayadd the original Dicomed FieldPro
BetterLight Pano system (same system as used by Stephen Johnson
to photograph the National Parks) and the Seitz Super RoundShot
70mm - 220 rollfilm panoramic camera.
Students
will work in small groups for maximum practice together with an
instructor. This course will have no minimum group size. Cutoff
group size is 8.
Although
it helps to have a knowledge of Photoshop beforehand, under some
circumstances we can provide Photoshop training as an additional
course concurrent with the panorama course. Training in Photoshop
is available separately for introductory into intermediate level
or for brush up intermediate course if you already have a bit
of knowledge.
This
course in panoramic photography is suitable for any individual,
of any age or background, who wishes to learn about digital imaging
and panoramic photography.
Naturally
this course is especially appropriate for architects, photographers,
graphic designers, artists, architectural historians, art historians,
archaeologists or students of these disciplines.
Panorama photography digital camera
Dr Nicholas Hellmuth is an architectural historian who specializes
in large format photography of ancient Mayan pyramids and buildings
throughout Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. This program
is sponsored by FLAAR Digital Imaging Resource Center at the Francisco
Marroquin University.
The
course will take advantage of the natural scenery of Guatemala,
especially the tropical beauty of the highland mountains and the
volcanic cones which dramatize the skylines in panorama photography.
Although
we obviously won't do pano photography from an airplane, to see
what the landscape looks like, see the area a few miles from the
university.
We may also do urban landscapes in the nicest portions of Zone
10, Vista Hermosa, and the airport area to show off the striking
modern architecture of this expanding city. Field tRIP´s
will include excursions to Antigua, the Spanish colonial ruins
about one hour from the city. We will also photograph Lake Atitlan,
whose volcano-rimmed shores make it often considered the most
beautiful lake in Latin America.
The
designations "introduction" and "advanced"
explain the nature of this course. Introduction implies that common
sense and a good photographic eye are the most useful prerequisites.
"Advanced"
means the students will learn the absolute latest technological
advances in panorama photography, namely seamless digital photography.
A large format digital scan back rotates on a computer-controlled
panorama head. One complete vertical pixel column is taken with
each "shot." Up to 29,999 pixel columns can be taken
in automatic sequence (Adobe Photoshop can't open a digital image
larger than 30,000 pixels). The average file is about 280 MB to
600 MB of true optical data (no interpolation).
This
course will involve large format inkjet digital printing since
the panoramas lend themselves to giant mural-sized enlargements.
Indeed the best student and faculty photographs will be offered
to large format printer manufacturers for them to consider using
these images to showcase the quality of the large format printers
at trade shows.
This
course is especially suitable for architectural students, architectural
historians as well as for anyone wishing to learn digital photography.
This course is also suitable for individuals who are already professional
photographers as well as hobby photographers who wish to have
some experience using professional equipment.
Individuals
with considerable interest but less experience are also welcome,
indeed they will be offered private instruction in Adobe Photoshop
to bring them up to speed.
Dr
Hellmuth will give the initial lectures on the overall system
and will supervise the training by other instructors including
Marlon Castillo. The actual practice sessions will be led by instructors
at Francisco Marroquin University who have been using this panoramic
camera for two years.
Focus
will be on visual communications of natural and urban landscapes.
|
|
|
This
is the kind of photo you should be capable of producing
yourself after the 2nd week of instruction and practice.
FLAAR provides all the necessary equipment.
|
The
following syllabus is tentative and will be altered to suit the
developing circumstances.
| Session
1: Welcome and introduction to wide angle and panorama
photography in the first century of photography. |
Session
2: review of the traditional panorama cameras of the 1950's
into the 1980's. |
| Practice:
Session 3: Perspective control and movements, the downside
of small format cameras which lack these movements: Traditional
wide angle photography with conventional cameras: Nikon 15mm,
Hasselblad SuperWide, and other cameras. The need for QTVR
when you don't have seamless system. |
Practice:
Session 4: Perspective control and movements with 4x5
cameras with wide angle lenses, etc. |
| Practice:
Session 5: Introduction to computerized panorama cameras:
the newest BetterLight digital pano system. Photography on
location: panoramas of the UFM campus |
Practice:
Session 6: Photography on location: wide angle panoramas
of the UFM campus |
| Practice:
Session 7: Photography on location: panoramas of a courtyard
aspect of the UFM campus |
Practice
Session 8: Photography on location: panoramas of an interior
scene on the UFM campus |
| Session
9: Critique of student photography work done to date |
Practice:
Session 10: Photography on location: panoramas of an interior
situation in the Museo Ixchel. |
| Practice
Session 11: Photography on location: panoramic close-up
inside the Museo Popol Vuh |
Practice
Session 12: Photography on location: panoramas within
an urban courtyard in Zona 10 or VistaHermosa |
| Practice
Session 13: Photography on location: panoramas of an urban
landscape of skyscrapers in Zona 10 or VistaHermosa, especially
from the hills looking down on VistaHermosa office buildings
and tall apartments. |
Practice
Session 14: Photography on location: panoramas of an colonial
situation in Antigua or nearby. We many add additional sessions
for Antigua if weather and conditions permit. |
| Practice
Session 15: Photography on location: panoramas of a landscape
such as Lake Atitlan. We may add additional sessions for Antigua
if weather and conditions permit. |
Practice
Session 16: Critique of student photography work |
The
above list will be adapted to the weather. The idea is that 2
students will work in the morning sunlight; 2 other students in
the afternoon. It is not possible to photograph with digital system
at night. In order to take advantage of sunlight,we will work
weekends as well. Since this is the first year of this innovative
course, we aspire to keep the number of students down so that
we can give them all individual attention.
Classroom
lectures will be presented primarily by Nicholas Hellmuth. Coverage
of the aspects of the BetterLight system will be given by the
various assistants. All lectures on Adobe Photoshop (after the
general introduction by Dr Hellmuth) will be given by the staff
of the Digital Imaging Technology Center at the Universidad Francisco
Marroquin.
We
will not tend to use any traditional textbook since there is no
one book that covers what this course covers. We will occasionally
refer to books on digital photography and on large format camera
movements.
Due
to the costs of books on panorama photography, it will make more
sense to use the Internet as a resource. A list of Internet resources
on panorama photography will be given to each participant.
Lab
costs: any printing of results would result in student covering
the basic cost of ink and media.
Tutoring
in Adobe Photoshop: if your skills in Photoshop are minimal, or
if this is your first time, we will need to provide remedial and/or
basic Photoshop training to you. Usually such a course costs up
to $900 in the USA. Cost via UFM should be roughly $300 for intermediate
to $500 for beginner, depending on the level you wish to achieve
and depending on how much personal attention our staff needs to
dedicate you to teach you Photoshop quickly and thoroughly. If
you need tutoring in Photoshop you will also need to bring with
you the pertinent books which we will recommend.
Tutoring
in Wide Format Inkjet Printing: we have a 42" wide Hewlett-Packard
DesignJet 5000ps and a 24" Epson 7500 printers in our facilities
(we have several others but these are the two with pigmented inks).
If you wish to learn how to do your own printing, including a
bit on RIP software, we can provide a personalized course on the
spot for $300; if you wish to have and take home the over 40 FLAAR
Reports, cost is $200 for PDF downloads. Realize that the normal
wide format printing course itself costs just under $1,000, so
you are getting the basic material for half price.
Course
fee for digital panoramic photography (not including Adobe Photoshop)
is $2,000 for professional photographers, $1,500 for non-students,
pro-sumers, full time museum, college, or university faculty or
staff, or hobby photographers. For students under 28 years of
age, $500 if space allows.
You
will be provided jpeg copies of your files to reproduce at page
size. If you wish the original copies at high resolution there
is a flat fee of $1,000 camera rental fee for Lake Atitlan views
and $1,000 for comparable unique views elsewhere per individual
image. There is no cost for generic views in Guatemala City outside
the university campus. However there is no camera rental fee if
you wish to return home with mural size print-outs; we have all
the necessary wide-format inkjet printers here in Guatemala. You
merely cover the cost of the print-out.
There is no camera rental fee if you merely want to learn how
to do digital panoramic photography and you do not need commercially
viable results to take home with you.
A
corporation may make the payment in the name of any person for
any level of attendance. Some people might be more willing to
be benefactor, sponsor or patron if their company can pay that
sum.
Scholarships
will potentially be available for a limited number of personnel
of the IDAEH and Museo Nacional.
Lab
costs: any printing of results would result in student covering
the basic cost of ink and media. Insurance, transportation, hotel,
and meal costs are not included.
All
photographs which result from use of FLAAR equipment are automatically
copyright by FLAAR but with credit given to the student(s). If
any photographs result from this course that can be commercialized,
25% commission goes to student, 25% to UFM, 25% to the Centro
Digital, and 25% to FLAAR.
If you commercialize any photo of yours which results from this
course, your $1,000 file copy fee covers the first $1,000 of your
income. Any income you or your company receive over this sum,
a 25% commission is due to FLAAR as camera rental fee. If you
were to rent this camera system from a commercial location, rental
fee would probably be about $2,000 per day plus surcharges if
they knew you were using it in a foreign country.
If
due to weather, political, or other conditions this course can
not take place, we will notify you as soon as possible. You receive
back 100% of your payments. Be sure your airplane tickets are
refundable. If due to equipment malfunction, breakage, the sessions
are cut short, you will be refunded pro-rated amount factoring
in how much you have learned and amount of experience gained up
to the point of break-off. If the program itself continues, and
you are unable to continue, as with any comparable program, no
refund is possible.
You
must show evidence of medical insurance and airplane medical evacuation
insurance (available for about $100 from a variety of companies).
You must have read the US State Dept travel advisory on Guatemala.
Any
student that breaks a camera due to accident, even if not negligent,
will be responsible for repair costs. Damage, as opposed to thievery
is not necessarily covered by our regular insurance.
Examples
of images taken in Guatemala and adjacent countries.
