Syllabus – Close-up / Macro Photography 1 Schlegelmann – 9/29/11
Syllabus for Class: Close-up / Macro Photography
Linn Benton Community College – Benton Center
Instructor: Paul Schlegelmann [email protected]
Course Description: Are you intrigued by close-up photos of flowers,
insects, textures, and other intricate subjects in the world around you?
Discover how to master the art and science, techniques and tools, of
close-up/macro photography. Find out how highly acclaimed
photographers capture those breathtaking images and then create your
own beautiful macro photographs.
Prerequisites: Basic digital photography class or experience; basic
computer experience.
Topics and Concepts covered in the class:
1. Learn to see the visual richness in our world close-up as driven by the light
2. Equipment choices to assist with close-up photography 3. New techniques to capture your vision of the close-up world in a
photograph 4. See and understand how acclaimed photographers capture close-up/macro images
Class Materials:
Recommended: Digital camera, camera owner’s manual, charged battery, USB
transfer cable, memory card
Books on Close-up/Macro Photography to Consider:
Understanding Close-up Photography: Creative Close
Encounters With or Without a Macro Lens (Bryan Peterson)
Close-ups In Nature (John Shaw)
Adventures in Close-up Photography (Lief Ericksenn & Els
Sincebaugh)
Creative Close Ups: Digital Photography Tips and
Techniques (Harold Davis)
Digital Nature Photography Closeup (Jon Cox)
Nature Photography Closeup: Macro Techniques in the Field
(Paul Harcourt Davies)
The Manual of Close-up Photography (Lester Lefkowitz)
How to Photograph Close-ups in Nature (Nancy Rotenberg
& Michael Lustbader)
General Books on Photography:
Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera (3rd Edition)
(Bryan Peterson)
Syllabus – Close-up / Macro Photography 2 Schlegelmann – 9/29/11
Grading: Non-credit course (no grades)
Course Format: Class meets on first evening for lecture, followed by a photoshoot on a
Saturday, followed by a final class the next week (see details below).
Course Overview: This is a 3 session course that will cover as many topics as time permits. Additional topics that
students request will be added in as time and interest allows.
Class 1: Seeing the Small World, Equipment, Technique
1. Introductions (instructor credentials, student interests in close-up photography)
2. How to see and visualize the world up close (both natural & man-made)
3. Light: Quality and Quantity 4. Up Close - Outdoors 5. Up Close - Indoors 6. Equipment choices – Lenses, specialty attachments, lighting,
tripods, etc. 7. Techniques
a. Exposure controls and methods b. Understanding and controlling depth-of-field c. Elements and rules of composition d. Utilizing specialty equipment/accessories for close-
ups/macros e. Supplemental lighting
8. View and learn how close-up photos were taken by published Close-up/Macro photographers
Class 2: Photoshoot Field Trip
1. Local field trip for creative close-up photography exploration
Class 3: Photo Critique, More Photo Techniques
1. Return to classroom and share/critique images 2. Additional macro techniques, tips, tools 3. Open discussion including challenges that arose and solutions
Photoshoot Field Trip Details: When: Saturday, October 1st, 9:00am Location: Meet first at the Corvallis riverfront area at 1st Street and Jackson across from
Big River restaurant (next to the water fountain and otter sculpture). We can photograph the Farmers Market and surrounding area.
Equipment to bring: Camera, lens(es), any close-up accessories you may have (e.g.
close-up rings), owner’s manual, charged battery, cable for connecting camera to computer (for transferring photos afterward in the classroom)
Backup Plan: If raining, we’ll still meet at the Farmer’s Market since we can shoot
photos under all of the canopies used by the vendors.
