This semester has been grueling for me. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard someone mention digital photography as a class they would like to take for "fun". Though it has been enjoyable for me this semester as a whole, as well as being what I would refer to as "priceless" with the amount of knowledge I have learned that will be beneficial for me and my major going forward, it was far from easy. 

 

Coming into the course I thought I had Photoshop all figured out, yet the process of editing photos and creating composite images has definitely broadened my education within the application and the amount of techniques I am now able to utilize and apply to my photos. It really helps to be as interested and interconnected with the subject matter in regards to my major, but beyond that it has really been an enjoyable experience despite the challenges that Covid has presented throughout. Combined with three other classes I have definitely had my hands full. 

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What I feel I struggled with the most throughout the semester was time management. Digital photography is not a course you can let slide up until a few hours before the an assignments due date. You have to plan out your shoots, the amount of time your going to spend editing, all the while making sure you provide enough cushion for the inevitable challenges your going to face. By the end of the semester your going to know your camera very well. Your going to be educated on what each and every function does as well as when and where to use them. I must admit that in the beginning I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with the amount of buttons my camera has, but as the semester progressed I only felt more and more comfortable with it in my hands. From shutter speed and aperture, to metering and exposure compensation, I now feel very confident using my camera to it's full potential. 

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I have always had an extreme infatuation with art but I have never really known how to express or fulfil those aspirations successfully within my own frame of mind. I now feel like I have a better sense of what it is I want to do with the potential I have. I do not know if my skillset in photography is above average or not, but what I do know is that I have developed a deep love for my camera and the possibilities it holds. I only want to get better. Before this course, I had a decent amount of experience using Photoshop but my experience in Photoshop only went as far as what I could create on a digital canvas using resources I could find online as apposed to creating my own. 

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Overall, I truly enjoyed this course. The sheer amount of knowledge about photography I was able to soak up during the semester will stick with me for the rest of my life. I just wish it had been under different circumstances without the life of Covid and the hurdles it presented in forcing us all to attend the semester online. I would have really loved to get to know some of my peers with similar aspirations as me a bit better, those connections are hard to come by and I just feel it equates to a lot of missed opportunities in the end. It has been a pleasure learning along side most of you and I hope we can cross paths at some point down the road. Thank you Professor for the education in digital photography, you have been nothing short of an amazing instructor! 

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When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear - Alfred Eisenstaedt

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