University of Maine at Farmington

During the spring of 2009, 11 University of Maine at Farmington students participated in a 2-1/2 week trip to England and Spain as part of a May Term Digital Photography course. Led by Professor of Education Ralph Granger, the Farmington students visited and photographed the historic cities and sites of England including Oxford, Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick Castle, Stonehenge, and London, where they photographed the royal family in the Queen's birthday parade. Later, students traveled to Spain where they photographed the Corpus Christi Festival in Tossa de Mar, visited Gaudi's cathedral in Barcelona, walked the city walls in Girona, enjoyed a Sunday brunch at a Fishermen's Festival, and took a break on one of the cleanest beaches on the Mediterranean Sea. The students (from a variety of majors at Farmington including Business, Art, Elementary Ed., Psychology, Rehab Services, Early Childhood Ed., Philosophy & Religion, and Mathematics) studied basic and advanced operation of digital cameras, photographic lighting, exposure, composition, elements of design, focal length and perspective, and image presentation. Genres included documentary photography, photojournalism, portraiture, still life, sports/action, low light photography, architectural, and travel photography. Each student produced a portfolio in the form of a bound, hardcover "coffee table" book. The class will be offered for the fifth consecutive year in May 2010, and will feature an exclusive visit for Farmington students to photograph the rising full moon at Stonehenge.