Randolph Community College: North Carolina Photography School

Dear RCC Photographic Technology Applicants Entering Fall 2010:

The state of the art Photography Program at Randolph Community College is in its fifth decade. Our long run of success and national recognition rests on the quality and dedication of our instruction, the relevance of our curriculum, the commitment of our students and the accomplishments of our graduates. Our students come from everywhere to learn a career in the dynamic field of professional photography. Our curriculum has been carefully designed and is continuously adapted to meet the ever advancing change in our industry. Our instructors are personally dedicated to guide and train our students in the latest technical, visual and business aspects of professional photography.
Our two year Photographic Technology Associate Degree program hits the ground running. Students learn over six continuous, rigorous semesters. No previous photographic knowledge is required. All students complete a diverse series of courses in a first foundation year of photography and then decide to enter one of four concentration areas: Biocommunications, Commercial, Photojournalism or Portrait Studio Management. These concentrations include on-the-job internship opportunities available locally, across the country and the world.
At times there is a high demand to enroll in our curriculum and for this reason we ask that you complete certain tasks within a time line. This packet contains all you will need to guide you through the application and admissions process.
Regarding equipment requirements, students must own a digital SLR camera body and a normal lens (or zoom including 50mm focal length), a hand held flash, tripod, light meter and portable hard drive. The dSLR camera is not required until Spring Semester of first year.

Camera requirements: (flash, tripod, light meter and hard drive specifications are included in the packet)
• Digital camera SLR (single lens reflex) body capable of total manual operation, “raw” file capture and interchangeable lenses with metal mounts.
• a zoom lens in the 17mm-85mm range capable of manual focus
• hot shoe for flash (standard/universal type)
• 3 frames per second motor drive
Canon, Nikon or Fuji brand camera bodies are recommended if a student wants access to a variety of additional lenses available for check out from the Photo dept.
Medium format film cameras will be provided on a limited basis for student use but owning your own could allow more individual access. Please contact us for more details if you are considering purchasing one.
The cost of our curriculum (above tuition) varies widely depending on the student. We estimate books and supplies will cost approximately $2,500 per year. Camera equipment including a digital SLR with lens and all the auxiliary equipment listed in this packet can vary from $2,000 to $5,000 and up depending on the features and whether the equipment is new or used. Always get a 30-90 day warranty on used equipment!
If you have any questions about the application or enrollment process please contact RCC Student Services (336) 633-0224. If you have questions about photographic equipment or the Photography curriculum contact Chuck Egerton (336) 633-0283, e-mail at photo@randolph.edu, or caegerton@randolph.edu.
Regular tours of the Photography department including Q&A sessions are held the first Tuesday of each month at 1:30PM. Appointments are not necessary.
Questions about housing may be directed to the Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce (336) 626-2626 or Courier-Tribune newspaper’s online classifieds: www.courier-tribune.com/classifieds/real_estate/apartment_rental/.
We are very pleased that you are considering RCC’s Photography Program and stand ready to assist you to reach your educational and career goals.

Sincerely,
Chuck Egerton,
Photography Program Head
(336) 633-0283
caegerton@randolph.edu

Check out the RCC website: www.randolph.edu
Photography student blogs: http://www.rccphoto.blogspot.com
Unofficial RCC Photo Website: http://www.rccphotocafe.com
http://www.randolph.edu/academics/photographic_technology/

v. May 31, 2010


Required and optional equipment check list
for Photography Technology Students

Please note: Students need only arrive with a tripod. Other equipment can be purchased as they are better informed of the functions and features. Equipment listed below is time tagged to inform students when the equipment is needed as they move through the program.

Required:
Camera : Digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera body (needed March of first year)
• capable of total manual operation
• interchangeable lenses with metal mounts.
• zoom lens in the 17mm-85mm range capable of manual focus with lens hood and UV filter.
• “RAW” file capture
• hot shoe
• 3 frames per second motor drive
• connection for electronic remote release cable
Canon, Nikon or Fuji brand camera bodies are recommended if a student wants access to a variety of additional lenses available for check out from the Photo dept.
Memory Cards/Reader (needed March of first year):
• Compact Flash (or any other type of memory card used by your choice of DSLR) capable of a minimum of 4 Gigabytes of storage
• Card reader with Firewire or USB II connection cable recommended

Flash :Hand held electronic flash. .(needed October of first year)
• minimum guide number of 80
• hot shoe or bracket mount
• battery powered
• pc connection socket
• capable of non TTL automatic function
We recommend the Vivitar 285 hot shoe mount flash. Other brands and dedicated flashes are acceptable as long as they have the above features.

Tripod (needed first week): capable of a 12 lb. medium format film camera. We recommend the Bogen. Slik or Enduro brands.- Ball or 3 way pan/tilt heads acceptable. Standard or quick release plate heads are both acceptable.

Light meter: capable of reflected, incident and flash exposure readings .(needed September of first year)
Gossen, Minolta, and Sekonic are the major brands -- recommended models :

Gossen Multi Pro,
Sekonic L- 308 BII Flashmate
Gossen Ultra Pro,
Sekonic L-328 Digilite F
Gossen Star F,
Sekonic L-358 Flash Meter
Gossen Pro F,
Sekonic L-408 Multimaster
Minolta Auto IV-F,
Sekonic L. 508 Zoom Master
Kenko,
Sekonic L-608 Super Zoom Master
Polaris,
Sekonic L-718

Other required equipment:
• Standard mechanical cable release for film camera (needed first week)
• Electronic remote release cable (3 ft) for dSLR (needed March of first year)
• Portable hard drive– minimum 250 GB capacity –bus powered (meaning it does not need an external power cord) -Firewire or USB II connection. (needed March of first year)
• Tackle box for storage of misc. small equipment (needed first week)
• Household to PC flash connection cord (needed March of first year)
• Radio slave for remote flash synchronization (needed May of first year)
• portable light stand (needed May of first year)
• use of a 35mm SLR film camera for 1-2 assignments. (needed May of first year)
• padded camera bag capable of safely carrying a medium format camera (needed September of first year)

Optional equipment:
Camera: Medium Format Film Camera with normal lens
Mamiya, Yashica, Rolleflex, Pentax, Bronica, Hassleblad, and Contax brands are all acceptable (could be used September of first year)
NOTE: Medium format film cameras will be provided for limited student use by RCC Photography. If a student wants unlimited access to a medium format camera we recommend purchasing a used camera and normal lens. Please contact us for recommendations.
Computer: Apple Macintosh (could be used March of first year)
Software: Adobe Lightroom 3, Photoshop CS5, (could be used March of first year)

Hasselblad, Mamiya, and Calumet Photographic offer student discounts on new equipment.

Exact equipment model numbers and features are subject to change.