Ready to enroll? Here is how the class works.

Here is how you enroll:

1. First, you will need to pay for the class using PayPal where you can use your credit card to make payments.
2. To do that FIRST select your age and photo experience and then click on Buy Now

   what is your age	What is your age? 10 - 13 14 - 18 19 - 25 26 - 35 36 - 45 45
   Previous Photo Experience	What photo experience do you have? None Class in school Self-study Online class Professional

   Click on this link to pay the $100 fee for the class.
   
   Pay Pal will then give you a link to an instruction page that will guide you through the process of enrollment at blackboard.com. Be sure to compete that enrollment immediately as that link is a secure link not available from this web site.
   (If you forget and don't bookmark the page email us and we can send you another. )

Once you have paid the fee and registered it is time to begin the course work.

1. Go to the ONLINE class link. Log in using the user name and password you created during the registration process.
2. Check out all the sections of the course. Fill in the New Student Survey and take the opening quiz to establish your skill level at the start of class. You will want to visit the ONLINE site as often as necessary to complete your assignments.
3. Check the announcements each week for information on what you should be doing to be on track.
4. Submiting your assignments on the ONLINE web site as required. You will be given some work to do on your own. Take your camera and go out and work on doing what each assignment asks you to do. Pick your best shot for each assignment and post it to the web site. Your fellow students and instructor, Keith Wills, will comment on your work and you will be asked to comment on other students work as well.

What do I need to take this class?

• You will need a camera, preferably one that is not fully automatic where you can adjust the exposure manually.
• A scanner that can be used to scan your photographs and turn them into JPEG format so they can be viewed on the web.
  • OR - If you have a digital camera that will work for most of the assignments. Again, if the camera has exposure controls that is great. If you go digital you will also need to have a copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements or some other editing tool to work on some of the assignments.
• You can take the class using a film (analog) camera and process the prints on your own in a darkroom if you have access. This is the ideal way to take this class but may be hard to do. You can also use a film camera and have your film processed in a lab for you, but that is not as much fun. Either way, when you are enrolled in the class you are welcome to ask anything you wish about your work and any problems you might have.

Is this class open to anyone or is it just for high school students?

• The class has been taken from the curriculum used at Santa Cruz High School for 28 years to teach basic, black and white photography to high school age students. But, students of all ages are welcome to take the online class. If you are a secondary school student in the US you will be sent a certificate of completion when the class is completed along with a grade and a list of the work accomplished in the class that you can work with your local school to consider accepting for independant study credits. Be sure to check with your school BEFORE you sign up for this class as some schools will not accept credits from outside sources.

How is this class different than one taught in a regular classroom?

• Most of all the class does not require a classroom and all the investment a school must make to offer a class that justifies the time of a teacher. You may be in a school that has a darkroom or you might have one at home and this will let you study photography as if you were in a student in my photo class the last 28 years. But, you will not have to be in the classroom every day and there will not be any dress code rules and you can work on your assignments on your own schedule. Either way, the work you are challenged to complete and the projects you will submit for evaluation are the same ones from my classroom.
• Online adds something additional. In a regular classroom you don't have to talk about your work and the work of your fellow students....it is possible to get away with being quiet and not have to share you thoughts. In this class you will be expected to comment on what you see in other people's work as well as your own. In that respect is is HARDER to take an online class. The biggest difference is there is no "personal eye to eye contact" and there are no discipline issues with behaviors that may not make a teacher happy. You also don't have to "pretend" to be someone just so other students think you are cool. We are all equal and all that any of us will know about you will come from the quality of your work and how much you add to the class.
• Do be warned that this class is for self-directed students that do not need to have someone remind them every day to do their work. You can sign up and never do an assignment and never use the course and there will be no pressure from us for you to get to work. If you get confused you will need to be responsible for sending us an email with a question. You will need to turn in your work when it is done. The price for freedom means that full responsibility for what you get out of the class comes from your participation in the class.
• Have fun.