Howell, Robert  

Professor Bob is a homie. He's been at Cal Poly for over 40 years and really knows his stuff. I signed up for the class thinking it would be easy but it ended up being really fun. I learned a lot about cameras and photoshop and what makes a good picture. If I had had more interest in becoming a photographer I think it would have been a phenomenal start to becoming a professional but I'm a chem major so I did not pay attention as much as I could have. Besides that there were 10 photos due plus one written assignment, which I don't think he really reads. The photos were fun to take and edit and I really enjoyed it. Professor Bob is also always willing to stay and help you edit or come up with ideas. As a plus, you get out early every time unless you choose to stay for help. Downside: your friends and family may make you take pictures for them.

Well, let's see... He is unprepared for lectures He assumes that his students know everything before he teaches it He gives assignments, and then doesn't explain them until the class before they are due And even then he still doesn't explain how to do everything And then when you complete the project, he verbally tears it apart based on a lot of things he never told you to do He assigns projects from a book that you have to order online for a ridiculous price Then he doesn't even know what the assignments are, so when you ask questions about them he has no answer for you He rambles on and on telling stories about things you probably don't care about You have to use a film camera for just one project and then you have to send the film to Santa Barbara to get it developed... but he won't tell you that... you have to figure it out yourself (FYI: send it in at least a week before it is due) He is clueless that less than half of the class actually showed up to his lectures ...All in all, this professor is a complete waste of your time and you will learn way more by just opening up photoshop and screwing around with it for a couple of hours.

Professor Howell is hard to evaluate because, though he seemed to be impressively knowledgeable in practically all facets of photoshop, graphic design as a business, and the art world in general, he seemed to have trouble knowing exactly what pace to take with the class. Sometimes his lectures were totally over our heads, and other times things were too slow. The projects out of the photoshop book are pretty pointless and EXCRUCIATINGLY laborious (don't do what I did and procrastinate... during the last week or so I nearly lost my mind), but the projects he gives as class assignments are interesting and useful. I had already had a class on photoshop in high school, so I didn't expect to learn much from an introductory course, but I wound up learning a lot. Professor Howell is also a pretty tough grader... on the first project I think he gave 2 or 3 As... but in general I like him, and I would recommend him.

Professor Howell is an experienced teacher. But! His experience hinders his teaching abilities because he always acts as if the students are already knowledgeable in Photoshop. The class is called "Photographic Manipulation and Design" aka it's a class where we learn to manipulate photos. Instead all he does is tell us about cameras and lenses and his past experiences. He likes to brag about his past achievements but he doesn't give you insight on how he made them or what we can do to be just as successful. Instead he likes to tell us how he took pictures, how amazing people thought they were, and how he did them for free...or something similar. He has only lectured on two to three functions in Photoshop and is always encouraging us to get nice cameras to take pictures. While it's a nice idea. It's a photograph "manipulation" course not a photography course, no matter how much he wants it to be. Another thing! When he asked the class who knew Photoshop on the first day. Only about three people raised their hands. He is supposed to teach us Photoshop. Instead, he told us to go online and Google websites to teach ourselves. If i didn't already know Photoshop, i feel like i would have struggled during this class. The homework load isn't that bad but he never knows his own due dates. He asks the students when the homework assignment is due! And he has a website where he puts due dates but after the second assignment it was never updated so the assignments weren't even written on the calendar. Last of all, are his lectures. He starts with an introduction on what he will teach. And then he never actually teaches us because he has went off topic. He talks for an hour. It's like clockwork. Right after an hour he stops talking and sometimes even leaves halfway to take a smoke. And he always arrives 20 minutes late. He also doesn't care if students leave. And after two hours of class there are usually, at the most, 5 students left.

I can't remember a time that a teacher has frustrated me this much. He has no idea how to teach. He builds a big grand website for links, assignments, etc, and then never updates it. He never explains things clearly, and if you go to his office hours, good luck finding him. 9 times out of 10 he isn't there. Forget emailing him too -- he literally never checks it (and it's not like he has the excuse of being bad with technology). During class, he is completely oblivious. He rambles on about his own projects and retells stories all the time that you didn't want to hear in the first place. Most of the time half the kids are missing and he doesn't even notice. He was late to class every day and taught us next to nothing every lecture. When he assigns things, he'll explain it to us and then forget his own instructions the next day -- I once asked him if I could draw a project instead of photographing it, and he said yes, but then when I turned it in he started questioning me about why it wasn't a photo. During critiques, he gets on you for things that he never even talked about, so you get all worried, but you don't know what marks you got on ANYTHING until basically the end of the quarter because he takes forever to grade. It's like he's not invested in teaching at all. The class is way too photography-based; I feel like we spent so much time on cameras and lenses and not nearly enough on Photoshop itself. Most of what we did with the actual program were online tutorials; I could have done that on my own. Everything about this class was haphazard and frustrating and arbitrary. He seems like he cares more about his smoke breaks than his students. Horrible teacher.

Quite surprised by some of the comments on here. There is way more to Bob Howell than most of these people seem to understand and the pattern seems to nitpick about peripheral things. Remember, the learning part is your responsibility and every teacher is going to do things in different ways. Did you ever stop to think that he might be sharing all those stories because he thought that YOU might actually get something out of it? Learn to see past your limited expectations and Bob will take you on a journey that only begins with learning photography. Great teacher and great person.

Bob is a really nice guy and a good professor. After the first few classes I hardly felt like this though.. I really didn't like him because he confused the heck out of everyone in lecture and for the first assignment (using an external, handheld flash) we really didn't know how to use the equipment very well which complicated the whole rest of the assignment. The next couple assignments were also a bit confusing because we were all trying to work in groups so we could sign up for studio times and in the studio we were all sketchy on how to use the strobes and hot lights and the rest of the equipment as well. But as the class progressed I really started to understand things and was really getting the hang of all the equipment. If you show him your photos while you're working in the darkroom, he can really help you make better prints and give you tips about what to do differently next time. I honestly learned so much from that class, and not just things about studio photography but he showed us more simple and practical things we could do in everyday picture taking. I really recommend Bob, he's a good guy and he's very nice to talk to one on one and will help you in and out of class. I look forward to taking him again.

Bob's an interesting guy... He has had years of experience in the field and had built up a wealth of knowledge about photography. The hard part is dragging it out of him. His projects for Art. Lighting were pretty straightforward and useful- learning how to light portraits, glass, hands, etc. We learned how to operate on-camera flashes, strobes, lightboxes, reflector cards, sweeps, etc., everything you need to know to work in the lab on your own. The final project is up to you as per usual. His lectures are pretty rambling but I feel like that's because he knows so much he is unsure of how to share is effectively. His critiques weren't bad but he is NOT afraid to tear your work apart. If you had unintentional details in the picture he will ask "Why did you put that there??" and watch you squirm. It sounds intense but honestly it's important to be thorough and particular in your shoots. Never take pictures of sunsets or people holding flowers. I felt like he graded pretty fairly when he finally got around to posting them, lol. He can be hard to track down if you have questions, even during his office hours. I suggest checking the parking lot for his jeep and then following the smell of cigarettes. From experience, he is usually in the glass lab with Jefferson and Miller. If you get the class with the friday lecture at 8am, I feel for you. Just remember to bring an energy drink or coffee.

You'll form a love or hate relationship with Bob. Try your best to make it a "love" one: he can teach you a lot. Yes, he has his quirks, but he knows a lot. pro tip: see him at office hours or one on one after or before class. You'll learn 100 times more and you'll get an 'A' probably.

Hands down the best teacher anywhere. You only have to think just a little more laterally and also really care about what you're learning and Bob's teachings will last you a lifetime - way more than just becoming adept at producing stunning images. Trust me.

This is the first C I have recieved in my entire life. I hope that says something to all of you out there watching their GPA. Do not take him--this class was a nightmare!