Art 141: INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY Tuesday / Thursday: 9:00 11:15 am Instructor: Office Hours: Email: Office: Phone: Catalog Description: Introduction to photographic techniques. Topics include exposure, camera controls, digital printing, and file management. Exploration of creative possibilities and thematic modes of photography; working in a series. Course Objectives: This course introduces students to the theory and practice of photography. This course focuses on the fundamentals of digital photography and focuses on images that combine both craft/technique and idea. A major emphasis is placed on the development of a strong conceptual foundation from which to approach the making and understanding of photography as an art form. This knowledge will be achieved through photographic assignments, slide lectures of relevant works, and in-class critiques. Photography is a complex medium because it serves many functions. For the sake of simplicity, these functions can be divided into two categories: documentation and art. Under the category of documentation, one can find family snapshots, photojournalism, sciencebased photography, and advertisement, to name a few. While all of these types of photography can and do crossover into art, it is important to remember that every image created in this class must firmly ground itself within the context of art. I mention this because the impulse to just take pictures is deeply imbedded in our culture. My hope is to help each of you make meaningful images, instead of convenient ones. Throughout the semester we will define what this concept means to each of us, and we will note how our definitions change over time. FINE ARTS CORE OBJECTIVE: Artistic Composition, Interpretation, and Expression. Students will apply techniques of critical analysis to study and interpret works of art, dance, music, and theater in the context of culture, society, and individual identity. Students may cast their interpretation in the form of creative expression. This course includes lectures, creative expression, class discussion, and writing components that will assist students in acquiring Core Objective competencies.
Student Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to utilize the technology and tools of photography in the production of photographic images to include: the operation of the camera, application of the digital darkroom, operation of printing technology, and techniques of presentation. Students will be able to use theoretical, critical, and practical concepts to create meaningful images. Students will be able to use theoretical, critical, and practical concepts to interpret and critically analyze photographic works of art both verbally and in writing. Students will be able to articulate relationships between photographic works of art and their contexts in culture, society, and individual identity. Students will be able to articulate the relationships between historical context and photographic works of art (both their own and that of others). Students will be able to understand and apply many of the ethical, legal, social, and economic issues surrounding the creation and use of images, and access and use visual materials ethically. Materials: *Digital SLR Camera must have a manual setting: ability to set ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, manual focus, and ability to photograph in RAW *Paper: Epson Ultra Premium Photo Paper Luster (8.5 x 11) ~ $35.00/50 sheets *Portable Hard Drive: 30 gig USB2 or Firewire (must format for Mac Operating System) to store your images on. *Portfolio: Itoya Art Portfolio (8.5 X 11) with 24 sleeves *Class notebook take notes! Required Text: Access our textbook on the class website. I recommend printing out chapters and tutorials for homework assignments. We will discuss reading assignments in class. Vendors: ASUN UNR bookstore Nevada Fine Arts (S. Virginia) Gordon s Photo Service (S. McCarran) B&H Photo www.bhphoto.com Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. Class time will be used for demonstrations, lectures, discussions, critiques, and lab time. Plan on attending all classes! Attendance is essential during all scheduled classes and your full and energetic participation is required. After 3 unexcused absences, each following absence will result in one full letter grade reduction. Be prepared to participate fully in class discussions.
Projects and Final Points Project #1 5 Project #2 10 Project #3 15 Final 25 Blog/in-class 15 Mid Term Exam Writing 15 Artist Profile Writing 5 Attendance/Participation 10 Total 100 All grades will be based on a +/- grading scale. 100-96=A 95-91=A- 90-87=B+ 86-83=B 82-80=B- 79-77=C+ 76-73=C 72-70=C- 69-67=D+ 66-63=D 62-60=D- 59 or below=f Grades will be determined by the following: 1. Participation (productive use of class time, project construction, involvement in discussion and critiques, response to readings) 2. Technical Achievement (quality of work and craft) 3. Applied Thinking (comprehension and response to assignments, ability to work through ideas creatively, thoughtful participation in critiques) 4. Completion of Assignments 5. Attendance/Tardiness 6. Refinement of Your Work and Response to Critical Feedback Critiques: Critiques will be held in conjunction with each assignment. Critiques are open discussion about each individual s work and participation is expected of everyone. Bring completed work to scheduled critiques and be prepared to discuss others work as well as your own. Being able to articulate ideas and observations about the visual language of art is essential to understanding your work, the work of your classmates, and is a crucial part of being a practicing artist. You will be given a critique handout with ideas and suggestions regarding this process. Projects turned in after the scheduled critique date will receive a lowered grade. Missing a critique will lower your grade by one letter. Lab Time: Expect to work outside of class to complete your projects. There will be several scheduled mandatory lab days. You MUST work on your projects during these times. If you do not attend scheduled lab times, it will count as an absence. Lab time is essential to your learning, both from your classmates, direct supervision, and from trial and error. Students With Disabilities: Any students with a disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations is requested to speak with me or contact the Disability Resource Center ( Thompson Building, Suite 101), as soon as possible to arrange for appropriate accommodations. Phone 784-6000 Locations: TB 101
Academic Success Services: Your student fees cover usage of the Math Center (784-4433 or www.unr.edu/mathcenter/), Tutoring Center (784-6801 or www.unr.edu/tutoring/), and University Writing Center (784-6030 or www.unr.edu/writing_center). These centers support your classroom learning; it is your responsibility to take advantage of their services. Keep in mind that seeking help outside of class is the sign of a responsible and successful student. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Academic dishonesty and plagiarism are serious intellectual offenses, as well as being against university policy. Either one is grounds for failing the course. Statement on Audio and Video Recording: Surreptitious or covert video-taping of class or unauthorized audio recording of class is prohibited by law and by Board of Regents policy. This class may be videotaped or audio recorded only with the written permission of the instructor. In order to accommodate students with disabilities, some students may have been given permission to record class lectures and discussions. Therefore, students should understand that their comments during class may be recorded. Absolutely no cell phones in class. If I see you texting, you will be asked to leave. Class schedule: (This is tentative and subject to change.) Week #1 Tuesday, 8/27 Thursday, 8/29 Week #2 Tuesday, 9/3 Thursday, 9/5 Art 141 introduction Syllabus Camera Operations Setting ISO Exposure and Metering F-Stops and Shutter Speeds Review F-Stops Shutters Speeds History/Introduction to photography Class Project-Break into groups of 2 to 4 and photograph Read Chapters 1 & 2 for homework Review camera exposure and discuss jpeg + tiff + raw formats; advantages and limitations of digital technologies. Review functions of all elements of digital cameras Quiz on Chapter 1 & 2 Lecture on Photographic Techniques and Artists Design and Composition in the photographic medium In-class assignment Assignment One Read Chapters 3 & 4 for homework
Week #3 Tuesday, 9/10 Quiz Chapters 3 & 4 Advanced Camera Controls Depth of Field and Stopping Motion Introduction to RAW processing / The Histogram in Photoshop File management Thursday, 9/12 Week #4 Tuesday, 9/17 CRITIQUE: The four elements of critique: technique, composition, concept, context. QUIZ on all aspects of camera control and exposure Read Chapters 5 & 6 for homework RAW processing in Photoshop / creating Powerpoint presentations Thursday, 9/19 CRITIQUE Assignment One Read Chapter 7 for homework Week #5 Tuesday, 9/24 LECTURE Photography as a Visual Language / Composition Introduce Assignment Two Blog Assignment One Thursday, 9/26 LECTURE: Preparing a printing file Introduction to Photoshop printing techniques Layer Masks (Levels, Brightness Contrast) Have images to work with in lab Read Chapter 8 for homework Week #6 Tuesday, 10/1 Photoshop Printing: in-class assignment Blog Assignment One due Thursday, 10/3 LAB Photoshop / Printing Week #7 Tuesday, 10/8 LAB Photoshop / Printing Thursday, 10/10 CRITIQUE Assignment Two Week #8 Tuesday, 10/15 LECTURE Introduce Assignment Three Thursday, 10/17 LECTURE Photo Editing in Bridge / Creating Digital Contact Sheets, Batch Renaming/More File Management
Week #9 Tuesday, 10/22 Thursday, 10/24 Week #10 Tuesday, 10/29 Blog Assignment Two Read Chapter 9 for homework LECTURE / In-class assignment LECTURE Blog Assignment Two due Read Chapter 10 for homework LECTURE Thursday, 10/31 LAB editing Create a digital contact sheet Have images for assignment 3 to work with Blog Assignment Three Week #11 Tuesday, 11/5 LAB printing Thursday, 11/7 CRITIQUE Assignment Three Week #12 Tuesday, 11/12 LECTURE Final Project Introduction Thursday, 11/14 Week #13 Tuesday, 11/19 Thursday, 11/21 LECTURE Blog Assignment Three due Individual meetings for final projects LECTURE Week #14 Tuesday, 11/26 LAB printing Contact sheet due Thursday, 11/28 Thanksgiving Holiday (no class) Week #15 Tuesday, 12/3 LAB printing Thursday, 12/5 LAB printing
Week #16 Tuesday, 12/10 Tuesday, 12/17 CRITIQUE of FINAL portfolio. Finished prints required; protected in portfolio Final Critique 12:30 2:30pm http://www.unr.edu/academic-central/academic-resources/finalsschedule Art 141 Sample Projects and Writing Guidelines: Projects: 1. Composition Scavenger Hunt: 15 sequential images in a PowerPoint/Keynote that look for 14 different elements of composition: Line, shape, form, contrast, texture, repetition, angle of view, space, selective focus, light and shadow, motion, balance, frame within a frame, emphasis, and one of their choice. 2. Illusion: series of 5 prints: designed to explore the way in which photography inherently creates illusion--deconstructs photographic imagery and really makes the students learn how the camera works. Things to think about: Negotiating perspective, time and space, focus, depth, 3D to 2D, angle of view, and distortion. 3. Narrative: 8 prints: How groups of photographs cohesively connect and function together to tell a story. Focus is on thinking of how narrative is constructed and how placing images next to each other changes the way we interpret them. Pacing, sequencing, and series. 4. Final project of their own design: 12 prints Blog assignments: 1. shadow 2. abstraction/fragmentation 3. portraits 4. emulating a photographer 5. report on a photographer 6. repetition Artist Writing / Midterm Exam / Final Exam
Write a one-page review of an individual artist and how the photographs relate to your vision as an emerging artist. Topics to be covered will include the photographers point of view, compositional strategies of the images, technical concepts and your general evaluation of the photographers work. Midterm exam will include technical questions to evaluate comprehension of photographic practices and camera operations. Exam will also include written short answers exploring concepts and practices of photographic theory and concept. The final critique will include a writing requirement. Students will provide a one-page type written critique on an assigned classmate s final project. Notebook: It is required that you keep a notebook for this class. The purpose of this is not only to take notes during class lectures, but also to facilitate your learning while developing and printing. If you keep detailed notes you will easily be able to determine where mistakes have occurred, how to avoid making the same mistake twice, and better yet, how to repeatedly reproduce desired results! If you get into the practice of keeping a detailed notebook now, it will better your skills as a photographer in the future. I will periodically check your notebooks throughout the semester. Extra Credit / Artist Lecture Summaries: Visiting artist lectures and events are an important element of a thriving Artist Community. A list of visiting artist lectures and art related presentations will be available for you to attend during the semester. If you would like to receive a few extra credit points you will be able to choose up to two lectures to attend during the semester and write up a one page summary of ideas presented, artistic work, and general observations of the event. Each write up is work 2 points of extra credit.