F A 367 Special Topics—Photography, Summer Session


F A 367 Special Topics—Photography
Washington State University-Pullman
Summer, May 9-June 3, 2016
Rooms: 7093 / Digital Lab
Instructor: Dennis DeHart, Associate Professor
E-Mail: dennis.dehart@wsu.edu, Office: FA 7025, Office Hours: By Appointment

Course Objectives / Goals
The goals for the class-in no particular order-include developing an understanding and working knowledge of the craft of photography. The second objective is to push the creative and aesthetic possibilities of image making, while inviting you to experiment with photographic processes, ideas, and presentations. The third goal is to expose one to photographic history, artists, and ideas involved in the culture of image production.
Course Theme: The Subjectivity of Place and Space
The emphasis in the course will be on our psychological, emotional, and experiential perspectives on place and space. This will include classroom lectures, seminar, technical demos, reading, and photographing in the field. We will be taking several day trips to various locations throughout the Palouse region. We will also be discussing issues centered around how we interpret space and places through culture, memory, physicality, and aesthetics. Technically, we will be working with different imaging techniques in order to extend, layer, and expand our perceptions of space. We will be looking at works by a variety of contemporary photographers.

Our Learning Outcomes include:
·Understand DSLR cameras, technically and artistically
·How to use Adobe Lightroom to import, organize, edit and present images
·Use technical tools of photography to observe and extend natural phenomena
·Explore psychological, emotional, and experiential perspectives on place and space.
·View fine art photographers work
·Take field trips to several locations
·Exposure/how to meter/read light
·Photography in regards to Input (make photo) output (print/upload, etc photo)
·Projects synthesizing conceptual, technical, aesthetic, emotion, and design principles
· Discuss the effects of culture, memory, physicality, and aesthetics in terms of place

You are enrolled in class within the context of a fine art department.  While many of the skills, processes, and ideas are applicable to other areas of photography (such as in science, commerce, popular culture-to name a few) we will be drawing from the form, content, language, aesthetics, and history of fine art photography. I encourage you to research multiple areas of photography (the field is vast) for inspiration and motivation. On the inverse, the WSU photography department is not a commercial (trade) program.

Expectations/Requirements/ Attendance
Consistent and engaged attendance and participation in all aspect of the class is required. Please discuss absences in advance with the instructor. Repeated absences will result in the lowering of your grade. Two unexcused absences are allowed. Additional unexcused absences will reduce your final grade by one-half a letter grade. Six (6) or more unexcused absences will result trigger an “F”. Not coming to class, arriving late, or leaving early, is not acceptable. Each occurrence will reduce your final grade by one-half a letter grade. Each instance of being unprepared to work will reduce your grade by one-half a letter grade. You are expected to complete all assignments on time. A final portfolio will be due for this class, in addition to several technical and artistic assignments.

Evaluation
Students will be evaluated (graded) through a combination of assignments, attendance, quizzes, and participation. Full participation in all aspects of the class including critiques will be graded. Additionally, because this is an art class, students will be evaluated on creativity and their ability to produce work. This means that if you make a considerable effort, the instructor will take your labor into account, though this does not guarantee an "A."

For maximum success, concern yourself less with your grade, and focus on investing yourself into the process of photography and art making. For some of you, this might mean the one and only art class you ever take, while for others it might be the beginning of something you will continue to do indefinitely. Either way, treat the class seriously and challenge yourself to learn the most you can about photography.

The grade breakdown is as follows:
20% final project                                                            10% for each assignment (total 4)
10% portfolio                                                             15% participation/attendance
15% quizzes, writing assignments, presentations

Grading
Each assignment will have a specific due date. Half a letter grade will be subtracted from your assignment’s final grade for each class period late. Your final grade is the average of the letter grades received for your assignments and tutorials, and is adjusted for attendance.

Simple definitions of grades:
“A”            Indicates superior effort, craft, execution and ideas.
“B”            Indicates above average effort, craft, execution and ideas.
“C”            Indicates average effort, craft, execution and ideas.
“D”            Indicates little effort, poor craft, and undistinguished ideas.
“F”            Indicates a failure for the assignment. Little or no work completed; little or no effort shown.

Academic Honesty
WSU is committed to principles of truth and academic honesty.  Academic dishonesty includes cheating, plagiarism, and fabrication in the process of academic work, and can result in suspension or dismissal from the university. In this class, academic dishonesty will result in failure of this course and will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct

Disability Accommodations
Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have a documented disability. Please notify the professor during the first week of class regarding accommodations needed for the course. Late notification may cause the requested accommodations to be unavailable. Students needing accommodations must first have them approved through the Associate Director of Student Services, VSSB203a. 

Cell Phones and Other hand held Media Devices
WSU is committed to providing a quality- learning environment. All cell phones and hand held devices should placed in a non-audible mode while in classrooms, computer labs, etc. If you need to text of make a call, please go into the hallway.

Lab Fee
$100.00 dollars.

Supplies / Equipment
-Ideally, I would like each student to have access to a high quality Digital SLR camera. It would also be helpful to have access to a tripod and a memory card reader.
-You will need Compact flash cards or SD cards to store your photos on. A portable external hard drive or flash/jump drive is also ideal.
Retail:
B&H Photo (NY)                                       www.bhphotovideo.com
Freestyle (LA)                                                   www.freestylephoto.biz
Glazers (Seattle)                                        www.glazerscamera.com

Calendar/ Projects

Week 1:
Color Projects
Overview of DSLR, RAW capture, etc.
DSLR Fundamentals (Quiz)
Artist Images
Technical Demos

Field Trips:
WSU Biology Greenhouse
WSU Environs

Week 2:
Extending Space, assignment and overview
Technical Demos
Lightroom (Quiz)
Artist Images

Field Trips:
Downtown Pullman
Snake River

Week 3:
Final Projects (Self Design)
Field Trips:
Moscow, ID

Field Trips:
UI Arboretum
Phillips Farm

Week 4:
Editing final projects
Digital Printing
Preparing images for the web

Field Trip?

Please note that field trips may be subject to change depending on the weather, class enthusiasm, etc. 

F A 367 Special Topics-Week 1


Assignment #1: Bracketing and Equivalent 


Bracketing is a technique you will use to ensure that you expose for an image correctly. When bracketing an exposure, you will take a number of shots of the same image with different metered exposures. Bracketing ensures that you capture/expose a ”correctly” for the specific lighting condition.

1. Set your camera on manual. 
2. Choose a scene that has a diversity of highlight and shadow (a landscape might be easiest) 
3. Point your camera at the scene and note the light meter read out inside you camera, or on the   
    display-depending on your camera.
1. Make 3 exposures that are overexposed. I would suggest either 1/2 to 1 full stop. Write down each shutter aperture combo in addition to the image numbers.
2. Make 3 exposure that are underexposed. I would suggest either 1/2 to 1 full stop. Write down the shutter aperture combo in addition to the image numbers.

Equivalent Exposures
Equivalent exposures are essentially the same exposure using different aperture and shutter combinations. By changing the aperture, you would then need to adjust the shutter speed and vice versa. In each instance, the exposure should be the same, though the aperture/shutter speed combination will be different. For example 1/125 @ F11 is the same as 1/60 @F16.  (slower shutter speed=more light, smaller aperture=less light which is the same as 1/125 @ F11.
1. Choose a scene with a clear foreground and background. Camera is still on manual. Also make sure that your scene has a moving subject in each exposure (cars, people, water, a ball bouncing etc. ) Focus.
2. Note you first exposure combination and take the picture. 
3. Now, bracket 12 more exposures. Please make sure to make 12 bracketed exposures based on your original meter reading.
4. Your images should all have the same exposure, though how the time is stopped, in addition to the depth of field, should be slightly different in each image.


Assignment #2: Depth of field and Time


1. Make 2 images that show great depth of field, 2 images that show short depth of field.

Depth of Field is the plane of focus where the circles of confusion fall within the area of acceptable sharp focus. Three Factors that control Depth of Field: F/Stop, Focal Length, Camera to subject distance.

2. 2 image that shows time passing, 2 images that stop time

Time passing refers to the shutter speed being open for an extended duration of time so that one can literally see “time passing.” Stopping time refers to stopping things in “mid” motion and literally isolating movement as it passes us by.


Assignment #3: Composition

This assignment is about composition, point of view, and how you frame your photographs.

2 images that activates the edge

2 images that places something small, buy important in the middle

2 images from a child’s point view (or vantage point) of the world

2 images from a high vantage point or looking from above.


Due Monday of week 2.


Week 2 Assignments
Seeing in Color/Thinking in Color

-Value, Hue, and Shade
Color permeates everywhere we look. Every color that surrounds us is affected by: the other colors around it, by the quality of light, time of day, and the context/environment.


Assignment #2: Subjectivity and Color
Color is highly personal, and how we see, experience, and interpret it is highly dependent on our brains.  For this aspect of the project, I would like you to explore the idea color and subjectivity.
4 Portraits and/or still lives in very bright, and well-illuminated or “pop” scenes
4 portraits/still lives in dramatic, dark muted scenes
Examples ways of thinking about color: Pastel, High Contrast, Even Illumination
Dramatic darks and lights


Assignment #3: The Portrait
self-portrait, a portrait of an artist produced or created by that artist.

Make 4 self-portraits
Make 2 photos where you are in the photograph

Create 2 photos where you are not in the photo

Make 4 portraits
Create 2 Portraits of a stranger (please make sure to move in closer-move closer by 2 steps)

Make 2 portraits of a friend

Color Memory
From Joseph Albers book, Interaction of Color
Joseph Albers concluded that humans have poor color memory. He used the analogy of a red Coca Cola can, which though “red’ is seen differently by different individuals. Some thoughts he concluded:
·Color is deceptive.
·Color can and does evoke different readings depending on circumstances.
·Observation reveals discrepancies between “physical” fact of color perception and
·Color has a psychological effect.
·Color is in a constant state of change depending on relationships to neighboring colors.
·Color is a private experience.
·Color is ultimately in a constant state of flux.

Due Monday of week 3

Technical Assignment#6: Qualities of light

Characteristics of Light: IntensityColor, DirectionContrastQuality

Basic Lighting Set Up: Key Light/Main lightSide LightingBack LightingFill Light
Accent Light

Basic Concepts: Available light, Color/ContextQuality of lightCharacteristics of lightsMood, tone, emotion

 For these two assignments, I only want you to use available light (desk lamp, window, work lights, sun, street lights, etc,) and reflectors (such as a white board, tinfoil, mirror, etc.)

Creative Assignment #3: Photography as Sculpture
Construct three still lifes for your camera. These
Should be scenes, or tableaus and be table top
Size.

Create 1-2 objects, that are portable and can be
Photographed in 10 different lighting situations

Imagine I large still life/tableau that is life/room size.
You are welcome to use a combination of Photoshop/
Objects, mixed media, etc.  

We will work on editing and printing the images next week.

Artist Websites of interest:

http://www.laurent-millet.com

http://lauraletinsky.com

Due Monday of week 4

Final Project: Series and Sequence

Series
A number of things, events, or people of a similar kind or related nature coming one after another.
a series of lectures succession, sequence, string, chain, run, round; spate, wave, rash; set, course, cycle; row, line; formal concatenation.

Sequence
a particular order in which related events, movements, or things follow each other : the content of the program should follow a logical sequence.
a set of related events, movements, or things that follow each other in a particular order.

For your final project, I would like you to create 10 images in series and/or sequence. The topic can be of your choosing, though the images must relate to each as a series or sequence. Your biggest challenge may be the infinite possibilities that you can create. I would suggest that you keep your idea simple and build the complexity through simplicity.

Some suggestions might include doing a study of trees, perhaps how to bake a cake from beginning to end, a series/sequence of photographic illustrations from your favorite story, or an abstract response to your favorite music. There is no right or wrong way to approach the project.

Due Friday of Week 4


Extra credit:
Week 2 Creative Project:
I would like you to define two colors that interest you (for example blue, green, lavender, yellow, etc.) and seek it out. This means getting out and actually looking for color in your surroundings. Quickly you will discover that there is much more to “yellow” for example, than merely yellow. You will find that different kinds of yellow can be comprised of various shades, hues, and values. How you choose to photograph the color is completely up to you.  For example, do I zoom in so that the color fills the frame, do I pinpoint color within the larger frame of the scene? How many angles can I photograph the same color from?

I need you to make 10 digital captures for each color (20 digital captures total)
The images need to be shot with a DSLR, in RAW.
We will import the images into Lightroom and work with editing the images.


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