Florence, Italy - Course Descriptions - Black and White Photography I

Course Information

Contact Hours and Credits

Availability

Summary

Students will learn basic photographic principles and techniques along with darkroom and laboratory procedures. Aimed at encouraging creativity, emphasis is given to developing a critical sense of the visual language that modern photography uses so expressively. An understanding of technical and critical skills in photography enables students to translate their ideas from other areas of art into the medium of photography. This course is for beginning photo students.

Full Description

COURSE RATIONALE

Designed for students who wish to learn the fundamentals of black and white photography—from camera operation to film development and printing. This class typically fulfills the requirement for a university level Photography I class (and should be seen as a different level from high school photography classes). Students are expected to have a 35mm camera, which permits manual adjustment of shutter speeds and apertures.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Students will learn basic photographic principles and techniques along with darkroom and laboratory procedures. The course is aimed at encouraging creativity; emphasis is given to developing a critical “eye” of the visual language that modern photography uses so expressively. An understanding of technical and critical skills in photography enables students to translate their ideas from other areas of art into the medium of photography.

CONTENT INTRODUCTION

The departure point for the course is our encounter with new cultures and peoples as foreigners. During the course of the semester we’ll be exposed to people, places and ways of living which will be more or less familiar to us. This offers a wonderful opportunity for discovery—both of the world and people around us as well as of our personal beliefs and perceptions. There is always an important element of selfdiscovery in every artistic project and this will be an important component of this course. Toward this end, journal writing will frequently be used in and out of class to help students brainstorm on their own thoughts and feelings about a variety of questions and issues related to photography.

There will be six photo projects during the semester: “Form,/Content” “Light” “Purpose of Place,” “Self as Subject,” “Narrative” and a final project of the student’s choice. These are not meant as overly restrictive projects but rather as starting points from which students can develop their own personal responses. In general, I see these projects as building one on another and approaching the idea of photography from the most basic ideas (such as “form”) to increasingly more complex ideas and concepts (such as “narrative”).

Projects are designed to allow students to focus on various aspects of their new environment. Students will be encouraged through slide presentations, readings and journal writing to move beyond the stereotypical perceptions of the modern Italian and Florentine world and to develop a more personal and unique vision of their experiences in Florence.

Technically, the class will focus on black and white photography. The first third of the class will focus on the basic technical questions to help students attain a comfort level with exposing and developing film and making decent quality prints. From this point more attention will be given to discussions of how we understand the meaning of photographs and searching out effective strategies for making interesting photographs that begin to reveal each student’s personal way of seeing and experiencing.

Class time will include slide presentations of photographers, past and present, which should offer inspiration for students in their own work. There will be frequent technical demonstrations, group and individual critiques, field trips to make photographs, lab time as well as class discussions relating to readings I will hand out or questions I will ask students to write about. There will also be “formal” writing assignments to be handed in.

COURSE GOALS/OBJECTIVES

•Development of technical abilities in exposing negatives and making prints.

•Exposure to photography and it’s various movements”

•Discussion on the visual language of photography.

•Further develop each students’ unique personal vision and mode of expression.

•Begin creating series of photographs (rather than working only in single imagery).

TEXTBOOKS

Students will not be required to purchase a textbook. However, handouts will be provided from Henry Horenstein’s Basic Photography (3rd edition, 2005). It is required that students read over the handouts prior to the demonstrations. Additional articles will be photocopied for students.

PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS

All photographic supplies can be purchased at MB (Ottica foto cine). MB is located at Via Ghibellina 131r, Firenze, Italia, Tel. 21. 93. 80

Students are expected to have a 35mm camera which permits manual adjustment of shutter speeds and apertures. Students will also be required to purchase their own b/w film and paper for the class.

Students will shoot a minimum of 15 and likely up to 25 rolls of 24 or 36 exposure film. Unless you are set on a particular film the professor suggests a 400 ASA film to start (for black and white film, use one of the following: Kodak Tri-X or Ilford HP5).

15-25 rolls black and white film (Kodak Tri-X or Ilford HP5

100 + sheets 9 x 12” black and white paper (Ilford Multigrade RC, pearl surface)

15-25 Negative sleeves

Folder or binder for storing negatives

Large folder or envelope for turning in photo projects

Journal—can be hard bound or soft cover

Towel (used for the darkroom)

Photo apron (optional) – The professor suggests not wearing “good clothing” on the days that you will be working in the darkroom or developing film.