Int`l Pgms, Photography (IPHTI-UT)

This is an introductory class about photographic image-making, digital methods of output, and basic theory addressing the cultural uses of photography. This course is designed to familiarize students with fundamental concepts and techniques of photographic equipment, processes, materials, and philosophy of digital photography. This course will familiarize students with the basic use of the camera and workings of Adobe Photoshop as well as scanning, capturing, and outputting digital images. Upon completion of the class, students will know how to digitize, edit, and/or manipulate images in Photoshop, prepare images in Photoshop for the intended output, and output images via printers and other output devices. Students will also develop basic camera and computer imaging skills. Screenings/exhibitions may be assigned as the semester progresses. The course will address the contemporary photographic culture and emphasize the development of individual voice and vision through self-directed projects and research; and the establishment of a self-sufficient working process and critical dialogue.

Photo I introduces the students to the basic use of the camera, workings of darkroom and Adobe Photoshop post-processing. This course is addressed at those who have no knowledge of photography. It will familiarize the students with the fundamental techniques necessary for a creative use of photography. At the beginning of the course, students will use black & white film and print in the darkroom. Subsequently, they will be introduced to digital photography and post-production with Adobe Photoshop. This course will give a comprehensive overview of the basic tools that concern both analog and digital photography. Through lectures and demo in the photo studio, students will have the opportunity to personally experience the creative potential of photography and the languages linked to it. Assignments will include topics such as depth of field, shutter speed, digital color management. Students will learn how to correctly expose, how to develop black & white film, and how to print in the darkroom. They will also learn the main features of digital photography, development of RAW files, basic use of digital post-production, digital printing. The course includes lectures, presentations, demos, shooting sessions, discussions and critiques of photographs produced by the students.

This course will be based on weekly assignments under the pressure of deadlines. Students will be working with digital cameras as well as with traditional film and printing in the darkroom. Topics to be covered include: 1. how to build a story 2. the demands of a one-day feature 3. how to present your story ideas and your assignments to editors 4. ethics of representation 5. working in different communities and cultures 6. copyright, libel, privacy, and other legal issues 7. practical issues including how to get permits and the business of photojournalism 8. how to transmit photos under combat conditions 9. how to develop your style of photography in a journalistic context. Assignments will often echo current events. Class time will include lectures, critiques, and visits by editors and photographers from various periodicals.

City, territory and architecture have been, from the beginning of photography, privileged objects for its practice. Photography has become a tool to strengthen the understanding of architecture, to highlight aesthetic and design ideas and to critically interpret the space. This class focuses on architectural photography and the photography of urban space, both in relation to their historical roots and contemporary practice. Florence offers a perfect environment to develop one's artistic talent while learning the art of photography and discovering the secrets of one of the most fascinating cities in the world. Assignments are designed to help explore options for technical control as well as visual experimentation and individual style. Keeping in mind the inseparability of photographic technique and expression, students are expected to articulate their particular choices in relation to the overall conceptual approach of the projects. Critiques of assignments are important to the progress of each individual in the class, to help verbalize visual concepts, and to learn to see actively. The final exam consists of the presentation of a portfolio of photographs and an artist’s statement. Students are expected to work on their projects to develop an aesthetic and coherent photographic language and a personal approach to the photographic medium in a different environment. An emphasis is also placed on refining craft in relation to ideas, and to research on an individual basis, since it is crucial in developing an artistic practice. The course includes lectures, shooting sessions and field trips, discussions and critiques of the photographs. Each student must have a camera with manually adjustable aperture and shutter speed.