Photography and Imaging (PHTI-UT)

Pre-requisite: This is the first course in Photography & Imaging: Digital and Analog sequence to be taken in the first year. Open to majors only. This is an intro 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.

Pre-requisite: This is the first course in Photography & Imaging: Digital and Analog sequence to be taken in the first year. Open to majors only. This course examines creative expression in the context of traditional analog methodology. It is a class about seeing and translating one?s vision into images. Topics include understanding light as an expressive element in a photograph. Form, content and ideas relating to portraiture, documentary, narrative, landscape and the still life will be incorporated into assignments and discussed at length. Through a series of exercises, students will be immersed in the craft of the medium: understanding exposure and metering, the physical and chemical development of film and print materials, and the means of making fine quality enlargements. Weekly assignments are designed to help the students develop a discipline in their working habits. The weekly critiques are designed to provide students with a forum in which to give each other critical and constructive feedback. Students will view slide lectures on contemporary photography as well as photographs from the medium?s rich past. They will visit and respond to relevant gallery and museum exhibits. The aim of this course is to immerse the student in the issues and ideas that have surfaced in the medium?s 200-year history. It is the teacher?s hope to provide the students with an environment wherein they can grow as perceptive image-makers, interesting thinkers and engaged human beings.

See class notes for the course description since this course is multi-topic.

There is no prerequisite for this course. Many photographers who have been utilizing digital cameras are turning (and returning) to traditional, silver-based film and papers. This intensive course is designed to introduce and explore the practical and creative applications of analog photography. Students will learn camera operation, composition principles, and metering techniques. Supported by a comprehensive lab facility, students will learn film processing and archival projection print enlarging methods as well as the basics of print finishing and presentation. Classes will incorporate critiques of student work, slide lectures of important historical and contemporary imagery, hands-on studio and laboratory demonstrations, and field trips. Students will be assigned reading for class discussion and relevant photography exhibits to view. Students are required to complete a minimum of 4 hours of lab work per week (hours arranged by the student) in addition to regular class attendance. This course is designed to engage the student in a photographic dialogue within a productive semester. A lab fee is charged for this course.

Prerequisite: Photography I or permission from the Department. This course is recommended for transfer students and non-majors. During the Fall and Spring, non-majors must fill out the following form to request access to the course: http://photo.tisch.nyu.edu/object/pinonmajorrequestform.html Photo II is a course that expands upon the principles and tools of Photography I. Students will start out continuing to refine analog skills through a series of short technical assignments. Students will work on exercises with on-camera flash, medium format camera, and tungsten lighting to further their technical skills. At the heart of the class is the development of two long-term projects in which students can hone their creative vision. Weekly critiques of students' projects will include discussions on content, aesthetics, editing, and technique. Class time will also be spent on slide presentations of historical and contemporary photography, technical lectures, and lab demonstrations. While students will predominantly be working in analog, digital photography will be introduced. Topics to be covered include the use of a digital SLR, the basics of Adobe Photoshop, and film scanning. Students are required to have a film camera with a light meter and manual functions in addition to film and photographic paper to execute their assignments. A lab fee is charged for this course.

Offered Fall Only. Required of all freshmen majors and highly recommended for incoming transfers. Students are required to register for the lecture and the recitation sections. No prerequisites for this course. The course will consist of a series of weekly lectures, discussions, readings and field trips to museums and galleries in the city. Lectures will present historic and contemporary art and photography and it's ideation as a basis for understanding the work the students are viewing on their weekly field trips. Students will visit selected exhibitions chosen for their quality and relevance and arranged by geographic area of the city (One week the Whitney, the next Chelsea, etc). Students will be required to monitor the daily press and periodicals for reviews of work they've seen and to highlight exhibitions the class should see. Additional readings of historic material will be assigned and short papers will be required.

Prerequisite: Photography & Imaging II, or permission of the department. This course considers the creative possibilities of a variety of documentary strategies. The editing of images, their structuring into an essay form, the interpretation of their various meanings, and the impact of the documentary essay on the world are all discussed. Students are assigned a range of problems that explore visual description and interpretation ranging from the photojournalistic to the autobiographical. In addition each student devotes a significant amount of time to producing a single-subject documentary project. Classes are lecture-demonstration with critiques of student work and regular presentations of documentary photographs made throughout history, in different cultures and for different reasons, including the personal and the societal. Each student must have a still camera or a video camera. This course requires a nonrefundable lab fee.

Contemporary Imaging Practice (formally known as Visual Thinking) is a foundation course in the Tisch Department of Photography and Imaging designed to broaden the student’s aesthetic explorations and to inform their photography in this post-photographic world. The course will expose and explore basic visual ideas in a variety of imaging media to help the student develop a visual language based on contemporary, cross-disciplinary, and cultural-artistic strategies. Through a series of projects and exercises, students will be encouraged to experiment with line, composition, pattern, scale, text/type, collaboration, design, and materials moving from 2d to 3d worlds in order to develop strong tools for further awareness and visual expression. This is a studio-oriented class but we will also be learning via readings, artist lectures, slides, videos, field trips (virtual), and other materials.

Prerequisite: Photography II or permission from the Department. This class teaches lighting as a series of the most common lighting problems encountered in professional photography and cinematography. The course philosophy is that the most complex and difficult lighting problems are really just combinations of small, easily resolved, problems. Starting with basic three-point lighting for portraiture using simple continuous source lighting, the course will progress quickly to extremely complex set ups using electronic flash as well as lighting for the new generation of hybrid Dslr’s (video/still camera) as it moves through multiple environments. Subjects covered include: Lighting for portraits, still life, fashion, interiors, documentary, and exterior location lighting using battery powered flash. Location scouting and planning according to location limitations. Color temperature and color control. Light shaping and control. Students will learn how to use: Digital SLR’s, medium format cameras, Leaf Aptus electronic capture, direct tethered capture using Adobe Lightroom, continuous lighting, electronic flash, color temperature meters and custom white balance profiles as well as the basics of video/sound capture. Lighting equipment is provided. A lab fee is charged for this course.

Prerequisite: Photography & Imaging: Analog and Digital. Many artists turn to 4x5 and 8x10 large-format cameras for the creative control that view cameras afford, as well as for the high resolution and potentially large scale of the resulting prints. This course introduces the special characteristics of large format photography, including perspective control, creative approaches to selective focus and metering strategies facilitated by single negative processing. The exposure and development methods known as the Zone System will also be considered. Because large format work is physically demanding and relatively slow, this is also an opportunity to work more deliberately and, in some respects, more consciously. It may also inform one’s understanding of the methods and approaches of 19th and early 20th Century artists. The high resolution of large format description can often produce a compelling image of relatively static subject matter that might not otherwise succeed if recorded in smaller formats. Surfaces and details evoke a more “complete”, or even tactile appreciation of some subjects. Following a series of practical exercises during the first half of the course, students are expected to develop an appropriate project on which to concentrate and apply their evolving skills in the production of an original and integrated body of work. Technical material covered includes different large format camera types and applications, lenses and optics, metering, filters, special B&W developers, large format printing and scanning for digital output. Early historical processes are introduced, current exhibitions of artists and photographers in New York are discussed and field trips are arranged. A variety of cameras, lenses and tripods are available for student use. A lab fee is charged for this course.

Prerequisite: Photography & Imaging: Analog and Digital. 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 the New York Times and other periodicals.

The Emerging Media Studio courses explore methods to creatively think through and hybridize artistic photographic practice with emerging media technologies from medicine, the military, archaeology, urban planning, environmental science and other industries. Projects may take open-ended forms such as video, virtual reality environments, site-based performance, spatial imaging, 3D fabrication and photographic documentation. Critical readings and ideas drawn from artists as well as professionals in other fields are discussed. Our practice is learning how to adapt to and position ourselves as artists making unique contributions to the social dynamics of culture and a constantly shifting universe of media.

Prerequisite: Photography & Imaging: Multimedia or permission by the department. This is an intense design class for the crossover creature who yearns to design their own exhibit, create a street poster, develop an ad campaign, design titles for a film, invent a visual identity for a musical score, etc. This will be a hands-on process-driven class that will push you to imagine, create, and produce. Students must know InDesign.

This course is devoted to a different level of understanding the design and production of making a book. On the first day of class, students bring in digital versions of their art and decide to translate it into a printed piece. The class we’ll focus on book design. Students will begin to explore InDesign and learn how to use the program to create a publication, deciding on the size nand order of image and where text will go. On the second day of class students learn how to work with type. The class explores how to make type work for you and what typefaces work best depending on your design and art. The class will talk about image pacing and the flow of text throughout a publication. On the third day of class, homework is reviewed and InDesign files are revised if needed. The class then turns to production. We will go over each file and make it as final as possible and ready for print. The class will also discuss the different ways to get your document published and how to do each one. In the beginning of this course the students will walk into the classroom with a loose body of work and leave, after the third day, with their work organized into a book format. This course is charged a lab fee. Graduate course numbers are available on Albert.

Pre-requisite: Photography & Imaging II, or permission of the department. This course is designed for P&I sophomores and juniors who want to work on a self-designed semester long project. Students may work in any photo-based media and form of presentation. Weekly work-in-progress critiques will be accompanied by discussions of contemporary and historical art works that relate to the student project ideas. Individual research is crucial in developing an artistic practice so students will be expected read and see exhibitions both off and online. Modes of presentation and editing for exhibitions and online presentation will also be explored. If you would like to discuss project ideas for the course, please feel free to email lorie.novak@nyu.edu. This course requires a nonrefundable lab fee.

Working from the idea that drawing is fundamental to all image-making, this course will begin with an introduction to the basics of drawing, such as line, value, form and spatial relations. Students will work in class from still life set-ups and figure drawing from the model. In-class work time will be supplemented with discussion and slide lectures to introduce historic and contemporary examples of drawing. The course will also include explorations of the expressive, experimental and conceptual aspects of drawing as a medium. This course requires a nonrefundable lab fee.

This class will attempt to demystify the questions and decisions young artists face when choosing a profession in the arts. Central to the course is understanding an artist's creative growth and lifestyle choices are inextricably entwined with his/her financial security. Young, creative professionals need to realistically assess their future goals and aspirations in order to find their niche in the worlds of both art and commerce, while supporting their larger creative vision. This class is largely a survey of the many career choices available to artists. Topics covered will be: graduate schools, careers in teaching, editorial, advertising, stock and corporate photography, art buying and photo editing, photo assisting, galleries, artist's residencies, grants and fundraising sources, portfolio preparation and marketing rsums. The class relies heavily on guests from the publishing, business and art world, giving students the chance to show their work to, and elicit advice from, top industry professionals. This course requires a nonrefundable lab fee

Offered Fall only.( Required of all sophomore majors. Prerequisite: CHIPS H82.1003. This class will chronicle the history of photography?s complex and symbiotic relationship to the other visual arts: painting sculpture, architechture, installation and performance, among others. Beginning with the medium?s invention and the early fights of its practitioners to establish themselves as fine artists, the course will describe photographers? unique attempts to negotiate their relationships with both artistic movements and the media culture of which they are a part. Robinson, Cameron, Emerson, F. Holland Day, Stieglitz, Moholy-Nagy, Rodchenko, Weston, Alvarez Bravo, Lartigue, De Carava, Cahun, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus and Cindy Sherman (among others) will be seen within the context of their respective art worlds, so the impact of art movements, cultural attitudes and new technologies on photographers during different historical periods can be assessed.

Open only to Photography & Imaging majors. Sophomore Standing. This class will chronicle the history of photography?s complex and symbiotic relationship to the other visual arts: painting, sculpture, architecture, installation and performance, among others. Beginning with the medium?s invention and the early fights of its practitioners to establish themselves as fine artists, the course will describe photographers? unique attempts to negotiate their relationships with both artistic movements and the media culture of which they are a part. Robinson, Cameron, Emerson, F. Holland Day, Stieglitz, Moholy-Nagy, Rodchenko, Weston, Alvarez Bravo, Lartigue, De Carava, Cahun, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus and Cindy Sherman (among others) will be seen within the context of their respective art worlds, so the impact of art movements, cultural attitudes and new technologies on photographers during different historical periods can be assessed.

Prerequisite: Social and Asthtic History of Photography. A writing course with the larger aim of getting students to be more critical viewers and hence possess a more convincing voice?whether conveying, describing, analyzing, challenging, and/or critiquing what they see. The course will require students to attend exhibitions (mostly photography) on a regular basis (some of which will happen during class time), and to write on a weekly basis. Initial assignments will take the form of exercises, evolving into a more in-depth, content-driven criticism

See class notes for this semester's course description since it is multi-topic.

Prerequisite: Social and Aesthetic History of Photography. Digital technology today allows the combination of still images and moving images with unprecedented ease. As a result, the boundaries that once existed between still photographers, filmmakers, and videomakers are becoming increasingly blurred. By examining a wide range of visual materials, both historic and contemporary, this class will attempt to understand the changing relation between the still photographic image and the moving image. We will concentrate on three major areas: (1) We will examine the rarely seen films made by celebrated still photographers such as Paul Strand, Man Ray, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Robert Frank, William Klein, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Helen Levitt, and Susan Meiselas. (2) We will consider a number of classic films and videos which make innovative use of the still photograph, the freeze-frame image, and the static camera. These filmmakers include Dziga Vertov, Agnès Varda, Jean-Luc Godard, Federico Fellini, Andy Warhol, Chris Marker, Hollis Frampton, Bill Viola, and James Benning. (3) We will discuss a selected group of contemporary artists whose work imaginatively embraces both still photographs and moving images. These artists include Isaac Julian, Douglas Gordon, Lorna Simpson, Stan Douglas, Eyal Sivan, Tracey Moffat, and David Claerbout. Throughout the class, we will explore an unusually wide range of visual materials: still photographs, photo books, feature films, avant-garde films, documentaries, and artists' films and videos. Class readings will introduce a range of critical approaches to the relation between the still and moving image, and will also highlight key works and visual innovators.

Offered Fall only. Prerequisite: Required of all P&I Seniors. Open to Juniors by submission of portfolio and permission of the department. In this intensive critique course, students produce their senior thesis project for exhibition in the spring semester. Students are encouraged to use any photo-based method or approach that can best serve their individual ideas and directions. Later emphasis will be on refining and editing each project, with assistance in determining a final completed form. Critical emphasis will encourage the development of personal vision and project forms that best serve specific choices. Students will be expected to challenge themselves and each other to delve deeper with their work and take risks. On the first day of class, students must bring a past project and be prepared to present their project ideas.

Pre-requisite: Lighting or permission of the department. From Gregory Crewdson to David LaChapelle, photographers are making images that are increasingly complex in their production techniques- rivaling those of Hollywood films. This class picks up on the skills students have learned in basic lighting and allows them to develop a body of work that utilizes more complex lighting and production skills. The class begins with a series of demos and assignments designed to challenge and hone the students existing skills and transitions into a directed project of the students choice later in the semester. Students may work on any project/portfolio they choose, from fine art to fashion, with an emphasis on using light consistently thoughout the body of work to convey a unified vision. Students are encouraged to have the broad ideas for a project/portfolio before registering for the class. Topics covered will be: Advanced lighting techniques/light shaping, casting talent/crew, production organization, special effects, RAW image conversion, shooting/lighting on location, and special lighting techniques for documentary projects. This course requires a nonrefundable lab fee.

This class is designed to train aspiring content creators, photographers, and journalists in the advanced production techniques and tools for producing and creating multimedia content for online editorial presentation and mobile platforms using hybrid still/video Dslr cameras, 360-degree video, advanced audio recording techniques, and virtual/augmented reality, etc. The course also addresses and familiarizes the student with the emergent landscape for new technologies in digital presentation, journalism, and storytelling using photography, video, sound, and the written word. Students will be thoroughly trained in the production tools and techniques of hybrid Dslr cameras and other recording devices, as well as the integration of content using Adobe Lightroom, Premiere, and written text. A lab fee is charged for this course.

Prerequisites: Photojournalism I or the equivalent experience Beginning photojournalists develop a project, and acquire the practical knowledge to enter the profession. Students will work with a director of photography to develop a long-term project with an eye-toward publication (print, blog, self-published). Students will develop an idea; consider similar projects/competition; research appropriate publications/outlets for their work; craft a pitch; present to editors; explore alternative modes of production and distribution; and learn about practical business considerations (representation, rights, etc). Students should come to the first meeting with a one-page project proposal in hand. There is a lab fee charged for this course. Students should email photo.tsoa@nyu.edu to be enrolled in this course. The email should list relevant experience or courses taken that fulfill the prerequisite. Whitney Johnson is the Director of Photography at The New Yorker where she oversees the photographic vision for the print magazine, digital editions, and the website. She produced and edited the photo essays “Service” and “Portraits of Power”, which won National Magazine Awards in 2009 and 2010, and contributes regularly to Photo Booth, the magazine’s photography blog. Before joining the magazine, Johnson worked at the Open Society Foundations, coordinating a grant competition for photographers and the Moving Walls exhibition. Johnson teaches at New York University’s Tisch School for the Arts, Columbia University’s School of Journalism, and the International Center of Photography, and is on the advisory council of the Alexia Foundation. She holds a BA in American Literature from Barnard College, and pursued postgraduate work in American Studies at Columbia University.

Prerequisite: Photography II or permission from the department. This course combines theory and practice as it pertains to making art projects for the World Wide Web. The course will investigate what it means to work in this new environment and how the medium might influence the work made. The course will investigate a variety of approaches such as conceptual, experimental, documentary and diaristic. Special consideration will be given to the ways in which structure (nonlinear vs. linear), interactivity and metaphor influence meaning. Formal design elements such as color, typography, scale and sequencing will also be examined. In addition, the nuance of html tags, hexadecimal colors and image compression will be explored. There will be several short projects as we get up-to-speed on the technical side. Two larger projects will comprise the remainder of the semester: a portfolio project that focuses on graphic and interface design; and a web project that uses "web space" as a medium for its own sake. Students should be prepared to exercise both sides of their brain. This course requires a nonrefundable lab fee.

There is no prerequisite for this course. This three-week course focusing on Photoshop explores the possibilities for image manipulation and the steps involved in learning to translate traditional darkroom skills into digital artwork and montage. Starting from the empty canvas, we look at all the basic elements of Photoshop, including selection tools, text, scale, retouching, and collage. Introducing the principles of layers and masks we will look at creating composite images from photographic images and web sources. We also cover scanning negatives and flat artwork as well as color adjustment using levels and curves. We look at all aspects of image creation and enhancement with equal importance given to the aesthetic effect and technical ease. By working on a creative project, students use the software to convey their ideas in this digital environment. Class time is divided between work-in-progress sessions, critiques, and lectures. Because of the holiday, that session will be rescheduled sometime during the three weeks of class. A lab fee is charged for this course.

Offered Spring only. Prerequisite: Photography & Imaging III. Through demonstrations and hands-on instruction, students will learn how to further control and expand their use of Photoshop - emphasis will be on photographic concerns, of tonality and color control as well as exploring the creative potential of constructing images from photographic source material and graphic design principals. A brief review of basic concepts and file formats and a discussion of workflow including the integration of the enhanced Adobe Bridge will start the semester. We will review color correction and various selection refinements. Layering and layer masks will be extensively examined and we will touch on collage methods. We will also look at automating routine actions to streamline your workflow. A thorough review of camera RAW image processing for greater control and retention of highlights and shadow detail will also be included. This course requires a nonrefundable lab fee.

Prerequisite: Open to Juniors and Seniors only. All students intending to pursue an internship are required to turn in the forms available through the internship link on this website to Mark Jenkinson, Internship Advisor, scheduled during the first week of classes for the semester. Students CANNOT register themselves through Albert; with Mark Jenkinson's signature, students may then turn the registration form to Irene for registration on Albert. Juniors and seniors gain valuable work experience and insight into the professional world through this opportunity that bridges the academic and professional worlds. Students have been enrolled in internships at museums, art galleries, commercial photography studios, major publications and with artists. Faculty advisor Mark Jenkinson facilitates the internship placement with regard to the student's interests as well as ensures the educational propriety of the work. Credits vary according to the nature of the placement. Instructions and forms for internships arelisted under Related Links. Students are registered by the department upon receipt of a signed Internship Agreement Form. A maximum of 6 credits total in Internship is allowed during your student career.

This class conceives and produces the senior catalog. The workshop nature of the class stresses collaboration and experimentation. Lectures include topics such as making type beautiful, process as place, being a visual scavenger. In addition to exploring the creative process, workshops in Indesign, type design, photo editing, and pagination will be taught throughout the semester. Students will learn the craft and execute a handmade book. After the design of the catalog is completed, students will begin the production process: choosing paper, constructing digital files, coordinating with a printer, and working out printing budgets.

Independent study courses are designed by the student to investigate an area or field of study not normally covered in the department’s regularly scheduled course offerings. Independent studies are only granted in special cases and not as substitutes for advanced photography classes. Students may be granted a 1-4 credit independent study under the advisement of a full-time faculty member. After identifying a faculty advisor, students must then submit a written proposal of their project to the advisor for review. The proposal should outline project concepts, expectations and goals, as well as desired credits and plans for meeting with the advisor. Students are registered for this course by the department upon acceptance of the proposal by the faculty advisor and with the approval of the department chair.

Students who wish to work on a project while studying abroad may take a 1-2 credit independent study under the advisement of a full-time faculty member. After identifying a faculty advisor, students must then submit a written proposal of their project to the advisor for review. The proposal should outline project concepts, expectations and goals, as well as desired credits and plans for discussing progress with the advisor. Students are registered for this course by the department upon acceptance of the proposal by the faculty advisor and with the approval of the department chair.

Prerequisite: Junior standing, Photography & Imaging III. Photographic media participates in a pervasive, diverse and influential manner in contemporary society. As a means of considering the relevant issues of photography, this course will derive from a series of weekly lectures offered by established practitioners and professionals. This course focuses on the work and practices of working photographers from their own perspective. Invited guests from a range of photographic fields including contemporary art, commercial/advertising, fashion, and photo-journalism/editorial, speak on their own work, and process and critically assess and explore their position within the broad field of photography today. In past semesters? series, guests to the class have included Joel Agee, Hilton Als, Larry Clark, Sheryl Conkelton, John Coplans, Stephen Frailey, Jim Goldberg, Nan Goldin, Andy Grundberg, Renee Iijima, Larry Krone, Michael Lesy, Michael Martone, Susan Meiselas, Vic Muiz, Dread Scott, Bruce Davidson, Shirin Neshat, Maggie Steber, Larry Sultan, Penelope Umbrico, Renee Cox, and Wendy Ewald.