Digital Photo and Imaging II
Spring 07
Dr. Andrew Atkinson
Tuesdays 10am-12pm Room 230 Calcia Hall.
Office hours: by appointment: 3-5pm monday, Tel. X4103
Email:atkinsona@mail.montclair.edu
Course Description
This is a course designed to further your knowledge of shooting digitally, of manipulating and creating imagery digitally, and your understand of photographic history and photographic aesthetics and criticism.
It will cover more in depth use of digital cameras and Photoshop as well as introducing other software for panaramas and virtual landscapes through four principle 'themes': the Digital Photographic Image (its history, and what B&W means); Compositing (thinking through the photoshop language); Landscapes (a project on panaramas and virtuals landscapes) and Photographic Context (a project about photographs in their environments).
Grading
Grading is based upon the quality, aesthetics and conceptual execution of the final work produced; its presentation; a quiz upon technical aspects of digital imaging, and upon a written paper based upon a visit to a gallery /museum in the city.
A an 'A' grade will show excellence in the execution of the work, in active discussion and participation in the class, and the presentation skills of the work.
B will demonstrate the same but with above average quality
C with average quality
D showing below average quality
Attendance is mandatory, two absences are allowed, beyond that a grade will be deducted for every class that is missed. Turning up more than 15 minutes late will result in attendance marked as absent. Work that is submitted late will also be reflected in a lower grade. Two museum or gallery visits are required as well.
Breakdown:
10% Studentship / Museum Visits
10% B*W project - unit 1
10% History project - unit 2
15% Landscape project - unit 3
15% Context project - unit 4
20% Paper
20% Final project
Required Materials
A digital camera - if you do not wish to buy a digital camera, these can be rented from the Photo Lab in Rm.131. We have a selection of Nikon Coolpix cameras and several of the brand new Nikon D70.
Writable CD's for archiving and transporting of data.
Reading List
Anon., Adobe IllustratorCS, Peach Pit/Adobe, 2003.
Anon., The Photo Book, Phaidon, 1997.
Batchen G., Each Wild Idea, MIT Press, 2002.
Bayer. J, Reading Photographs, 1977.
Brown, Russel, The PhotoShop Show, Peach Pit/Adobe, 2004.
Eismann, Katrin, Real World Digital Photography, 2nd Edition, Peach Pit, 2004.
Fraser, Bruce, Real World Camera RAW with PhotoShopCS, Peach Pit/Adobe, 2003.
Grey, Tim, Color Confidence, Sybex, 2004.
Litt, S., et al., Mac OS X Bible, John Wiley and Sons, 2004.
Lister, Martin (ed.), The photographic image in digital culture, Routledge, 1995.
Marien, M., Photography: a Cultural History, Lawrence King, 2002.
Milburn, Ken, Digital Photography Expert Techniques, O'Reilly, 2003.
Mitchell, W., The Reconfigured Eye, MIT Press, 1992.
Sabau, Luminita, The Promise of Photography, Prestel, 1999.
Willmore, Ben, PhotoShopCS Studio Techniques, Peach Pit/Adobe, 2003.
Thompson, Jerry, Truth and Photography, Dee, 2004.
Outline
week 1
syllabus
Unit 1 - Weeks 2-4 The Retro Digital Photographic Image
week 2
Reminders of what's old and pointing out what's new; RAW, RAW conversion to B*W, Dr. Brown's infinite fount of wisdom on the matter.
Lecture - the world of b*w
week 3
workshop
From Photoshop Artistry: chapters 2, 3.
From Photoshop Artistry: chapters 9, 12.
week 4
From Photoshop Artistry: chapters 14, 25.
Discussion Text: Thomspon, Truth and Photography.
Work due: B*W variations; Zone system shooting - 12 printed images, 8 * 10", in three distinctive b*w styles with a written paragraph on each style.
Unit 2 - Weeks 5-7 Landscapes
week 5
Lecture: The Contemporary Landscape and the idea of Place
week 6
workshop
From Photoshop Artistry chapters 21, 22.
week 7
Discussion Text: Thompson, Thinking and Feeling.
Unit 3 - Weeks 8-10 Compositing
week 8
Dr. Brown's flag and monster project
From Photoshop Artistry: chapters 24, 26.
SPRING BREAK
week 9
Week 9 MIDTERM
week 10
From Photoshop Artistry: chapters 28, 30.
Work due: Large Format Landscapes - 5 images, colour, 11" x 14", with accompanying statement.
Text: Lister, M. The Photographic Image in Digital Culture.
Unit 4 - Weeks 11-14 Photographic Context
week 11
First Draft Due of Term Paper - 1,500 words, cited, referenced, discussing the works of two contemporary photographers, etc
Lecture photography in an expanded field
week 12
From Photoshop Artistry: chapters 11,16.
Work due: Historical Composite and Exercises - 3 images 8" x 10", black and white composites using historical images with rationale for the composite.
week 13
workshop
From Photoshop Artistry: chapters 17,18.
week 14
Essay Due
Final Assesment - Week 15
Work due: Environmental/Context Project - 12 images, 3 different ideas, 11 * 14" images, colour or b*w.
Work due: Final Project - an extended project to be discussed with the class and with the professor.
