Semester at Sea, Course Syllabus Colorado State University, Academic Sponsor

Transcription

1 Semester at Sea, Course Syllabus Colorado State University, Academic Sponsor Voyage: Fall 2016 Discipline: Department of Journalism and Media Communications Course Number and Title: JMC 335, Digital Photography (Section 2) B Day Division: Lower Faculty Name: Faye A. Serio Semester Credit Hours: 3 Prerequisites: None but please see the list of required supplies COURSE DESCRIPTION Aspects of digital photography, artistic photography, and photojournalism will be explored. How to use the camera, how to compose photos, and how to critique images will be discussed at the beginning. Students will learn about shutter speed, aperture, lighting, different focal-length lenses, ISO speed, flash, white balance, and how all of these control, manipulate, and even change the interpretations of a subject. There will be discussions, exercises and readings. Next, the course will deal with photojournalism; works of well-known photographers will be incorporated into the class to inspire discussion about what makes imagery beautiful, exciting, or even disturbing. We will also discuss ethical and safety issues that can affect the role of the photographer in presenting an unbiased view of subjects. Prior to each port, students will learn how to capture, with respect, the distinctive characteristics of the people, culture, and environment. Students will experience each new port through the lens of their camera and shoot subject matter that conveys what they see, feel, hear, and even smell in a thought-provoking way and write captions and short essays. At the end of the semester, students will compile a final portfolio that will include edited essays and selected visuals from all assignments. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students can expect to: Understand how to effectively use their cameras Learn compositional and photographic techniques that will enhance photos Learn how to shoot photos under conditions that may be less than favorable Understand legal concerns that could affect one when photographing Understand what is and is not appropriate to photograph and to respect one s subjects Learn how to evaluate their artwork and the artwork of others Create a portfolio comprised of original images accompanied by written observations REQUIRED MATERIALS:

2 A digital camera with manual options and multiple focal length options. Camera manual booklet. Laptop with PowerPoint and the necessary equipment to download images onto your computer which you will bring to each class. Two 16 or more GB thumb drives. Two 8x10 manila envelopes Please take photos to show your life and put them onto your computer to bring to the first class. (Readings will be in the class folder. No text is required.) TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE Depart Hamburg September 10 B1 September 13: Introduction: Who am I and who are you? Review of the syllabus and the goals of the class In-class writing: Critique of a photograph * Assignment for next class: Bring your camera and manual. Know how to switch to manual mode. Read about exposure and aperture and ISO in the class folder. Shoot images around the ship and copy them onto your thumb drive. Include photos of people but do not photograph your friends or your roommates. Photograph someone you don t know; get info about this person and a name. Put 3 strong images on your thumb drive to hand in. B2 September 15: Exposure--Under/over/proper--and ISO Break up into groups to look at cameras and the photos taken after class #1 Hand in your thumb drive for review * Assignment for next class: Shoot properly-exposed images and vary the ISO Put images onto your thumb drive; select 2 images and copy onto your laptop which you ll bring to class. Read Photographing with Dignity from the class folder B3 September 18: Informal critique, examples of journals and of written observations Photographing in new situations Work from class # 1 and #2 handed back Assignment in port: Photograph: properly meter your camera and work on creativity. a 200-word paragraph about your experience in port. Bring in 5 photos from Greece on your computer. Read about depth of field Piraeus September B4 September 25: Depth of Field, Critique, and Discussion of the Field Class Assignment in port: Photos that show shallow and deep depth of field. Bring computer, images on your thumb drive and printed paragraphs about Greece and Italy. To next class Read about shutter speed and motion Civitavecchia, Livorno September 26-30

3 B5 October 2: Shutter speed, Critique, and Journal Work handed in for grading * Assignment in port: Photos that demonstrate shutter speed control and strong composition. Continue photo work and written journal. Read about composition Barcelona October 3-7 B6 October 9: Composition and photo etiquette Assignment in port: Read Photographing in Morocco before we dock. Shoot with the day s topics in mind and continue the written journal. Start to think about continuity and thematic development. Bring computer with images ready to edit. Field Class Assignment due next class Casablanca October B7 October 16: Continue composition discussion and begin editing Field class work due * Work from class #5 handed back Assignment: Create a beginning PowerPoint 10 images from each port. B8 October 18: Class work editing images Edit your photos to include only the strongest images showing a variety of aperture, shutter speed, and composition. Edit written entries. B9 October 20: Photo History Assignment: Prepare a PowerPoint presentation that includes 4 of your strongest images from each country. Crop and adjust where necessary but include the original unedited version also. Revise, if necessary, your written work from each port. All will be presented and handed in next class. Dakar October B10 October 26: PowerPoint presented in class and Journal handed in for grading * (Work will be handed in even if you do not present today) B11 October 29: Continue PowerPoints and journal presentation Assignment: Read Associated Press Code of Ethics for Photojournalists No class October 28 B12 October 31: Photographer as Journalist: from Brady, to Cartier-Bresson, to Bourke-White and beyond TED TALK by Sebastio Salgado, Brazilian Photojournalist Work from classes #10 & #11 handed back Assignment: Photograph a story or process. Show a beginning, a middle, and an end. Vary your position, angle of view, lens, shutter speed, depth of field. Write about it: who, what, when, why, and where. Print the story, put visuals on a thumb drive, and prepare to show next class. Salvador November 1-6

4 B13 November 8: Photo story presentations viewed and handed in * B14 November 10: Continue Photo story presentations Assignment: Read about lenses B15 November 12: Lenses: different focal lengths, different effects Work from classes #13 and #14 handed back Assignment: Shoot one subject in sequence using different focal lengths. Observe the differences in depth of field, compression, distortion, and framing. Continue written journals and photos. Port of Spain November B16 November 16: Finalize lens images and small group critiques Assignment: Lens images and short responses about the difference between focal lengths due next class. Continue photos and journal work in port B17 November 19: View lens images, written responses due * and in-class written critique * Assignment: Look through all photos to date. Which are your strongest photos and which are your weakest? Photos of people? Photos of an event? Photos of a landscapes? Why? Bring 5 weak and 5 strong. B18 November 21: Continue Work Assignment: Continue revisions of your journal and photos Callao November B19 November 28: Photographer as Artist: from Man Ray, to Weston, to Uelsmann Work from class #17 handed back Assignment: Read about lighting B20 November 30: Lighting variations Assignment in port: Photograph subjects in different light and keep up with your written journal. Look through older photos and the new photos; 5 images showing different types of lighting; write observations about the light: highlight strength and shadow effects. Hand in next class Guayaquil December 1 4 FIELD CLASS Thursday, December 1 (Assignment due by Class 22) B21 December 6: Discuss the Final Portfolio and View Examples Lighting images and written work handed in * Assignment: Revise all written work; select and edit photos B22 December 8: Work session Assignment: Prepare your final PowerPoint presentation. It must be edited, titled, and running smoothly. Include photographs and written through Ecuador

5 Puntarenas December B23 December 15: Final portfolio presentation viewed and handed in * Work from class # 21 handed back B24 December 17: Final portfolio No Classes December 18 B25 December 20: Final critiques San Diego December 22 FIELD WORK Field Class attendance is mandatory for all students enrolled in this course. Do not book individual travel plans or a Semester at Sea sponsored trip on the day of your field class. Field Classes constitute at least 20% of the contact hours for each course, and will be developed and led by the instructor. FIELD CLASS The Art of Photography Thursday, December 1 Guayaquil, Ecuador We will first visit the Museum of Anthropology and Contemporary Art and learn about the culture, the history, and traditional and contemporary arts of Ecuador. Students will jot down information and if permitted, photograph inside the museum pieces. We will then travel to locations scattered throughout the city where mosaic murals have been placed in unconventional locations. Through these elaborate, colorful works, artists convey strong pictorial messages illustrating topics from preservation of the environment to scenes of old Guayaquil. We will photograph the work and use these as inspirations to create David Hockney joiners, photo collages consisting of numerous images of the same subject shot from slightly different viewpoints. The final photos will be completed on the ship and become Cubistic mosaic-like expressions. Before arriving in Guayaquil, we will discuss equivalent photographers Minor White and Aaron Siskind who found beauty in details of peeling paint and torn posters; subjects became symbolic and freed the viewer from literal interpretations. And Karl Blossfeldt and Imogene Cunningham photographed delicate seed pods and flowers showing magnifications of nature that became sculptural and deceptive in scale. We will travel to the colorful historic neighborhood of Cerro Santa Ana, and later, if time permits, to the botanical gardens where students will search for and photograph subject matter inspired by these artists.

6 FIELD CLASS ASSIGNMENT Due By Class 22 Students will create a digital portfolio, separate from their in-port journals, and write critiques for three of their photographs. Subjects and styles will be similar to the artists we have discussed. In the critiques, students will cite camera information such as f/stops and depth of field, shutter speed and motion, ISO and discuss composition including balance, angle of view, focal point, and lighting effects. (And if possible students will create a joiner. ) INDEPENDENT FIELD ASSIGNMENTS FIELD JOURNALS Students will carry their cameras in each country and photograph with specific themes or topics in mind to show continuity among or differences between cultures. In addition to the on-sight visual journal, students will also keep a written diary in each country which reflects personal observations that could include sensory descriptions, historical information, travel experiences, etc. The journals will be presented, critiqued and graded three to four times during the semester. Photography grades will be based on how specific images relate to ideas during class discussions, on compositional experimentation, and on sophisticated shooting techniques. Writing grades will be based upon grammar, language usage, and content. METHOD OF EVALUATION/GRADING SCALE The following Grading Scale is utilized for student evaluation. Pass/Fail is not an option for Semester at Sea coursework. Pluses and minuses are awarded as follows on a 100% scale: Excellent Good Satisfactory/Poor Failing %: A %: B %: C+ Less than 60%: F 94-96%: A 84-86%: B 70-76%: C 90-93%: A %: B %: D C-, D+ and D- grades are not assigned at CSU. Faculty use of +/- grading is 55% = Field Class + Field Journal (Field class = 20% Field Journal = 35%) Field Class work is described below. Field Journals grades include photos and written work which are graded separately. Grades which are based on creativity, effort, and quality of 35% = In-class projects, homework assignments, and exercise 10% = Participation/Preparation Grades will be based on class preparation, participation in critiques and discussions Preparation = coming to class ready to work These are minimum course requirements in order to pass the course. Completing all that is scheduled in the syllabus on time insures a passing grade of a C. (Just completing the work will not insure an A.) Attendance is expected & taken at the beginning of class; absences are reported to the registrar s office and will affect your final grade. Please don t be late.

7 Sleeping in class = an absence. If you miss class for any reason, please contact me and I will determine if work may be made up. Please do not bring a cell phone to class. Because this is an introductory class, grades are based on effort, willingness to develop skills, improvement, and creativity. Effort = doing the minimum vs. exploring many different possibilities. Creativity = experimenting according to the assignment. Ability to follow directions = making sure that assignment is properly completed and on time * Indicates when work will be handed in for grading. These dates may vary and are not set in stone! I reserve the right to modify assignments or evaluation percentages. ATTENDANCE/ENGAGEMENT IN THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM Attendance in all Semester at Sea classes is mandatory, but it is at the instructor s discretion to assign a grade to the participation and attendance requirement. Remember to include information concerning the evaluation of Field Assignments and the Field Classes, which must constitute at least 20% of the total grade in a course. Students must inform their instructors prior to any unanticipated absence and take the initiative to make up missed work in a timely fashion. Instructors must make reasonable efforts to enable students to make up work which must be accomplished under the instructor s supervision (e.g., examinations, laboratories). In the event of a conflict in regard to this policy, individuals may appeal using established CSU procedures. UNION SEMINARS Faculty members on the Fall 2016 Voyage will present on various academic topics during the evening Union Seminars, held during sea days. These topics will present relevant cultural information in various disciplines, depending on the location on the itinerary. Students are encouraged to attend at least one of these sessions, relevant to the academic topic of this course. An appropriate assignment can be made at a time when the Union Seminar schedule has been finalized. LEARNING ACCOMMODATIONS Semester at Sea provides academic accommodations for students with diagnosed learning disabilities, in accordance with ADA guidelines. Students who will need accommodations in a class, should contact ISE to discuss their individual needs. Any accommodation must be discussed in a timely manner prior to implementation. A memo from the student s home institution verifying the accommodations received on their home campus is required before any accommodation is provided on the ship. Students must submit this verification of accommodations pre-voyage as soon as possible, but no later than July 19, 2016 to academic@isevoyages.org.

8 STUDENT CONDUCT CODE The foundation of a university is truth and knowledge, each of which relies in a fundamental manner upon academic integrity and is diminished significantly by academic misconduct. Academic integrity is conceptualized as doing and taking credit for one s own work. A pervasive attitude promoting academic integrity enhances the sense of community and adds value to the educational process. All within the University are affected by the cooperative commitment to academic integrity. All Semester at Sea courses adhere to this Academic Integrity Policy and Student Conduct Code. Depending on the nature of the assignment or exam, the faculty member may require a written declaration of the following honor pledge: I have not given, received, or used any unauthorized assistance on this exam/assignment.