Syllabus: Photojournalism + Documentary Photography

Transcription

1 Syllabus: Photojournalism + Documentary Photography CE 2718 C Summer 2017 Continuing Education Course Information Location: TBA Dates: Thursdays, June 8 - August 10; 6:00-9:00 PM Note: Instructor Information Name: Hinda Schuman hinda@hindaschuman.net Policy: Answers s once a day M-F and once over the weekend. Instructor Bio: Course Description Learn the basics of artistic photographic practice and apply them to documentary photojournalistic content. Using digital photography and a documentary approach, utilize content-driven visual storytelling to investigate subjects in the landscape or community. Class time includes critique, lectures, discussion and studio time. Lectures and readings will cover the work of photographers using the documentary style, and you will create a final portfolio of images. Students must provide their own DSLR cameras with manual control of shutter speed and aperture. Prerequisite: Digital Photography I, Digital Media for Photographers, after Digital Photography II or equivalent experience. Pre-requisites Digital Photography I, Digital Photography II or equivalent experience. Those enrolled must be comfortable with their DSLR camera and able to operate it on manual modes, including use of flash. There will be very limited instruction on the how to's of the DSLR. Students should also be comfortable with Lightroom 4 and have some experience with photoshop cs 4 or higher. Course Overview There will be in class assignments, out of class assignments, readings, and one written project, and one long term final project that may be all images or combine text, sound and images. Students should expect to have external deadlines set for them, and meet them without hesitation. Students will be photographing various topics, some of particular interest, some potentially, will bore the photographer to the end of their patience. While this class will not be dealing with video, it doesn't hurt to know that this is where the field is heading. #UArtsCE

2 Course Objectives/Learning Objectives At the end of this course, students will: At the end of this class students will understand how to meet deadlines, fulfill an editor's assignment, create interesting images out of situations that might at first look seem impossible to find anything of interest in. Also students will learn to carry out a long term project which includes research, developing a storyline, photographing, and finally editing and laying out the project. All assignments are subject to change depending on weather, student needs and creative license. Course Resources Software: access to lightroom and photoshop at home, work or thru the UARTS lab. Textbooks (s) Required: The Photographer s Vision. Michael Freeman. Focal Press Photographs Not Taken: Edited by Will Steacy. Daylight Press Optional: The First Casualty -Phillip Knightley, Shutterbabe-Deborah Copaken Kogan; Magnum Russell Miller Shooting War Susan D Moeller; Witness in Our Time-Ken Light; Errol Morris- Believing is Seeing-blog or book Additional Course Materials Supplies COURSE ACTIVITIES Readings + Responses Presentations Written s Critiques Course Policies Student Feedback/Communication If you experience an emergency, which will prevent you from completing required coursework on time, please communicate with the instructor at the earliest opportunity. Please state the nature of the emergency and when you expect to turn in the coursework. Attendance + Participation All students are expected to attend classes regularly and promptly, and for the duration of the scheduled instructional time. Individual instructors will decide the optimum time for taking attendance and may penalize for habitual lateness or absence. Repeated absences may result in a grade of "F" for the course. *Students who withdraw from a course must do so in writing. Non-attendance does not constitute an official withdrawal. University Policies Academic Honesty/ Integrity Policy Violations of academic integrity are considered to be acts of academic dishonesty and include (but are not limited 2

3 to) cheating, plagiarizing, fabrication, denying others access to information or material, and facilitating academic dishonesty, and are subject to disciplinary action. To review the Academic Honesty/ Integrity Policy in its entirety, please visit: Student Code of Conduct It is the policy of the Division of Continuing Studies to provide a safe and healthy environment for learning, personal growth and enjoyment. The well-being of this community depends upon the good judgment and considerate behavior of its members. Student status at The University of the Arts is not an unconditional right, but a privilege subject to certain rules and expectations articulated in the Student Code of Conduct. To review the Student Code of Conduct in its entirety, please visit: Notice of Nondiscrimination As is reflected in our core values, the University of the Arts is a supportive community committed to individual and artistic integrity and inclusion. We promote and respect selfexpression, a wide range of ideas, and diversity in all of its forms. Faculty, staff and students of the University are entitled to participate in and obtain the benefits of University programs, activities and employment without being discriminated against on the basis of: race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, veteran status, genetic information, the use of a guide or support animal because of the blindness, deafness or physical handicap of any individual or independent contractor, possession of a GED instead of a high school diploma and military status as defined by Pennsylvania law, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status and domestic/sexual violence victim status or any other prohibited factor. The University also prohibits acts of retaliation against those who report acts of harassment discrimination or who cooperate with the investigative process. Sexual violence, sexual harassment, intimate partner/dating violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct are considered forms of sex-based discrimination and are prohibited by University policy and by law. All faculty and professional staff at the University must report any incidents of sexual misconduct to the University s Title IX Coordinator. To make a report, titleix@uarts.edu or file a report through the Title IX Resource Page: Students, faculty, and staff with questions about or complaints concerning discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation should contact the University s Title IX Coordinator and Diversity Administrator, Lexi Morrison, at lmorrison@uarts.edu or Grading Your grade will be based on the following: Component Points Written s 30% Participation (incl Responses) 30% Artist Presentations 20% Final Portfolio + Statement 20% Total 100% 3

4 Your grade will be calculated using the following scale: Grade Percentage Range Grade Point A % 4.0 A % 3.67 B % 3.33 B 86 83% 3.0 B % 2.67 C % 2.33 C 76 73% 2.0 C % 1.67 D % 1.33 D 63 66% 1.0 F 59% or less 0.0 P Pass - Schedule* SESSION + TOPIC COURSEWORK DUE DATE 1 June 8 Introduction Class Introductions Please bring to the first class a selection of 6 recent photographs that you have taken in the documentary or photojournalistic mode. Please bring in the 6 images on paper- or have available via the internet or a flash drive. You will be asked to present your images and talk a bit about yourself and why you selected these 6 photographs to show. The 10 week class will be divided in two sections- the first half will be photojournalism. The second half will be documentary photography. Some assignments may be altered to suit differing needs, times, and the group s interests. Using websites and lecture I will offer an introduction to photojournalism, the documentary photo essay, and the scope of the class. We will go over camera equipment and make sure everyone has a basic understanding of their tools. We will go 4

5 over how to photograph a news event. We will also look at the work of some of the outstanding photographers in the documentary and photoj tradition. This is useful for your week 4 assignment. (TAKE NOTES). Discussion of feature vs. news photography. First night assignment: photograph an assignment ( which I will give you), and bring it back before the end of class. Rule one: meet your deadlines. Dress for the outside. Have all cameras -lenses etc. first night. 2 June 15 3 June 22 Inclass work Read 1. A Momentary Art. pp Photograph an event. Have all your images on a flash drive. Get close & distance images., Photograph from below and above. Photograph til your hand falls off. We will discuss a picture package and photographing features for a newspaper. Class Discussion of Readings and critique of assignments and your editing abilities taking the entire summation of images and editing it down to 3. We will discuss what makes a good edit, why the world needs editors and how social media leaves the editing to the creator and what that means to the news and truth. Discussion of what a feature assignment is and how to photograph features. The more important the person, the less they seemed inclined or able to let you into their lives or behind that well-honed public image. R Perry. The portrait in news photography. In class if timephotograph a person on the street. Read II- genres thru Photo,J. Pages Approaching people on the street. Do a series of street portraits of people around a theme. Theme might be by subject, location or other ideas. Have entire assignment on a flashdrive. Talk about final project and documentary photography as it applies to 2 nd half of class. Looking at photo stories, projects and where to find them and who is publishing them. Due: June :00PM ( all assignments due at 6:00 PM) Due: June 22, 2017 We will go over the homework assignment. You will partner with someone, who will re-edit your 5

6 portrait assignment and we will look at how two editors might edit similarly or differently. We will look at different possibilities in how the edit says different things. We will websites relating to photo J & doc. In class assignment- architecture of the city at dusk. 4 June 29th Choose a photojournalist whose work you admire and bring in/present some work of that person. Photograph in the style of that person- have 3 edits in dropbox. From a daily newspaper please select two photographs- one that is powerful to you. And one that is deadly dull. Be able to talk about why you chose each. ( I will present some options for photographers to emulate). Photographs Not taken. Read it. We will review the assignments. And you will present your newspaper photographer and images. Going over use of flash for assignments. When to use them when not to use them, and how to use them. Other lighting possibilities when flash is not an option. We will look at photographers who use more than one light source to light their photo illustrations - flash assignments in class. crowd sourcing and ways to fund your passions. Due: June Read chapt 9-strobe. Read in Photos Not Taken: Photograph: photograph: stopping action, fill flash, blurring action. Research and nail down your ideas for a two week topic. Photographers Vision--read-- Genres pp If you don t have a flash.. Still stop action, blur action- etc. choose a sport to photograph. Or anything with movement.. Dance etc. Due: July 6,

7 5 July 6th reading assignments. We will look at the life of a freelance photographer vs. staff photographer for various publications. We will talk about documentary projects upcoming and final. How to scout a location. How to research a project. How to find story leads, and how to cultivate PR people etc. Two week topic. You will spend at least 6-8 hours photographing this subject and present your finished project- 6 edited images, with text. Quick one week topic- weather art...one week Due: July 20th. And due- july 13th 6 July 13th 7 July 20th How to pitch a story- how to get work with NGO s, different ways to get your name in front of editors. How important is multimedia? Assistantships with commercial photographers fashion, product, etc. In class project: the photo illustration- we will shoot a photo that might be called an illustration for a newspaper or magazine. What they are- and how to photograph them. We will do a medical, a food and technology assignment. We can work from photoshop and the web. Read The Photographer s Vision: pp capture to concept Go over pitched stories and photo illustrations if we haven t had time in class. ethics, law and contracts. Contests, are they worth it? How to get your work seen. Due: july 20th Details for final projects. How to write intro and captions. Blogs, agencies, portfolio reviews and the scene around the world. At least detailed outline from final project are due. Due: July 27th 7

8 8 July 27th Including some early takes from the project. Photograph contrasts-rich and poor, old and new, color and black and white, loud and soft. However you want to define it. It should have some relevance to a news story. and readings. Go over contrast assignments. Presentation of final project- written and some photographs. Final project should be well underway. Read- Photographs not taken and Compositional skills- pp in Photographer s Vision. Due: August 3rd. Work on final project/website 9 August 3rd 10 August 10th Discussion of websites, curb appeal, who gets work and how, Editing with Hinda. Class assignment- buskers, hawkers, bible sellers, smoking students and or all or more. Photograph for 30 min. Return and edit. Individual meetings/editing/written work edited as well. Discussion of and presentation of Final project Final presentations and critiques. Keep on Due: August 10th 6:00PM Due: 8

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