Introduction to Photography: Darkroom

Transcription

1 Introduction to Photography: Darkroom Class: ART 34 Spring 2011 Class Schedule: MW 9:30-11:30 Class Location: ARTS 2A Instructor: Rebecca Soderholm Phone: Office Hours: MW 1:00-3:00 or by appointment Office Location: ARTS 104 Course Description and Objectives: This course is an exploration of both technical and formal concerns in photography. Introduction to Photography will provide you with: the fundamentals of using smallformat film cameras and traditional darkroom techniques. Students will be asked to make pictures that are challenging in both content and form and express the complex and poetic nature of human experience. Students are expected to produce a self-assigned final project that demonstrates thoughtful planning, a passion for the subject and the highest level of the technical and formal objectives of the class. In addition, students will survey selected images from the history of photography and engage in discussion of contemporary issues in the medium. Technical objectives: Manually operating a 35mm SLR camera; determining effective film exposure and development; printing and editing contact sheets; producing B&W prints with an extended tonal range; printing with control of local exposure and contrast; and demonstrating careful print-finishing techniques. Formal objectives: Seeing and recording qualities of light; becoming more aware of your environment; using the 35mm frame to include and exclude information objectively and dynamically; using motion and focus to communicate visual meaning; creating intentional relationships between elements within the frame; talking about photographs (your own, your classmates and published work); and evaluating a photograph's communicative effectiveness. Final Grades will be based on: An average of shooting assignment grades; a self-assigned final project weighted at approximately twice a regular shooting assignment; a written mid-term, class participation, work habits and attendance. Grades are weighted as follows: Shooting Assignment #1: Light as Subject + Contrast Filter Exercise - 10% Shooting Assignment #2: The Every Day + Written Response - 10% Shooting Assignment #3: Depth of Field - 10% Written Exam, 2 parts: short answer (in class) + essay (take home) - 10% Shooting Assignment #4: New Relationships + Motion - 10% Shooting Assignment #5: Active Frame - 10% Shooting Assignment #6: Final Project - 20% (proposal 5%, working crit 5%, final crit 10%) Participation, Attitude, Respect for Community, Darkroom Responsibility - 20% Grading scale for both assignments and final grades: A + = 100 A = 95 A- = 92 B+ = 88 B = 85 B- = 82 C+ = 78 C = 75 C- = 72 D+ = 68 D = 65 D- = 62 Attendance will also affect your grade: Attendance and punctuality is required for all classes, lectures and darkroom sessions. Two lates equal an absence. On certain days it will be your responsibility to sign an attendance sheet. You will earn or lose credit based on attendance on the following scale: Perfect Attendance: 2 points added to final grade Missing only one class: neutral

2 Missing 2 classes: 1 point removed from final grade Missing 3 classes: 2 points removed from final grade Missing more than 3 classes: we have a serious problem. Meeting called. Throughout the semester we have scheduled lab days in which we will work together in the darkroom to support your processing and printing. Impromptu demos may be given or important announcements may be made during these work labs. These days are not optional, nor are they times when you can go shoot. Please do not ask me if you can do something else during this time. Not being fully prepared and on-time for critiques will greatly affect your participation grade. Finishing your work in the darkroom at the beginning of a class critique is unacceptable. Print and Project Submission: Assignments require thoughtful picture making and careful technique. All contact sheets relative to the assignment must accompany each assignment submission. All assignments must be submitted in a 9 x 12 envelope with your name, class title, assignment title, due date and submission date written on the back of the envelope. Do not include negatives unless specifically requested. For this introductory class, unless otherwise stated, please print full frame (in other words, no cropping). Late Work: Assignments are due on the critique date scheduled. Any work not on the wall at the beginning of critique is late. For every class day that an assignment is late you will lose one letter grade on that assignment. I will not accept late work beyond 2 additional class days. It is your responsibility to talk to me about any problems that you are having (technical, practical or otherwise) - I am here to help you. Most critically, work on your shooting assignments in a manner timely enough to allow for unforeseen roadblocks. They will happen, I promise!! Extension: In attempt to account for serious issues that may arise, either in your life or your photographic practice, you will each receive a coupon for 1-week extension on any of the 6 major shooting assignments. This is your insurance policy; save this extension for a true emergency! Beyond this insurance extension, no late work will be accepted without penalty for any reason. If you do not use the extension, it may be submitted at the end of the semester for a full letter grade increase on your lowest shooting assignment grade. Office Hours & Communication: Scheduled office hours are noted above. I may be in the darkroom or media lab during this time. (If so I will leave a note on my door so that you can find me.) Feel free to make an appointment with me that fits your schedule or if it helps you to organize your time. Feel free to call my office phone, but if you need to leave a message, please send me an instead of leaving a voic . protocol: I will be ing you at your drew.edu addresses for a variety of reasons. Please be professional in your correspondence (i.e., proper salutation, full sentences and minimal slang), s to your professors are good practice for your working life. While I encourage you to contact me via , I cannot guarantee that I will respond right away, especially on weekends when I may be with my family or working at my studio. If you suspect that an may have gotten buried in my inbox, please feel free to send me a reminder. Tutoring: Tutors may be available to assist you with using your camera, the darkroom or in understanding the materials presented. Please let me know if you think you could benefit from a tutor. Fees: The class fee of $25 is due by Wednesday, January 26. Please make checks payable to: Drew University Students may rent cameras from Drew University. The fee is $40 for the semester and must be paid by Wednesday, January 26.

3 Class Participation & Etiquette: Participation in class discussions and critiques is vital to your growth in this class. Talking about pictures takes practice, so work on increasing your visual vocabulary. Learn to critique, be honest, open and curious. You will need to spend quite a bit of time outside of class time making pictures and working in the darkroom. You will hear me say repeatedly that this class is a community. These are not just words. If you learn more from this class about working respectfully within a community of artists than you do about f-stops and shutter speeds (as important as they are) that is ok with me. Trusting in your own ideas requires a certain amount of risk taking and we must all make this community a safe place to express creativity and questions. Giving and receiving constructive criticism (especially during class critiques) is an art in itself, and I expect each of you to work on finding a balance of discovering who you are, while being able to listen open-mindedly to suggestions for growth and improvement and confidently offering suggestions to others. Respecting your peers also means that the physical environment that we learn and work in is always ready to support the work of other students. Be respectful of the facilities: keep the darkroom clean, help to test and change chemistry as needed and pick up after yourself in the film room, darkroom and print finishing area. Leave all dry areas perfectly dry and all wet areas completely free of potential chemical contamination. Being anything but careful, neat and organized in the darkroom may ruin your film or prints (or even worse, your friend s film or prints). This is no joke. We all may be messy in certain aspects of our lives, but being anything but extremely careful in the darkroom has serious consequences for all of the work being done there. Food is not allowed in class, but covered drinks are. Food is NEVER allowed in the darkroom. In all classroom and lab situations, please be conscious of your stuff. Hang your coats and bags on the hooks by the darkroom door. Keep your bags in your art locker or in the darkroom cupboards so that we can work on the counters. There may be times during classroom lectures when I ask that you clear your belongings of a common table so that we can all see (and think) more clearly. Be prepared to purchase photography supplies as needed. Laptops are not allowed in class unless otherwise noted. Cell phones must be turned off. No texting. If you are using your phone during class you will be asked to leave and will receive an absence for that day. A few more thought about being successful in this class: Trust in the learning process and work with your fully engaged intellect and willingness to discover. Your personal creative exploration has the potential to offer new means of self-expression, new capacities for solving problems and greater recognition of how you wish to interact with the world. You are beginning photographers, but when you complete assignments with respect for your ideas and attention to detail, you will be rewarded with witnessing your own emergence as a photographer. And one more thing: Have Fun!

4 Introduction to Photography: Darkroom Class: ART 34 Spring 2011 Soderholm COURSE SCHEDULE (Subject to Change) Day 1, Monday 1/24: Introduction to course objectives and procedures; Discussion of required materials; Facilities tour. Day-one collected. Day 2, Wednesday 1/26: Single lens reflex camera structure & operation, ISO, in-camera metering, exposure, shutter and aperture as controllers of light. MATERIALS: camera, roll of film, camera manual (if possible). Shooting Assignment #1 given: Light as Subject + Contrast Filter Exercise Day 3, Monday 1/31: Film Processing demo; practice loading film onto reels. Video: ART 21: Sally Mann Day 4, Wednesday 2/2: LAB: Film processing. DUE: shot film for assignment #1. MATERIALS: scissors, film storage pages & binder, thin permanent marker. NOTE: class time will be staggered and extended (Group A will meet from 8:00 10:00, Group B from 10:00 12:00.) Day 5, Monday 2/7: LAB: Contact printing demo; managing print chemistry; tray processing photographic paper. MATERIALS: Processed film in binder and RC printing paper. Day 6, Wednesday 2/9: LAB: Full-frame enlargement printing for the Contrast Filter Exercise. MATERIALS REQUIRED: negatives and contact sheets. Assignment #2 given: The Every Day. Day 7, Monday 2/14: LAB: Full-frame enlargement printing for the first critique. MATERIALS REQUIRED: negatives and contact sheets. Day 8, Wednesday 2/16: CRITIQUE & SUBMIT: Shooting Assignment #1, including the contrast filter exercise. Please review syllabus for assignment submission guidelines. Day 9, Monday 2/21: LAB: Printing for the second critique; Controlling local exposure and contrast in printing through dodging and burning. Day 10, Wednesday 2/23: CRITIQUE & SUBMIT: Shooting Assignment #2: The Every Day. Assignment #3 given: Depth of Field, please bring your camera for aperture + depth of field lecture. Thursday 2/24 by noon: DUE: Written Assignment. Day 11, Monday 2/28: Image lecture: The Greats: 20 th Century small-format B&W photographers: Evans, Lange, Cartier-Bresson, Frank, Winogrand, Adams, Friedlander. Assignment #4 given: New Relationships Day 12, Wednesday 3/2: CRITIQUE & SUBMIT: Assignment #3, Depth of Field. SPRING BREAK (shooting: New Relationships. Have fun!) Note: Please review shutter + motion materials before Day 13 class. Day 13, Monday 3/14: Shutter + motion field trip, please bring your camera and 2 rolls of film. Dress for taking a walk into town. Monday 3/14 by noon: DUE: Final Project Written Proposals. Day 14, Wednesday 3/16: Written Exam given: part 1, short answer, in class; part 2 given: 5-paragraph essay (take home). ART 21 documentaries: Collier Schorr, Robert Adams, An My Le.

5 Day 15, Monday 3/21: LAB WORK: Processing, editing or printing for working critique for critique four. Day 16, Wednesday 3/23: CRITIQUE & SUBMIT: Assignment #4, New Relationships Note: Can you shoot a few rolls for your final projects in this time? Day 17, Monday 3/28: LAB WORK: Processing, editing or printing for working critique for critique four. Day 18, Wednesday 3/30: CRITIQUE & SUBMIT: Assignment #4, Active Frame. ALSO DUE: Exam part 2, Essay NOTE: This weekend is a critical time for shooting your final projects. Day 19, Monday 4/4: LAB: Processing, editing or printing for working critique for final project; Individual meetings to discuss progress of final projects, Group A. Day 20, Wednesday 4/6: LAB: Processing, editing or printing for working critique for final project; Individual meetings to discuss progress of final projects, Group B. Day 21, Monday 4/11: CRITIQUE: working critique for final projects, Group A Day 22, Wednesday 4/13: CRITIQUE: working critique for final projects, Group B Day 23, Monday 4/18: War Photographer, documentary film about photographer James Nachtwey. Day 24, Wednesday 4/20: LAB: Spotting demo; Processing, editing or printing for final project You will probably need to be in the darkroom this weekend. Day 25, Monday 4/25: FINAL CRITIQUE: for final projects, Group A Day 26, Wednesday 4/27: FINAL CRITIQUE: for final projects, Group B = This would be a good day to stay after class to keep working if it works with your schedule. = Must be submitted via . Please follow submission guidelines or work may not be accepted. = Drew rental cameras must be turned in on the day of your final crit.

6 Introduction to Photography: Darkroom Drew University ART 34 Spring 2011 Soderholm Required Materials List Note - the Day # following each items denotes which day you will need to have it by Manual SLR Camera: A 35mm single lens reflex camera with a 35mm or 50mm lens. The camera must have a working light meter and the ability to manually adjust the focus, shutter speed & aperture. The Drew Art Department offers SLR camera rentals for $40/semester. Camera rentals are limited, please contact me at rsoderholm@drew.edu to place your request. Used cameras are available on-line and in stores that sell used equipment. Replace old batteries, clean camera and lenses. If you prefer to buy a new camera, I recommend the: Vivitar V3800N 35mm SLR Kit w/ 50mm f/1.7 Lens [B&H#VIV3800N $169.95] or for serious film photographers, the Nikon F10. If you need help with this decision, do not hesitate to contact me. (Day #2) Other Required Materials: Lens cleaning cloth for safely cleaning water or grime off your lens in the field. You may have one already for another camera, eyeglasses or binoculars. (Day #2) Film: 30 rolls Kodak TRI-X Pan B&W film exposure [B&H#KOTX36 - $3.45/roll] (4 rolls by Day #2, more to follow through the semester) Lock for your art storage locker (Day #3) Negative Pages: Print-File 35mm 7-strip/5-frame 25 sheets [B&H#PR $5.59] (Day #4) Negative Binder: Besfile enclosed binder w/rings, black [B&H#BEBAR - $8.95] (Day #4) Photographic Paper #1: Ilford Multigrade IV Deluxe MGD.1M B&W RC (Resin Coated) Glossy 8x sheets [B&H #ILMG481100G - $52.99] (Day #5) Photographic Paper #2: Ilford Multigrade IV MGF.1K B&W Variable Contrast FB (Fiber Based) Double Weight Glossy 8x sheets [B&H#ILMGF481100G - $77.95] (Day #8) Optional Materials: bring if you have them: scissors, apron, tripod and cable release Purchase Information: B&H Photo in New York City is reasonable and reliable. I have included B&H item numbers and prices to more clearly communicate the specific materials, but you do not need to order from B&H. Other reasonable suppliers are Calument, Adorama, and a New Jersey supplier, Unique Photo Note: You may need (or want) additional rolls of film, printing paper and negative files based on several factors, such as: making mistakes in your film exposure or processing (sad but true), general enthusiasm for photography (it s fun!), redoing assignments (to improve your skills & your grade), or going beyond the minimal requirements for your self-assigned final projects (you re in deep now!).