activities & major assignments
Students are introduced to the following photographic techniques, processes, and materials through demonstrations, discussions, and hands-on practice:
Darkroom Developing and Printing:
Photograms
Pinhole Cameras
Black & White Film
Compositional Exercises:
Rule of Thirds
Centered/Vanishing Point
Point-of-view (1st person / 3rd person)
SLR Camera Basics:
Shutter Speed
F-stops
ISO
Lenses
Lighting Basics:
Multiple-point Lighting
Stroboscopic Photography
Studio Portraiture and Still-life photography
History of Photography:
Early Photographic Processes
Development of Cinema
History of Photojournalism
Portraiture
Conceptual and Manipulated Photography
Class assignments will apply these techniques to more personal and creative projects. These projects are designed to challenge students on technical, artistic, and communicative grounds.
Scavenger Hunt
In order to start seeing how anything can become an interesting and beautiful subject of a photograph, as well as the power of the artist's creative interpretation.
Historical Character Portrait
Students plan, stage, and shoot a portrait photograph that re-creates a portrait of a famous historical character.
Still Life Photography
As part of our unit on studio lighting for photography, students design and stage a still life photograph.
Book Cover Design
Students design a book cover that uses one of their own original photographs in the design. This assignment combines creative thinking with photography, layout and graphic design.
Informal Portraiture Photography
photographing people outside of the formal studio
approaching people, interviewing people, and getting permission to photograph them
study the work and interviews with Bruce Gilden, Garry Winogrand, Diane Arbus, and Brandon Stanton
Studio Portraiture
Students apply what they've learned about formal studio lighting and composition to the task of shooting professional headshots for the school's drama department.
Stroboscopic Photography
Students learn how to synch their camera, shutter speed, and a strobe light to take photographs of things in motion. In conjunction with this project, students will learn about the groundbreaking work of scientist, inventor and photographer Harold "Doc" Edgerton, who became famous for his stroboscopic projects at MIT.