Dear Parents,
Please go to the class webpage http://sites.google.com/site/manzanohighphoto2/to read the course syllabus and get an overview of the class. Please read and understand my class attendance, grading, employability skills policies. Unexcused absences and tardies are graded! Please send excuse notes to your student’s secretary within Three Days so absences can be marked excused. If you do not have access to the Internet please check that you need a paper copy of the syllabus and I will send one home with your son or daughter. Please sign below that you have read the course syllabus and return to me by Monday, August 19, 2019. The class website will have assignments and more information for you to reference throughout the year. Please make sure your email address is up to date in ParentVue. I communicate with parent mainly through email. If your email needs to be updated, please call your student’s secretary to update.
The photo lab fee for the 1st semester is due by Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. The Lab fee is $20 if paid by the deadline, $30 if paid late. If students are in the free/reduced lunch program the fee is $10 if paid on time and $20 if paid after Sept. 9th, 2019. If fees are owed from previous years,monies collected will be applied to the Current semester first then the previousyear/s. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about the lab fee . I will take partial payments and if partial payment is paid by Sept. 9th no late fee will be assessed. The course syllabus explains why we need to charge a lab fee in detail.
Please feel free to contact me at 505-559-2200, ext. 23436 or at my email address: heimer_p@aps.edu if you have any questionsabout the class.
Thank you,
Perry Heimer
Photography Teacher
ManzanoHS
Syllabus
Contact Information
MHS phone number:505-559-2200, ext. 23436
Email: Primary: heimer_p@aps.edu, I check my email daily. Please put student’s name in the subject so that I can quickly see that the email concerns one of my students.
Class webpage: http://sites.google.com/site/manzanohighphoto2/homeor through MHS Classroom Connection.
Class description
Students will learn digital photography by using digital cameras, scanners, the Internet, and traditional learning modes including photography books, magazines and gallery visits. Students will learn how to compose photographs, manipulate photographs using various software programs, critique photographs and how to make digital portfolios on the Internet. Students will learn the Principles and Elements of Art/Design as they are applied to photography. They will also learn the history of photography and vocabulary associated with photography.
Materials needed
Lab Fee:$20 persemester if paid by September 9th. After Sept.9ththe lab fee is $30.The lab fee may be paid in smaller $5 increments. If $5 is paid by Sept. 9thno late fee will be assessed. (Please only pay one semester at a time as students leave after the 1stsemester for various reasons.)For students receiving free or reduced lunch the lab fee will be reduced to $10 per semester,$20if paid after September 9th. The lab fee may be paid in smaller $5 increments. If $5 is paid by Sept. 9thno late fee will be assessed. Due dates for the 2ndsemester lab fees will be announced in January.
A note on Lab Fees:APS and Manzano High School usually do not provide funding for art and photography classes. All art/photography equipment and supplies must be funded by the collection of lab fees. The lab fees paid by the students go to buying, maintaining and replacing the digital cameras and lenses used in class as well as buying computer peripherals like scanners, USB devices, card readers, storage drives/disks, photography software, printing paper, printer ink and toner cartridges, mat board, cleaning supplies, batteries and chargers, etc. Without lab fees each student would have to supply their own camera and photography supplies and equipment at a great expense to each family. The lab fees usually cover most costs associated with this classbut may not cover all costs.
Textbook: A Short Course in Digital Photography 2ndEd. I have a classroom set for use during class for reading assignments and studying. These books do not leave the classroom. I have a classroom library with many photography and art books that we will use for research and technical information. Also, the MHS library now has some new photography books available for check out.
Digital Camera: Highly recommended,but Not mandatory. Part of the lab fee goes to pay for class digital cameras that are used during class time. Class cameras can only be used during class and on campus. Students get more opportunities to learn if they have a camera at home to photograph on the weekends and away from school. A high-end expensive digital camera is not necessary; an inexpensive point-n-shoot digital will be sufficientfor most assignments. Cell phone cameras are also an option as the quality is getting better.Advance Students should have access to a digital camera as some assignments will need to be done on their own time.
USB flash driveor Cloud storage: highly recommended to transfer images from/tohome and to backup. It should be at least 8GBs.Cloud storage should be at least 15GB.
Notebook/writing instruments:Highly recommended. Required for AVID students.
Grading Policy
Grading Scale: A’s 90-100%; B’s 80-89%; C’s 70-79%; D’s 60-69%; F’s 0-59%. Generally,I give plus and minus grades that follow the APS/Synergy grading scale, 0–3.3 is a minus and 6.7–9.9 is a plus grade. Grades of D’s and F’s usually do not get a plus or minus attached to them.I do not round up grades. For examplea 59.9% is an F, not a D.
Incomplete Assignments:Assignments are only graded when they are complete. No partial credit will be given.
Grading categories:Photography and class assignments are about 50-60% of the grade: Employability Skills are about 30-35% of the grade, and quizzes, tests and extra credit are the remainder. At the beginning of each semester Employability Skills are a higher percentage of the grade due to the lack of turned in and graded assignments.
Cumulative Grade reporting: Grades are accumulated for the semester. Six-week grade report cards are basically a “progress report.”
Grading Policycontinued
Employability Skill points: 600 points can be earned per semester. 500 points are given to the student once the parent letter and lab fee are turned in. Points are given or taken away as a result of positive or negative actions/behavior of the student. Attendance, turning in assignments on time, classroom behavior and attitude are all part of Employability Skills. For more information about Employability Skills see the Class Webpage: http://sites.google.com/site/manzanohighphoto2/home
Attendance: Attendance is graded. Excessive tardiesand absences will have a negative impact on student’s overall grade. The point system is explained in detail on the class website under Employability Skills. Parents, please send absence excuse notes (within 3 days) to your child’s secretary so absences can be marked excused. Otherwise your student will lose points.
Grade Posting: Grades are automatically posted when I grade them. Grades can be checked by students and parents by going to the school’s website and clicking on the Parent/StudentVuelink. If students and/or parents check the grades and something doesn’t look correct,please call or email me.
General Expectations
Behavior: Students are expected to behave appropriately in class and while out on campus during photography assignments using the photo passes. Students who behave inappropriately while on photo passes will lose their photo privileges and will have to photograph all assignments on their own time after school. Students will be assigned a computer while in class. Students will be sharing computers, students are not to disturb, move, copy or delete other students’ files. All APS computer usage rules will be followed. If a student cannot follow the computer rules their computer privileges will be suspended and they will have to do all their assignments at home or be removed from the class permanently.
Class assignments: All class assignments will be posted on the class Webpage (http://sites.google.com/site/manzanohighphoto2/home). If school is cancelled due for any reason or if a student is out sick for an extended time, assignments will be posted there. Assignments are not usually printed and handed out to students; this saves on valuable resources and reduces lab fees. Students who need printed directions can print the assignments out at home or ask for permission to print in class.
Original Work: Students will only turn in their own work for grading. Use of another person’s work constitutes plagiarism and copyright infringement. This will lead to disciplinary action to include suspension and receiving a failing grade and removal from the class.
Homework:Time will be given during class for completion of assignments. Students will have a better experience if they do photograph after school and on the weekends. Unfortunately, class cameras cannot be signed out overnight or on the weekends.
Late Assignments: Late assignments can be turned in for a reduced grade. Near the end of the semester a deadline will be posted. Work turned in after this deadline but before the posting of grades in Synergy will receive no more than a 50%. Late work also affects Employability Skills points; late work is highly discouraged. Since assignments can be turned in late, only complete assignments will be accepted.NO incomplete work will be graded!
Make-up Work: There are no make-up assignments. Late,regular class assignments are the only assignments that will be accepted.
Food and Drinks:Absolutely no food and drink in the classroom except a capped water bottle. A table near the door is available to place drinks and unfinished food from snack break and lunch. Students found snacking out of their backpacks during class will be directed to throw their food out and will be given a referral. It is bad for the computers and extremely unsanitary to eat at the computer stations. If a student spills a drink on a computer they will be responsible for the cost of repair and/or replacement of that computer/keyboard.
Use of personal electronic devices/Cell phones:Use of music listening devices /cell phones during class is onlyallowedat the teacher’s discretion. Headphones connected to the computer for listening to approved online tutorials and instructional DVDs are allowed with teacher permission. Students are not allowed to stream music/videosfrom online sources. Using cell phones to text or make calls in class in strictly prohibited. If an emergency arises and students need to callhomethey need to ask permission from the teacher to use their phone.
MHS Rules: All MHS rules are in effect in our photography classroom. School rules can be found in the student agenda and are posted on the Manzano website.
AP Specific Course Description New Requirements coming soon
This syllabus provides direction for the highly motivated photography student to take the AP® 2-D Design Portfolio-based exam and earn college credit. Significant time and effort beyond the school day is expected to successfully complete this course.
The 2-D portfolio has three required sections: a Quality section, a Breadth section, and a Concentration section. For the Breadth section you will digitally upload to the College Board’s AP website 12 images that show your understanding of the Principles and Elements of Design. The elements are line, shape, color, texture, value, space and form. The principles of design are rhythm, balance, dominance, variety, unity, and contrast. You should show a variety of concepts and approaches that demonstrate your abilities, versatility with technique, problem solving, and ideation.
For the Concentration section you will investigate an area of personal interest to you and create a body of work that has a strong underlying visual idea or concept. The Concentration section also requires 12 images to be uploaded to the AP website. Considerable time and effort should be spent on this section.
And for the Quality section you must submit five actual printed and matted examples of your best images to the College Board for evaluation. These images will be mailed to the AP evaluation site in May. The images must be your best work and will be selected from the Breadth and Concentration sections. These images must show that you have developed mastery in concept, composition and execution of 2-D Design.
Course Overview
This Digital Photography class consists of investigation of various forms of expression and techniques using the principles and elements of design. You will develop mastery in concept, composition, and execution. You will be introduced to new photographers, digital artists, artists, and more sophisticated techniques as points of departure to create work that reflects your spirit and your vision. By exploring photographic and digital media with the camera and the computer, you will be able to develop a body of work that reflects a range of problem solving and ideation, and develop versatility with techniques to demonstrate your abilities.
All assignments will be open-ended enough so that you will be able to put your voice and personal vision on each of the assignments. You will be given a variety of assignments. Any of these assignments may be used as a starting point for the Concentration section of your portfolio, or you may decide to explore other creative ideas for your Concentration. You will do research, keep a journal/sketchbook, and participate in class and individual critiques. We will discuss copyright law and plagiarism so students understand the issues of artistic and creative integrity.
Late Assignments: Late assignments can be turned in for a reduced grade. Near the end of the semester a deadline will be posted. Work turned in after this deadline but before the posting of grades in ICue will receive no more than a 50%. Late work also affects Employability Skills points; so late work is highly discouraged. Since assignments can be turned in late, only complete assignments will be accepted. NO incomplete work will be graded!
Assessments
The four C’s will be addressed throughout the course. Students will work towards making images that excel in:
Composition
Craftsmanship
Creativity
Communication
The AP scoring rubrics will be used for image assessments during individual and group critiques and instructor assessments. Class critiques are required and an important part of the creative process. Students are expected to discuss their own work, the work of their peers, and the work of master photographers/artists both in verbal and written responses.
Course Sequence:
1st Semester
Week 1 Review of AP 2D Studio Portfolio requirements, AP 2D Portfolio Poster.
The Art of Critiquing — How to critique photography.
The Law and Photography — Plagiarism, copyright, and model releases.
Requirements for maintaining a course journal.
Homework: Do an Internet search for critiquing photographs.
Do an Internet search for photography law.
Make journal entries detailing your findings.
Classwork: Critique summer assignments. Create a slide show of your images from the summer assignments for presentation to your peers. We will do a group critique for all images.
Week 2 Digital photography/computer technology review. Using Photoshop overview/review. Getting the most out of your digital camera.
Research assignment: Write a 10-page research paper on a historic/famous photographer. Paper must have a bibliography with a minimum of 10 resources. Eight of the resources must be non-internet. Paper will follow the MLA formatting.
Due date: Second week of the second semester.
Weeks 3-5 Review the Principles & Elements (Ps&Es) of Design using the books in class and Internet resources. Look for information on the following photography concepts as well: main point of interest/focal point, angle of view, leading lines, rule of thirds, selective focus, foreground/background relationships.
Take notes and make journal entries on your research.
Composition Project:
After reviewing the Ps&Es and photography concepts make the following photographs. When photographing each image remember to pause and look in the viewfinder and make a concerted effort to carefully compose your scene. Crop in the camera, either move closer/farther away to your subject, or use the zoom on your lens to get the best composition for the strongest image. For this assignment NO cropping will be allowed in Photoshop. You must turn in only un-cropped images. Select two images from each category and do a written self-critique/reflection. Images created for this assignment will most likely be used to fulfill the Breadth section of your portfolio.
Turn in a total of 60 images of the following:
1. Shadows: yours, friends, action or interesting (five images).
2. Time and Motion (five images).
3. Painting with Light (five images).
4. Self-Portraits (five images).
5. Abstract photographs (five images).
6. Reflections/Mirrors/Glass (five images).
7. Textures (five images).
8. Interesting Light (five images).
9. Night photography (five images).
10. People – Informal portraits, faces, hands, feet, close-ups. (10 images).
11. Your choice (five images).
Week 6 Understanding vantage points and camera angles.
Assignment: Make 30 images of a single subject/object. The subject must remain stationary. You will change your camera position for each photograph. No two images should be shot from the same camera position. Identify the best five images and write a self-critique/review for those best images. Why are they the best?
Week 7-8 Research photo collage and David Hockney.
Assignment: create two photo collages using Hockney’s photographic technique. You may either create the montage in Photoshop or physically collage as Hockney did with his images. Present your two images to the class. Be prepared to discuss your work.
Week 9-10 Select or photograph five new images. Open in Photoshop and using the variations palette make the images black and white. Use masks to “peel back” the black and white or use the selection tools to reveal the some of the colors to emphasize the main subject. Write a self-critique/reflection.
Week 11-12 Review your images to date. Look at the images and try to mentally combine some of the images to create new images with new meanings. Now using Photoshop layers combine two or more photographs to create new images. The newly combined images should create new messages or visual interest. Create five new images. Write a self-critique on each of the photographs.
Week 13-15 Research a famous photographer. Concentrate your research on his or her images and their imaging style. Make a series of 10 photographs that recreates their style of imaging. Write a short review of your work compared to the photographer chosen.
Week 16 Finals — Review all your photography this semester and select the best 25 images. Create a slideshow of these images to show to the class. Be prepared to defend and discuss your selections in class. Write a semester ending reflection on your growth as a photographer/artist.
Second Semester
Week 1 Review all your photography. Review the AP 2D Studio poster “Concentration” Section. It is time to decide on a project that will fulfill the Concentration requirements of your portfolio. For your concentration, you are asked to make a commitment to the thoughtful investigation of a specific visual idea. To document your process, you should present a number of conceptually related works that show your growth and discovery. These works should use the principles of design in an informed and/or experimental way. Look at your photography from the first semester and see if some of your images can be used as a starting point for your concentration. According to the AP 2D Studio poster a concentration is a body of related works that:
* grows out of a coherent plan of action or investigation
* are unified by an underlying idea that has visual and/or conceptual coherence
* are based on your individual interest in a particular visual idea
* are focused on a process of investigation, growth and discovery
* show the development of a visual language appropriate for your subject.
Assignment: Write a Concentration proposal to describe how you will fulfill this requirement. Remember images used in the Breadth section of your portfolio cannot be used in the Concentration section.
Week 2-10 Making images for your Concentration section, selecting images for your breadth and quality sections of your portfolio. Progress checks and critiques will be every week during the first class of the week. Also review and select images for the Breadth section of the portfolio.
Concurrent assignment: Weekly Five – Each week five new images are due. The photographs may be part of the concentration or may be totally unrelated. Photoshop as required.
Week 11-12 Final uploading and printing of portfolio. Review all images and make a selection of five images for the Quality section of the portfolio. Print these photographs and mat.
Course Resources:
Class resource books:
A Short Course in Digital Photography, 2nd Ed.. London, B. and Stone, J. Prentice Hall Publishing, 2011.
Photography, 10th Ed.. London, B., Stone, J., Upton, J. Prentice Hall Publishing, 2011
Photography —The Essential Way. London, B., Stone, J., Upton, J. Prentice Hall Publishing, 2008.
The Photographic Eye — Learning to See with a Camera. O’Brian, M. and Sibley, N. Davis Publishing, 1988.
The History of Photography, 5th Ed.. Newhall, B. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1999.
The New History of Photography. Frizot, M., Editor. Konemann Publishing, 1998.
Criticizing Photographs — An Introduction to Understanding Images 3rd Ed. Barrett, T. Mayfield Publishing, 2000.
How to Read a Photograph — Lessons from Master Photographers. Jeffrey, I. Abrams Publishing, 2008.
Complete Adobe Photoshop® CS4 for Digital Photographers. Cooper, T. and Smith, C. Cengage Learning, 2010.
Digital Software:
Adobe Photoshop® CS4-6.
The Internet: Various sites that address current practices in digital photography, principles and elements of design and information about historic and contemporary photographers and artists.