Syllabus

Syllabus

Advanced Digital Photography, Art 444/544 Spring 2007, M/W, 2-3:50 pm
Sama Alshaibi alshaibi@email.arizona.edu 621-7575 Theatre Arts 16
Office Hours: Mondays, 4pm to 5 pm or by appointment

W Jan 10 Introduction / pass out essay

M Jan 15 MLK DAY OFF
W Jan 17 Intro to Lab/ discussion on first essay

M Jan 22 Demo/work day
W Jan 24 Critique Assignment #1

M Jan 29 Demo/work Day
W Jan 31 Critique Assignment #2

M Feb 5 Demo/work Day
W Feb 7 Critique Assignment #3

M Feb 12 Demo/work Day
W Feb 14 Critique Assignment #4

M Feb 19 discussion on second essay / work day
W Feb 21 Work Day

M Feb 26 Midterm Critique (all groups are due), Artist Statement
W Feb 28 Midterm Critique Continued, Artist Statement

M March 5 Demo – Video Cameras (do not miss this class)
W March 7 Demo – iMovie (do not miss this class)

M March 12 spring break OFF
W March 14 spring break OFF

M March 19 Grad Student Presentations, iMovie and Quicktime (do not miss this class)
W March 21 Work Day – Final Proposals are due (if needed, more graduate student presentations and/or more demo time)

M March 26 Individual Meetings/Work Day
W March 28 Individual Meetings/Work Day

M April 2 Individual Meetings/Work Day
W April 4 Work Day- 3rd Essay Discussion

M April 9 Work Day
W April 11 Work in Progress Discussion Group 1

M April 16 Work in Progress Discussion Group 2
W April 18 Work in Progress Discussion Group 3

M April 23 Work Day
W April 25 Work Day (on your own)

M April 31 Final Portfolio Critiques, all work due including Artist Statement
W May 2 Final Portfolio Critiques, Documentation due, YOUTUBE/website/blog updated, last day of classes

Digital Photography: The use of digital photography and the digital darkroom and their application to the production of a body of contemporary photographic inquiry.

The purpose of this class is to develop exhibition quality skills using digital photographic technology and to develop an expressive visual language using these skills. It is the goal of this class to make each student in the class competent in both the conceptual, aesthetic and technical aspects of the medium of digital photography and stretch the boundaries of the static photographic. Beyond this, each student will be encouraged to use digital photography to develop a personal vision as evidenced in his or her own portfolio of contemporary photographic inquiry.

Assignments: Each student will be required to complete the technical assignments as well as the two long-term projects (the midterm and final). The technical assignments will be displayed on the wall for group classroom critique. Late work will be accepted with a penalty of one letter grade. The Midterm will be critiqued from a projection but should be put on your website. The final should be submitted on DVD and should also be posted to your YouTube account with an embedded file into your blog or website. Please forward me the links.

Essay discussions: you will be called upon to contribute to the discussion. Have prepared questions and analysis written down so that you can demonstrate your ideas about essays. Failure to participate and engage the essays in a meaningful way will diminish you grade.

Homework BLOG: from time to time I will forward you links of videos on YouTube or websites on Digital Artists to look at. You have one week to respond in a paragraph on either your blog or website (bloggs are probably easier and you can link one to your website). Please foward me your blog and website address by Friday so I can include a link on this portal website. Failure to blog about the video/websites will result in a lowering of you "participation" grade.

Equipment: Each student will be required to provide their own digital camera. Contact instructor for current camera recommendations. You may also check out a digital camera for up to three days at the Cage.

Class attendance is mandatory for individual development and for valuable contributions that each class member is expected to give the group. These contributions of opinion, information, and discovery are an essential element for an exciting studio class. Miss three or more class (unexcused) and you will be dropped one letter grade. Miss more than five classes, you will fail the course. Excused absenses will be taken on a case by case basis. At some point, it might be necessary for you to repeat the course. Three tardies equals one unexcused absense. Be prompt! I will not repeat what you missed. It is also your responsibility to inform me when you come in that you are late, not absent. Please do so at the end of class.


Statement on Grading

Work presented in this class must be current work, not work done previously. It is against Art Department policy to submit the same work to two different classes for credit in both. Plagiarism can result in an immediate E for the course.

All assignments must be completed. Late assignments will be accepted with a penalty in grade.

Grades are based upon the following criteria:
1) Creative work produced in the class by an individual.
2) Degree of growth made by the individual in their creative work.
3) Completion of projects by due dates.
4) Contributions to group critiques and discussions.
5) Attendance.

The grading system is outlined in the University of Arizona catalog as follows:
A-Superior B-Above Average C-Average D-Below Average E-Failure

University policy requires each instructor to notify students as to the grading practices of their class. The following guidelines will be used in this course, complying with University grade designations.

A - Superior. Creative original vision, high level technical ability, able to articulate ideas in class discussions, understands basics of fine art b/w photography.
B - Above Average. Working toward a personal vision, high level of technical ability, contributes to class discussions, understands basics of fine art b/w photography.
C - Average. All assignments completed, understands technical concerns, contributes to class discussions, understands basics of fine art b/w photography.
D - Below Average. Meets all course requirements but performs below average. D is a passing grade, not a failure.
E - Failure. Student either does not meet all course requirements or performs inadequately or both. E is a failing grade.

Final Grades:
40% final portfolio (including documentation and artist statement)
30% midterm portfolio (including updating website/blog and artist statement)
20% technical weekly assignments
10% contributions to class discussions


CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Student Code of Conduct:
“The aim of education is the intellectual, personal, social, and ethical development of the individual. The educational process is ideally conducted in an environment that encourages reasoned discourse, intellectual honesty, openness to constructive change and respect for the rights of individuals. Self-discipline and a respect for the rights of others in the university community are necessary for the fulfillment of such goals.”

Code of Academic Integrity:
“Integrity is expected of every student in all academic work. The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student’s submitted work must be the student’s own. This principle is furthered by the student Code of Conduct and disciplinary procedures established by ABOR Policies 5-308/5-403, all provisions of which apply to University of Arizona students.”

Both the Code of Conduct and Code of Academic Integrity can be found at http://www.arizona.edu/~dos/SPC/policies.htm

Cell Phones/Pagers:
Please keep these turned off when in the classroom and labs.

Policies against plagiarism: http://studpubs.web.arizona.edu/policies/cacaint.htm

Policies against threatening behavior by students:
http://policy.web.arizona.edu/~policy/threaten.shtml

Students with Disabilities
If you anticipate the need for reasonable accommodations to meet the requirements of this course, you must register with the Disability Resource Center and request that the DRC send me official notification of your accommodation needs as soon as possible. Please do this as soon as possible if you wish to have accommodations made. After 3 weeks of school, you may jeopardize my ability to accommodate you adequately. Please plan to meet with me by appointment or during office hours to discuss accommodations and how my course requirements and activities may impact your ability to fully participate.


Assignments

3 essays:

1. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin.
2. The Paradoxes of Digital Photography by Lev Manovich
3. What's so New about New Media Art?, by Susan Elizabeth Ryan and Chapter 8 The Financial Advantages of Anti-copyright (Chapter 8 of Digital Resistance by Critical Art Ensemble)

Assignment 1: Digital BW / Three prints


• Color to grayscale conversion methods: Color to grayscale (IMAGE/MODE/Grayscale, IMAGE/ADJUSTMENTS/Desaturate, Channel Mixer, Channel throwaway, IMAGE/MODE/LAB (throw away channels “a” and “b”), IMAGE/CALCULATIONS, Hue & Saturation adjustment layer

• Making multiple-toned prints: duotone, tritone, quadtone, gradient map.

1. Convert your “normal” color neg or chrome to grayscale using your preferred conversion method, and print it in the following two ways: 1) printed as a desaturated RGB, and 2) converted to grayscale.

2. Print one of your color negs or chromes as a tritone.

Due Week 3


Assignment 2: Image Harvesting, Part 1.

Extending the tonal and color range of the photographic print through merging more than one scan of the same negative or transparency

To do:

Image Harvest project #1: From your color neg or chrome, combine one or more element from one into the other. When finished, make a copy file with layers intact and resize to 72 ppi. Label it as “yourlastname_assign2” and email it to me via yousendit.com.

Due Week 4


Assignment 3: Image Harvesting, Part 2.

Image Harvesting, part 2: Camera RAW exposure and controls, ProPhoto color space, global settings, DNG format, Digital Workflow (use of Bridge, custom workspaces, job folders, batch renaming of digital files, metadata, keywords, writing actions for batch processing)

To do:

1. For those of you with digital cameras capable of capturing images in the RAW format: shoot at least ten different shots. Create job folders. Rank the files within Bridge. Create your own metadata and keywords, then assign them and batch rename the files according to your preferred naming convention. Process the files using the ProPhoto color space and the camera RAW settings within Bridge. When finished, make a folder and place your files within it. Burn it to a CD-R. Those of you without cameras that shoot in RAW, please arrange to checkout a camera or borrow one. As a last resort, have a classmate give you duplicates of their RAW files. Save to folder and burn a CD to turn in.

Due Week 5


Assignment 4: Image Harvesting, part 3.

High Dynamic Range Images (merging images of different exposures to create an HDR image, methods for adjusting HDR image brightness and contrast, converting from 32-bits to 16- and 8-bits per channel)

To do:

1. Using a tripod and shooting either in camera RAW or in analog, shoot a single scene with an enormous dynamic range. Take from five to seven separate shots, bracketing each by two exposure stops separating each shot. If shooting in analog, scan your exposures. All: using Bridge, assign your metadata and keywords to the files, and then batch rename them according to your preferred naming convention. Create a High Dynamic Range image utilizing all your exposures. When finished, make a folder and place your files within it. Burn it to a CD-R.

Due Week 6


ASSIGNMENT: PROJECT PROPOSAL / MIDTERM / FINAL

Conceive a digital photography project that can be interpreted into both a static, 2-D format (the Midterm) and a time-based form (Final). You will use your static images to build your time-based project. You can also add sound, moving imagery, installation, etc. to the final. The midterm will consist of at least 30 images. The midterm does NOT have to be printed, although you can if you should choose.

Your project proposal needs to outline your midterm goals and indicate the direction your final will take. The final will probably be modified as your ideas grow through out the semester.

The final project needs to be turned into me on DVD in a QuickTime format. Projects that are installations must be documented in an agreed upon format and are due on the last day of class.

The intense critiques will follow your “works in progress” slot. You are given at least a week to improve your project. The final week of classes are reserved for a screening of completed works. Each student will evaluate your project privately and I will provide you with a copy of those evaluations.
Selected Digital Photography Web Resources

VTC Software Training (tutorials) – VTC.com
UA Multimedia Learning Lab - http://mll.arizona.edu/index.shtml
Shades of Paper (paper) - http://www.shadesofpaper.com/
Atlantic Camera Exchange (paper, ink) - http://atlex.com/
Inkjet Mall (paper, inks) - http://inkjetmall.com/
Inkjet Art (printing supplies) - http://www.inkjetart.com/
B & H Photo (digital cameras, etc.)- http://www02.bhphotovideo.com/
UA Multimedia Learning Lab - http://mll.arizona.edu/index.shtml
Digital Photography Review (news, reviews, forums) - http://www.dpreview.com/
Luminous Landscape (digital photography) - http://luminous-landscape.com/
PXL SmartScale (interpolation software) - extensis.com
Genuine Fractals (interpolation software) - http://www.altamira-group.com/
Fred Miranda Software (interpolation software) - http://www.fredmiranda.com/
NIK Multimedia (Photoshop plug-ins) - http://www.nikmultimedia.com/
Lyson (inks) - http://www.lyson.com/includes/frames.html
Mac Mall/PC Mall (equipment, supplies) - http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/
Battery Connection (NiMh batteries)- http://www.batteryconnection.com/
Color Vision (color management) - http://www.colorvision.com/home.html
Answers.org (tutorials) - http://anzwers.org/free/cp5000/pshelp.html
Digital Dog (tutorials) - http://digitaldog.net/
Short Courses (tutorials) - http://www.shortcourses.com/editing/index.htm
Dr. Xu's (forums) - http://www.drxu.com/
B/W Conversions - http://www.atncentral.com/download.htm
CCD’s (technical) - http://www.jyi.org/volumes/volume3/issue1/features/peterson.html
Digital Secrets (digital information) - http://www.digitalsecrets.net/index.html
Digital Photo Outback (digital information) - http://www.outbackphoto.com/
FAQ (photo information) - http://www.cs.duke.edu/~parr/photography/faq.html
Amazon (cameras, digital film, books) - Amazon.com
eBay (equipment, supplies) - eBay.com
Theortical- Art practice- rhizome.org


Critiques:

Guidelines for Group Critique by Prof. Goodwin

In preparing for a critique in this or any studio art class, it is at least as important to determine what you want or need from the critique, as it is to understand what is expected of you. Your critique should address form and content, and should consider the work of art in and of itself, and in the context of issues discussed in the reading assignments. Terry Barrett, in his book Criticizing Photographs, defines criticism as "...informed discourse about art to increase understanding and appreciation..." As such, criticism involves much more than the relatively simple act of judging--of determining whether one "likes" or "dislikes" a piece. Rather, it is a means toward the end of understanding a work of art. Critical consideration usually consists of at least four main activities:

1. Describing the work (what does it look like?): Assume the audience has not and will not view the piece and that you are the sole mediator for their understanding of it.
2. Interpreting the work (what does it mean?): Here you are asked to synthesize any contextual or biographical information you have with your own subjective interpretation of the work's significance.
3. Evaluating the work (is it art? is it interesting? does it "work"?): This is, perhaps, the most difficult critical task, yet it is usually the one to which most people skip when criticizing a work of art. To thoughtfully evaluate a work of art, you must determine what your criteria are for judging its relative worth or effectiveness. Only you can provide this information. Do not assume the reader (or your fellow student) shares your point of view. Explain why you feel the way you do. "Thumbs up" or "thumbs down" will not cut it. This is college.

Here are some simple guidelines for a successful critique:

1. Listen! Most people new to the critique forum fail to understand that criticism of a work does not mean the work is "bad", or that the artist has failed in some way. In order to refine our ability to produce effective artworks, we must listen to what the participants in the critique have to say about it. This is not to discourage robust debate, by any means. Some of the most lucid insights arise out of heated arguments about a work of art. Rather, it is imperative that each point of view be expressed so as to maximize the benefit of this most unusual form of public discourse. The whole point of the exercise is to go make better work.
2. Describe the image: What do you know with certainty about what you see? What do you see? What adjectives come to mind? What is the subject matter, really? What about form? How does the relationship between light and dark, contrast and tone affect your description? How does the technical treatment of the print affect your reading of it? Can you compare/contrast this image with another in the group?
3. Interpret the image: What does this image mean? How is this meaning manifested? Can you discern a difference between what was intended and the result? Are there metaphors you can decipher? Although the denotative meaning may seem clear (a photograph of a still-life set that includes a roll of toilet paper, a plastic garbage bag, and a wad of aluminum foil can be said to denote (show) a roll of toilet paper, a plastic garbage bag, and a wad of aluminum foil), what is the connotative meaning? The same photograph could, for example, connote (suggest, imply) fragility, entropy, waste, excess, or any number of completely different ideas. Do the objects depicted in the image have a connotation that owes its context to the nature of the materials they resemble, or is the connotation based in something else like light, shadow, form, composition, color, etc.? Further, from what perspective do you bring your interpretation to this work? Comparative? Archetypal? Feminist? Psychoanalytic? Formalist? Semiotic? Biographical? Intentionalist? Technical? No work of art nor artist ever existed in a vacuum. Can you identify a combination of approaches or cultural influences in your interpretation?
4. Can you categorize this photograph according to Terry Barrett's system? Is it Descriptive, Explanatory, Interpretive, Ethically Evaluative, Aesthetically Evaluative, Theoretical, or some combination thereof? Explain your criteria for determining the appropriate category.
5. What is this image's internal context (that which is descriptively evident)? What is its original context (what was physically, psychologically, and/or politically relevant to the artist at the time of the creation of the work? What is its external context (the situation in which the work is seen or presented)? How does the latter inform the former?
6. Is this a successful work of art? Why/why not? What criteria have you used to make your judgement? Be very specific.

The most important thing to remember is that, although we may each be in this class for different reasons, we are all (presumably) striving to make more and better works of art. The old adage "...I don't know about Art, but I know what I like.." is no longer applicable to your mode of inquiry. Yours is to be a rigorous and rich process of taking your work apart and putting it back together--better than before--with the help of this lively critical forum.