Syllabus

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Overview:

This will be unlike any art class you've ever taken. Easy for me to say, because it has never been taught here. This an advanced art course in studio photography, but it is also much more. Photography is, after all, much more than a mere technical phenomenon. It is also a cultural, historical, political, aesthetic one. Together, we will interrogate the myriad dimensions of the medium through a combination of lectures, demonstrations, hands-on experimentation, and the group critique forum. Your full and energetic participation in each of these components of the course--especially the critiques--is mandatory for success in the class. Why "constructed reality"? Because after eight or so years of teaching at U. Albany, it has occured to me that I might want to take a turn teaching that which I do (and therefore know best). We will be creating sculptural objects and and environments, designing sets, lighting them, and photographing them, utilizing a number of technical and conceptual strategies (both traditional and digital). It is assumed the end result will be photographs, but how we get there may surprise you. This course will furthermore require you to work collaboratively to an extent you have not previously experienced. It will be challenging and fun, like most worthwhile endeavors.

Required Texts (available at Mary Jane Books in Albany):

Photography by Henry Horenstein and Russel Hart, Revised Edition (New York: Prentice Hall, 2004) ISBN: 0-13-183988-8. Approx. $75. Note: this is primarily a technical resource that will be used throughout the photo/imaging curriculum.

Criticizing Photographs: An Introduction to Understanding Images by Terry Barrett, Fourth Edition (McGraw-Hill, 2004) ISBN: 0072977434/9780072977431. Approx. $35. Note: this brief text is designed to help both beginning and advanced students of photography and imaging better develop and articulate thoughtful criticism.

Attendance:

Please try not to miss any classes, as attendance is essential for success in this class. We will move at a very fast pace in order to accomplish our goals and nearly all information vital to the completion of your work is delivered via in-class conversations. Miss the class: miss the info.

I do not rigorously audit attendance precisely because it is virtually impossible to pass this course if you miss more than three classes. Attendance, in other words, is up to you. If you miss class, it is up to you to get notes and/or handouts, and you are responsible for all assigned work regardless of attendance in class. When all is said and done, I evaluate the work you produce. It is categorically impossible to get the information and produce the work required unless you are in class--period. Excused absences do not excuse you from the requirement to produce the work. That said, failure to attend any formal scheduled critique will result in an overall reduction of one letter grade for each crit missed. Failure to attend an informal, unscheduled critique will result in a diminished participation grade. Failure to attend the final critique will result in an automatic "F" in this course, regardless of grade average going into it. This policy is not negotiable.

Assignments:

Late projects will absolutely not be accepted. One project of your choosing may be redone to improve the grade. If the work was turned in on time, the higher grade will be recorded. If the work was late, the re-done project grade will be averaged with a zero. It is always to your benefit to turn in the work--even if it is not completed--so that you may receive feedback from me and the others in the class and so that you avoid this formidable grade penalty.

Plagiarism:

All work turned in must be yours; copying or claiming another's work as your own is specifically prohibited. Any instances will result in an "F" and a recurrence will cause the student to be dropped from the course with an "F" , and possibly to be expelled from the University. (Note: appropriating imagery from the media for purposes of commentary is acceptable, provided it does not violate copyright laws--see me if in doubt.)

Grades:

Grades will be figured on the conventional percentage scale. More importantly, grades are an indication of how well you are doing in the course. Please note that I consider a "C" as nominal completion of the work, i.e., "average". You will have to do above average work or superior work to get a "B" or an "A", respectively. I encourage you to give realistic and thoughtful consideration to the grade you expect to receive on a project before said grade is assigned. Whereas I am always--at any point in the semester--willing to give feedback, I have never changed a student's grade once it has been assigned.

Grading Criteria:

Extra Credit Options:

Students are invited and encouraged to seek ways to expand upon the basic guidelines of the projects to receive extra credit. If you should feel confined or limited by one of my projects, please contact me at the earliest opportunity so that we might discuss other options. Do not settle for producing work at the minimum level required because you do not feel engaged. There is a grade for such performance, and you don't want it (see table above).

Special Needs:

If you require any additional help from me or the facility to accommodate a disability, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will make every effort to insure that you are able to get the work done. We can be incredibly flexible and creative when it comes to finding ways to help students make art.

Materials:

Studio art classes can be quite expensive, as most of you already know. That said, this can be an exceptionally expensive class, depending on the type and amount of work that you choose to do. Please budget carefully to insure that you are able to produce the work required. Students typically spend around $300 (on average) on consummable supplies and materials. Some spend more than twice as much, some get by on much less. Because digital image making is in its relative infancy, it is still slightly more expensive than traditional analog photography (although this is changing daily). In addition to a working 35mm camera or a reasonably high-resolution digital still or video camera, you will be required to provide the expendable supplies described below. If you choose to work with a digital camera, it must be capable of capturing and easily uploading high-resolution images, therefore I must inspect it before I can give you permission to use it for our projects. Likewise, if you wish to use your own digital video camera, you will need to show it to me before beginning your project so that we may quickly insure that it is compatible with our DV equipment.

You will be charged a non-refundable lab fee of $100.00 to cover chemistry in the traditional dark room, as well as ink usage and maintenance on the state-of-the-art archival fine art printers we use in our labs. This fee applies to all photography and digital media students, regardless of whether or not you forsee printing. Please note that we cannot allow you to work in the lab until you have paid the lab fee, so keep your receipt. Once the fee is paid, however, you will not be required to pay further for ink usage--with some rare exceptions (as in the case of the student who printed an entire portfolio of "life-size" full-body portraits). If faculty or the lab technician observe you printing well in excess of that which is covered by the fee, we will ask you to pay another fee to cover those materials and maintenance. Fear not, for your materials fee--even if you have to pay two or three times (very rare, unless you are a grad student)--will be much less than if you attempted to produce your work through a local service bureau. I encourage you to compare pricing for large-format archival prints if you are in doubt. The lab fee is to be paid at CAS Technical Services, which is located in the Chemistry Building, room B-44. We have also established a special relationship with a local vendor of specialty inkjet printing papers to provide you with those papers we most often use at substantial discounts for U. Albany art students. National Graphic Supply at 226 North Allen Street in Albany (518-438-8411) offers Epson's Somerset Velvet Photo Enhanced and Epson's Premium Photo Gloss in both 24", 36" and 44" x 100' rolls and in a variety of cut-sheet sizes, as well as a wide range of other media. You may purchase other papers, but please know that you may not run any paper through our printers for which I or technician Barry Koblenz have not given prior approval. Pigment-based archival inks are not compatible with low-end hobbyist papers (such as glossy Kodak, Polaroid, HP, etc.) available at office supply stores. Your results will be disappointing and the printer could actually be damaged. Toilet paper, as one ambitious student learned the hard way, doesn't work too well either. Students wishing to print large-format (larger than 24 x 30") should consider splitting the cost of a roll of paper with other students. Click here for the latest pricing on roll and sheet stock of the most common fine-art inkjet papers we use.

Additionally, you may be required to purchase the following items:

• CAMERA: You must have either a 35mm single lens reflex camera with at least a normal (50mm) lens and a working light meter or a 6-megapixel or higher resolution digital SLR. In either case, your camera must be capable of fully manual exposure and focus No point and shoots, Polaroid, or fancy-schmancy ultra-auto techno-weeny wonders. Cell phone cameras won't cut it either. I must inspect and approve your camera before you are allowed to remain in this course. It's a good idea to have a strap and a lenscap as a minimum. A good quality camera bag is ideal.
• We will shoot extensively with the 4x5 view camera in this class, so you'll need to invest in a few boxes of B&W or color sheet film. Speak to me before you purchase film (PLEASE!)
• CDR or CDRW disks (as many as your work requires), 650 or 700 MB w/jewel case
• DVD-R 4.7 GB disks ((as many as your work requires))
• MiniDV cassettes, as required
• 35mm archival plastic negative pages
• A three-ring binder or archival folder for storing negative pages and handouts.
• An anti-static cloth (Ilford Antistaticum)
• Staticmaster Anti-Static brush (1")
• Thermometer if you plan to process film (metal type with dial--no glass w/ mercury, please)
• Scissors
• Bottle opener
• A #000 or #0000 sable brush for spotting prints
• rubber gloves or barrier cream
• An old dishrag for wiping your hands when you're in the darkroom.
• A folder with pockets for turning in projects (contact sheets, etc.).
• Kodak 18% Grey Card
• X-acto knife (several #11 blades)
• Black photo masking tape (not electrical tape!)--1 roll
• White artists' tape--1 roll
• Various consummable supplies as needed such as white and black mat board, tape, dry-mount tissue, spray mount, black spray paint, hot glue gun and glue melts, super-glue, set-wax, fun-tac, etc.
• Inexpensive lupe (i.e., Agfa 8X)
• Not required but recommended: A tripod and a long cable release

NOTE: This is a working syllabus and, as such, is subject to change. You will be notified in class or via listserv or blog of any changes to this schedule.

A word about class participation:

Regular and punctual attendance will earn you a passing grade (C) in class participation. In order to receive an A or a B you will be required to fully participate in all discussions/critiques/readings/lab days. You will, in other words, be required to put in your two-cent’s-worth. Sleeping in my class (especially during a critique) will earn you a big steaming pile of flunk. Remaining enrolled in this class after the first week constitutes an agreement to the requirements detailed in this syllabus.