6-week course
Meeting Times: Mondays 7-9pm
Location: Barrows 104
Instructor: Ace Lehner
ace@acelehner.com
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COURSE SYLLABUS
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
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Class 1:
Introduce ourselves
Introduction: layout of class. Hand out syllabus, supply list etc.
Go over class blog for assignments and uploads. We will be using this for in class discussions.
Determine what type of photo background and/or art background students have.
Diagram your camera.
Lecture on Camera basics: F-Stop, shutter speed light meter.
Lecture on stopping motion and blurring motion.
Lecture: camera functions and basic exposure; shutter/aperture, depth of fields
Assign students to shoot at least 36 images before next class, practice using manual controls and
light meter for bracketing images, scavenger hunt. (12 images 3x each).
Shooting exercises in class.
For next class:
Bring manuals to class
Upload 5 images from scavenger hunt that have correct exposure, good composition, interesting
lighting we will talk about technical challenges next class.
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Class 2:
Look at images students uploaded, discuss technique as well as themes and ideas they are
interested in. Talk about challenges.
Recap Camera basics. Check in about how bracketing went.
Lecture on Composition and Light.
Shooting exercises. Shutter speed experiments, panning, freezing motion.
Lecture: (composition/street photography)
In Class Shooting exercises: stopping motion. Breathing.
For Next Class:
Reading about critique.
Shooting exercise: Shoot ten pictures each day using what we’ve learned so far.
Upload five favorite pictures.
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Class 3:
Look at images students’ shot/ Mini-Crit
Review camera basics. Address questions from last class or last week.
Portrait Lecture
Portrait assignment: shoot 75-100 images before next class
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Class 4:
Critique Portrait Assignment
Slideshow: Narrative
Hand out Narrative assignment
Reading about digital photography
Shooting time
Start thinking about final project
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Class 5:
Look at Narrative assignments from last week. Mini-Crit
Give students feedback about projects so far.
Keep working on Final Project
Make publications of final projects.
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Class 6: Final class
Look at students’ Final Projects.
Trade books/zines (if class decides to make them)
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ASSIGNMENTS
Assignment #1: Bracketing Assignment/Scavenger Hunt
You will find each of 12 things on the list provided to you. Photograph each thing 3 times, bracketing each photograph. Take the first as a normal exposure, and the second and third frame as one stop over and one stop under exposed respectively.
Bracketing using shutter speed Example: Light meter reads f/11 @ 1/125
underexpose one stop (f/11 @ 1/250)
overexpose one stop (f/11 @ 1/60)
Bracketing using the lens aperture Example: Light meter reads f/11 @ 1/125
underexpose one stop (f/16 @ 1/125)
overexpose one stop (f/8 @ 1/125)
List of items:
1. Something forgotten
2. An indicator of the weather
3. Something that can only be found here
4. Something that can be found anywhere
5. Something beautiful
6. Something ugly
7. A metaphor for something else
8. A portrait of someone you’ve never met
9. A piece of history
10. A piece of the future
11. The sky
12. A sound
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Assignment # 2: Self-Portraits and Portraits
In the history of photography pictures and reality have shared a complicated and confusing relationship, pictures are often mistaken for fact. When we think about this idea as it is applied to images of people it begins to take on serious social and political implications. For example if an artist makes a picture of some one that is very biased or reductive and then this image circulates in the public, the public may begin to literally see and think about a person in the way that they were biasedly portrayed. For this assignment, we want you to think about your roll as the image creator in making pictures of people that portray a subject in a certain way, through your ideas.
To begin make two self-portraits that investigate how you want yourself to be seen by your audience. There are many ways to approach this; think about weather you want to highlight particular parts of your identity? How best can you communicate your identity? Or perhaps make a self-portrait that is metaphorical? After you have worked through your ideas about self portraiture make two portraits of people other than yourself. Apply some of the ideas and concerns that you had when making your self-portrait to making these portraits. For the fifth image make any type of portrait you like, use this last image to explore whatever ideas came up during this project that most compel you.
Things to think about:
What is identity?
How do you want people to see you?
How do you think your subjects want to be portrayed?
Do you want to make performance based images or documentary images?
How important are setting and objects to each picture?
Shoot a minimum of 50 pictures exploring self-portraiture, a minimum of 50 pictures exploring
portraiture and a minimum of 25 shots for your free portrait image.
Be prepared to talk about your process and why you made each image the way you did.
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Assignment #3: Narrative Pictures
Photographs tell stories. Sometimes one image can tell a whole story within the frame and
sometimes a group of images inform and relate to one another in such a way that a narrative
unfolds. The context and sequence of images affect the meaning that they can convey to the
viewer. For this assignment you will create a series of 5-7 finished photographs. Each image in
the series should relate to the other images. Think about what you want to communicate to the
viewer and how to do this with images. Consider the order you want these images to be in and be
prepared to explain why.
You may choose to work in either of the following modes: Documentary or Directorial. Or you may
find that the project you choose to work on combines elements from both.
Documentary:
Find a subject that interests you. Consider that which is familiar and close by. This could be a
person, experience, situation, event or anything that you find engaging. Explore this subject
photographically. Use your camera to capture all aspects of this thing and to emphasize what
you find interesting or important about it.
Directorial:
This is an opportunity to create fiction. You are the director and can stage whatever scene, story,
event, or situation you want. Think about what
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Assignment #4: Final Project
For this assignment you will create a book or zine. Using what you have learned over the semester, choose any subject, topic, or theme that particularly interests you. You can further explore an idea from one of your previous assignments or choose something completely new to focus on. For this project consider how the context and sequence of images affect the meaning that they can convey to the viewer. Start thinking about what is important to you? What inspires you? What are you noticing and want to explore? What is realistic given the time constraints? What holds your attention and expands as you think about it? How can you engage this project in your own unique way?
This project must include images but it may also include found imagery writing. Consider how each image in the series relates to the other images. Think about what you want to communicate to the viewer and how to do this with images. Consider the order you want these images to be in and be prepared to explain why.
