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Bard College Catalogue 2009-2010
2009-2010
Photography
http://photo.bard.edu FacultyStephen Shore (director)*, Laurie Dahlberg, Tim Davis, Barbara Ess, Larry Fink, An-My Lê, John Pilson, Luc Sante, Michael Vahrenwald
* on sabbatical, fall 2009
OverviewA photographer’s growth is the product of the simultaneous development of three interdependent factors. The first is the conscious or intuitive understanding of the visual language of photography—that is, how the world is translated into a photograph and how a photograph orders a segment of the world in the space and time that it shows. This is a photograph’s grammar. The second factor is the acquisition of technique. Without a technical foundation there is no possibility of expression; the broader the foundation, the greater the scope of expression. This is a photograph’s vocabulary. The third factor is the photographer’s work on his or her self. This entails overcoming visual and psychological preconceptions and conditioning, deepening and clarifying perceptions, opening emotions, and finding passions. This is a photograph’s content. The Photography Program instructs students in this three-part process and provides a historical and aesthetic framework for their development.
Requirements Photography students are expected to take and pass one studio course in photography each semester; Photography/Art History 113, History of Photography; at least one upper-level history of photography course; one additional art history course; and Physics 118, Light and Color. Moderation occurs at the end of the fourth semester: by that time photography majors should have earned at least 60 credits and taken Photography/Art History 113 and at least two semesters of photography studio classes. The student meets with a Moderation board, presenting two short papers and a portfolio of 30 prints, 8" x 10" or larger. The portfolio demonstrates to the Moderation board whether the student can see and think photographically, can communicate his or her perceptions and feelings in pictures, and possesses the technical skills required for expression.
CoursesFollowing is a course of study for studio classes. First semester: Photography 101, Introduction to Photography, or Photography 103, Basic Photography. In the second through fourth semesters: Photography 105, Photographic Seeing; Photography 201, The View Camera; and Photography 203, Color Photography. In the fifth semester: Photography 305, Digital Imaging. In the sixth semester, a choice of Photography 301-302, Advanced Photography, or Photography 307, Advanced Digital Imaging. Students work on their Senior Project in the seventh and eighth semesters.Introduction to Photography
Photography 101
An introduction to both the techniques and the aesthetics of black-and-white photography as a means of self-expression. Systematic instruction in darkroom techniques and weekly criticism of individual work provide a solid understanding of the use of the camera as an expressive tool. Required materials include a camera (35mm or 21/4") with fully adjustable f-stops and shutter speeds and a handheld reflected light-exposure meter. No previous darkroom experience required; admission by portfolio. Basic Photography
Photography 103
This course covers the same material as Photography 101 but is intended for beginning students with some photography experience. Admission by portfolio. Introduction to Photography for Nonmajors
Photography 104
An introduction to the techniques and aesthetics of black-and-white photography as a means of self-expression, including instruction in darkroom techniques and weekly criticism of individual work. The student must have a camera (35mm or 21/4") with fully adjustable f-stops and shutter speeds and a handheld reflected light exposure meter. Open to Upper College students who have successfully moderated in disciplines other than photography. Photographic Seeing
Photography 105
Beyond the material technique of photography lies a visual technique. This involves learning to see the way a camera sees; learning how a photograph, by its nature, transforms the world in front of the camera. The first half of the semester is devoted to exploring this visual grammar and how it clarifies a photograph’s meaning and the photographer’s intent. In the second half, students pursue independent projects. Prerequisite: Photography 101 or 103. History of Photography
Photography 113 / Art History 113
cross-listed: victorian studies
See Art History 113 for a full course description. The View Camera
Photography 201
View cameras, the first cameras, were the primary photographic tools for the first half of photography’s history. They offer unsurpassed clarity, tonality, and image control. Operation of the view camera and advanced darkroom techniques are demonstrated as the class explores the expressive potential of the conscious use of the camera’s precise control of the image. Students are supplied with 4" x 5" camera outfits. Prerequisite: Photography 105. Admission by portfolio. Color Photography
Photography 203
An introduction to the problem of rethinking photographic picture making through the medium of color photography. Technical areas explored include transparencies, color negatives, and type-C prints. Admission by portfolio. Photography in America
Photography 215
This course examines American photographs in the context of the history, art, and literature of the 19th and 20th centuries. Topics include the daguerreotype’s resonance with transcendental philosophy; the indelible photographic images of the Civil War; photography and the rise of American consumer culture; the progressive movement and photographic “muckraking”; photography’s place in Stieglitz’s artistic circle; and photography and American postwar social alienation. Photography and the Modernist Creed
Photography 222
This seminar considers European and American photography in its “high modernist” era (1900–40) as a medium shaped by the key texts and events of modernism, such as the writings of Bergson, Freud, and Marx, and by World War I. Students investigate lesser-known figures as well as monoliths of the era, including Moholy-Nagy and Stieglitz. Prerequisite: Photography 101. Light
Photography 240
Without light there is no vision. Light is the energy of miracles, and it can be administered in many ways. The class analyzes the nature of existing light and created light—incandescent, flash, strobe—utilizing all forms of technology. Prerequisite: Photography 105. Photography 1950 – Present
Photography 247 / Art History 247
cross-listed: human rights, sts
This seminar looks at the social and artistic roles of photography in the decades after World War II. The 1950s saw the dominance of magazine photography in Life and Look and witnessed the birth of a more personal photographic culture. In the 1960s and 1970s, Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, and Garry Winogrand created a new poetry of contemporary life from moments gathered on streets and in homes. The following decade saw artists such as Sherrie Levine, Richard Prince, Cindy Sherman, and Laurie Simmons appropriate mass-media images to create ironic commentaries on consumer culture. Prerequisite: Photography 113. Advanced Photography
Photography 301-302
To prepare the student for ongoing independent work, this course emphasizes the exploration of visual problems through asking good questions of oneself and one’s work, seeing how other photographers and artists in other media have dealt with such questions, and “answering” the questions through individual projects. Prerequisites: Photography 201 and 203. Digital Imaging
Photography 305
An introduction to the use of Adobe Photoshop for image processing. The class first studies techniques for color management, scanning, image processing, and outputting. Students then pursue individual projects, which are critiqued in class. Permission of the instructor is required. Advanced Digital Imaging
Photography 307
In addition to learning various digital imaging techniques, students examine the ways in which digital imaging affects the creation and viewing of photographs. Issues central to photography in the digital era are considered, including the degree to which faith in the veracity of the photographic image has been altered by the seamless editing capabilities of digital photography and the interactive arenas of multimedia and the Internet. Prerequisite: Photography 305 or permission of the instructor. Photography and the Human Condition
Photography 313 / Art History 313
See Art History 313 for a full course description. The Portrait
Photography 314
What constitutes the nature of likeness? Is it a matter of recording the physical characteristics of a person or rendering the inner person in pictorial form? This course addresses these issues and traces developments in portraiture in the 19th and 20th centuries. Artists considered include Ingres, Nadar, Hill, Adamson, van Gogh, Picasso, Cameron, Man Ray, and Warhol. Art and the Uses of Photography
Photography 316 / Art History 316
In this study of photography as a material or tool in art making, the emphasis is placed on developing ideas and using simple, direct photographic means to express them. Students create a body of work with snapshots, slides, laser Xeroxes, Polaroids, photocollage, and other basic forms. Visits are made to New York galleries and museums to consider the prevalence of photographic-based work in contemporary art practice. Admission by interview and portfolio. Vernacular Photography
Photography 343 / Art History 343
This course addresses the many purposes to which photography has been put outside the realm of art. Students consider the studio portrait, the postmortem portrait, journalistic photography, scientific photography, forensic photography, “spirit” and Kirlian photography, erotic photography, advertising photography, fumetti, and the snapshot. Senior SeminarThe senior seminar is required of all seniors majoring in photography. It meets weekly and carries no credit.
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