Photography
August-2007
Photography
A. Goals, Purpose, and Relation to Institution
1. Purpose and Relation
The Photography program provides a high quality educational experience
to students who wish to pursue photography as all or part of a satisfying
career, and also to students who wish to enrich their lives with valuable
photographic knowledge and experience. Our mission is to provide an
excellent technical education that prepares students for entry level
employment and self-employment in a broad range of photographic career
paths.
This is in concert with the mission statement of Riverside City College
which states that it empowers a diverse community of learners toward
individual achievement, success, and lifelong learning by providing
comprehensive services and innovative educational opportunities. It is
also consistent with the District’s mission statement:
The District provides transfer programs paralleling the first two
years of university offerings, pre-professional, career preparation,
and occupation and technical programs leading to associate of arts
degree, the associate of science degree, and a variety of
certificates.
The values promoted by the district, which consist of student centeredness,
teaching excellence, a supportive learning environment, and tradition, are
also integrated into our curriculum and pedagogy. The values in our
program include:
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Supportive teaching and learning environment in which
students are encouraged to develop their strengths and respect
the strengths of others;
Practical, hands-on teaching and learning that is consistent with
both traditional and state-of-the art methods and, to the extent
possible, with state-of-the-art equipment;
Curriculum and teaching methods that incorporate the values of
professionalism, superior quality, teamwork, ethical practices,
problem-solving, and life-long learning.
2. Goals
Over the past two years, the program’s goals have been:
 to integrate digital instruction with traditional film and wet lab
instruction
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to improve consistency and quality of instruction in courses taught by
multiple instructors;
to expand the number of section offerings to meet the needs of the
community;
to improve the instructional facilities in order to enhance the
traditional and digital learning experience.
These goals are consistent with the District’s goals to:
 Utilize advances in information technologies to improve effectiveness
of instruction, services and administration.
 Tailor programs and services to meet the needs of the students and
communities served by the three-campus District.
B. History of the Photography Program
Due to lack of documentation of the history of the Photography Program, the
History portion of the review is based upon conversations with three people who
have been associated with the program, as both students and faculty, for
approximately 35 years.
1. Program Development
The Photography Program focused on vocational education for the
purpose of training both photojournalist as well as those who would open
their own photography-related business. It also provided a strong
introductory experience for students who wanted to continue in a four year
program elsewhere.
The Photography program began between the years of 1968 and 1969 as a
facet of the English Department. During the early 1970’s the program was
transferred to the oversight of the Applied Technology Department. Along
with this move, the course offerings changed and expanded to
Introduction, Intermediate, and Advanced photography along with
photojournalism. Color photography was later added between 1978 and
1979. Originally, color transparencies and color negatives were addressed
in two different classes in alternating semesters, but were later
consolidated into a single offering. Most classes were offered both day
and evening, with the exception of color. In 1980 the program was placed
on academic probation. That probationary status was later removed in
1982. In 2005 the program slightly increased its number of sections. It
has also begun to integrate digital capture and post-capture production.
Though the program remains stable, many of the classes offered do not
meet their caps.
Starting in the late 1970’s an annual photography show, curated by the Art
Department, featured student’s work that were on display in the A.G.
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Quadrangle Art Gallery. The invitation to the show was rescinded in 2002
but in fall of 2005 both Photography and Art Department students
participated in a show mounted by the Riverside Community Arts
Association at their gallery in Downtown Riverside. In 2006 the Art
Department again invited photography students to participate in an allmedia show. The Photography faculty were also invited to participate in
an Art and Photography faculty show. These shows were held in the
Landis Auditorium Art Gallery set up during the reconstruction of the
Quadrangle. The photography Club, which existed from the mid-1980’s
until 2000, was restarted once again in Spring of 2007 with an initial
membership of 25 students.
2. Course Offerings
In 1968-1969 there were two classes: Photojournalism and Publication
Photography. The Photojournalism course was geared toward training
students who would become Viewpoints newspaper photographers. At
least four of these students went on to become photographers for the
Press-Enterprise newspaper and one remains there today as a photo editor.
The Publication Photography class trained students who were producing
the annual college magazine.
The photojournalism class was cross-listed with the Journalism Program
in the mid-1990s. The color wet lab processes were discontinued in 2002
due to enrollments that didn’t justify large volume processes and the
unprofessional inconsistency of color reproduction in a low volume
environment.
The course offerings, largely as they exist today, were developed in the
1970s. That is, eight courses leading to a Certificate in Photography, and
an Associate of Science degree available to those who complete additional
required and elective courses.
In the early 1980s a multi-media photography class that concentrated on
the production of multi-slide projector shows was included. The class was
offered twice but discontinued due to low enrollment. It was dropped from
the curriculum about 1990. Digital Still Photography was added around
1999.
Due to the growth in the use of digital photography in professional
environments, the program has begun to incorporate the use of digital
capture and output in classes that previously used and taught only film
techniques.
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3. Staff/Faculty
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1968-1969 – The first Photography teacher was a full time English
teacher.
Early 1970s – The first full time faculty member dedicated to the
Photography Program was hired.
1979 – The full-time faculty member retired. One was hired.
1981 – The full-time faculty member resigned. One was hired. Up to
six part-time faculty per semester eventually taught courses.
From 1982 through approximately 1992, the program had, for all
practical purposes, two full-time faculty. During that time one parttime faculty member taught enough classes and handled enough
organization and paperwork to constitute full-time status until a
collective bargaining agreement limited part-time hours to a 60 percent
load.
2002 – The full-time faculty member retired. Program was coordinated
by a part-time faculty member.
2004 – A full-time faculty member was hired. Up to eight part-time
faculty members are teaching courses.
4. Facilities/Equipment
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1968-1969 –Photography had two enlargers and a ground-level lab in
the A.G. Paul Quadrangle that has been described as being the size of
a mop closet. The college provided twin-lens Yashica D cameras that
used 120 millimeter film to the students.
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1969 – Two wet-lab darkrooms with adjacent film loading/wet
processing rooms were built in the east basement of the A.G. Paul
Quadrangle. They held up to 24 black-and-white and color enlargers.
Those labs, a classroom, an 8x8-foot storage room and one faculty
office became the main location of the program. Classes of up to 80
students were taught in shared classrooms in the Quad.
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Early 1970s – The program began teaching 35 millimeter photography.
Students supplied their own cameras. Advanced classes used medium
and large format cameras provided by the college.
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1980-1998 – The program maintained a dedicated photography studio
on the ground level of the Quad. A dearth of general classroom space
led to its conversion into two lecture rooms.
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August 2005 – Photography moved to the Lovekin Complex. A wet
lab that includes a film loading room, film and print drying room, and
storage room/shared faculty office, was constructed in a single-wide
portable building in the Lovekin Complex. A second single-wide is
used for lecture, studio, computer lab, photo-finishing, and storage.
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The original intention was that these were to be temporary facilities.
Short-comings such as lack of temperature controlled water, lack of
internet connections, and space considerations that include students
using folding chairs that are moved and stacked while accessing studio
equipment and taking studio photos, were thought to be temporary.
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August 2007 – As of this time the Photography program will remain in
the Lovekin Complex.
C. Data and Environmental Scan
1. Data
Riverside City College enrollments indicate that 52% of students attend
during the day, 20% attend at night, and 24% attend both. The
Photography program accommodates all students by offering 67% of its
classes during the day and 33% at night during fall and spring semesters.
Classes are offered during the day in summer and winter sessions. In order
to make a certificate or degree available to all students, classes that are
offered only once per year are rotated from day to night. Using this
schedule, students may complete a photography certificate or degree in
four semesters.
Regarding trends in the discipline of photography: Photographer instructor
Bradley Wilson of North Carolina State University reports that a recent
poll of professional photojournalists concludes that nearly 40% shoot with
digital cameras. The world’s largest digital photography information
website, dpreview.com, is viewed by more than 18 million unique viewers
a month. Digital photography has taken its place in the professional ranks.
These statistics point to the need to continue adding instruction about
digitally-based photography in our classes.
2. Environmental Scan
Photography student enrollments have dropped 13% in the last two years.
Some of the drop can be attributed to an increased interest in digital
photography and a corresponding decline in film photography. Although
Konica/Minolta and Agfa have exited the film business, other film
manufacturing companies such as Fujifilm, Foma, Fotokenika, Bergger,
Kentmere, and Forte are growing. There is an upswing interest in large
format photography for which there is no equivalent in the digital realm.
Experts offer broadly conflicting opinions about the future of film
photography. Photography Advisory Committee member Eric Joseph,
Vice President of Merchandising & Product Development for Freestyle
Photographic Supplies in Los Angeles, says that his company believes that
there will continue to be a strong market for film photography and their
company continues to be a major supplier to the film supplies buyer.
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70% of photography students are age 25 or younger. Increased faculty use
of multimedia presentations and a high level of interaction in the
classroom – as opposed to traditional lecture – help appeal to these
students who have been raised in a media rich environment.
The skills and knowledge required by employers, and by our students who
will become self-employed, include a thorough understanding of the
nature and capture of light in the form of a photograph whether on film or
by a sensor. To properly do so, our students must understand the
relationship of aperture, shutter and focal length and their mathematical
relationship. A further understanding of point-of-capture filtration as well
as post-capture filtration – whether analog or digital – is necessary for the
best possible representation of the image. An understanding of reflective
and artificial lighting techniques is required for most professional
photography, both on-site and in the studio environment. Most
photography also requires and understanding of color transmission via
light as well as the emotive values of color to communicate to the viewer.
Understanding color theory is essential in both capture and photo
finishing, whether analog or digital. An understanding of photography
business practices strengthens our student’s ability to practice photography
as a business. Learning to work with photographic subjects is important in
both studio and non-studio environments. The study and practice of the
unique approach to photographic capture taken by the photojournalist
benefits not only those students studying photojournalism, but also
empowers non-photojournalism students to become more confident in
their approach to their subjects.
3. Assessment
The Photography program has a balanced offering of day, night, weekend,
winter and summer classes that meet the scheduling needs of our students.
We have taken the first steps to integrate digital photography into the
existing curriculum. Our students and faculty have begun to develop
community visibility through photography shows, competitions, and
presentations at high schools and public career planning events.
Public interest in film photography has fallen and so too has our
enrollment. Trend forecasts reinforce our decision to support film
photography while continuing to integrate digital photography into the
curriculum.
Our faculty are delivering more media rich lectures to stimulate the
interest of a student population largely raised with this kind of stimulation.
The faculty developed a grading rubric for student outcomes assessment1
that has been applied to Photo 8 and will be expanded to assess other
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photography courses. Faculty determined that 36 of the 38 studentproduced projects in the sample demonstrated that they achieved what the
course targeted.
D. Programs and Curriculum
The Photography Program offers an Associate of Science and Occupational
Certificate in Photography.
Photography Certificate
Required Courses (24 units)
Units
PHO-8 Introduction to Photography
3
PHO-9 Intermediate Photography
3
PHO-10 Advanced Photography
3
PHO-12 Photojournalism
3
PHO-13 Advanced Darkroom Techniques
3
PHO-14 Basic Studio Portraiture
3
PHO-17 Introduction to Color Photography
3
PHO-20 Introduction to Digital Still Photography 3
Associate of Science Degree
The Associate in Science Degree in Photography will be awarded upon the
completion of the requirements for the certificate, plus completion of the
graduation requirements as described in the catalog, as well as electives totaling
60 units of college work as required for the Associate Degree.
1. Planned Curricular Changes
Faculty and advisory committee members have discussed the need to
expand course offerings to prepare students for work in photography and
photographically-related industries, as well as the need to more thoroughly
integrate digital capture, post-capture manipulation and output into the
curriculum. A list of potential subjects is under development that includes
areas of study such as business practices in photography, history of
photography, wedding and special event photography, and portfolio
development.
The course outlines of record have been reviewed both by the full-time
faculty member and by the adjunct faculty members who teach the
courses. Refinements were made to statements of course content, methods
of instruction, methods of evaluation, and student learning outcomes. As
currently articulated all of these are appropriate.
All members of the photography faculty communicated about the updates
via a combination of email, one-on-one meetings with the full-time faculty
member, and over the course of two group faculty meetings – one each in
spring and fall 2006.
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Regarding entry skills/competencies in current courses: Introduction to
Photography (Photo 8) and Digital Still Photography (Photo 20) do not
require entry skills. Intermediate Photography (Photo 9) and
Photojournalism (Photo 12) require a Photo 8 prerequisite. The remainder
of the classes, Advanced Photography (Photo 10), Advanced Darkroom
Techniques (Photo 13), Basic Studio Portraiture (Photo 14), and Color
Photography (Photo 17), require a Photo 9 prerequisite. Review of the
expectation of most classes concludes that the skills/competencies are
appropriate. The exception is Photo 17, which could reasonably be
completed by students with Photo 8 skills. We will take appropriate steps
to change the prerequisite of this course.
The current course sequences are well defined and reasonable. However
the Photography program anticipates revision of current courses to
accommodate a more digital environment and the addition of new courses
to expand the program. Revisions and expansion will be dependent upon
access to more, and appropriate, physical space and an enhanced budget to
fund hardware, software and professional studio equipment.
Care should be taken to advance this growth gradually because of the high
cost to the student of digital equipment. At an average entry-level cost that
exceeds one-thousand dollars, professional and prosumer level digital
cameras are still beyond the financial reach of many of our students.
Entrance into the program requires ownership of a 35-mm film camera –
an initial investment that runs in the low hundreds of dollars. One
suggestion has been to provide cameras for student use, but initial cost,
maintenance, liability, and rapidly changing technology make this idea
infeasible.
E. Student Outcomes Assessment
Students choose to take photography courses for a number of reasons. Some hope
to seek full-time photography employment working for a business owned by
someone else. Some plan to open their own photography-based businesses. Some
want to hone their photography skills to be used to support another field of
endeavor such as publishing, real estate or art. Some simply want to become
excellent amateurs who take control of their photos.
Currently faculty evaluate their students’ work independently, although students
often receive critique from a variety of instructors during lab sessions. Instructors
often consult each other about students who are taking multiple classes with
multiple instructors, sharing ideas about how to help students improve their
comprehension of concepts and how to motivate students.
The program has taken several steps to improve student learning.
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Instructors are adding PowerPoint presentations to their lectures to
visually stimulate and engage students who have grown up in a
multimedia environment.
A valuable improvement was the acquisition of a photo-quality projector
to replace projectors that could not adequately display the details of
photographs necessary to provide examples of both excellent and poor
photography.
The Photojournalism and Color Photography classes have incorporated the
use and manipulation of digital images into the curriculum to make them
more relevant to today’s professional photographer.
Obtained a grant provided for the purchase of professional digital cameras
for students use, to give students a professional-level experience and raise
their camera buying expectations.
The film development and printing lab was redesigned to provide
improved access and an open format environment conducive to group
instruction.
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F. Collaboration with Other Units
The Photography program currently shares digital classroom space and software
with the Applied Graphics Department to provide a professional-level postcapture digital experience for our students.
The Art Department has invited Photography students and faculty to participate in
joint exhibitions open to the entire community.
Photography has extended open invitations to Applied Graphics and Art students
to attend guest presentations on the subject of photography.
Photography, Air Conditioning, Applied Graphics, Auto Technology, Culinary,
Multimedia, Telecommunications and Welding have worked jointly, and on a
volunteer basis, to promote student participation in regional, state and national
Skills USA competitions for personal and professional development of the
student.
The program works with the Occupational Education Office to develop grant
proposals for Vocational Technical and Education Act (VTEA) funds. Thanks to a
2006 grant our students are able to work with professional-level digital cameras in
order to develop an understanding of why they should make the investment in a
professional system.
Photography accepts every opportunity provided by the Occupational Education
Transfer/Career Center as well as the Outreach office to give program tours and
speak about careers in photography. These opportunities total about a dozen per
semester. The full-time faculty member also served on a committee, along with
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Occupational Education and Occ/Ed counseling, to develop the first annual RCC
Career Fair.
The program welcomes speakers from the Viewpoints campus newspaper at the
start of each semester, distributes materials and encourages photography students
to join the newspaper staff either as an enrolled student or as a contributing
photographer.
The newly established Photography Club is planning joint community service and
fundraising efforts with the Graphix Club. The club is also discussing how it can
mount exhibitions of student work to share multicultural experiences with the
entire student body.
Photography is actively involved in planning the Riverside School of the Arts
(RSA) by attending meetings, sharing ideas for curricula, and planning the
technological infrastructure necessary to help the school meet its technology
goals. The full-time faculty member attended a 2006 full day meeting with other
committee members at Apple Inc. in Los Angeles to discuss server systems and
their integration into the construction of RSA.
Photography has requested that Marketing take promotional photographs that will
be used in Marketing-generated as well as Photography-generated promotional
materials, and Marketing has agreed to do so.
A VTEA grant approved in 2006 and funded in 2007 provided ten professionallevel digital cameras for student use and to make them aware of the benefits of
professional-level or consumer-level camera purchases.
1. Interdepartmental Cooperation
Photography has been actively involved in curriculum planning and
facility planning for Riverside School for the Arts since 2004. We look
forward to the prospect of participating in interdisciplinary, project-based
learning using state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.
G. Outreach
Encouraging students and faculty to participate in shows this year has resulted in
two shows in the Landis Art Gallery and one at the Riverside Community Arts
Association Gallery in Riverside.
Photography students are encouraged to participate in competitions for practical
exposure to opportunities that are available to both professional and amateur
photographers. Many students have received local and national recognition. In
2005 and 2006, two students placed third and fourth at the National Skills USA
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photography competition. As a result one of them is now working as a National
Geographic Society photography intern
Photography participates in a variety of outreach activities including high school
visitations, campus displays, career nights, speaking to community groups,
competitive and non-competitive photography shows, and scheduling guest
speakers in presentations open to all students.
A PowerPoint presentation about careers in photography was developed for
occupational education counselors. Brochures detailing our programs and degree
and certificate options have been provided to regional high schools.
Several of our students participated in a Fall 2006 show at the Riverside
Community Arts Association Gallery in Riverside which resulted in increased
public awareness of the program. Students also participated in a Spring 2007 art
show on campus, mounted a summer 2007 exhibition in the Student Activities
office, and will participate in a Fall 2007 juried photography show in the
Riverside School for the Arts offices. Photography faculty participated in a
Riverside Community College faculty art show in fall 2006 and will do so again
in fall 2007.
We started a Photography Club in spring 2007 which included an online
component at www.flickr.com. The online presence enables participation by
students unable to attend weekday meetings, allows us to see a far greater range
of student work than is required in class, and makes it possible for the general
public to see our students’ work and involvement in photography.
During summer 2007, we presented three “How to Choose a Digital Camera”
workshops that were open to the college community and the public. The purpose
was to provide useful information and acquaint attendees with the Photography
program
H. Summary Analysis
Three interdepartmental issues currently need to be addressed.
The first issue: Some faculty in the Riverside City College Art Department
believe that the Photography program should become part of the Art Department.
Indeed, many community college and university photography programs are part
of their respective art programs. However, Riverside City College’s photography
originated as a vocational education program and remains focused on educating
students to become excellent photographers in every respect with the ultimate
goal of teaching them skills and sensibilities that will serve them well in their
careers, whether dedicated to or supported by photography.
Under the current vocational education philosophy, our photography faculty are
hired not only for their academic achievements, but also for their first-hand
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knowledge and experience working in the industry. All faculty teaching in the Art
Department must have a Masters in fine arts degree. A reorganization putting
Photography under Art would de-emphasize the working professional experience.
In addition, the Photography Program relies upon equipment funding available
only to vocational education programs. Alternate sources of funding would have
to be developed to compensate for the potential loss of money.
The second issue: One of the challenges facing the college district is the
increasing trend of academic disciplines introducing new courses closely related
to other programs. The Art Department has said that they want to introduce a
history of photography course. The Photography Program also wants to introduce
a history of photography course, but is unlikely to do so if Art mounts theirs first.
The existence of two same-subject courses would confuse students and probably
impact enrollments in both courses. Photography has suggested that the course,
already under development in the Art Department, be offered under Photography
and taught by an art faculty member who has substantial experience teaching a
similar course at another college.
The third issue: As the three district campuses move toward independent college
status, there is a tendency for each college to want to evolve as an independent
entity. In this spirit, the Norco Campus has programmed a PHO-20 – Introduction
to Digital Still Photography – course in spring 2007 without consulting with the
Photography Program. Without consulting the Photography Program, the course
was scheduled by the Norco Art Department and staffed by instructors chosen by
the Norco Art Department.
Moreno Valley also offers a PHO-20 course scheduled by the Moreno Valley
Computer Information Systems Department and staffed by an instructor chosen
by Moreno Valley Computer Information Systems Department.
The faculty for the Norco and Moreno Valley classes are not observed or
evaluated by any member of, or supervisory personnel associated with, the
Photography Program. Photography does not know if these classes are adhering to
the course outline of record or are aware of refinements and changes being made
to the course outline.
The Academic Senate has been made aware of disciplines introducing courses
closely related to those of other programs, increasingly so as the campuses evolve
independently, and have said that it will appoint a committee to study the matter.
Based upon the growth in professional use of digital imaging and output, our
Photography program needs to respond with instruction that integrates the use of
digital technology in photography. It is advisable to approach this integration
incrementally because the cost of professional and prosumer level digital
equipment is still out of the financial reach of many of our students.
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The Photography program looks forward to participating in the development of
the Riverside School for the Arts. Interacting with many other programs in a
vocationally oriented environment should reinforce the program as well as serve
the community.
Enrollment growth over the last ten years has caused the college to reallocate
Photography program space to other disciplines. The program lost its photography
studio as well as a classroom and four eight-by-eight-foot multipurpose rooms.
The economy of space and visibly aging facilities and equipment has had a
negative impact on the ability to conduct professional-level instruction and
fostered a negative public perception of the program. Space is the primary need
starting with a dedicated photography studio.
With digital expansion the program also needs to develop an adequate computerbased post-capture production facility. A budget to support software licenses and
upgrades, as well as replacement of aging computers, scanners, printers and
cameras is essential.
The Photography program anticipates a move back to the A.G. Paul Quadrangle.
We hope that the renovation will resolve the serious problems that existed with
plumbing, air conditioning, drainage, mold-ridden insulation and rodents. This
will begin to mitigate some of the negative public perception of the facility. We
have also been given reasonable assurance that we will be provided with new
furniture and storage cabinets. We have been told that we will regain two of the
eight-by-eight-foot multipurpose rooms which will allow us to move storage
cabinets and photo finishing out of the room used for lecture and studio
photography.
Another goal is the development of a Photography program web page. This would
serve as both a public relations and marketing tool as well as provide web
enhancement for photography classes.
Finally, the college needs to anticipate long term budget allocation for the
replacement of aging equipment, some of which has served the program for up to
30 years: enlargers, studio lighting equipment, print washers and dryers, drymount presses, and a variety of smaller pieces of support equipment.
1. Facilities Suitability
In August 2005 the Photography program moved into two portable
buildings in the Lovekin Complex during reconstruction of the A.G. Paul
Quadrangle. It is due only to the resourcefulness, adaptability and
cooperation of the photography faculty that the facilities have sustained
the program. One portable contains the wet lab, storage room/common
office, and film and print drying/student work area. The second portable
serves as a lecture room/studio/computer lab/print finishing area and
studio equipment storage area. The adaptability of the second portable
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depends upon the use of ancient metal folding chairs and well-worn
folding tables. Even with this arrangement most students must take notes
in their laps.
2. Staffing
Currently the program employs one full-time faculty member and seven
adjunct faculty. In spring 2007, the addition of two sections will increase
the adjunct faculty to nine. Approximately 30 percent of FTEs are taught
by the full-time faculty member which will decrease to 27 percent with the
addition of the two instructors in spring 2007. In addition to teaching, the
full-time faculty member is responsible for scheduling, organizing,
meetings (faculty and advisory), purchasing, maintenance, promotion, and
program development. It is reasonable to anticipate the need to hire a
second full-time faculty member in the near future.
.
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Appendix
1. A grading rubric for student outcomes assessment is attached.
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