Heartland Community College
Humanities and Fine Arts
Course Syllabus for Students
Course prefix and number: Art 190
Course title: Digital Photography and Imaging I
Days and times the course meets: T/Th 2:00 PM – 4:50 PM WDC 2602
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
Introduction to digital photography and digital imaging processes. This course emphasizes photographic seeing,
camera operation, use of aperture and shutter settings for aesthetic and sensitometric control, digital printing, use
of natural light for personal expression and communication. Acquire tools for expressive communication, using
Adobe Photoshop for scanning, manipulating, printing, and web publishing. Develop skills in a variety of
outputs for both fine art and commercial applications. Explore the “digital darkroom,” using both traditional
photographic materials and digital input. Survey photography’s role in society and culture, including the
evolution of various photographic genre and the contributions to the development of digital photography by
people of diverse ethnic and cultural background.
Instructor: John Dotta
Phone number: 268-8721
E-mail address: john.dotta@heartland.edu
Office: WDC 2205
Office hours: M/W 12 - 1pm
T/TH 12:30 – 2 pm
Textbook(s(
Dotta, John, Photographers Journal, (required)
Hirsch, Robert, Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age, Boston, Focal Press, 2008 (required)
Anderson, Andy, Photoshop CS3 on Demand, Que Publishing, 2007 (optional)
Luna, Luna, Aperture 1.5 , Berkeley, Peachpit Press, 2007
Supplies
Please go to http://www.freestylephoto.biz/get_sl.php and enter your class code 2454 for a list of supplies
RELATIONSHIP TO ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND TRANSFERABILITY:
ART 190 fulfills 3 hours of elective credit for the A.A. and A.S. degrees. It should transfer to most colleges and
universities as an elective course. However, since ART 190 is not part of either the General Education Core
Curriculum or a baccalaureate major program described in the Illinois Articulation Initiative, students should check
with an academic advisor for information about its transferability to other institutions.
COURSE OBJECTIVES (Learning Outcomes)
Outcomes
General Education Outcomes
Range of Assessment Methods
Describe the various types of
hardware components and their use
Quizzes, exams, projects
Describe the various software
programs available
Quizzes, exams, journal entries,
projects, demonstrations
Demonstrate strategies for digital
workflow
Quizzes, exams, journal entries,
demonstrations, projects, portfolio
Demonstrate digital imaging
correction techniques
Quizzes, exams, journal entries,
demonstrations, projects, portfolio
Demonstrate the principles of color
correction techniques
Quizzes, exams, journal entries,
projects, portfolio
Create output images for a variety
of situations
PS 4
Quizzes, exams, journal entries,
demonstrations, projects, portfolio
Create images that convey a point
of view or idea
DI 3
Assignments, journal entries,
portfolio
Critique artwork using art concepts
within an historical and
contemporary framework
DI 5, CT 2
Demonstrate a knowledge of various
papers and inks used to create
digital images
Communicate personal expression
through the photographic medium
Demonstrate a competent
knowledge of the characteristics of
light sensitive materials, exploring
the camera and its functions as a
tool for producing effective
photographs
Develop skills and attitudes
consistent with becoming a
Quizzes, exams, written projects,
critique sessions
Quizzes, exams, journal entries,
demonstrations, projects, portfolio
CO5
Individual and group critiques,
portfolio
Individual and group critiques,
portfolio
CT 2
Assignments, exams, quizzes,
journal entries and portfolio
professional photographer
Demonstrate technical and
compositional means to make
photographs more effective when
dealing with various subject matter
Describe major applications of
photography, major photographers
and styles, and basic tools and
resources used in photography
today
PS 4
Demonstrations, quizzes,
assignments, journal entries and
photographic portfolio
Quizzes, exams, journal entries and
critiques
Course outline:
1.
The role of photography in contemporary life, Macintosh/Photoshop basics.
2.
Color Management.
3.
Workflow: Steps to a Master Image
4.
Aperture and Shutter Speed
5.
Composition and Design
6.
Extended Dynamic Range
7.
The Seamless Image
8.
The Collage Aesthetic
8.
Social Commentary
9.
Editing and Sequencing Images
10.
Responding to photographs
Methods of Instruction:
This course uses a variety of instructional techniques: podcasts, demonstrations, interactive presentations,
laboratory practices, class discussion and critiques. The class is structured primarily on a “studio” model--that is,
you can expect to be spending most of your time in class working on projects under the supervision
of your instructor. All of these methods requires your presence
Method of Evaluation (Tests/Exams, Grading System):
I use the following criteria in the evaluating your photographs.
1
2
3
Technical. Is printing appropriate to the subject matter?
Formal. Do your photographs effectively employ visual strategies?
Intention. Do your technical and formal strategies work effectively together to
communicate an intended meaning?
Grades will be follow the Humanities and Fine Arts Department grading scale. "C" is acceptable completion of
the work and should be considered "average". To be awarded an "A" or a "B", you will have to do superior or
above average work respectively.
A (92 - 100%) = Outstanding; pushing your limits and the assignment’s
B (83 - 91%) = Thorough, creative and thoughtful approach to the
assignment.
C (74 - 82%) = AVERAGE; minimum project requirements met.
D (65 - 73%) = Poor; does not meet minimum requirements.
F (0 - 64%) = Fail; failure to complete the assignment
Projects
Presentations
Participation
Indiv Critiques
Group Critiques
Final Portfolio
130 pts
50 pts
170 pts
100 pts
100 pts
450 pts
TOTAL
1000 pts
Your final course grade will be based on the above and these four factors: 1) attendance, 2) ability to meet
deadlines, 3) quality of you photographic work and 4) the quality of your inquiry and participation in the
conceptual content of this course. Your grade will reflect your effort.
Projects
10 technique based project and three more involved creative projects
Presentation:
A brief, web-based presentation on a photographer of your choice emphasizing aesthetics and working methods.
Individual Critiques:
2 individual meeting with instructor to discuss work in progress
Group Critique:
Group critiques of work in progress
Final Portfolio
The final project, consisting of 10 images, is your opportunity to apply the techniques and ideas covered in the
course to the1 production of a portfolo of images whose subject is of your own choosing. Your images must
related to one another. In other words, your final group of pictures should not be a collection of your “greatest
hits,” but rather a formally and conceptually unified body of work.
Participation (or Attendance):
Class participation is required. Every class meeting has a participation and preparation grade. Absence results in
zero points for the day due to the fact that class lectures/discussion, critiques, presentations and studio work are
impossible to make up. If you know you are going to be absence you must communicate with me in advance.
There will be a maximum of two unexcused absences for the semester. More than two will affect your final
grade. Roll will be taken promptly at the start of class. If you are late, come to me after class. It is your
responsibility to let me know you are here. Entering late more than three times during the quarter will affect your
grade.
Incompletes:
I follow the official college policy, as found in the College catalog: “An incomplete grade may be given to a
student who, by the withdrawal date, can reasonably be expected to pass the course. Incompletes may be granted
only when justified by extreme circumstances (e.g. serious illness, accident, death or serious illness in the
immediate family).”
Extra Credit:
Extra credit may be possible only in addition to completing required assignments.
Make-up of tests and assignments:
Late work will not be accepted unless negotiated with me in advance of the due date.
Deadlines: See above
Notice of Canceled Class Sessions
Cancelled class sessions, for all HCC classes, will be listed under Cancelled Class Meetings in the A-Z Index
and under Academic Information in the Current Students page on the HCC Web site. Go to
http://www.heartland.edu/classCancellations/ to learn what classes have been cancelled for that day and the
upcoming week. Be sure to check the last column, which might contain a message from the instructor.
Required Writing and Reading:
There will be a written Midterm and critique component. Readings from the text and from outside sources will
be assigned by the instructor on a regular basis.
Student Conduct:
Please bring all materials necessary to do your best work in the darkroom. Make sure you have all the materials
listed in this document and/or on the website.
The emphasis on this class is maintaining an atmosphere conducive to learning. If you need to arrive late, please
enter quietly. If you need to leave early, please do so quietly. During presentation and critiques, active listening
is a form of participation.
Syllabi disclaimer:
The class will be notified if changes are needed due to College closings, severe weather, class progress and
incorrect statements in document. I reserve the right to alter the syllabus when deemed necessary. Notifications
and changes can be found on the class website.
Schedule
Week 1 Introduction to course, first-day bureaucracy.
Macintosh/Photoshop basics.
Traditional vs. Digital Photography
Read: Bazin “The Ontology of the Photographic Image”
Batchen “Digital Imaging and the Death of Photography.”
Discussion of Articles and podcast
Digital Cameras podcast
Project 1: Exposure
Week 2 Color Management
Monitor and printer/paper profiling
Project 2: Creating a custom printer profile
Critique of project 1
Week 3 Workflow: Steps to a Master Image
File Browser, layers and blending modes
Project 3- Blending Modes
Global/local Corrections
Techniques for color balance, exposure and contrast
Project 4 - Contrast
Project 5 - Color Correction
Project 6 - Dodging and Burning, Selections, Masks
Week 4 Aperture and Shutter Speed
Project 7 - Aperture
Project 8 - Shutter Speed
Week 5 Grunberg “Photography in the Age of Electronic Simulation.”
Project 9 - Composition and Design
Week 6 Extended Dynamic Range podcast
Project 10 - Extended Dynamic Range
The Seamless Manipulation podcast
Read: Kozloff, “The Digital Worm in the Photograph of the Apple”
Project 11 - The Seamless manipulation
Week 7 Work on Project 11
Project 10 critique
Week 8 Midterm
The Collage Aesthetic podcast
Project 11 critique
Read: Druckrey, “From Dada to Digital: Montage in the Twentieth Century”
Project 12 - The College Aesthetic
Week 9 Spring Break
Week 10
Work on Project 12
Week 11
Social Commentary podcast
Project 13 - Social Commentary
Project 12 critique
Week 12
Work on Project 13
Week 13
Project 13 critique
Work on final portfolio
Week 14
Work on final portfolio
Week 15
Work on final portfolios
Week 16
Work on final portfolios
Journals due
Week 17
Group critique of portfolios, Tuesday, May 13 th, 2 PM – 3:50 PM