New York University Tisch School of the Arts Photography and

New York University

Tisch School of the Arts

Photography and Imaging: Digital Fall 2020

Course Syllabus PHTI-UT 0001.002/ 4 credits

Fall 2020 Tuesdays 9:30-1:15

Office hours: Tuesdays 2-4

Mark Jenkinson

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This class is designed to teach the fundamentals of photographic image-making using digital

cameras, scanning, computers and digital output.

Emphasis will be placed on establishing solid organization and foundations in the craft of digital

imaging using Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop as well as an introduction to using the

web to present ideas and images.

This course will foster the creative vision of each student according to their goals and personal

ambitions through a familiarization with the theory and history of image-making.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

• Introduction to color and digital image making techniques with an emphasis on fundamental

principles

and solid craft

• An exploration of the psychological and emotional responses to images

• The development of individual voice and vision through self directed projects and research

To establish a self-sufficient working process and critical dialogue

• To have fun

COURSE TEXTBOOK

https://www.amazon.com/Photography-12th-Barbara-London/dp/0134482026/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=

1&keywords=london+Upton+Photography&link_code=qs&qid=1597094881&sourceid=Mozilla-se

arch&sr=8-1&tag=mozilla-20

You may also feel free to buy older used editions of the book

ONLINE LIBRARY / ONLINE COURSE SUPPORT

Lynda.com tutorials: Log into NYU Home, go to “Academics”, scroll down to “Lynda.com” Login

Both of my books are available for free download through “NYU Classes” or on Pixie.

My “Photography Essentials” book is great if you are feeling a little confused or need a refresher

on the fundamentals of camera operation or basic optics. The portrait book is a bit more

advanced, it’s especially good for lighting tips.

Required software: Adobe Lightroom

Required course hardware: Portable USB storage device (2 TB is ideal)

(a small 8-16 GB jump drive is also handy)

GRADING

Grades are based upon your timely and thorough completion of projects for both in progress and

final critiques, your participation in class, your attendance record, writing and slide

documentation.

A = excellent, inspired growth and consistently going beyond the basic requirements of each

assignment - strong classroom participation and an excellent attendance record.

B = very good, consistent high quality work with active participation and good attendance and

punctuality.

C= satisfactory, completion of all work in a timely manner, required attendance, punctuality and

participation.

D= below average work, poor attendance/participation.

F= none of the above

Unexcused absences and/or regular tardiness will have a profound effect on your

final grade. Be on time and ready to participate.

Please note: the syllabus is subject to change in order to take advantage of

guest lectures and/or field opportunities. Take notes in class in relation to due

dates & check your email regularly.

TEACHING STYLE

Normally one half of each class is devoted to discussion and critique and one half is devoted to

lectures and/or class demonstrations.

Required exhibitions:

To be determined

(Due dates for essays/responses to exhibitions are to be determined)

• Free Swim photographs: We are artists; that means we work all the time whether we

have an assignment or not. “Free swim” photos are the photographs you shoot on your

own initiative. Free swim allows you to play and find things that interest you

independent of assigned class work. Free swim photos are always welcome in critique

because these are often the photographs that point the way to bigger independent

projects.

Later in life as mature artists, you will need to have the ability and motivation to create

work without relying on the safety net of assignments. Free swim is hard work

masquerading as play. Free swim is really the backbone of this class. You are expected to

be shooting independently for at least 6-12 hours a week in addition to class assignments.

ASSIGNMENTS

Written assignments/responses to exhibitions will be required at the discretion of the instructor.

Approximately 500 words is sufficient unless otherwise noted.

STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work as though it were your own. More specifically,

plagiarism is to present as your own: A sequence of words quoted without quotation marks from

another writer or a paraphrased passage from another writer’s work or facts, ideas or images

composed by someone else.

ACCESSIBILITY

Academic accommodations are available for students with documented disabilities. Please

contact the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212 998-4980 for further information.

Title IX

Tisch School of the Arts to dedicated to providing its students with a learning environment that is

rigorous, respectful, supportive and nurturing so that they can engage in the free exchange of

ideas and commit themselves fully to the study of their discipline. To that end, Tisch is committed

to enforcing University policies prohibiting all forms of sexual misconduct as well as discrimination

on the basis of sex and gender. Detailed information regarding these policies and the resources

that are available to students through the Title IX office can be found by using the following link:

https://www.nyu.edu/about/policies-guidelines-compliance/equal-opportunity/title9.html

Week 1: September 8

Make sure you have your camera and your instruction book handy for the first class. We

will be going over your camera controls and menus in extreme depth

Objective: Digital camera proficiency

Digital Proficiency Quiz

Review of camera controls with each brand of digital camera. How sensors work and the effect

of sensor size on F.O.V. image quality and depth of field. a review of basic choices on digital

exposure/lens options.

Accessing Lynda.com through NYU interface

An explanation of the JPEG format. Instructions on accessing the Large JPEG option.

Color: How we see color. The history of color; how the sensor/film records color, how the

computer interprets color. Introduction to “color spaces”. Using the camera white balance to

record accurate or false color. Basic explanation of bit depth, Jpeg vs. raw.

Assignment: Digital: Shoot at either dawn or dusk shoot with the camera set to “daylight” light

balance. Write an essay on the other (either dawn or dusk).

For this weeks “free swim” shooting you are to shoot JPEGs (if you are familiar with RAW you

can shoot RAW + JPEG and store the RAW files for future options). Put you images in a folder

with your name and upload the folder to the class shared Google folder

Due in two weeks (September 22 ): Write an essay based on direct observation of a work of art

at either the Met or MOMA. Visit the museum and spend 1-hour minimum with a single work of

art – draw it in your sketchbook. Write an essay based on your direct observation of the work of

art, not what you already know about the artist. Base all of your feelings and opinions directly

on what you see before you.

Be sure to note the exact location of the art and call number. I visit the museum and spend a half

hour looking at the art before I read your papers and grade the papers on site in front of the art.

Demo Introduce the class Google folder

Technical Assignment Digital: Make an edit of images and load 5-15 JPEG photographs from

the assignment. Each week you are expected to select images for critique. Your images should

be placed in a folder with your name and then placed in the weekly class folders before

the start of class each week

In addition, have at least 5 free swim photos. These can be photographs of anything you like or

have seen in your travels over the last week.

Send the instructor links to personal websites and/or Instagram accounts. Send links to (Note: If

you follow my Instagram I will automatically follow you back. If you prefer that I not see your

personal Instagram account then please feel free to block me.

This is your life’s work; there is no reason to not have work for every critique.

A USB drive or Google folder containing all of your work (shown in class) for the entire semester

will be requiredat the end of the semester. Keep it safe

Reading Assignments: PDF. Chapter 3 Photography: a Very Short Introduction

PDF: Photography Essentials, Chapter 6, Light is Color, and Color is Light

Lecture: The early history of photography: Niepce, Daguerre, Talbot, Bayard, Emerson,

Robinson, Cameron etc.

Class 2 September 15

Review of students work. Discuss the objectives and ground rules for critiques

Basic light meter demo.

Introduction to Bridge as browsing software..

Demo Digital: Explanation of the RAW format and bit depth. Students begin shooting Jpeg

+RAW.

Assignment: Photograph something that is invisible.

Free swim (as always)

PDF: Exploring Photographic optics, Portrait Photography Course

Download sample files for next week’s introduction to raw processing

Lecture on the beginnings of photography and the history of the lens

Class 3 September 22

Introduction to Adobe Camera RAW interface.

Met/MOMA essay due

Critique: Invisible + free swim

Introduction: Lightroom software, workflow and file organization. What goes

where, using the metadata interface to copyright and protect images.

Explanation of the color wheel and the basic Adobe Camera Raw interface. Students take 10-15

minutes to color correct a sample image and then process an image of their own. Process the

images into 8 bit JPEGS. 16 bit Tiffs, DNG and PSD files explaining the purposes and uses for

each file format.

Assignment: Free Swim. Process raw files to jpegs using Lightroom. For next weeks critique

create two folders with your selections, one with original raw or DNG’s the other with processed

jpegs. Put both the raw files and processed/interpreted jpegs in another folder with your name

and upload the folder to the class Google folder before class

Have an external hard drive connected for next class to install Lightroom and configure your

database

Here’s a link if you want to skip ahead or review.

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/lightroom-classic-cc-essential-training-2/importing-phot

os-from-a-folder?u=2131553

Objective: Workflow and organization

Handout: Errol Morris; Believing is seeing: Photography and Reality

Crimean War Essay: Which Came First, The Chicken or the Egg?

Shooting Assignment: Create a forgery of a photograph in the history of photography by a

photographer you most admire. Free swim as always

Class 5 September 29

Objective: Craft and creative process

Critique of “forgeries”

Digital demo: More Lightroom, and advanced processing, sharpening, noise reduction etc.

Assignment: Write a project proposal for a 3-week documentary/mockumentary project.

Submit the proposal via email before next Monday so I have time to review it before class.

Lecture: Documentary photography and the picture press. Life Magazine, Magnum, Cartier

Bresson, Gordon Parks, Margaret Bourke White, Abbot etc

Read:

https://medium.com/exposure-magazine/alternate-history-robert-capa-on-d-day-2657f9af914

PDF: Photography Essentials: Chapter 3 Understanding Photographic Exposure

Class 6 October 6

Objective: Craft and creative process

Lecture: The History of Seeing, the evolution of optical science and culture.

Begin documentary project

Demo: Virtual lighting demo. Bring any continuous light source you want to the (virtual)

classroom. The weirder the better. Make sure you are in a space where you can darken the

room

Assignment (digital): Shoot three (different) environmental portraits using lights to provide

context and insight into the three individual sitters

Lecture: The rise of the Social Landscape photographers and medium specific criticism

Class 7 October 13

Objective: Context and execution

Critique: White Square foot and environmental portrait assignment. Critique of doc project

Digital Demo: Review of file formats, basic introduction to Photoshop interface and working

with Lightroom in conjunction with Photoshop, Introduction selection tools, layers concept, color

correction and color space in Photoshop.

Continue documentary project

https://www.lynda.com/Photoshop-tutorials/Opening-documents-Photoshop/519289/556858-4.ht

ml?autoplay=true

Class 8 October 20

Critique

Demo: fill in flash with digital cameras

Demo: Scanning, retouching, color correction using Photoshop

Assignment: Create a composite photograph using at least 7 images from various sources.

Continue documentary project

Lecture: The History of Color Photography

Watch:

https://www.lynda.com/Photoshop-tutorials/Exploring-layer-basics/519289/556887-4.html?

autoplay=true

Class 9 October 27

Final critique of doc project.

Photoshop Demo: Basic compositing techniques. Advanced selection tools, free transform,

selective color

Assignment due next week Create a series of composited photographs (at least 7) that depict

an alternate reality. You can make these as funny/silly/serious as you want. Feel free to

appropriate images from the Internet however remember to follow the rules of copyright

infringement; Parody and re-contextualization is allowed, plagiarism isn’t.

Assignment: Project proposal for a personal project that will continue for the rest of the

semester. All projects begin with research; include your research in the project proposal.

Class 10 November 3

Critique: Alternate reality

Demo digital: Open: This could be a demo of lighting techniques, a lecture, in class lab

assistance, Photoshop presentations, or a visiting artist. TBD by the instructors

Assignment: Begin projects

https://www.lynda.com/Photoshop-tutorials/Getting-know-blend-modes/519289/556910-4.html?au

toplay=true

Class 11 November 10

First critique of extended project

Class 12: November 17

Critique

Assignment: Create a masterpiece

Demo at the discretion of the instructor based on the perceived needs of the class.

Class 13 November 24

Artist statements for final projects are to be submitted via email as word documents

Critique

Class 14 December 1

Final projects due in sections

Class 15 December 8 All freshman exhibition/show if possible

Artists to be shown during the semester in various lectures and discussions listed in no particular

order:

Richard Avedon, Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, Jack Delano, Hank Willis Thomas, Fan Ho,

Hiroyuki Ito, Nan Goldin, Lee Friedlander, Diane Arbus, Garry Winogrand, Ruven Afanador,

Joel Peter Witkin, Jamal Shabazz, Lorna Simpson, Berenice Abbot, Harold Edgerton, Robert

Doisneau, Robert Heineken, Irving Penn, Weegee, Thomas Ruff, August Sander, Gregory

Crewdson, Nikki Lee, Gordon Parks, Arthur Rothstein, Lewis Hine, Harry Callahan, Emmet

Gowin, Sally Mann, Eikoh Hosoe, Larry Clark, Peter Lindbergh, Jerry Uelsmann, Caleb Charland,

Araki, Thomas Struth, Andreas Gursky, Olivia Bee, Cindy Sherman, Hiroshi Sugimoto, P.L.

DiCorcia, Annie Liebovitz, Ai Weiwei, An-My Lei, Stephen Shore, Len Jenshel, Mitch Epstein,

Hannah Whittaker, Eugene Atget, Richard Misrach, Victor Schrager, Jan Groover,

Cartier-Bresson, Robert Frank, Vivian Maier, Eugene Smith, Edward Weston, Eadward

Muybridge, George Hurrell, Arnold Newman, Rodney Smith, Les Krims, Art Kane, Herb Ritts,

Nick Knight, George Von Steiner