The Unofficial CFA Photography Equipment Office Information Repository

62-141   Black and White Photography I

Section A   MW 1:30pm-4:20pm   Jamie Gruzska

Section B   TR 8:30am-11:10am   Elizabeth Griffin

Section C   TR 1:30pm-4:20pm   Patricia Maurides

This course will teach you the basic craft of photography from exposure of the negative through darkroom developing and printing to print finishing and presentation. Content includes student presentations, class discussions, shooting assignments, darkroom sessions and class critiques. We will concentrate not only on the technical aspects of photography, but also the aesthetics of seeing with a camera. The course concentrates on photography as a fine art---what is unique to it and the concerns that are shared with other visual arts, such as composition, tonal values, etc. and aims to equip students with an understanding of the formal issues and the expressive potentials of the medium.

Class meets in MM B10.

62-241   Black and White Photography II

  MW 8:30-am-11:20am   Martin Prekop

   

   

A continuation of topics explored in Black and White Photography I with an emphasis on aesthetic development and image evaluation. Students will gain experience with a variety of formats; experimental methods and media will be encouraged. Folio or equivalent required by end of the semester.

Class meets in MM B10.

62-142   Digital Photography 1

Section A   MW 6:30pm-9:20pm   Ivette Spradlin

Section B   TR 1:30pm-4:20pm   Aaron Blum

   

This course explores digital photography and digital printing methods. By semester's end students will have knowledge of contemporary trends in photography, construction (and deconstruction) of photographic meaning, aesthetic choices, and the use of color. Students will learn how digital cameras work, proper digital workflow, RAW file handling, color management and Adobe Photoshop. Through the combination of the practical and theoretical, students will better define their individual voices as photographers.

Class meets in MM B2.

62-360   Photographers and Photography Since WWII

  TR 12:00pm-1:20pm   Linda Benedict-Jones

   

   

Invented in 1839, photography was a form of visual expression that immediately attracted a large public following. Starting around 1900, photography was practiced with two dominant strands. One of these firmly believed in the power of photographs to provide a window on the world, as pursued by Lewis Hine, while the other strand adhered to the philosophy of Alfred Stieglitz, founder of the elite Photo-Secession movement in the United States, who adamantly affirmed that photographs were first and foremost reflections of the soul. As such they were art objects, equal to painting, drawing and sculpture. These two schools of thought guided photographers throughout the twentieth century. This course explores in depth the tremendous range of photographic expression since World War II and examines in particular the contributions of significant image-makers such as Helen Levitt, W. Eugene Smith, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, Garry Winogrand, Harry Callahan, Charles "Teenie" Harris, Cindy Sherman, Annie Leibovitz, Duane Michals, Carrie Mae Weems, Nan Goldin, James Nachtwey, and many others. Classes include lectures, student presentations, and video excerpts. A local field trip to visit a photography exhibition may also be arranged.

Class meets in PH 125C.

62-165   Mutable Landscape

  MW 1:30pm-4:20pm   Kim Beck

   

   

With camera in hand, students will explore, document and invent a sense of place in Pittsburgh. Informed by photographic history and landscape studies, students will develop their own portfolios of digital prints. As a CFA Interdisciplinary photography course, students will be encouraged to consider their photographs in the medium of their home department, and in some cases as a starting point for projects in other materials.

Class meets in MM B2.

62-214   Visualizing Issues with Images and Sound

  TR 6:30pm-9:20pm   Martha Rial

   

   

In this mini, students will use documentary photography to explore their lives and immediate communities to help better understand and explain the issues facing their generation. Students will choose a topic such as the uncertain economy, environmental concerns or diversity and produce a series of images and conduct audio interviews within the mini term. Emphasis will be placed on aesthetics and skills needed to be a competent storyteller while learning values that are crucial for explanatory visual reporting. We will also look at the work of other photographers who have used this method to better understand society. Knowledge of Photoshop and Garage Band is helpful, but not required.

Class meets in MM B2.

62-231   Current Directions in Documentary Photography

  R 6:30pm-9:20pm   Leo Hsu

   

   

What does "documentary photography" mean today? What does it address, and how? This course has a two-fold purpose: 1) to explore the parameters of "documentary photography" today, in relation to existing documentary traditions and emerging media production practices, and 2) to examine the range of contemporary issues that documentary photographers address. The course is not intended to be a comprehensive survey, but rather an effort to consider the possibilities and importance of documentary photography at this historical moment. There will be an emphasis on documentary photography that seeks to engage with social concerns.

Class meets in PH 226A.

62-324   Documentary Photography & Social Interaction

  R 8:30am-11:20am   Charlee Brodsky

   

   

Documentary Photography brings awareness to issues that may be social, environmental, and/or political in man-made world, most often with the intention of bringing greater understanding to those issues. In this course, students will explore an area of their choice that focuses on how people interact in the world. This 'interaction' may range, for example, from people who know each other well as the case of students living in sororities, to strangers who find them selves using an elevator together. Students may use their own words, or their subjects' voice, in addition to images, to create an in-depth study of their topic.

Class meets in MM A11.