Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:

• Find and develop creative ways to solve aesthetic and conceptual problems using a variety of photographic strategies.
• Participate in a critical dialog about ideas and issues in digital photography using industry vocabulary and self critiquing skills.
• Interpret and critically evaluate photographic images, understanding that any photographic image is created and interpreted through the lens of both the artist and the viewer’s own personal, social and cultural filters.
• Express connections to personal experience through a digital photographs with awareness of the standards and practices established by both contemporary and historical artists.

Students will engage in practical application of skills, concepts and themes as well as participate in lectures, presentations, demonstrations, critiques and group discussion and collaboration during and outside of class time.

• Engage in developing a personal photographic practice during and outside of class time
• Develop photographic images and projects that are aesthetically and formally challenging and demonstrate the student’s evolution through beginning level ideas.
• Display their competence related to the course’s intended outcomes.
• Participate in discussions and critiques. Take an active role and make contributions applying concepts and terms used in the discipline.
• Evaluate both technical approaches and conceptual directions in Photography through introductory level research, presentations, written responses and self reflection exercises.

Themes

• Visual Communication
• Contextual Awareness

Concepts

• Formal and aesthetic considerations
• Connections between content and meaning
• Consideration of processes, presentation materials and technique

Issues

• Better understanding of Photography, the specific possibilities and challenges inherent to particular techniques and genres of photography and the reasons for their exploration
• Historical knowledge of photography with special consideration to including under-represented artists, histories, stories and cultures
• Awareness and exploration of the wide spectrum of photography’s influence and impact on daily life and how historical works effect and led to contemporary artists, issues and techniques.

Skills

• Ask introductory level questions, identify ideas and issues, and develop and use a basic vocabulary when participating in critical dialogue about photography with others.
• Create personal photographic artwork which demonstrates a basic understanding of the camera and exposure.
• Develop introductory level of ability to engage with and critically assess Photography technically and aesthetically.
• Use multiple strategies to investigate, learn and critically engage independently with readings, images and other sources of information about photography that supports continuous learning and sophistication in contemporary visual culture.
• Critique and self-reflection strategies for evaluating Photographs
• Environmental, health and safety considerations for different photographic processes