Art/Photo 150 - Photography I
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryRecommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Photography 159 A-B-C-D.
An introductory course that examines the nature of photographic seeing, and the basic uses of analog and digital photographic materials and processes, including black & white, grayscale, and color. The understanding of photographic language will be explored within the context of the family album, art photography, commercial/ advertising photography, photography and media, and cyberspace. Appropriate for students without prior photographic experience. Orientation and practice with basic cameras, image exposure methods, image optimization with film processing and digital imaging techniques, and photographic printing practices in both darkroom and digital environments.
Transfers to: CSUArt/Photo 151 - Photography II
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Art/Photography 150 or equivalent.
Recommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Photography 159 A-B-C-D.
An intermediate course that builds on the foundations of photographic seeing, thought and analysis, and the advanced uses of analog and digital photographic materials and processes, including black and white, grayscale and color. Primary focus of the course is the development of a personal photographic vision through the use of photography’s aesthetic attributes and a refined sense of technical execution and craft. Appropriate for students with prior exposure to photography and basic photographic experience. Discussion and advanced practice with small and medium format cameras, advanced image exposure methods, basic location and studio artificial lighting techniques, advanced image optimization and use of the dynamic tonal range with advanced film processing and digital imaging techniques, and photographic printing practices in both darkroom and digital environments.
Transfers to: CSUArt/Photo 152 - Photography III
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Art/Photography 151 or equivalent.
Recommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Photography 159 A-B-C-D.
This introductory course in large format photography explores the rich visual history of early photographic practice, and using the view camera, provides a solid foundation with the medium. Camera movements, lens optics, use of hand-held light meters, proper exposure and image processing plus printmaking strategies unique to large format photography will be introduced and explored in this foundation course.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 153 - Advanced Large Format Photography
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Art/Photography 152 or equivalent.
Recommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Photography 159 A-B-C-D.
This course is an advanced study of the specialized photographic techniques unique to large format photography. Students will review the basics of the view camera, its technical and aesthetic concerns as well as advanced solutions for image making. Analog and digital capture strategies and printmaking issues will be explored and evaluated to discover the ideal materials and methods for each student’s personal work.
Transfers to: CSUArt/Photo 154 - History of Photography
3 units, 3 hours lectureA survey of the development of photography as a visual tradition. The development of photographic technology will be discussed as it has affected photographic practice and the appearance of the final image. The relationship of photography to other arts and other technologies will be discussed in a broad cultural and visual arts context.
Satisfies General Education for: Grossmont College C3Transfers to: CSU
Photo 156 - Digital Photography I
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Art/Photography 150 or equivalent.
Recommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Photography 159 A-B-C-D.
Understanding digital photography from technical and theoretical perspectives is the focus of this course. Students will learn various digital imaging input techniques comparing scanned film images to those created by digital cameras, thus critically examining the profound effects digital imaging technologies are having on the way we look at photographs. Through a combination of hands-on practice using current Photography imaging software and Macintosh computers and in-class critiques, various issues will be explored within these new technologies. Students will address the primary relationship of digital photography to traditional, analog photography.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 158 - Studio Lighting I
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Art/Photography 151 or equivalent.
Recommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Photography 159 A-B-C-D.
This intermediate course will expose students to the rich history and the infinite possibilities of artificial lighting within the studio. Working in a controlled lighting setup, the principles of studio lighting will be examined with various image constructs such as the traditional still-life and photographic portraiture. Light sources will include studio still lamps and electronic strobes, and students will explore possibilities for their work using only one lamp up to a four light set-up. Students will gain invaluable insight as they investigate the tradition of images constructed for the camera and what it takes to create a descriptive photograph using artificial light.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 159 A-B-C-D - Photography Laboratory Practice
1 unit, 3 hours laboratoryCorequisite: Art/ Photography 150, 151, 152 or Photography 153, 155, 156, 158, or 167.
An opportunity for the student to refine photographic skills beyond normal classroom assignments. Concurrent enrollment in another photography course is mandatory. This course is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis only.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 162 A-B - The Photographic Book
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Art/Photography 150 or equivalent.
Recommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Photography 259 A-B-C-D.
This advanced course will explore the design and production possibilities of the unique photographic book. Student photographic projects will be refined to a high level and formatted for presentation in a book-style portfolio. Students will study traditional limitededition books and portfolios and will critically examine contemporary solutions in the creation of their own photographic book. The course will include field trips to local institutions exhibiting photography and guest lectures or studio visits with local artists.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 165 Color Photography I
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Art/Photography 150 or equivalent.
Recommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Photography 159 A-B-C-D.
An introduction to the techniques and aesthetics of color photography including the exposing, processing, and printing of color materials for technical description and personal expression. The course will trace the development of color photography and relate it to the basic grayscale processes both historical and contemporary. Vocabulary unique to color photography will be introduced and expanded to include a thoughtful analysis of photographic imagery throughout the history of photography. Through the careful examination of photographs, students will investigate how color affects one’s reading of content and they will clarify their own interest and direction with regard to making color photographs.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 167 - Lens Culture in the Public Eye
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Art/Photography 150 or equivalent.
Recommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Photography 159 A-B-C-D.
An intermediate course that examines the nature of photography and culture as revealed by the camera lens in society, within the contexts of public, street and documentary photographic practices. Primary focus of the course will be to examine and engage in photographic practice that explores the photograph as a visual document of “evidence and truth,” the camera as a mechanical eye in the realm of surveillance, spectacle and propaganda, as well as the nature of “public” photography with camera phones, photo booths, and paparazzi practice. Appropriate for students with prior exposure to photography and basic photographic experience, discussion and practice with analog and digital materials and processes.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 180 - Alternative Photographic Processes
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Art/Photography 150 or equivalent.
An introductory experience in the exploration of the various alternative photographic processes originally used by artists and photographers in the 19th century including the following processes—graphic arts litho film production and alternatives using digital materials, blue printing (Cyanotype), Van Dyke brown printing, gum bichromate printing, Kwik/ Selectacolor printing, color xerography, Polaroid and magazine transfers and lifts, Liquid Light and hand applied color techniques. These versatile and artistic processes will inspire photography students to examine the rich past of the medium as well as move beyond traditional photographic practices challenging the definition of what photography is in this new digital era.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 181 - Advanced Alternative Photographic Processes
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Photography 180 or equivalent.
An advanced workshop course exploring alternative photographic processes, allowing those students trained in the following processes the opportunity to refine their technical skills in such techniques as graphic arts litho film production, blue printing (Cyanotype), Van Dyke brown printing, gum bichromate printing, Kwik/ Selectacolor printing, color xerography, magazine transfers and lifts, Liquid Light and hand applied color techniques. Emphasis will be placed on developing a personal vision and photographic style related to this unique approach to photographic image making.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 182 - The Platinum Print
1 unit, 1 hour lecturePrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Art/Photography 152 or Photography 180 or equivalent.
A course designed to assist the student in exploring the use of medium and large format negatives to make the platinum/palladium print on hand coated paper.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 183 - The Refined Platinum Print
1 unit, 1 hour lecturePrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Photography 182 or equivalent.
This course will allow students the opportunity to further explore the exciting possibilities of the platinum and palladium print. The instructor will present additional sensitizing techniques, alternate development strategies and methods of fine-tuning printing techniques.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 250 A-B-C-D - Artist in Residence
1 unit, 1 hour lecturePrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Art/Photography 150 or equivalent.
Through collaboration with the Museum of Photographic Arts, students will have an opportunity to work with a visiting artist-photographer, exploring a specialized aspect of photography. This intensive weekend workshop will examine the inherent problems/solutions presented by the visiting artist-photographer, allowing students to observe first hand how these issues are resolved through this unique one-on-one learning experience. Students can elect to generate their own results gaining additional data and feedback to incorporate within their personal photographic work. Course content is structured for each individual artist-photographer's expertise within the medium.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 251 A-B - Personal Photographic Portfolio
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Art/Photography 151 or equivalent. Recommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Photography 259 A-B-C-D
Photographers explore their subjects, like scientists, looking deeply within, seeking to peel back the layers of visual information, until the subject is revealed both to photographer and viewer. The resulting images are collectively gathered and presented as a portfolio. This course will allow the advanced student-photographer the opportunity to personally select subject matter that intrigues him/her. Through instructor guidance and class critiques, the student-photographer will explore, photograph and gather visual information—creating a completed portfolio of 20 finished images. The student-photographer will write an extensive proposal for the project, citing methods by which he/she will work, as well as write a concluding statement which will accompany the portfolio.
Transfers to: CSUArt/Photo 252 - Photography IV
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Art/Photography 152 or equivalent. Recommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Photography 259 A-B-C-D.
An advanced course to further the development and refinement of the techniques necessary to support serious photographic communication will be the primary objective of this final course within the major. Skillful control of modern technological options and clear understanding of historical and contemporary issues within the medium will be applied with a high degree of critical analysis in the production and interpretation of the student’s photographs. A final portfolio will be produced describing the depth and scope of the student’s interest, craft ability and vision.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 256 - Digital Photography II
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Photography 156 or equivalent. Correquisite: Photography 259 A-B-C-D.
The blending of traditional analog and new digital techniques gives photographers a wider aesthetic and the modifying and combining of photographs requires attention to symbolic relationships at work in the context of their images. Students will explore and develop a language specific for the communication of meaning in photographs made within this new realm of digital photography. Advanced techniques will be explored in detail using Macintosh computers and the current photo imaging software with an emphasis on optimum control of output. Students will present a portfolio of digitally-produced photographic images that addresses both the technical and aesthetic issues present with the new traditions.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 258 - Studio Lighting II
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Photography 158 or equivalent. Recommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Photography 259 A-B-C-D.
This advanced course will examine the potential inherent within the artificial light set-up for photographic images constructed purely for the camera. This experience will allow students to observe first hand how artificial lighting situations can create diversely different results from images captured within the world of available light. The genres of film, advertising and commercial lighting constructs and the richly crafted world of tableaux fine art photography will be explored in depth as students determine what it takes to set-up an image similar to what it is for the painter who begins with a blank canvas. All these issues will be explored as students generate their own results, gaining additional data and feedback to incorporate within their personal photographic work.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 259 A-B-C-D - Advanced Photography Laboratory Practice
1 unit, 3 hours laboratoryCorequisite: Art/ Photography 252 or Photography 251 A or B, 253, 255, 256, 258 or 267.
An opportunity for the advanced student to refine photographic skills beyond normal classroom assignments. Concurrent enrollment in a photography course is mandatory. This course is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis only.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 265 - Color Photography
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Photography 165 or equivalent. Recommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Photography 259 A-B-C-D.
An advanced course that will explore the techniques and aesthetics of color photography, comparing analog to digital methods in the exposing, processing, and printing of color materials for technical description and personal expression. Emphasis will be placed on refining the student’s knowledge of push/pull processing, cross-processing, and reciprocity failure as it pertains to analog negative and positive films and its visual equivalent now possible in digital media. Advanced image manipulations will be applied for optimum output results. Through the careful examination of their photographs, students will investigate the similarities and differences present within contemporary color photographic image making as they refine their personal vision within the medium.
Transfers to: CSUPhoto 267 - Documentary Photography II
3 units, 2 hours lecture, 4 hours laboratoryPrerequisite: A “C” or “CR” grade or higher in Photography 167 or equivalent. Recommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Photography 259 A-B-C-D.
An advanced course that examines the nature and practice of documentary photography and the extended photographic project. Primary focus of the course is to work with the instructor on the development of a personal photographic vision within the framework of a documentary project for the entire semester, including the exploration and discussion of conceptual, thematic and visual strategies in developing and approaching a long-term project, image editing and sequencing, the use of text and presentation considerations. Discussion and practice with analog and digital materials and processes to investigate photography as a creative interpretation of reality.
Transfers to: CSUArt 253 A-B-C-D - Seminar In Photography
3 units, 3 hours lectureA seminar designed to provide students with an opportunity to explore the contemporary and historical issues of photography utilizing modern research methods. The course will include field trips to local institutions exhibiting photography, selected lectures and symposia on current photographic topics, and studio visits with local artists.
Transfers to: CSU