PHOTO STORYTELLING JMC:3630 Course Website: https://jmc3630.wordpress.com/ Course Slack: uijmcpsfa17.slack.com Fall 2017 Adler W332 MW 9:30 11:20am Instructor: Kevin Ripka Address As: Professor Ripka Contact: kevin-ripka@uiowa.edu Office: W31 Office Hours: Tu 9:30am 11am, W 11:30am 1pm, & by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION The purpose of this course is to initiate students into the medium of still photography and provide the necessary skills to conceive and execute photographic projects. Besides covering basic photographic techniques, the course is intended to expand students understanding of photography as a means of visual communication. This is an intensive course that challenges all participants, including those who might have previous photographic experience. Weekly critiques include discussion of student work as well as analysis of the work of contemporary photojournalism documentary and editorial photographers. Students are expected to complete weekly shooting assignments, examine the work of numerous photographers, and produce an extensive final project of their choosing. Grades are based on weekly assignments, the final project, and class participation. COURSE OBJECTIVES Understand the technical aspects of photography and a digital workflow by successfully producing images from capture through digital development Gain skills in composition and frame awareness by practicing techniques within weekly assignments Understand visual communication and storytelling via single images and multi-image sequences produced by the student Foster a greater understanding of the aesthetic response through critique and critical looking by the student SMJC LEARNING OBJECTIVES The School of Journalism and Mass Communication is committed to your academic and professional success. In line with this commitment, we have identified particular learning outcomes that every student should obtain by the time they earn a JMC degree. You can find more information about these learning outcomes here: (website link). We regularly assess the curriculum to determine whether students are achieving these outcomes. This course contributes to these learning outcomes by helping you achieve proficiency in understanding and applying the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press in real space and cyberspace. The following outcomes are this course s learning objectives: Law and Ethics Learning Goal Students will demonstrate knowledge of the main areas of media law, including libel, invasion of privacy, obscenity, commercial speech, intellectual property, and the freedom of the press. Media Literacy Learning Goal Students will learn how to create and disseminate media messages in various forms. Writing and Storytelling Learning Goal Students will demonstrate the ability to gather factual story elements, and to evaluate and express them in logical, narrative forms for multiple media and audiences. Multiculturalism Learning Goal Students will demonstrate sensitivity to and understanding of the cultures, histories, perspectives, and socio-economic and political situations of diverse groups.
Media History Learning Goal Students will demonstrate knowledge of technological innovations in print and electronic communication and their impact on media publishing industries for mass audiences, showing an awareness of their distinct political, social, and economic contexts and uses. REQUIRED TEXTS Books are available in the Resource Center if you do not wish to buy. Also, many readings will be provided. Carroll, Henry. Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs. Laurence King Publishing, 201. Carroll, Henry. Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs Of People. Laurence King Publishing, 2015. NOTE: You will use the lynda.com website often during this class. You can log in with your UIOWA ID. Look for the institutional login at the bottom of the login page. REQUIRED MATERIALS PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENT* DSLR Camera Zoom lens (wide to telephoto) OR wide, normal, and telephoto lenses SD Card(s) - minimum 16GB Backup Storage - 1TB recommended Cords to connect camera (USB) or memory card reader * The school will loan you the DSLR camera, lens, and an SD card, but you are welcome to provide your own. PHOTO BOOK (FOR FINAL PROJECT) You will be required to produce a printed photo book of your final essay. The cost will likely be around $30. You may use any service you would like, but it needs to be a blank themed book. It is suggested you use mixbook.com: https://www.mixbook.com/everyday-photo-books/blank-canvas-10 https://www.mixbook.com/shipping?product_id=13 SOFTWARE & LABS We will mainly use Adobe Lightroom and sparingly use Adobe Photoshop to complete assignments. Unfortunately, moving between computers is a slight pain given the way Lightroom imports and catalogues your images. Therefore, you will need to keep your Lightroom catalog on an external disk or on a cloud service. With that in mind, here are the computers where you may work on your photos: ADLER LABS W236, W332, W336: The mac labs in Adler are in frequent use during class time and often locked. You may only have luck during the day working here. RESOURCE CENTER: Open til about 8 during the week, closes about 5 on Fridays, Closed on weekends LIBRARY: I believe there are only PCs, however, they do have Adobe software. MORE LABS: To find other labs on campus, check out: http:// https://maps.uiowa.edu/study-spaces VIRTUAL DESKTOP: The University has a virtual desktop you can work with licensed software on, however the caveats are that you must be on the eduroam
network (or on VPN off-campus), it is a PC workspace, it s slow, and, it may or may not have our software (there was a problem last year). BUY YOUR OWN SOFTWARE LICENSE: If you wish to use your own laptop you can get an educational version of the Adobe software. The photography plan at $9.99 a month is more than adequate for our purposes. However, you have to sign up for a full year. Note, you may want to get the all apps plan for $19.99 a year if you intend to take additional visual communication classes within the year. ABOUT THIS COURSE CUMULATIVE KNOWLEDGE: This is a workshop class where each piece of information will be presented and then applied. However, all information is cumulative and you will need to retain the information in one section to successfully do well on subsequent sessions. LEARNING IS ULTIMATELY ON YOU: If you do not understand something, or miss a class, the onus is on you to find out further about the subject or ask for clarification or repetition. Remember, above rule. You need the information from each class to be successful. MULLIGAN RULE: Any and every exercise or project (except the final) can be handed in within one week of grading to address any of the issues identified by the professor and earn the points that were not gained. This is because the grade is not as important as the concepts and pieces of your portfolio with which you will leave this class. TIME ON TASK: Learning a craft requires time and deliberate practice. According to the student handbook, students in a four-credit course should expect to spend 8 hours outside of class time on the course. FOLLOW THE RULES: Each assignment will have exacting rules as to what you will do, how you will hand it in, and when it is do. It is expected you follow them exactly. Point deductions will occur if you do not. NO CROP: Each photo will be handed in without cropping (as shot with camera) unless otherwise noted. DELIBERATE PRACTICE: There is a difference between taking a photograph and making a photograph. Clicking the shutter button does not mean you have made a photograph. Being a student of a craft is about exploration. Deliberate practice means exploring the technique or scene fully by exploring the many variables of photography that you can control (vantage point, depth of field, focal length, etc). You should be doing deliberate practice. DO NOT USE PHONES DURING CLASS. Leave them in your pockets/purses/bags. LATE ASSIGNMENTS Ours is a world of deadlines. All assignments should be completed by the due date. Late projects will lose 5% of available points from the final grade for this first day, and 5% of available points each additional day (2 hours) late. The class start time is considered the start of a new day. If you are 10 minutes late for a class on the due date, it is considered late for the first day. GRADING SCHEDULE The course uses an additive model of grading. You begin with zero points and earn towards your final grade. Total Points Available: 1600 + 12 extra credit (from attending all 30 classes) Point Category Breakdown Points Available Ratio Technique Assign. 6 @ 100pts 600 37.5% Mini-Essays @ 100pts 00 25% Final Project 1 @ 00pts 00 25% Attendance 27 @ pts 108 6.75% Participation 1@92pts 92 6.25%
Points to Letter Grade Conversion Letter Grade Percent Points A 9 150 A- 90 10 B+ 87 1392 B 8 13 B- 80 1280 C+ 77 1232 C 7 118 C- 70 1120 D+ 67 1072 D 6 102 D- 60 960 F <60 <960 Technique Assignment Grading: For most of the technique assignments you will submit 10 photographs. This does not mean that to successfully complete the assignment you should only take 10 photographs. This class is about exploration. It could take you 100 photos to get 1 photo that successfully and strongly meets the criteria. Each of these images will be graded the following way: Point Category Description Points Available Decisiveness & Awareness Technical Merit Principle Successful awareness of our decisiveness and awareness rules. Successful exposure and color balance. Successful use of the principle or technique the photo is supposed to exemplify. 2 Mini-Essay Grading: Essays are based on the success of your images as a whole. They will receive simple letter grading based on the following: A (100 points) - Images are close to publishable quality, composition of all are excellent, the images adhere to our awareness/decisiveness mandates, all images are technically sound, storytelling is achieved B (90 points) - Composition of most images are good, the images adhere to our awareness/decisiveness mandates, most images are technically sound, storytelling is mostly apparent C (80 points) - Composition of most images are good, one or more images do not adhere to our awareness/decisiveness mandates, most images are technically sound, storytelling is beginning but not apparent D (70 points) - Composition of most images are ok, one or more images do not adhere to our awareness/decisiveness mandates, most images are not technically sound, storytelling is borderline at best F (0 points) - You didn t do the project or it is majorly flawed Besides the letter grade, you will be provided with written feedback about your essay and the images individually and as a whole. Remember the mulligan rule. You can always re-shoot/re-develop and re-submit to address issues noted in feedback.
Participation Grade You will receive one grade at the end of the semester based on your participation during the critique portion of our class which will occur weekly between week and 13. Absenses will also reflect in this grade. A (92 points) -You contributed insightful critique often. You were engaged most classes. B (83 points) - You contributed good to average critique frequently. You were engaged frequently in classes. C (7 points) - You contributed average critique. You were engaged in some classes. D (65 points) - You contributed less than average critique. You were engaged in occasional classes. F (0 points) - You didn t contribute helpful critique and were not engaged in classes. Attendance Grading & Policy Each class is worth pts. You get 3 paid vacation/sick days. This is why there are 27@pts listed in the grading schedule. If you don t take any of these, you can receive an additional 12pts. The reason you do not come to these classes is irrelevant. You do not need to bring any types of excuses. Your professor hates tardiness and likes to start class right on time, but understands there are things that happen. After 10 minutes late to class, you will be marked as tardy. Three tardys will constitute an absense (-pts). Leaving class early will also be marked as a tardy. Final Project Grading: Will be fully discussed closer to final project. It will be graded in multiple sections including the artist s statement, three photo shoot check-ins, the quality of the images within the photo essay, and the quality of the storytelling of the essay as a whole. In total there will be 00pts available.
A Guide To Planning Ahead: During this course you will have to produce 5 mini-essays and a final project. As such, you should begin thinking right away about the subject/place so you can go right to shooting those weeks and not spend a lot of time worrying about what to shoot. Mini-Essays Environmental Portrait For this assignment you will need to tell the story of a person by creating a portrait of him/her in his/her environment. Select someone who will have the time for you (about 60 90 minutes) and has an interesting environment that he/she lives/ works/plays in. Process Sequence For this assignment you will need to take photos of some sort of process (making widgets, etc) in two ways. Once you will need to take it with a steady frame (same camera position over-and-over) and once you will photography the pocess with a variable frame (details/wide-shots/etc). Sense of Place For this assignment you will need to take photos to tell the story of a physical location. Picture Story For this assignment you will need to take a series of images about a semi-newsworthy place, person, or situation/event. Final Essay The Final Essay will be a multi-week, thematic essay. It is about one type or aspect of many places, things, or people. You will need to photograph in at least three locations. The theme must be approved by the professor in the form of an artist s statement. There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing Aristotle It is fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure. Bill Gates You don t take a photograph, you make it. Ansel Adams Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst. Henri Cartier-Bresson
COURSE SCHEDULE DATE LECTURE/EXERCISE HOMEWORK ASSIGNED AUGUST 21 23 Course Syllabus/Overview; Discussion: What Makes A Good Photograph?; Aesthetic Response; Frame Awareness & Decisiveness Core Concepts For Shooting Assignments: Exposure Triangle (ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed), Shooting Modes, Exposure Compensation, Raw, Focal Length, Depth of field Assignment #1: Learn it on the streets 28 30 SEPTEMBER 6 Core Concepts For Digital Darkroom: Resolution, Prepping Assignments for Submission, Lightroom and Photoshop NOTE: Assignment #1 will require you to bring in image files for this class. Understanding Light: Quantity, Quality, and Color Temperature; Form (light and shadow) & Texture; Exposure Compensation; Histograms NO CLASS - LABOR DAY Technique Talk: Shutter Speed Techniques (freeze, blur, panning); Figure/ground Contrast; Depth of Field Techniques (selective focus with aperture and focal length, layers) Assignment #2: Light Scavenger Hunt Assignment #3: Shutter, Focal Points, and Layers (will need to team up to borrow and share tripod) 11 13 Critique: Assignment #3 Technique Talk: Balance, rule of thirds (& other mathematical compositional recipes), repetition, diminishing perspective, frame within a frame Assignment #: Balance, repetition, and more 18 20 Critique: Assignment # Technique Talk: Angle of view, lines, angles Assignment #5: Lines, angles, and views 25 Critique: Assignment #5 27 OCTOBER 2 Technique Talk: Using Flash (as main and fill); Creating Silhouettes Critique: Assignment #6 Assignment #6: Flash Portraits (teambased) and silhouette The Environmental Portrait Environmental Portrait 9 Critique: The Environmental Portrait 11 The Process Sequence Process Sequence 16 Critique: Process Sequence 18 Photo Essays, Picture Stories, Photo Sequencing Sense of Place 23 Critique: One Place 25 Guest Speaker TBD; Picture Stories Picture Story
OCTOBER (CONTINUED) 30 NOVEMBER 1 Critique: Picture Story Critique: Photo Essay subject and thread Plan your photo essay subject and thread 6 Open Lab Time (meet individually with professor) First set of final essay photos 8 FIRST SET OF PHOTOS DUE; Critique 1-2 photos a person 13 Open Lab Time (meet individually with professor) Second set of final essay photos 15 SECOND SET OF PHOTOS DUE; Critique 1-2 photos a person Third set of final essay photos 20 & 22 27 29 DECEMBER NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING BREAK THIRD SET OF PHOTOS DUE; Mock Up Essay In Class Small Group Critique: Your Essay As It Stands Finish Mockup Complete final essay, send photo book to print!! 6 Final Essay Presentations Final Essay Presentations continued 8 15 FRIDAY DECEMBER 8 - CAMERAS ARE DUE BACK TO EQUIPMENT ROOM!!!! FRIDAY DECEMBER 15 - LAST DAY TO TURN IN FINAL PHOTO BOOK
THE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES: IMPORTANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES Some of the policies relating to this course (such as the drop deadline) are governed by its administrative home, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 120 Schaeffer Hall. Administrative Home The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the administrative home of this course and governs matters such as the add/drop deadlines, the second-grade-only option, and other related issues. Different colleges may have different policies. Questions may be addressed to 120 Schaeffer Hall, or see the CLAS Academic Policies Handbook. Electronic Communication University policy specifies that students are responsible for all official correspondences sent to their University of Iowa e-mail address (@uiowa.edu). Faculty and students should use this account for correspondence (Operations Manual, III.15.2. Scroll down to k.11). Accommodations for Disabilities The University of Iowa is committed to providing an educational experience that is accessible to all students. A student may request academic accommodations for a disability (which include but are not limited to mental health, attention, learning, vision, and physical or health-related conditions). A student seeking academic accommodations should first register with Student Disability Services and then meet with the course instructor privately in the instructor s office to make particular arrangements. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between the student, instructor, and SDS. See http://sds. studentlife.uiowa.edu/ for information. Academic Honesty All students taking CLAS courses have, in essence, agreed to the College s Code of Academic Honesty: I pledge to do my own academic work and to excel to the best of my abilities, upholding the IOWA Challenge. I promise not to lie about my academic work, to cheat, or to steal the words or ideas of others; nor will I help fellow students to violate the Code of Academic Honesty. Any student committing academic misconduct is reported to the College and placed on disciplinary probation or may be suspended or expelled (CLAS Academic Policies Handbook). CLAS Final Examination Policies The date and time of every final examination is announced by the Registrar generally by the fifth week of classes. No exams of any kind are allowed during the last week of classes. All students should plan on being at the UI through the final examination period. It is the student s responsibility to know the date, time, and place of the final exam. Making a Suggestion or a Complaint Students with a suggestion or complaint should first visit with the instructor (and the course supervisor), and then with the departmental DEO. Complaints must be made within six months of the incident (CLAS Academic Policies Handbook). Understanding Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. All members of the UI community have a responsibility to uphold this mission and to contribute to a safe environment that enhances learning. Incidents of sexual harassment should be reported immediately. See the UI Comprehensive Guide on Sexual Harassment for assistance, definitions, and the full University policy. Reacting Safely to Severe Weather In severe weather, class members should seek appropriate shelter immediately, leaving the classroom if necessary. The class will continue if possible when the event is over. For more information on Hawk Alert and the siren warning system, visit the Public Safety website. Nondiscrimination in the Classroom The University of Iowa is committed to making the classroom a respectful and inclusive space for all people irrespective of their gender, sexual, racial, religious or other identities. Toward this goal, students are invited to optionally share their preferred names and pronouns with their instructors and classmates. Expressions of hate and bigotry directed at individuals or identities are not acceptable. For more information, contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, diversity@uiowa.edu, or visit diversity.uiowa.edu.