FAS 305

Digital Documentary Photography

This course provides an opportunity for students to explore the art of storytelling through visual means. Utilizing either digital photography or film, students will be expected to produce a body of work that focuses on a particular subject (individual, place, organization) or larger issue. This class will not be assignment driven. Instead, each student will work on one long-term project. To prepare for that, students will begin the term by focusing on a small story that can be captured in about two weeks. The main goal of the term will be the completion of a single project that will be worked on weekly during the course and presented in final form at the end of the term. Each week students will be expected to bring in photographs that will be the building blocks to the story they have chosen to tell. Participating students must be self-starters, interested in documentary photography and curious about how to use photography as a means of expression and persuasion. Projects will need to be approved by the instructor, though there will be a great deal of space for students to tailor their projects to their own interests and creative needs. The class is a hands-on course and success will be measured by students' ability to choose a subject, capture it visually, show material regularly in class and present the project in a final form that reflects the subject explored. Each week we will discuss each student's progress, we will discuss particular images and the overall stories being told. Students will be asked to keep a written diary as well to help track the work they do as they seek out and execute their story ideas.

Units: 3.0