Course Syllabus
Storytelling through Photography
Semester & Location: |
Summer 2021, Session 1 - STO |
Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 3 credits |
Major Disciplines: |
Communications, Photography, Visual Arts |
Prerequisite(s): |
None |
Faculty Members: |
Anna Simonsson, info@annasimonsson.com |
Program Coordinator: |
Sanne Rasmussen, sra@dis.dk |
Time & Place: |
TBD |
Description of Course
Photographs tell stories in ways words cannot, and this class invites you to fully immerse yourself in Danish life and tell stories with your camera. Together, we utilize photography as a means of making sense of your time abroad and reflecting on your life experiences in general. You will engage with the medium of photography, critically analyze examples of photojournalism and art photography, and learn about the theories and historical tradition that your photos reference.
This class combines photographic assignments, fieldwork, critiques, and a survey of the history and theory of photography. The critiques will focus on intentionality and imbedded meaning while placing your work in the context of the history of photography.
Learning Objectives
- You will gain a deeper understanding of the cultural impact of the medium of photography in an art historical context, and you will be able to locate your own work in relation to that tradition.
- You will learn how to create the pictures you want to make, in terms of technique, form and content.
- You will engage in the language of photographic critique – both of your own work and that of your fellow classmates – and be able to thoughtfully describe the meaning of a photograph.
- You will generate a personal artist statement that concisely presents your project.
- You will develop a new sensitivity to looking at the world through the lens of a camera.
- You will become knowledgeable about the process of creating a story or conveying a certain stance with images and you will get your own experiences doing so.
Course Instructor
Anna Simonsson
Studied photojournalism at Nordens Fotoskola (2002). Since then she has worked full time with photojournalism and is specialized in portraits and stories. Anna works mostly for magazines and union newspapers and was the photo editor of the now closed magazine Ingenjören. In 2010 and 2012 she won the Best Photo Award at the Union Press Day.
Email: info@annasimonsson.com
Telephone: +46 704 675 669
Expectations of the Students
Attendance at all class sessions is mandatory. Two unexcused absences will warrant a reduced letter grade. Three unexcused absences will result in failure.
In order to be eligible for a passing grade in the class, all work must be submitted.
The use of distracting devices (smartphones, laptops, etc.) is prohibited during class. This is your responsibility and I will not remind you. Failure to comply will adversely affect participation grades. Only when needed for specific in class activities, you should use these.
If you have difficulties with an assignment please consult your instructor before your deadline. This does not mean that you will get a pass, but that you will get advice on how to solve the issue.
NOTE: Students are expected to bring their own camera, preferably a DSLR.
Readings
Excerpts from:
Christy Lange, Seven Subjects You Shouldn’t Photograph
Robert Adams, Colleagues from Why People Photograph
Walter Benjamin, A Short History of Photography (p. 199-215)
Alexander Rodchenko, The Paths of Modern Photography
James Elkins, selection from Art Critiques: A Guide
Jeff Wall, Marks of Indifference: Aspects of Photography in, or as, Conceptual Art (1995)
Gerry Badger, From Diane Arbus to Cindy Sherman: An Exhibition Proposal from The Pleasure of Good Photographs
Stephen Shore, The Depictive Level from The Nature of Photograph
Roland Barthes, Rhetoric of the Image
Allan Sekula, The Invention of Photographic Meaning*
Lewis Bush, Crystallization or simplification: World Press Photo 2015 (2016)
Henri Cartier Bresson, The Decisive Moment
An Interview with Walker Evans, The Thing Itself is Such a Secret and so Unapproachable (1974)
John Szarkowski, The Photographers Eye
Abigail Solomon-Gordeau, Who is Speaking Thus? Some Questions About Documentary Photography
Charlotte Cotton, Intimate Life from The Photograph as Contemporary Art
Olivier Laurent: What the Image of Aylan Kurdi Says About the Power of Photography.
Latent Image: W. Eugene Smith's Controversial Minimata Photograph
Reading the Pictures: When Reality Isn’t Dramatic Enough
Handouts on the Souvid Datta case
World Press Photo: Code of Ethics
John Berger, chapter 1 from Ways of Seeing
Stephen Shore, The Mental Level + Mental Modelling, The Nature of Photographs
Gerry Badger, A Tale of Two Portraits
Gerry Badger, Face to Face
Lauren Cornell, Self-Portraiture in The First-Person Age from Aperture 221
Martin Gayford, Man With a Blue Scarf: On Sitting for a Portrait by Lucian Freud
Life: Photo Essay
Charlotte Cotton, Revived and Remade from The Photograph as Contemporary Art
Alec Soth: The Ballad of Good and Bad Titles
Jack Kerouac, Introduction to The Americans
Assignments and Evaluation
Presentation in class
You will be given one photographer that you are to research and talk about to the class.
- Do research.
- Provide a short biography of the artist.
- Use between 10-15 slides or more in your presentation. Remember to include images taken by the photographer you are talking about.
- You can focus on a single project from this photographer (e.g. a book or exhibition etc.) or a more broader view on their work. You can analyze the work, tell us why you find it significant from your perspective and from a greater historical point of view.
- Engage your fellow classmates in a conversation about the work.
Critique
- Be prepared for your critique. Have your printed photos ready and place them on the walls when you arrive in class.
- Talk about the work and the meaning of it.
- Participate in your fellow classmates critiques. Ask them relevant questions about their work and give them your honest opinion and help them find their direction.
Participation
- Read the literature. Relate to it in class discussions.
- Engage in class discussions.
- Be present in class.
- Engage during field studies.
Photographic assignments
- Make sure you understand the brief and put your thought into solving them.
- Make sure you understand the challenge and have it finished (and printed, if required) on time.
Written assignment
You are to write a text of 300-1000 words where you analyze your work, relate it to the history of photography and reflect upon your challenges and decisions. In this paper you should draw on at least 4 course readings.
This is a chance to show your ability to use your knowledge from the readings the analytical skills you developed during this course from looking at photography.
Hand it in on time as a PDF.
Grading
Assignment |
Percent |
Critique sessions in class |
10% |
Presentations |
10% |
Written assignment |
15% |
Participation |
15% |
First photographic challenge |
15% |
Second photographic challenge |
15% |
Final Project and presentational text |
20% |
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
Date | Details | Due |
---|---|---|