This course is intended for beginning students who have had some previous photography experience. Admission by portfolio.

Beyond the material technique of photography lies a visual technique. This involves learning to see the way a camera sees; learning how a photograph, by its nature, transforms the world in front of the camera. The first half of the semester is devoted to exploring this visual grammar of photography and how it clarifies a photograph's meaning and the photographer's intent. During the second half of the semester, students pursue independent projects, putting their visual understanding into practice.
Prerequisite: Photography 101 or 103.

The discovery of photography was announced in 1839, almost simultaneously by several inventors. Born of experiments in art and in science, the photographic medium combines vision and technology. It possesses a uniquely intimate relation to reality, and for this reason has many applications outside the realm of fine art, but from its inception photography has been a vehicle for artistic aspirations. This course surveys the history of photography from its earliest manifestations to the 1970s and considers photography's applications as art, science, historical record, and document, among others. It is a general introduction to the subject and is open to all students. This course is the prerequisite for most other courses in the history of photography.

This studio course is designed to explore ideas in photography that extend beyond its history or technique. In a part lecture, part assignment discussion format the student sill investigate physical, physiological, psychological, philosophical and sociological aspects of vision. By considering issues of how light behaves in space, how the eye works, how the brain processes visual stimuli, how visual ideas are engineered, and similar topics, the student will learn to see photography from the outside, as a stage in the development of vision itself.
Prerequisite: PHOT 101 or 103. Admission by portfolio.

A single photographic image maintains a unique position in its ability to suggest a narrative, and yet that image is never able to convey the entire story. This studio class will require a careful exploration of scenario, lighting, and mise en scene. There will be special attention paid to the photographer's ability to convey his or her vision through directorial treatment of subject. We will spend much of the class time in the studio working with the lights and getting familiar with the equipment.
Prerequisite: PHOT 101 or 103. Admission by portfolio.

View cameras were the first cameras and were the primary photographic tool for the first half of photography's history. They offer unexcelled clarity, tonality, and image control. The operation of the view camera and advanced darkroom techniques are demonstrated in this course. The class explores the expressive potential of the conscious use of the camera's precise control of the image. Students are supplied with 4" x 5" camera outfits. Admission by portfolio.

Prerequisite: Photography 105 or 106.

An introduction to the problem of rethinking photographic picture-making through the medium of color photography. Transparencies, color negatives, and type C prints are the technical areas explored. Interested students should bear in mind the higher costs of color materials. Admission by portfolio.

See above.

To prepare the student for ongoing independent work, this course emphasizes the exploration of visual problems. At the heart of this exploration is asking good questions of oneself and one's work, seeing how other photographers and artists in other media have dealt with such questions, and "answering" the questions for oneself through individual projects.
Prerequisite: Photography 201 and 203.

This is a course designed for students with a basic understanding of the Adobe Photoshop software application. Emphasis will be placed on exploring digital photography from both a technical and theoretical perspective. In addition to learning various advanced imaging techniques, students will be encouraged to critically examine the ways in which digital imaging effects how we make and look at photographs. Through hands on practice and in-class critique and dialogue, the class will examine a variety of issues central to photography in the digital era, such as "What is the relationship of digital photography to traditional, analog photography? To what degree has our faith in the veracity of the photographic image been altered by the seamless editing capabilities of digital photography? How have issues of authorship, ownership, and copyright been effected? How might photographers best utilize the interactive arenas of multi-media and the internet? Students will be expected to bring work to class on a weekly basis and to participate in class critiques. Open to both photo and non-photo students.
Prerequisite: Digital Imaging 1, or permission of the instructor.

Perhaps more than any other subject genre in art, portraiture is remarkable for the complexity that lies beneath its deceptively simple appearance. What is the object of a portrait? What constitutes the nature of 'likeness' or resemblance--is it a matter of recording the physical characteristics of a person, or rendering the "inner person" in pictorial form? In addition to considering the ontology of the portrait, this lecture course will trace historical developments in portraiture in the 19th and 20th centuries. This period is a crucial one in the history of portraiture, as it encompasses the advent of photography, which ultimately challenged (and changed) the terms of portraiture for all media. The interplay between photography and painting forms the core of the material. Artists to be considered include Ingres, Nadar, Hill and Adamson, van Gogh, Picasso, Cameron Man Ray, and Warhol.
Prerequisite: Photography 110.

Open to upper level students with backgrounds in studio arts. Students in other art fields, philosophy, anthropology, etc. are welcome to apply. The course will focus on the use of photography as a material or tool in artmaking. The emphasis will be on students developing ideas and using simple and direct photographic means to express them. Students will make a body of work with snapshots, slides, laser xerox, polaroids, photocollage and other basic photographic forms. There will be slide presentations and discussion on the use of photography in the work of artists such as Andy Warhol, Vija Celmins, Gerhard Richter, Kiki Smith, Anselm Kiefer, Sigmar Polke, Hannah Hoch, Ed Ruscha, David Wojnarowicz, Susan Hiller and many others. There will be visits to New York City galleries and museums to look at and consider the prevalence of photographic based work in contemporary art practice. The course does not involve darkroom instruction and facilities will only be available on a limited basis to students who have prior experience. Admission by interview and portfolio review. Interviews 9:00 am on Registration Day in Prof. Ess's office, Woods Studio #210.

The senior seminar is a requirement of all seniors majoring in photography. The seminar meets on a bi-weekly basis and carries no credit.