The Photograph

Catalog description

We live in a culture of photographs, an Instagram Age, and nearly everyone has a camera continually in hand or within reach. We are image-makers, whether taking pictures for us is as casual as sending a text or something more intentionally artistic. In this class, we'll be looking at lots of photos, both historical and contemporary. Our first goal will be to answer the question: What makes a great photograph? We'll consider everything from iPhone shots of our cute cats (adorable!) to valuable prints in art museums to photojournalism that has catalyzed social change. (Think of newspaper photos of 1960s Civil Rights protests, or images of prisoners being tortured at Abu Grahib.) Our second goal will be both more theoretical and more personal: to talk about what it means to live in a time when millions of photos are downloaded every minute. For instance, how do the pictures we share (anyone posted a selfie lately?) and the ones we look at contribute to our self-identities? It's been said that, for young people today, self-identity is tied closely to public visibility (primarily through social media). True? If so, where do issues of privacy fit into the ways we use photography? It's all very complicated, and fascinating, and real. So, here's what we'll do in this class: look at a million photos (give or take), listen to actual photographers talk about their own work, and take some pictures ourselves. (You don t need a fancy camera; a smart phone will do.) And here's what you can expect by the end of the semester: greater visual literacy; more skill at taking your own pictures; and a deeper understanding of how we all can (or maybe should) operate in this world of photographic abundance.