NEW TEAM: On Photography

In the world of today’s networked camera technologies, being a skillful photographer & curator of images is a major asset that empowers users with an effective medium to promote their views, products, or businesses. This VIP’s take on photography is two-fold: 1) students will learn how to effectively use professional cameras to produce project in different genres (portrait, landscape, urban, real estate, events, publicity, activism & image composites). 2) They will also become familiar with the photographic traditions of Ibero-America, use adequate visual & cultural studies-based theories to conceptualize this body of work, & find inspiration in the work of renowned photographers to produce their own creative portfolios. Typical collaborative projects include: camera obscura experiments, curated exhibits (either research-based and focusing on the Ibero-American archive or creative & personal), exploration of diverse printing techniques and their effectiveness (from sun printing in cynotype paper to mainstream digital printing). All projects will be based on the progressive development of a skill set that includes: being able to take professional photos grounded in an understanding of the exposure triangle, harnessing depth of field options that are lens dependent and using effective compositional formulas; using a variety of photographic tools designed for the studio and outdoors (lights, & modifiers, props); ability to make connections with previous photographic traditions.