Photography

This is a year-long course which addresses the creative process as well as technique and critique. Through select readings, field trips to galleries and museum exhibitions, screenings of film clips and viewing of historical and contemporary artists’ work, students will have the opportunity to develop their artistic reference points as they delve into the production of their own personal projects. Students will be expected to engage in class discussions and group critiques, and will be encouraged to experiment outside their comfort zones as they begin to think along conceptual as well aesthetic and formal frameworks, examining problems and trying different approaches to refine their practice and production.

This is the first part of a yearlong course of learning and mastering the fundamental techniques of studio lighting. The students become familiar with how to create traditional, practical lighting scenarios in a studio environment. Electronic flashes and tungsten lights will be used to achieve control of color, contrast, and reflection. Lighting techniques are demonstrated and applied in class to various assignments of tabletop still lifes and portraiture. Emphasis is placed on understanding light and of mastering the technical aspects of the lighting equipment. Assignments will be theme based: headshots, full portraits, and several still lifes.

Prerequisite: Black & White Photography or Introduction to Digital Photography or equivalent.

This course introduces students to the creative and technical possibilities of digital photography. Through demonstrations and hands-on sessions, students learn the fundamentals of Adobe Photoshop to produce effective digital photographs. Students are taken through all the basic processes encountered in digital workflow, from basic scanning and retouching, image enhancement, and printing fundamentals, to RAW file processing and photographic post-production methods.

Prerequisite(s): Black & White Photography, Introduction to Digital Photography, Digital Skills & Composition or equivalent.

This interdisciplinary course explores the rise of visual media, communication and information, within the context of a broad cultural shift away from the verbal and textual toward the visual, which has taken place since the advent of photography and cinema in the late 19th century, through the birth of television, to the present proliferation of digital media worldwide. We will consider the critical practices of looking, historicizing and interpreting that have accompanied this ‘visual turn’. Our readings will primarily address the theoretical foundations of the study of visual culture, which is understood to incorporate a variety of visual media and visual technologies: painting and sculpture, scientific imagery, material culture, the internet. If everything can be visual culture, what remains of traditional notions of medium specificity? What critical tools must be invented to analyze visual events from a visual cultural perspective? The relationship between the visual arts and visual media, especially with respect to the ‘global’ contemporary visual landscape, will be a focus of this course.

You may select an elective from the many liberal studies course offerings. Go to the Liberal Studies department page for more information.

This is a year-long course which addresses the creative process as well as technique and critique. Through select readings, field trips to galleries and museum exhibitions, screenings of film clips and viewing of historical and contemporary artists’ work, students will have the opportunity to develop their artistic reference points as they delve into the production of their own personal projects. Students will be expected to engage in class discussions and group critiques, and will be encouraged to experiment outside their comfort zones as they begin to think along conceptual as well aesthetic and formal frameworks, examining problems and trying different approaches to refine their practice and production.

Prerequisites: Semester 1 or equivalent are prerequisites for semester 2.

This is the second part of a yearlong course of learning and mastering the fundamental techniques of studio lighting. The students become familiar with how to create traditional, practical lighting scenarios in a studio and also in an outdoor environment using multiple light sources while mixing studio electronic flash with outdoor light. Electronic flashes and tungsten lights will be used to achieve control of color, contrast and reflection. Emphasis is placed on understanding light and of mastering the technical aspects of the lighting equipment. Lighting techniques are demonstrated and applied in class to various assignments. The class is project based. The students will choose their projects from several themes: headshot/ portraits, nudes, outdoor flash portraits, and in-class still life.

Prerequisite: Lighting Techniques 1

You may select an elective from the many course offerings in your department or in other departments with the approval of your department chair.

Conceived as an introduction to the history of photography, this course will focus on the first half of the 20^th century. The main movements and aesthetics characterizing that period will be examined through the work of various international photographers. Arranged thematically while following a chronological progression, it will approach each theme in connection with a major photographer whose singularity will help understand the particularities and issues of the subject and put them into perspective. As a product of light and chemistry, photography has always been determined by technical parameters. We will address these parameters and see how they shaped the history of the medium and what we can learn from them today.

Since its invention, photography has had an ambivalent status, regarded by some only as a way of recording or copying things, while others considered it as an actual means of artistic creation. This constant dichotomy between document and art will constitute the common thread of this course. We will look at it with a critical eye, examining photographs through all the stages of their life, from the moment they were taken to the moment they were printed, published, exhibited or discovered by others. In doing so, we will be able to examine how the status of these photographs often changed during the various stages of their history, going from mere document to renowned work of art.

Based mostly on the observation and comment of photographic images, this course aims to start a discussion and foster debate on photography, its specificities and the way they were developed and used in the first half of the 20^th century.

You may select an elective from the many liberal studies course offerings. Go to the Liberal Studies department page for more information.

This is a year-long course which addresses the creative process as well as technique and critique. Through select readings, field trips to galleries and museum exhibitions, screenings of film clips and viewing of historical and contemporary artists’ work, students will have the opportunity to develop their artistic reference points as they delve into the production of their own personal projects. Students will be expected to engage in class discussions and group critiques, and will be encouraged to experiment outside their comfort zones as they begin to think along conceptual as well aesthetic and formal frameworks, examining problems and trying different approaches to refine their practice and production.

This course will look at both the business and practical side of the photographic industry and the importance of understanding and work behind the scene. Students will have an introduction to all different aspects of the marketplace as the fine art world, press, advertising, and marketing, etc. We will look at their practical sides: producing images for a press editor, how to pitch to a client for an advertising campaign, how to create your own brand, legal agreements, copyright and reproduction rights. On the fine art side: we’ll look at dealing with galleries, physical and online, submissions, commissions, promotion, paperwork, framing and private views. This overview of the marketplaces should lead you to an easiest choice and understanding of your own positioning within a professional environment.

You may select an elective from the many liberal studies course offerings. Go to the Liberal Studies department page for more information.

This is a year-long course which addresses the creative process as well as technique and critique. Through select readings, field trips to galleries and museum exhibitions, screenings of film clips and viewing of historical and contemporary artists’ work, students will have the opportunity to develop their artistic reference points as they delve into the production of their own personal projects. Students will be expected to engage in class discussions and group critiques, and will be encouraged to experiment outside their comfort zones as they begin to think along conceptual as well aesthetic and formal frameworks, examining problems and trying different approaches to refine their practice and production.

You may select an elective from the many liberal studies course offerings. Go to the Liberal Studies department page for more information.

You may select an elective from the many liberal studies course offerings. Go to the Liberal Studies department page for more information.

Image-making engages with moving images such as videos, films, clips, reels, etc. The expanded definition of photography increasingly contemplates a dialogue between the different forms of image production. This continuously evolving scenario requires students to navigate technologies, learn post-production abilities, and communication tools. In this scenario, further possibilities open up to think about the creative process dynamically, enrich the making practices, and explore captivating forms of communication and interaction with the potential audience. The course provides a spectrum of technical foundations and creative options to foster video proficiency and literacy.

Pre-requisites: The course is mandatory for Junior Photo students and open to visiting students.

The course of the Senior year, guiding students in the critical consolidation of their artistic practice. The seminar helps students organize and refine their portfolio while situating their work within contemporary authorial photography. Through mentorship and critical dialogue, students deepen the research dimension of their main project, connecting it to their portfolio and grounding it in historical and contemporary references, ethical considerations, and narrative potential. Emphasis is placed on identifying and articulating each student’s central thesis in clear, critical written form. The course equips students with the tools to structure a coherent, research-driven project that integrates visual practice, theoretical reflection, and critical argumentation. It also prepares them for Senior Seminar II: Degree Project, where they develop and realize their final project.

The world of photobooks and artist’s book has been vibrant in recent decades. We have witnessed a flourishing of publishing houses, independent initiatives, crowdfunding platforms, and dummy awards. Even within the context of festivals, books have occupied increasing spaces, and the number of collectors and enthusiasts has risen considerably. Specialized bookstores and events dedicated to welcoming this new publishing and even self-publishing have appeared. The quality of the offer and the editorial products has also increased. Attention to materials, graphics, concepts, covers, editing, and printing are some of the growing features one expects from a photo book. The course explores these practices and possibilities that have turned into one of the leading opportunities to propose and distinguish one’s work as an image-maker. At the same time, the course offers the student the opportunity to conceptualize a project and develop it in book form.

Priority goes to students of the Photography Department.
Mandatory course for Senior (BFA Photography) and elective for students from MPIM/MPMF/MFFP and other Post-graduate program.

You may select an elective from the many course offerings in your department or in other departments with the approval of your department chair.

You may select an elective from the many liberal studies course offerings. Go to the Liberal Studies department page for more information.

The course guides students through the development and realization of their Degree Project, building on the portfolio, research framework, and thesis from Senior Seminar I. The course provides focused mentorship in concept, execution, and presentation, while supporting students in completing a professional portfolio. Through critical dialogue and project-focused guidance, students consolidate their practice and prepare their work for exhibition, publication, or professional use.

In this course students will learn about digital printing techniques and their unique aesthetics and uses for the production of contemporary works of art and fashion photography. The fundamentals of color management and color profiles will be taught and students will learn how to properly optimize and prepare their digital files for printing. Scanning will also be covered. Paper choice is also at the heart of this class. Visit to other labs in Paris. Preservation issues surrounding various types of digital prints will also be discussed. Homework assignments will reinforce topics covered in class and students will be required to demonstrate their technical progress during in-class critiques of their work. More and more, the printing of images also concerns the preparation of books, zines and magazines. Students will have the opportunity to measure themselves with the conceptual challenges and design possibilities that the field offers.

You may select an elective from the many course offerings in your department or in other departments with the approval of your department chair.

You may select an elective from the many liberal studies course offerings. Go to the Liberal Studies department page for more information.