This course is a studio course focusing on ancient and modern image-making with particular attention to the pinhole photography. The purpose of the course is to provide students with a background in photography in general and in the relationship between image technologies through the centuries. Through exercises and experiments, students will acquire competence with traditional black and white photo techniques, from making their own cameras to developing and making prints in the dark room. 

The first photographs emerge in the middle of the 19th century, but pinhole technology dates back a few thousand years. The knowledge of light being compressed, inverted, and projected goes as far back as the 5^th century BCE. Pinhole imaging has been used widely in art and science since the 13^th century and  throughout the Renaissance until the first photographic images were printed around 1850.

This course focuses on the earliest techniques of image-making, bringing them in touch with the most recent technologies. Students will build their own cameras and use them as a vehicle across the history of photography.  We will cover exposure in terms of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO; developing and printing various supports (film and paper);  the progress of photographic technology through the decades; and aesthetic issues in photography and in art in general.  Starting with the most basic principle of light, students of this course will learn to capture, record, manipulate, convert, share and understand the process of making meaningful images.

Besides classroom and darkroom lectures, the course involves slideshows, on site shooting assignments, and gallery visits, with particular attention to the city of Rome as subject matter. 

This course aims to provide students with the skills necessary to produce a coherent body of photographic work, and the means to analyze, understand, and interpret images.

Key skills taught:

 Use and understanding of pinhole cameras, film cameras and digital cameras, and manipulation of medium to create meaningful images, traditional dark room technique and digital manipulation.

MATERIALS:

Students are encouraged to construct their own camera with found (free) materials. Any additional  camera, whether film or digital, is welcome and will be incorporated into individual course assignments. There are also many pinhole camera kits on the market. All printing and processing materials are provided, students are responsible for photographic paper and film.

A:  Work of this quality directly addresses the project. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of creativity and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of understanding the aim of the course. Result of the Project clearly demonstrates the photographic process through using the pinhole camera and the traditional darkroom (black and white B&W) with the chemical processes done as an outstanding performance.

B:  This is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the project. There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material. The artwork does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments. Final Project needs to be discussed with the professor in terms of some minor technical or esthetical mistakes.

C:  This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers the project needs that are clear but limited, reflecting the technical and aesthetical information offered in the lectures and demonstration. The level of the project needs to be evaluated with the performance of the student.

D:  This level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material as well as technically and esthetically. Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included. In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail. Better performance to be needed in future.

F: This work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the project. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant. The result does not match the criteria and the aim of the Project.

Weekly Schedule

Week 1:

1. Intro to course. Principles of photography, Kinds of cameras and how they work, making cameras and capturing images. Photograms.

HW: pinhole research, found photos

1. Basic pinhole camera construction and first experiments with light. Set up class blog.

HW: found materials for first camera

Week Two:

1. Supports, film and paper sensitivity, ISO, shutter speed, aperture, depth of field. On site shooting.

HW: shooting assignment 1

1. Intro to darkroom chemicals and procedures. Paper negative and positive processing.

Hw: shotting assignment 2. negative and positive prints

Week Three:

1. Midterm exam. Pinhole in the world of photography. Gallery/Museum visit  TBA.

HW: shooting assignment 3, and prints

1. Old and new technology: Holga and DYI pinholes, stereoscopy, lomography, film cameras, digital applications. Dark room effects.

HW: shooting assignment 4, and prints

Week Four:

1. Mac lab. Pinhole, analog, digital. Combining technologies, scanning, etc. Discuss final projects.

HW: Shooting assignment 5, final project

1. Presenting work. Final project presentations.