Status: đź”´Â In active development
Length: 12 weeks
Time needed: 5–10 hours a week
Photography is more than capturing what’s in front of you—it’s about choosing what to show, how to show it, and why it matters. This course explores visual storytelling through photographs, examining how single images communicate and how sequences of photographs construct narratives. You’ll study photographers who document reality, those who construct fiction, and contemporary practitioners who blur the boundaries between the two. By the end of this semester, you’ll understand how photographs function as arguments, how sequencing creates meaning, and how your position as a photographer shapes every story you tell.
The course progresses from learning to see photographically through creating single powerful images, then building photo series, understanding text-image relationships, exploring contemporary approaches that question documentary truth claims, and finally producing a cohesive photo book project. Throughout, you’ll confront fundamental questions: Who has the right to tell which stories? How does a photographer’s identity shape narrative? When does documentation become exploitation?
Course Philosophy: This course emphasizes story over technical perfection. While you’ll improve your photographic skills, the focus remains on narrative construction, ethical considerations, and developing your unique voice. Photography is accessible—what matters is not expensive equipment but consistent practice, careful observation, and thoughtful editing.
Each week includes three components: Study First (reading and viewing), Practice (photographic exercises), and Reflect (critical thinking). The course builds progressively—early weeks establish fundamentals while later weeks tackle complex narrative challenges. You’ll maintain a visual journal throughout the semester and develop one major photo book project over the final six weeks.