Spring 2013
Ed Trayes, Professor of Communications
Phone: 215-204-8344 (voicemail as well)
E-mail: trayes@temple.edu
Office: 324 Annenberg Hall
Office Hours: Immediately after class or by appointment
Supplies needed for Photography, JPRA 3401
Catalog description
Individual direction in utilization of photography as a means of communication; creative photography; use of camera; digital darkroom procedures; picture selection, layout, cropping, sizing.
Web Site
Web Sites:
This is the site where student and alumni work is published. Since 2009 we have been migrating our class efforts to another URL.
www.temple.edu/blogs/photography
All of this is currently in flux. We will keep you informed as things develop throughout the semester.
Also, there is some information on courses within the photojournalism concentration, the Department of Journalism and otherwise. The best of our weekly assignments will be posted here as well. We are working on a new site that will complement the existing one. The overall structure and organization will be different from the original effort which covers more than 10 years of photo work by beginning and advanced students in the photo classes offered in the Department of Journalism at Temple. Please bear with us as we reorganize the effort to reflect our recent change to mainly digital photography efforts.
There also is a password-protected gmail account where all student work is posted weekly. An advantage of this is that every student can view the work of his or her classmates weekly. There also is a way to leave chains of comments in draft for each other. Current class gmail account information will be shared during the first class session. Instruction for posting and messaging will be covered in the first Wednesday lab session.
Texts:
Photojournalism: The Professionals’ Approach, by Kenneth Kobre. New York: Van Nostrand: Somerville, MA: Curtin & London, Inc. Most recent edition; probably sixth edition.
Photography, by Barbara London, Jim Stone and John Upton. Boston: Educational Associates. Tenth edition. Ninth is ok as well.
Requirements:
Grading: All assignments must be on time. Late work is accepted at the discretion of the instructor. Otherwise, 60% will be on in-class and weekly photography work; l5% and 25% will be on the final examination and the final written project, with the higher percentage going with the best grade received across the two efforts. There also will be some consideration of lab citizenship and contributions to the learning community.
Absences, lateness: These only are acceptable for reasons related to matters of emergency. If you do not have an emergency, you are expected to be in class. . .on time and ready to participate. Excessive lateness or absence in general are not acceptable. You are expected to be in class and lab when scheduled. If you are not there, the consequences are obvious. Late work is accepted at the option of the instructor and based on a discussion with the student. Totally missed assignments are not an option. Always do something. Meeting deadlines is a class credo.
Missed notes, assignments: You are responsible for getting the material from a classmate. We have a class secretary.
Lab conduct: Ms. Fry and the lab supervisors will have input on your final grade based on your performance during photo lab hours.
Plagiarism or otherwise presenting work that is not totally one’s own (and without appropriate credit or citation) will result in automatic failure of the course.
Cell phones, other electronic devices with activated ringers and alarms. These are not permitted to be in operation during class time. They are disruptive. Please be considerate of others in this regard. Turn them off. All electronic devices must be off and out of sight.
Eating in class is not permitted.
Civility at all times.
Other classroom disruptions. This includes bathroom breaks during class. Please plan ahead; and if you leave, do not come back for the remainder of the class. Take everything with you. If these rules do not work for you, please see the instructor or Ms. Fry.
Assignments: In general, there will be a photo assignment due every Friday. By the end of the semester you will have produced close to a hundred mounted photographs. Almost all will be in black and white. Graduate students taking the course are expected to do an extra project. This is worked out in consultation with the instructor. There is a form to be completed. This is available on the MJ pages of the Department of Journalism website.
Digital Component: This is a largely black-and-white, totally digital effort. This enables us to get more shooting done as well as affording the opportunity to assess the differences, the strengths and weakness, the advantages and disadvantages of film and digital applications in photography. We have film cameras as needed for class-related activities. Digital cameras may be signed out for the entire semester. These are available in the equipment room opposite the elevator on the main floor of Annenberg Hall. There is no charge to do this. From time to time you may wish to check out tripods, monopods and other photo equipment. Plan ahead when doing this. The equipment office has rules and procedures. These are available online. We need to follow them.
Lectures: In general, Mondays will be lecture periods covering a variety of topics mentioned below under course objectives.
Readings: As assigned. Please see attached textbook reading schedule for J3401, spring semester, 2013.
Paper: As discussed in class. Due Monday, April 22, 2013. Your topic area should be turned in by Monday, February 11, complete with rationale and the names of photographers you plan to contact in terms of setting up a shadowing experience later in the semester. Do not contact anyone until you get a green-light response from the instructor. This assignment can be completed in an e-mail to trayes@temple.edu The sooner you do this, the better.
Guests: Some guests will be invited to visit class, show and discuss their work, and answer questions.
Incompletes: These are given only under extreme circumstances and only at the option of the instructor.
Drops: There will be no drops after the last day of class.
Withdrawals: If you are passing, WP; if not, WF.
More detail: See the University regulations regarding incompletes, withdrawals, plagiarism, and cheating. Other information is available through the Department of Journalism office (215.204.8346), AH 200.
E-mail: It is suggested that each student apply for an e-mail account at the Help Desk in computer services. This will enhance communication between the instructor and students. If you have an external e-mail account (Gmail, Hotmail, etc.), this will be acceptable. As mentioned above, a class gmail account will be used to assist in communication. This includes the posting of photos weekly. This will be covered in lab sessions.
Objectives: This course is designed to develop your photographic skills, especially your ability to “see” photographically. Emphasis is on individual growth through a series of weekly assignments designed to present opportunities for integrating the theoretical/artistic and the practical. In addition, the basics of photography for the mass media will be discussed in regard to ethics and laws as they relate to photography, including where one can and can not take photographs, and an historical overview from earliest times to the present. There will be about four field trips to various destinations in the city and well within the scope of public transportation. While digital photography will be emphasized throughout, some film applications may be made. This is entirely optional and must be discussed with the instructor in advance.
Heart to Heart: At the end of the semester, every student is required to meet with the instructor one on one for a review of all photo work completed during the class. Before the meeting, the student will have arranged all hundred or so mounted photos in order of assignment … with the earliest photos first. A sign-up sheet will be posted. Each student will select a time from those available. This review is in addition to the weekly critiques in regard to all submitted student work.
Journalist’s Compass: www.temple.edu/jcompass or jcompass.temple.edu. This site carries more than 3,500 URLs related to journalism and online research. There is a key word directory that includes dozens of photography sites. This might be helpful in regard to your photo paper.
Health, Disability: If you have a health-related or other disability consideration and feel it may affect your ability to complete course requirements, please discuss same with the instructor or Ms. Fry. Every effort will be made to work things out.