Fall 2012

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

Catalog Description: Emphasis will be given to the practical side of working as a photographer online as well as more traditionally for newspapers, magazines, and wire services as well as free lance.  Picture editing and handling also will be discussed.  The digital photo lab as well as the learning center  are available for those who otherwise  might not have regular access to a computer and/or darkroom.

From the 2010 J 3402 syllabus:

This class is part of a $50,000 seed grant from the University in regard to still-to-be determined activities with Philadelphia Place.

We will need to talk about this and how it all might work before signing off on releases that recently have been circulated.  There is much to consider.  Application was made for travel and other out-of-pocket expenses as they relate to activities associated with the overall grant.  There are three principal investigators, including your professor for this course.  More to come, but this is where we are, and with an eye to attracting additional grants that will support us in our work.  One possibility is that we, as a class, write our own grant applications … collectively and individually … and see where these efforts can take us as well.

For the 2012 Photojournalism Class:

While we do not have seed grant funds, we do have a variety of resources we can draw upon throughout the semester as we go about  the work of  further developing our skills as photojournalists.

We need to talk about how we would like to see the semester unfold.  It will not be a rote repetition of previous years’ classes.  Each year things are different and reflect the interests of class members.

Course Objectives:  It is hoped that each student will develop a portfolio of images/prints and clips reflecting a high level of competence in a variety of areas regularly covered by working news and feature photographers.  This involves traditional and online venues.  Accordingly, each student will submit work to campus and/or non-campus publications in the hopes that it will be printed.  Weekly and longer-term assignments will be arranged with each student.  Consideration will be given to each individual’s areas of special interest.  Guest speakers may be meeting with the class from time to time.

In-class Publications.  A minimum of three in-class publications as well as a DVD effort will be completed during this class and in addition to the longer-term assignments and shoot list.  At the end of the semester a publication will be produced and pulled together in 72 hours. . .start to finish; print and online versions.  Of course, all of this could change if we decide to do something else.  It all depends on you.  One idea to be discussed is the possibility of  exploring the nation in a weekend or so.  More about that later.

Reading:  Keep current in the journalism and photography literature, particularly trade publications.  Check the Web.

Photo coverage in the Philadelphia Inquirer and another daily of your choice is required reading every day.  Hard copy and/or online.  In advance of  each Friday’s class, post or bring clips from newspapers and magazines for class discussion.  Discussion online via the Gmail account will be our preferred approach in this regard.

Figure at least one or two photos per week … and we will handle them under “Gee Whiz.”  In each instance, you set the table and the tone by pointing out why you feel the photo or package of photos merits attention (good to not good; it all depends).

Journal:  Keep one in regard to your daily photo activity.  We will discuss this in class, but it should include notes regarding your thoughts, experiences and observations.  Be sure to include references to photo-related books, magazines, exhibits and other similar activities.

Your work:   Digital or negatives/contact sheets or both:  It is important to see all or most of what you shoot, preferably in order.  If you are shooting digital, perhaps CDs or DVDs or other portable storage are ways to go.  Otherwise, if shooting film, a three-ring notebook, standard size, will be sufficient to organize all of your J 3402 photo efforts for the semester.  Contact sheet followed by negatives in the standard file pages will be the way to go on this.  Keep these current.  Use slide files in the same way.  Bring your “book” to class every week.  Do the same for digital in a way that works for you.  Back up your work.  From time to time, it might be helpful to look at all you shot (not just what was published) on a given assignment.  We will have a Gmail account for posting under specific assignment headings.  If you have a laptop, simply bring it to class and use it to share your work from time to time.

Digital Images/Prints/Slides/Clips:  These are the foundation(s) of your professional portfolio.  We will be working on this throughout the semester.  There is considerable latitude here, but the emphasis has to be digital … unless you make a very good case for doing otherwise.  Regardless you are expected to post on deadline (midnight of the assignment date indicated) to the Gmail account.

Digital Effort:  Digital images, including scanned negatives, are essential when building photo layouts for your assignments.  Each student also is expected to set up a Web page or photo blog that includes recent photo efforts.  Digital cameras and lenses are available  over the course of the semester.  Most of you already may own digital cameras.  Purchase of CDs or DVDs is advised; other storage devices are encouraged.  Again, be sure to back up your work  We have a growing collection of advanced cameras and lenses.

We encourage the shooting of video … individually or in teams.

Collaborative Learning.  From time to time we will be working in teams on a variety of projects, including video.

Photography @ Temple.  This is a site you know from J3401:  www.temple.edu/photo      Work from this class may be published here over the course of the semester.  Student and alumni work are featured.  We are in the process of reworking this after more than a dozen years since its inception in l998.

Journalist’s Compass is an online resource for photography as well as other journalism-related areas. www.temple.edu/jcompass This is not current, but still useful in some regards.

Requirements

Grading.  All assignments must be on time.  Late work is accepted at the discretion of the instructor.  If not accepted, no credit will be given for this work.  Otherwise, 60% of your grade will be on the photo assignments and final web site, l0% on your journal, 20% on your final portfolio, and l0% on class participation.

Absences, lateness.  These are only acceptable for reasons related to matters of emergency.  If you do not have an emergency, you are expected to be in class. . .and on time.

Missed notes, assignments.  You are responsible for getting this material from a classmate.

Lab conduct.  If you work in the digital darkroom, the supervisors will have some input on your final grade based on your performance during lab hours.

Plagiarism or otherwise presenting work that is not one’s own will result in automatic failure of the course.

Incompletes are given sparingly and only at the option of the instructor.

Drops.  There will be none after the last day of class.

Withdrawal.  If you are passing, a WP; if your are not, a WF.

Cell phones and Civility.  Disruptions and distractions such as cell phones will not be tolerated.  Please turn them off during class.

Office hours.  Generally Mondays and Fridays, 2 to 4 p.m., or by appointment.

More detail.  See the university catalog.  Other information is available on an as-needed basis through the JPRA Department office (204-8346) on the second floor of Annenberg Hall.

Temple account.  It is strongly suggested that each student apply for a computer account at the Help Desk in computer services.  This is available at no cost to the student.  The account will open a variety of opportunities, including e-mail, photography-related information on the Internet, and the complete card catalog of Temple University libraries.  It can be extremely useful in regard to class communication as well.  Each student is expected to log on regularly to check for class-related messages.

Aperture.  This is the student photojournalism society at Temple.

If you are not a member, consider joining.  Same deal with the

NPPA.

Aperture Agency.  This is the business part of what we do in

this photojournalism class as well as elsewhere within the photo curriculum in the Department of Journalism.  It is where you can sell your work and develop your business skills as well as make some money doing so.

If we need to know. . .please tell us.   If there is a physical disability or medical condition that may impact on your work in this class, please discuss this with the instructor as soon as possible.  Every effort will be made to take this into consideration throughout the semester.

Kobre’s Photojournalism, most recent edition (used in the basic photo class), is the recommended reference for this course.  Also, the most recent edition of The Associated Press Guide to Photojournalism.  Both are available in the Temple book store, online or through Borders or Barnes and Noble.

Photojournalism “Shoot List”

Consider the following as guidelines for your weekly efforts as well as your more long-term activities.  It is expected that you will have work in virtually all categories by the end of the semester.  Remember also that you are expected to come up with a significant number of clips (or at least evidence that you have tried) in whatever publications will take your work.  The Temple News, the Templar, and a broad range of other publications in and around Philadelphia are obvious targets.  Moreover, take a look at Photographer’s Market and consider freelance efforts in that regard as well.

These are based on the NPPA Pictures of the Year competition:

 General Spot or Breaking News

Magazine/Newspaper Picture Story

Food Illustration

Fashion Illustration

Newspaper News Picture Story

Magazine News/Documentary

Photo Essay (Generally longer and in more depth than a picture story)

Magazine/Newspaper Feature Photo

Newspaper/Magazine Portrait

Newspaper/Magazine Feature Story

Magazine/Newspaper Pictorial

The above are guidelines.  You may come up with additional efforts.  Some of you may concentrate a great deal of your effort in a single activity such as the preparation of a book.  An expanded web site also might qualify.

For reference regarding NPPA, check any of the annual NPPA POY books titled The Best of Photojournalism:  The Year in Pictures.  The contest has been running for about 50 years.

Give primary emphasis to general assignment/spot news and sports.  Check various publications for scheduled events of various kinds.  Other areas will come along as your work progresses over the course of the semester.

If possible, we can work toward an end-of-semester exhibit online or perhaps in some other form/format.  There also will be the December photo show sponsored by Aperture.  This is a general print-sale event in the Atrium in December.  More on this later.  Aperture will organize and sponsor the activity, perhaps in cooperation with Aperture Agency.  If it works out that we do our own exhibit, then that is the way we will go.