Introduction to Photography: From Darkroom to Digital

Film photography provides spatial and temporal context while digital photography shortens the process of contextualization thanks to technology. This does not mean that one medium is better or worse than the other, and the aim of this introductory course seeks to provide a strong film foundation in order to enhance the approach to digital photography. Students will explore the concept of photographic context by being exposed to both film and digital processes. Film is tangible, it requires a tactile relationship with negatives, paper, and chemistry. The use of physical properties of film will transition to digital darkroom techniques and vice versa. Topics include historic milestones in the history of photography, compositional aesthetics, camera mechanics, control of light sources and metering, film and digital exposure, and darkroom and digital processing. Students will come away from the course having gained an understanding of the similarities, rather than differences, and the underlying relationships between the two mediums. NOTE: This course is for beginners. The first half of the course will be devoted to understanding camera functions and basic printing. During this period assignments will emphasize basic camera functions in manual mode.