Alex Edward Wieder

Photographic Imaging Technical Seminar is a graduate-level class that provides students with an in-depth exploration of the technical and conceptual aspects of the photography department. Students will gain certification to use the equipment and facilities of the department while also learning about the department¿s acquisition, workflow, and photographic output capabilities. Examples drawn from contemporary art and current theoretical materials will be analyzed and discussed to enhance students' understanding of the subject matter. Additionally, students will present works in progress and begin producing new work at the outset of the semester. In addition to advanced certification in photographic equipment, the course allows students to develop their skills in individual project development while practicing and researching tools for production while focusing on developing students' familiarity with older, current, and developing technical processes. Students will also develop their ability to troubleshoot and resolve technical challenges encountered while producing finished work for critique. In light of the simplified and automated photographic tools available today, students with diverse educational backgrounds are enrolling in SAIC's graduate program. This graduate-level technical seminar is designed for students with diverse technical backgrounds, including those with little traditional photographic experience. The course assumes that all students are proficient image makers and aims to level up their technical skills by providing a pathway to reinforce or introduce advanced photographic processes and control methodologies. Throughout the course, students will gain certifications and introductions to analog and digital cameras, darkroom techniques, facilities, studios, scanning, computing, and analog, digital, and alternative processes output facilities. To determine weekly exercises, the class will proactively survey students' technical needs and coordinate with the 5006 Photo Graduate Seminar. Additionally, students will work each week collaboratively to address technical issues and troubleshooting that arise during active image production. The technical exercises will help students build fluency and comprehension with various cameras, refine their personal workflow, and cover core lighting and advanced printing techniques. Technical lectures will build upon and reinforce these learned skills. In light of the simplified and automated photographic tools available today, students with diverse educational backgrounds are enrolling in SAIC's graduate program. This graduate-level technical seminar is designed for students with diverse technical backgrounds, including those with little traditional photographic experience. The course assumes that all students are proficient image makers and aims to level up their technical skills by providing a pathway to reinforce or introduce advanced photographic processes and control methodologies. Throughout the course, students will gain certifications and introductions to analog and digital cameras, darkroom techniques, facilities, studios, scanning, computing, and analog, digital, and alternative processes output facilities. To determine weekly exercises, the class will proactively survey students' technical needs and coordinate with the 5006 Photo Graduate Seminar. Additionally, students will work each week collaboratively to address technical issues and troubleshooting that arise during active image production. The technical exercises will help students build fluency and comprehension with various cameras, refine their personal workflow, and cover core lighting and advanced printing techniques. Technical lectures will build upon and reinforce these learned skills. Technical readings for the course may include: Schewe, Jeff. The Digital Negative. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press, 2012 Davis, Phil. Beyond the Zone System. Boston: Focal Press, 1996. Additional suggested readings might include: Barthes, Roland. Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography. New York: Hill and Wang, 1981. Solomon-Godeau, Abigail. Photography after Photography. New York: Duke University Press, 2017. Fusco, Coco, and Brian Wallis (eds.). Only Skin Deep: Changing Visions of the American Self. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2003. Ritchin, Fred. 'Toward a Hyperphotography, After Photography.' Aperture, no. 124 (1991): 16-25. These texts can provide students with further insight into photography's conceptual and historical aspects, and offer critical perspectives that can enrich their understanding of the medium.