80047 Critical Image Studio: Image Ethics and Portraiture
Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a
particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2022 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 12 cp
Subject level: Undergraduate
Result type: Grade and marksRequisite(s): 80065 Critical Image Studio: Image Activism and Documentary Practice
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
This subject develops students' knowledge of contemporary photographic practice and its related histories and theories. It introduces innovative ideas and approaches in a studio-based context. Students develop conceptual and technical skills to expand and cultivate their knowledge while undertaking experimental approaches to image making and image making technologies.
Students are introduced to key concepts specific to contemporary photographic portraiture. These are explored through various approaches that include documentary, staged and performative photography as well as analogue and digital technologies.
This subject encourages students to expand their understanding of what constitutes a photographic studio practice while developing a range of practical skills and an ability to engage actively with research. Students develop these skills while working practically on individual and group tasks that address a number of foundational approaches to making portraits in the lighting studio and in the street.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
| 1. | Work autonomously and take responsibility for actions and decisions. |
|---|---|
| 2. | Effectively communicate ideas to a professional level including oral presentations, written and visual material. |
| 3. | Demonstrate innovative approaches to photographic practice. |
| 4. | Develop and employ a diverse range of technical and practical methods as appropriate to the task. |
| 5. | Document the iterative development of project concepts. |
| 6. | Apply critical reflection and engagement to photographic outcomes. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes to the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:
- Ability to take autonomous responsibility for actions and decisions (A.1)
- Ability to communicate ideas effectively in a variety of ways, including oral, written and visual (C.2)
- Ability to develop innovative approaches (I.1)
- Ability to recognise and engage in a diverse range of technical and practical contexts (P.1)
- Ability to apply relevant digital and/or analogue techniques and technologies to image-based practice (P.2)
- Ability to reflect and engage in self-critique and critical thinking (R.5)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
The subject allows students to develop both individual photographic projects as well as participate in group work in relation to contemporary photography. The subject allows students to develop the conceptual, technical and theoretical skills that are required to produce work and to position their practice in a contemporary photographic context. Tutors guide students as they plan, investigate and resolve their work within the given timeframes. This subject contributes to the course educational aims to produce graduates who can incorporate high level skills in the following areas into their work and their approach to learning:
- Communication and group work skills.
- Attitudes and values.
- Practical and professional skills.
- Research and critique.
- Innovation and creativity.
Teaching and learning strategies
Learning activities occur on a weekly basis with contact typically being one hour of lectures and five hours of studio-based learning across tutorials and technical workshops. Subject content is delivered through lectures, tutorials and feedback sessions as well as technical collaborative workshops.
LECTURES
The delivery of specific knowledge around photographic studio practices pertaining to photographic portraiture. The lecture series will refer to exemplary photographic projects that align to the subject’s overarching themes, activities and learning methods.
TUTORIALS
Tutorials are tutor directed as well as student initiated. Students are guided through creative problem solving, critical reflection, progressive refinement of visual and written work and oral and written contextualisation of work progressing to final assessment.
STUDIO WORKSHOPS
The three hours of weekly technical workshops operate as a guided demonstration through the photographic studio and photographic techniques. During these sessions, students will learn how to use lighting, the photographic studio, digital software and digital cameras. These workshops are delivered by experienced tutors with industry expertise in digital photography, photographic lighting and lighting studio practices. These workshops are crucial in ensuring students can deploy the design thinking and technical expertise required in this subject.
RESEARCH
Research methods are introduced in lectures and tutorials. These encourage consulting appropriate websites, blogs and online library resources; visiting UTS Library and other libraries and research collections where appropriate; conducting gallery and museum visits and contributing to group discussion boards.
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
UTS staff believe that collaborative peer learning enhances learning. Across tutorials and workshops students are required to work in groups and to collaborate on technical tasks introduced in the workshops. To facilitate this, the assessments are framed in such a way as to encourage group-based learning.
ONLINE COURSEWORK
There are a number of online resources used to support the learning objectives of this subject. A detailed overview of the pedagogy and associated tasks and assessment items are included in the subject documents and introduced in lectures. Also online are essential and recommended readings. Significantly, the readings support both lecture series and assessments by providing students with an overview of photographic theories that address the ethical issues concerning photographic portraiture. It is also important to note that the essential readings will introduce students to the lecture content and will be annotated to highlight important concepts and ideas.
Students will be introduced to the use of discussion boards on UTSOnline. These are used to facilitate peer to peer learning through the exposure of student projects and processes. Engaging in online discussions affords the students’ exposure to and knowledge of the diverse approaches to assessment tasks.
FEEDBACK
Students will have several opportunities to receive feedback during the subject.
Formative feedback will occur every week in studio critiques where review of work in progress provides guidance on individual project development and support for technical, aesthetic and conceptual development. This is designed to help students improve their performance in time for the submission of an assessment item. For this to occur students need to respond constructively to the feedback provided. This involves critically reflecting on advice given and in response altering the approach taken to a given assessment. Formative feedback may also, on occasion, be provided by other students. It is delivered informally, either in conversation during a tutorial or in the course of discussion at the scale of the whole class. It is the student’s responsibility to record any feedback given during meetings or studio sessions.
Summative feedback is provided in written form with all assessed work. It is published along with indicative grades online at UTS REVIEW. Summative feedback focuses on assessment outcomes. It is used to indicate how successfully a student has performed in terms of specific assessment criteria.
Content (topics)
The subject will comprise of the following:
- Lectures and briefings on contemporary and historical photographic practices.
- Studio critique incorporating review of work in progress.
- Development of individual student projects.
- Approaches to research.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: LOOKING FACE TO FACE
| Intent: | To approach the practice of portraiture from an ethical and intersubjective perspective which takes into account the performativity of posing and being posed for the camera. | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3 and 5 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): A.1, C.2, I.1 and P.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Portfolio | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 6 weeks | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: STREET AS STUDIO
| Intent: | A critical exploration of the practical and ethical implications of photographing people in public space as well as the restaging of existing street photographs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 2, 3, 4 and 6 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): C.2, I.1, P.1 and R.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Portfolio | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 6 weeks | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
The DAB attendance policy requires students to attend no less than 80% of formal teaching sessions (lectures and tutorials) for each class they are enrolled in to remain eligible for assessment.
The listed assessment tasks should be submitted on the due date/time. The combined project grades should equal a pass grade or above. It is expected that you will spend 12 hours per week on this subject (this includes attendance at scheduled lectures, tutorials and workshops). Assessment is criterion referenced where a student’s level of performance is judged in terms of how well the objectives of the subject have been achieved as evidenced in submitted work. Assessment criteria relate to the learning objectives listed in this document. See briefs for specific details of assessment criteria for each project.
Required texts
Barthes, Roland. Camera Lucida, Reflections on Photography, Vintage, London, 1981.
Bate, David. Photography: The Key Concepts, Bloomsbury Academic London 2009.
Cotton, Charlotte. The Photograph as Contemporary Art, 3rd edition, Thames & Hudson London, 2014.
Ewing, William A., Face: The new Photographic Portrait, Thames and Hudson, London, 2006.
Fogle, Douglas. The Last Picture Show: Artists Using Photography 1960-1982, Walker Art Center, 2003.
French, Blair and Palmer, Daniel. Twelve Australian Photo Artists, Piper Press, 2008.
Fried, Michael. Why Photography Matters as Art as Never Before, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008.
Gronert, Stefan. The Dusseldorf School of Photography, Thames & Hudson, London, 2009.
Wells, Liz. Photography: A Critical Introduction, London, New York: Routledge, 2004.
Documents of Contemporary Art - A series of books published by Whitechapel/MIT.
Recommended texts
Ennis, Helen, Photography and Australia, Reaktion London 2007
Campany, David, Art and Photography, Phaidon London 2003
Durden, Mark, Photography Now, Phaidon London 2014
Flusser, Vilem Towards a Philosophy of Photography, Reaktion London 2000
Palmer, Daniel, Photography and Collaboration, Bloomsbury, 2017
Marocci, Roxana. The Original Copy: Photography of sculpture, 1839 to Today, MOMA, Distributed Art Publishers, c2010.
Other resources
Selected websites/blogs/mags/apps, etc.
http://www.eflux.com
http://www.art21.org
http://channel.louisiana.dk
http://www.americansuburbx.com/
http://time.com/lightbox/
http://www.daylightdigital.com/
http://www.bjp-online.com
http://tryhardmagazine.com/
http://flakphoto.com/
http://unlessyouwill.com/
http://www.purpose.fr/purpose8.html
http://pcuts.net/
http://www.photomonitor.co.uk/
http://www.actualcolorsmayvary.com/
http://www.smbhmag.com/
http://blog.fotomuseum.ch/
http://www.youtube.com/user/DEVELOPPhoto
http://selfpublishbehappy.com/
http://www.ahornmagazine.com/
http://www.prismphotomagazine.com/
http://www.1000wordsmag.com/
http://www.seesawmagazine.com/
http://timemachinemag.com/about/
https://thephotobook.wordpress.com/
http://www.wanderingbears.co.uk/blog/
http://www.lensculture.com/
http://varioussmallfires.co.uk/
http://www.lensculture.com/audio.html
http://www.mediastorm.org/
http://jmcolberg.com/weblog/
http://thephotobook.wordpress.com/
http://www.5b4.blogspot.com/
http://vervephoto.wordpress.com/
Magazines
Australia
Photofile (http://www.acp.org.au/photofile)
UK
Source (http://www.source.ie/feature/tenblogs.html)
Hotshoe (http://www.hotshoeinternational.com/)
Photoworks (http://www.photoworksuk.org/)
British Journal Of Photography (http://www.bjp-online.com/)
Portfolio (http://www.portfoliocatalogue.com)
Foto 8 (http://www.foto8.com/new/)European
European
Foam International Photography Magazine (http://www.foammagazine.nl/)
European Photography (http://www.european-photography.com/)
Camera Austria (http://www.camera-austria.at/)Blind Spot (http://www.blindspot.com/store/page2.html)
USA
Aperture (http://www.aperture.org/magazine)
Blind Spot (www.blindspot.com)
Commercial
http://www.artandcommerce.com (one of the most interesting photo agencies)
http://www.aphotoeditor.com/ (interesting blog relating to mostly professional photo issues, but very newsy and indeed
quite widely relevant)
Instruction
http://www.lynda.com
Academic journals
A History of Photography: from the beginnings to the 1920s (http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/)
History of Photography (http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/03087298.html)
Photography and Culture (http://www.bergpublishers.com/BergJournals/PhotographyandCulture/tabid/3257/Default.aspx)
Photographies (http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/rpho)