Photo 3 Syllubus 2009-10

Photography III AP: Portfolio Development Reservoir High School

Evan La Londe, Instructor Course Description: In this course a student will develop a thematic body of work that can be used for Advanced Placement Portfolio, college admissions, scholarships, and student exhibitions. As students move from the second to the third level in the photo studio, the content sharpens its focus upon independent problem-solving, self-assessment and peer-evaluation. Students will continue working in a sketchbook/journal to refine personal imagery based on the study of master artists. This course is taken as a continuation of the thematic body of work begun in Photo 2: Portfolio Development. Students are expected to create work that is more technically refined and more intellectually challenging than the work they made in Photo 2. To this end, students will frequently be required to make work of a larger scale, of greater technical challenge, personal process, or of more considered personal or conceptual exploration. Photo 3 students are expected to work more independently and to develop a personal artistic direction or theme. Students in Photo 3 are urged to take the Studio Art AP Exam in 2D Design and meet the National Advanced Placement Board requirements, which may require additional work beyond the requirements of this course. Additionally, students taking the AP Exam will be required to make slide reproductions of their work. All Photography 3 students will write an artist statement and will demonstrate exceptional commitment to creating art for this course.

Fundamental Experiences The primary objective of this course is to build a portfolio of student work that can be used for college admission and for advanced placement credit. All students will develop their abilities to: •Evaluate and analyze work from Photography II and related experiences •Practice the appropriate and safe use of photographic equipment, chemistry, and materials Experiment with alternative approaches and materials of traditional and digital photography to compose unique photographs. • Produce meaningful photographic images that tell a story, document an event, propose an idea, or promote a cause to specific and general audiences. •Employ visual and written ideas from a sketchbook. •Engage in a dialogue with instructor and peers to develop an independent plan which demonstrates personal intent and serves as a role model to first level students. • Maintain and develop an online photographic portfolio that demonstrates a sense of quality, shows breadth of formal, technical, and expressive experiences. •Complete and exhibit a body of work that demonstrates a theme that is supported by a written statement of purpose. •Compose/Develop an artist statement in defense of your personal aesthetic viewpoint.

Independent Study Proposals and Course Expectations: Photo 3 students who wish to pursue an independent body of work will have the opportunity to do so. You are eligible to apply for independent study, if you: 1. Have demonstrated that you have the self motivation and self-discipline to work independently in Photo 2 2. Have a B-average or better in class. 3. Submit a written proposal. Your proposal must clearly state the theme and media that you intend to explore. This statement may be revised, as recommended by the instructor, before the approval is granted. 4. At the instructor’s discretion, you may be asked to arrange a conference with the instructor and your parent(s). During this conference we will, as a group, review the goals and expectations for your independent study. If the instructor and student do not feel a parent conference is necessary, the student will bring home a copy of their independent proposal to be signed by the parent, and then re-submitted to the instructor.

If and when your application for independent study is approved, your contract will bind you to all of the following: 1. 2. 3.

You will work at least an average of three hours per week outside of the scheduled class time – at home, in the studio/darkroom, or elsewhere as necessary. Predominantly this work should be shooting self-initiated shooting assignments, researching, brainstorming, and sketching. You will use all scheduled studio class time to create work that is thematically related to your independent study. You might create a separate body of class work that parallels issues you are working on at home, or you might bring your outside work to class to further develop. For this critique you are to bring all works-in-progress or newly completed – from both inside and outside class. This is an excellent way to receive meaningful feedback that will help you (and maybe, at times, inspire you!) as you progress in your study. Individual critique: Student scheduled critiques with instructor in which students bring all works, contact sheets, sketchbook ideas, etc. as well as plan and prepare with questions and ideas. Students must meet with me for individual critiques about once every two weeks. Group critique: Teacher scheduled critiques with part or all of class. You must participate in a minimum of two class critiques per quarter.

Grading Procedures Students who work independently are proposing their own problems to solve throughout the year. The assessment of these problems is largely based upon critiques with the teacher, and peer critiques with other students as stated above, as well as accomplishing each objective stated in the students independent proposal.

Grading Sequence: 1) Research and Idea Brainstorming: Students will identify inspirational photographers and artists, research their work, generate examples and ideas in sketchbook, and propose a problem. Sketchbook research will be collected periodically throughout the quarter for a grade. 2) Creating a Proposal: Students will write a proposal that outlines questions, ideas, and identifies the number of works to be created for the marking period. The proposal must be signed and agreed upon by the student, teacher, and parent. The proposal is a working document, to be changed and improved as necessary at the discretion of the student and the teacher. 3) Shooting, Processing, and Editing: Students will create several solutions to the problem through various shooting techniques. They will create contact sheets and select and edit these images to identify best solutions. All contact sheets and negatives must be shown and brought to critiques. 4) Individual Critiques: As students are editing, selecting, printing, and creating works, they should meet with me to have individual critiques. It is up to the student to schedule these critiques with the teacher. 5) Studio Work and Homework: Students will spend studio time and time outside of class developing new works for the final critique. 6) Final Critiques: Prior to the end of each quarter, independent students will be asked to bring in all works created at home and in class for a final quarter critique. The student and instructor will discuss the objectives the student initially proposed in his/her proposal, and the success of accomplishing these goals through the works. At this point the student will be given opportunities to ask about his/her grade for the quarter by completing a quarterly self-evaluation for the quarter. The work will then be submitted along with the corresponding proposal for the instructor to evaluate as a final quarter grade.

Quarterly Grade Breakdown 20% = Sketchbook/Research: your use of the sketchbook as a journaling/research tool. 60% = Final Works/Time Management: Both inside and outside of class work should be evident. Final portfolio works should be of utmost quality and meet objectives stated in the student’s independent proposal. 20% = Critiques: Includes 2 independent critiques and 2 group critiques. Students who neglect to bring in work for any of the critiques, or who are illegally absent the day of the critiques will be penalized. It is expected that students working at the Photo 3 level will be highly motivated to create artworks of the utmost quality and personal investigation, and will manage both in-class and homework studio time independently, as structured by the student’s proposal!

Your independent contract must be renewed for each marking period in order to maintain independent status. The renewal is dependent upon your successful completion of one semester’s independent work. Phone, email, or in-person conferences with your parents will take place at intervals throughout the marking period. The instructor reserves the right to terminate an independent study contract if, at the end of any marking period, you are not abiding by the stipulations of the contract. At the close of the year, you will be expected to create an independent exhibition of at least 8 works you created during your independent study for Reservoir High School’s Annual Senior Show. Ordinarily, a presentation to the rest of the Photo 2 and 3 class and submission of your final artist statement will comprise your Final Exam grade. Students taking the AP Exam must also submit a copy of all AP slides used in the exam to the instructor as part of his/her final exam grade.

Advanced Placement Juniors and seniors who are interested in advanced placement credit will need to send a portfolio of their work to the College Board early in May. Photography students may apply for only the Studio Art 2-D Design portfolio, as this is the only portfolio that allows photographic work. You are required to submit 24 digital images and five original pieces (no larger than 18 x 24-inches). If you plan to attend college and to study art, advanced placement credit enables you to place out of introductory courses, and to go directly into upper level studio courses. If you are seriously planning on studying photography in college. All students registered for Photo 3 AP are expected to take the AP Studio Art Exam in May. Students who do not take the examwill not receive AP credit for this class on their transcript.

Materials All basic photo materials for this class will be provided by the instructor. However, photographic materials that are lost or misused must be replaced at cost by the student. Provided materials will be individually based upon the needs/interests of the student. Traditionally, the following materials have been required for this class for the organization of negatives, prints, and notes. If students are unable purchase these materials on their own, they may need to make or borrow used ones in class: _____ 9”x 12” spiral or hardbound sketchbook/notebook (students may use an older sketchbook from a previous class) Please, no tape-bound tablets, they will fall apart in a matter of weeks! _____ 3-ring notebook binder with sections (protects and stores all negatives and prints which are easily damaged) _____ Thumb-drive or disk on key (for saving Photoshop assignments in-progress, not needed until 2nd semester) _____ Photo portfolio (Protects work, makes it easy to transport to visit colleges and events)

Cameras A student is not required to purchase a camera for this class. The photo department at Reservoir is fortunate to have 24 cameras that can be signed out for a period of up to 10 days. However, when learning how to use a camera, it is very beneficial to learn by consistently using the same camera. I highly recommend that all students make an attempt to find a 35 mm Single Lens Reflex (SLR) or rangefinder camera with a MANUAL exposure camera on their own by asking friends, relatives, or family members. Often used cameras can be found online (eBay, KEH, etc.) at a fraction of the cost of being new. Please visit the art department website for more information on how to find/purchase a camera.

Studio Guidelines: All students are expected to observe and adhere to all policies defined in the Student Handbook regarding lateness and conduct. Lateness will not be tolerated. As a studio class, attendance and promptness are critical to the success of the student in Photography II. Students will abide by all darkroom and safety procedures. Students are expected to maintain the studio and darkroom. Students are responsible to be where they are assigned during the class period. Students are expected to participate in class discussions and activities. If a student is late, the following procedures will follow: 1st Late: Verbal warning 2nd Late: Lunch detention 3rd Late: After-school or Morning Detention/Conference with student 4th Late: Disciplinary referral/parent phone call

Photographic Equipment Expectations: Because photography requires the use of many expensive, complex equipment and tools, you must treat all tools (cameras, enlargers, filters, darkroom equipment, chemistry, laptop computers, dry-mount press, etc.) with utmost care and respect. Equipment that can be signed out for out-of-school use is used at your discretion. The cost of lost, damaged, or broken cameras, tripods, etc. will be the responsibility of the student who signed out the equipment. Failure to comply with proper use and responsibility of any or all photographic tools and equipment will result in a phone call home and may result in loss of privileges in signing out or using the equipment. • Photo equipment can be signed out for 5 days, (if one student signs out), or 10 days (if two students team-up). For each day past the date the equipment must be returned, the student will be penalized 5 points of his/her studio skills total for that current unit grade.

Academic Integrity Each student is responsible for upholding and maintaining academic integrity. If there is a question in reference to a student’s academic integrity, they will be referred to their administrator by way of a disciplinary referral, given due process, and receive the appropriate consequence based on Reservoir High School’s Academic Honor Code. Any violation of academic integrity will impact a student’s eligibility for credit in this course.

Excused/Unexcused Absences & Denial of Credit According to Howard County policy, students are not to miss more than 5% of any credited class for the entire school year. Missing studio art classes can place a student in a difficult position for making-up work. All students are responsible for making up missed assignments on their own accord. Only students who provide blue notes documenting an excused absence will be given exemption from the daily letter grade penalty. Students are responsible for keeping all necessary blue notes to defend their excused absences.

RHS Photography Department Syllabus Contract The syllabus is a contract. By signing below, you and your parents/guardians are acknowledging that you have read the entire Photo3 course syllabus, and agree to all of its stated policies. _____________________________________ Student signature

______________________________________ Parent / Guardian Signature

_____________________________________________ Student Name (Printed)

______________________________________________ Parent / Guardian Name (Printed)

_____________________________________________ Today’s date

______________________________________________ Today’s Date

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I would like to provide an email address that can be consistently used if the instructor needs to contact me regarding my child. My email address is: _______________________________________

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I would like to provide a reliable phone number for which the instructor can use to contact me regarding my child. My home phone number is: __________________________________ My work phone number is: __________________________________

-PUBLICATION NOTICEWe, the art department are currently in the process of building a school-based visual arts website and documenting student work for art educational research articles. For this purpose, I, the teacher will photograph some of your artwork, students working in class, and use select quotes from students’ reflective statements about their artwork that may be used on this website and publications. As most of you are under 18 years of age, please ask your parents / guardian to sign below giving permission for documentation of classroom experiences to be used/reproduced in the school based websites and art education publication. (I can publish and post only student work for which parental permission has been granted.) Permission is not required, and this website and research project will in no way affect the assessment and/or grading of student work throughout the year. I grant permission for the Reservoir Fine Art Department faculty (Evan La Londe, Greg English, and Jennifer Moon) to photograph my child, their artwork, and reflective statements for publication on school-based websites and art education journals.

_____________________________________ Parent / Guardian Signature _____________________________________________ Parent Name (Printed)

Parents, you can check all classroom activities, assignments, examples, and obtain handouts via the Photo 1 classroom blog at www.reservoirphotothree.blogspot.com Please feel free to contact me anytime through email at: [email protected]