Photography and the Riddle of Images

This program will introduce students to the basic principles and processes of black and white film photography, as well as the rich and complex relationships between photographic images, representation, and why photography is at once ubiquitous yet inscrutable. Students will learn how to manually operate 35mm film cameras, develop black and white film, make photographic prints in a traditional darkroom, and (in winter quarter) use lighting in a studio setting. Students will also engage in critiques of their work, where they will learn how to evaluate their own process and outcomes, as well as that of their peers.

Students will engage with theories and histories of photographic images as well as their precedents in art history. The program will require students to place their own forms of representation within the context of photography's role in defining the contours of visual modernity. Students will learn of the numerous ways photography has helped to liberate and oppress its subjects throughout its short history. The program will synthesize hands on learning (film cameras and the darkroom) with the process of close looking and learning the language of photographic images. Students will learn how to distinguish and identify qualities of popular and art photography that often go unseen or taken for granted. This will help students to be better at critical engagement with visual media as well as to be better participants in the production of new images. By the end of the program, students will have a strong grasp on the fundamental mechanics and components of photography as well as the language and dynamics of modern images.

This program is coordinated with Greener Foundations for first-year students. Greener Foundations is Evergreen’s in-person 2-quarter introductory student success course sequence, which provides first-year students with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive at Evergreen. Students expected to take Greener Foundations should use CRN 20179 to register for a 2-credit Greener Foundations course in addition to this 14-credit program. 

First-year students who are not expected to take Greener Foundations or have been granted an exemption should use CRN 20178 to register for this program. Find more details about who isn't expected to take Greener Foundations on the Greener Foundations website.

Anticipated Credit Equivalencies (split over fall and winter quarters)

8 - Introduction to Black and White Photography

8 - Introduction to the Theory of Photography

8 - Art History: Romanticism and Early Photography

4 - Artistic Practice and Critique