Winter 2017
White Paper and Light
Our first project of the semester was a study of light and form. Students worked with only white paper and directed light to create simple yet elegant compositions.
Portraits
Students chose one person to represent through a photographic portrait. The photo was to reveal something essential about the model through pose, expression, setting, or other symbolism.
Experimental Techniques
Students were given several options for experimenting in the darkroom. They were encouraged to take risks and "play" with their images. Some of the choices were sandwiched negatives, hand coloring, selective developing, zooming, and photograms.
Digital Series
During our 2nd semester, we transitioned from darkroom to digital. Students learned some basic Photoshop skills and created a series of cohesive images.
Surrealist Photos - Zoo Field Trip
Our class took a field trip to the Detroit Zoo and used our digital cameras to capture images of the animals. When we returned to school, we used our Photoshop skills to create surrealistic photos. The students learned that surrealist artists use juxtaposition and dreamlike situations to create unexpected images.
Social Commentary
Each student chose a current social issue that was relevant to them. They researched their topics by reading articles and exploring how other artists had visually represented the issues. Finally, they created their own photographic responses to the social issues that they chose.