The latvian academy of culture

The Name of the Course: The Fundamentals of Photography Art

The Scope of the Course: 64 hours (40 lectures, 8 seminars, 16 compulsory practical tasks). 4 credit points. Type of Assessment – an oral test at the end of Term 1 and an oral theoretical examination at the end of Term 2, positively assessed practical tasks.

I.The Author of the Course: Lecturer Māris Kundziņš

The Content of the Course: The theoretical lectures of the course introduces students to the main principles of a graphic picture and perception of colours, the fundamentals of composition, the specific features of various photography genres, the types of lighting and their technical wear and the like. The students also perform practical work in the open air and the interior doing tasks given by their teacher. The objective of the course is to develop an ability to record the visual image of an object or an event at the right time and place and master the means of artistic expression viewed through the eyes of the photographer.

Preconditions for the Acquisition of the Course: Preliminary knowledge in photography. A personal reflex camera and photo materials.
Thematic Planning:

THEMES	Week	Type of classes and hours
An introduction to modern photography. The synthesis of technological and intellectual processes.	1	L2
A picture as a projection of visually encoded information in 2D plane. Technical preconditions for a qualitative projection.	2	L2
Optics used in photography. Technical data of object lenses and criteria of their evaluation.	3, 4	L2, P2
Optics as a means of artistic expression.	5, 6	L2, S2
Light sensitive materials, their photochemical essence and structure. The classification of materials.	7, 8	L2, P2
Light, its special character and significance in photography.	9	L2
The fundamentals of the work of the exposure meter.	10, 11	L2, P2
The process of negatives-positives.	12	L2
The process of inversion. Slides.	13, 14	L2, S2
Light filters and special effects.	15, 16	L2, P2
Perception principles of graphic pictures and their application in photography.	17	L2
Specific features of black-and-white photography.	18, 19	L2, P2
Perception principles of colours and their application.	20	L2
Specific features of colour photography.	21, 22	L2, P2
Genres of photography. Still-life, portrait, landscape, reporting and others.	23, 24	L2, S2
Special types of taking photos. Macro photography.	25	L2
Taking photos in a studio. The equipment of artificial lighting and its application.	26, 27	L2, P2
Fundamental features of photo-psychology.	28, 29	L2, S2
New technologies and creative consequences in photography.	30, 31	L2, P2
Digital processing of photographs. Photography and printing. Artistic aspects of the organisation of a photography exhibition.	32	L2

Preconditions for the Acquisition of the Credit Points:

19. 
    A positive assessment in the test; to do the practical tasks.
    
20. 
    10 exhibition-quality photographs have to be submitted at the end of the course.
    
21. 
    To pass the oral examination.
    

Literature:

14. 
    Mare, E. Photography. - 6^th edition, London, 1977
    
15. 
    Nibbelink, D. Picturing People.- Amphoto, New York, 1976
    
16. 
    Haist, G. Modern Photography Processing. V 1,2. - A Wiley – Interscience Publication
    
17. 
    Frizboro. On the Nature of Things. The Scientific Photography. - Aperture, 1976
    
18. 
    Gasson, A. Exploring Black and White Photography. - W.M.C.Brown Publishers, Iowa, 1989
    
19. 
    Photography after Photography. Memory and Representation in the Digital Age. - G + B Arts, 1996
    
20. 
    Митчел, Э. Фотография. - Москва, Мир, 1988
    
21. 
    Фотокинотехника. - Энциклопадия, Москва,1981
    
22. 
    Уэйд, Дж. Техника пейзажной фотографии. - Москва, Мир, 1989
    
23. 
    Хокинс, Э., Эйвон, Д. Фотография.Техника и искуство. - Москва, Мир, 1986
    
24. 
    Хеймен, Р. Светофильтры. - Москва, Мир, 1988
    
25. 
    Дьяконов, А.Н. Химия фотографических материалов. - Москва, Искуство, 1989
    
26. 
    Панфилов, Н.Д. Введение в худжественную фотографию. - Москва, Планета, 1977