Photography 2: Portfolio Development

Howard High School

Mr. Hanson

Course Description:
In this course, students refine and master technical skills as well as experiment with alternative approaches and materials
to compose unique photographs. Additionally, students will develop a photographic portfolio that demonstrates a sense of
quality, shows breadth of formal, technical, and expressive experiences and concentrates on a specific theme or problem.
Through collaboration with peers and instructors students will develop a personal aesthetic viewpoint. In class and inde-
pendent problems further the development of skills and techniques.

Course Objectives:
1. Evaluate and analyze work from Photography I and related experiences.
2. Maintain a photographic sketchbook / visual journal which demonstrates the collective and evolution of personal imagery
authenticated by written documentation with peers and instructors.
3. Identify and describe the criteria used for the selection of photographic images for various portfolio or display purposes.
4. Develop, refine, and validate a theme for a series of photographic and digital images based upon conceptual and or technical
direction.
5. Compile a portfolio, which includes traditional and digital photographic images that employ alternative materials and
techniques.
6. 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.
7. Practice and apply a variety of alternative contemporary, and traditional photographic techniques.
8. Employ visual and written ideas from a personal photographic journal.
9. Analyze and apply various thematic approaches used by master photographers to produce a meaningful series of photographic images in
a variety of genre intended for specific and or general audiences.
10. Produce meaningful photographic images that tell a story, document an event, market an idea, or promote a cause to specific and general
audiences.

11. Select and display a body of photographic images accompanied by a statement of purpose for an audience that encompasses the develop-
ment of ideas and skills.

Required Materials:
1 inch 3 ring binder. The binder will be used for storing negatives, taking notes and sketching out ideas to solve creative problems
throughout the school year.

Suggested Materials:
35 mm Single Lens Reflex (SLR) Camera with MANUAL focus and exposure settings. Having a camera is
not required for this course, however it is extremely helpful to the student. Ask parents, aunts, uncles, family, neighbors, etc. to
borrow one for the class. If you are looking to purchase one, I recommend shopping on ebay for a pentax k1000.
Studio Guidelines:
All students are expected to observe and adhere to all policies defined in the Student Agenda Book regarding lateness and con-
duct. Lateness will not be tolerated. As a studio class, attendance and promptness are critical to the success of the student in
Photo I. Students are expected to maintain the studio and darkroom. The developing, enlarging and printing of black and white
images takes place in the classroom and in the darkroom, where chemicals are used and stored. It is very important that students
are serious and thoughtful about their behavior and actions. Dangerous or inappropriate behaviors will result in the loss of dark-
room time. Students are responsible to be where they are assigned during the class period. Students are expected to participate in
class discussions, critiques and activities.

Sequence Contact Person Consequence

Teacher Warning
1st offense Teacher
and Parental Contact
Detention and
2nd offense Teacher
Parental Contact
Grade Level Assigned Consequence
3rd offense Administrator and Parental Contact
Grade Level Assigned Consequence
4th offense PBIS Leader and Parental Contact
Grade Level Assigned Consequence
5th offense Administrator and Parental Contact

Photography / Darkroom Equipment Guidelines:

Because photography requires the use of many expensive, complex equipment and tools, you must treat all tools (cameras, enlarg-
ers, filters, darkroom equipment, chemistry, 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 grade for that assignment.

Photography Problem Structure:

We will assess each photo problem while it’s in progress and/or when it is complete by way of many different methods. These
methods may include: written reflections, individual critiques, peer critiques, or (most often) group critiques. Intelligent, thought-
ful, and open-minded participation in the assessment process is mandatory, and will affect your marking period grade, (see below).

Step 1: Introduction of a New Shooting Assignment. To begin, the instructor will present works by exemplar photogra-
phers and previous students that model strong solutions to the problem. Often students will critically analyze the works, and en-
gage in discussions about them together in class. Then a portion of class time will be used to generate ideas for their own solutions
to the new problem in their sketchbooks. All artist exemplars, handouts, and other information regarding lessons are available on
the Photo 2 classroom blog:
www.howardphoto2.blogspot.com
Step 2: Thumbnail Sketches and Written Proposals. Occasionally, students will be asked to “previsualize” solutions to a
problem by creating sketches along with any written reflection/ideas in their sketchbook.
Step 3: Contact Sheets & In-Progress Critiques. After students process their film and make a contact exposure of these
images, the student will have an independent in-progress critique/reflection to help the student decide which negatives to print.
Occasionally these in-progress critiques will count for a grade.

Step 4: Final Class Critique. The final assessment of a student’s artwork will take place during a final class critique. The final
critique is designed to allow students to personally reflect on the success of their own work, as well as their peers.
During the final critique, students will:
1) Evaluate and score their final works using the assigned criteria.
2) Participate in the final critique by responding to a written reflection and sharing their thoughts.
3) Students will receive a separate grade for their participation in the critique. Students who are illegally absent the day of the
critique will receive a zero for this participation grade. Students who are legally absent that day will receive an “incomplete,” (will
not go against grade) as final class critiques cannot be rescheduled.

Step 5: Teacher Assessment. Lastly, the instructor will grade the work based upon the assigned criteria. I will collect the work,
along with the critique sheet at the end of the final class critique. The grade sheet I will use will be the same as the one the student
uses during the critique. Every assignment will be graded using the criteria described below.

Grading Criteria:
Objective – Successfully solving the problem in a unique or elegant way. Critical thinking, brainstorming, and
the concepts expressed through the work will be assessed in this category.

Studio Skills – Handling/using the photographic tools and equipment in a way that helps effectively communicate the student’s
solution to the problem. Studio skills may include actual physical processes like “correctly selecting the right aperture and shutter
speed on the camera,” as well as implied skills like “demonstrating correct application of principles of composition.” A student’s
management of studio time and care for all classroom studio materials will also be assessed in this category.

Craftsmanship / Presentation – Neatness and respect for your work should be evident in the appearance of a completed as-
signment. This grade addresses overall presentation and physical care for the artwork and materials in all stages, especially when
matting final photographic prints.

Design – The use of the photographic principles of composition to create an elegant, “visual pathway” in a photograph. Consider-
ation of how the arrangement of the subject matter and the overall composition of the photograph helps to clarify the concept or
idea behind the work. Most times the sketchbook is the tool used to previsualize a strong composition in a photograph.

Grading System
Grading for photography will be based on a point system. Assignments will be given a certain number of points based on a variety
of factors such as time, amount of work and importance. The amount of points each assignment is worth will be at the discretion
of the teacher.

Homework:
In Photo 2, the bulk of our homework will involve completing shooting assignments. Please plan your time accordingly to com-
plete all shooting assignments on time. In addition to shooting assignments, Photo 2 students will be required to research, criti-
cally analyze, and visually/verbally respond to various creative problems that pertain to further understanding the historical events
surrounding photographers and their work. It is in the student’s best interest to use their regular class time wisely to complete
assignments. If in-class time is not used wisely, more out-of-class work may be the result. Parents can check on all due dates
and assignments at any time by looking at the classroom blog! (howardphoto2.blogspot.com)
Due Dates / Late work:
Assignment deadlines are set at the discretion of the instructor when the assignment is given. It is the student’s responsibility to
make up any missed work due to excused absences, and to collect daily objectives, handouts, and notes. Students are also respon-
sible for scheduling appointments with the teacher to discuss make-up work. If the student is absent on the day an assignment is
due, the assignment should be handed in on the following day. Late work from unexcused absences or otherwise will not be given
full credit. For each day late you submit any assignment (homework and class-work), after the deadline, you will be deducted one
letter grade, (or 10%).

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 Howard High School’s Academic Honor Code. Any violation of academic integrity will impact
a student’s eligibility for credit in this course.

Denial of Credit / absences:

According to county-wide 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 proper notes documenting an excused absence will be given
exemption from the daily letter grade penalty. Students are responsible for keeping all proper documentation to defend
their excused absences.
Howard High School Photography Department Syllabus Contract
This syllabus is a contract. By signing below, you and your parents / guardians are acknowledging that you have gone
online and read the entire Photo 1 course syllabus, and will abide by and support all of its stated policies.

Student Signature Parent / Guardian Signature

Student Name (printed) Parent / Guardian Name (printed)

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

Email Address

I would like to provide a reliable phone number that can be consistently used if the instructor needs to contact me
regarding my child.

Phone Number

Best time to be reached

Cameras and photography equipment

I own / can acquire a 35 mm SLR (single lens reflex) camera with manual settings for the use during Photo II.

I plan on using the school provided cameras to complete the course work in Photo II.

I have photography equipment (cameras, darkroom supplies, etc.) I would like to donate to the
Howard Photography Program, please email me directly at Matthew_Hanson@hcpss.org

Parents, you are more then welcome to check out all of the classroom activities, assignments, student exam-
ples and obtain handouts through the Photography 2 website at howardphoto2.blogspot.com

Please feel free to contact me anytime through email at Matthew_Hanson@hcpss.org