INTRO TO COMPUTATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY / CPI

Scripps College MS159 (3 Credits)
Fall 2023

Course Staff

Instructor: Douglas Goodwin
Email: dgoodwin@scrippscollege.edu

Course Overview

This course explores the evolution of photographic technology from prehistoric times to 1976. Students will learn about and build various photographic devices, replicate historical photographic chemistry, and create images using techniques that range from archaeological optics to early digital sensor cameras. Activities include constructing camera obscuras, pinhole cameras, lensed cameras, and electronic light sensors to create projections, photograms, cyanotypes, and electronic images. Emphasis will be placed on creating durable images and exploring the legibility and meaning of photography.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate understanding of photographic technology's historical evolution
  • Build and utilize basic photographic devices
  • Reproduce historical photographic processes and chemistry
  • Create images using various historical techniques
  • Analyze photographic images for meaning and legibility
  • Evaluate material qualities and archival durability
  • Assess cultural impact of photographic innovations
  • Apply computational techniques in photographic analysis

Course Structure

Meeting Times

  • Tuesdays: Lecture and discussion
  • Thursdays: Lab sessions

Assignment Types

  • Readings: Due Tuesdays with paragraph summary and discussion questions
  • Lab Reports: Due Friday of the following week
  • Final Documentation: Due December 8, 2023

Course Schedule

Light and Shadow

  • Week 0 (Aug 30): Introduction

  • Week 1 (Sep 01)

    • Reading: Tim Ingold, "What in the world is light?"
    • Activity: Observe sun circles. Consider their shape, legibility, the shape of the apertures. Can you find circles with hard edges? Can you change the shape of the circle?

  • Week 2 (Sep 06+08)

    • Reading: Walter Benjamin, "A Short History of Photography"
    • Activity: Visiting Artist Adele Horne will talk about her film "The Image World"

  • Week 3 (Sep 13+15)

    • Reading: Watson & Scott, "Materializing Light, Making Worlds"; Gatton, "The Eleusinian Projector"
    • Activity: GROUP PROJECT: Make a simulation of a prehistoric tomb projector. Project a landscape and a silhouette. Sketch each on paper indicating the top of the image

  • Week 4 (Sep 20+22)

    • Reading: Sontag, "In Plato's Cave"
    • Activity: SOLO PROJECT: Use your experience with tomb projections to build a usable tool to calculate ideal aperture and focal length for portraits and landscapes

Camera and Lens

  • Week 5 (Sep 27+29)

    • Reading: Hockney & Falco, "Hockney-Falco thesis"
    • Activity: PAIR PROJECTS: Make a camera obscura

  • Week 6 (Oct 04+06)

    • Reading: Solnit, "River of Shadows Ch08: Stopping Time"
    • Activity: PAIR PROJECTS: Add a lens to your camera obscura

  • Week 7 (Oct 11+13)

    • Reading: WJT Mitchell, "What is an Image?"
    • Activity: PAIR PROJECTS: Try to reproduce the image

Capture and Fix

  • Week 8 (Oct 20)

    • Reading: Sontag, "The Image World"; Atkins, "Photographs of British Algae"
    • Activity: PAIR PROJECT: Make a contact print in cyanotype of plants found outside the classroom

  • Week 9 (Oct 25+27)

    • Reading: Bazin, "The Ontology of the Photographic Image"
    • Activity: PAIR PROJECT: Bracket 8 distinct levels of dynamic range for cyanotypes

  • Week 10 (Nov 01+03)

    • Reading: Shore, "The Nature of Photographs"
    • Activity: Make a posterized image with 8 different levels, then print (on acetate) or cut out 8 "friskets" to mask each level

  • Week 11 (Nov 08+10)

    • Reading: Palmer, "THE RHETORIC OF THE JPEG"
    • Activity: PAIR PROJECT: Photogrammetry lab. Measure the running speed of Stanford's horse Sallie Gardner using Muybridge's photo

  • Week 12 (Nov 15+17)

    • Reading: Abbott, "Photography at the Crossroads"; Steyerl, "In Defense of the Poor Image"
    • Activity: PAIR PROJECT: Put a new back on your camera obscura that separates the image into 8x8 "pixels"

Translate and Encode

  • Week 13 (Nov 22)

    • Reading: Solomon-Godeau, "Inside/Out"
    • Activity: PAIR PROJECT: Put a new back on your camera obscura that separates the image into 8x8 "pixels"

  • Week 14 (Nov 29+Dec 01)

    • Reading: Steyerl, "Proxy Politics: Signal and Noise"
    • Activity: PAIR PROJECT: Create a digital image by measuring light levels from each of the 64 pixels

  • Week 15 (Dec 05)

    • Final projects and presentations

Course Materials

Required Resources

  • PDF readings (provided via course links)
  • Lecture materials (LECT_01 and subsequent)
  • Discord participation (Join link provided in course)

Assessment

Components

  1. Lab and Project Documentation

    • Detailed documentation of processes
    • Reflection on outcomes
    • Analysis of results

  2. Course Participation

    • Discussion engagement
    • Lab activity participation
    • Peer collaboration

Rubric for Creative Projects

Based on Kristin Hughes' "Learning and Grading Rubric"

Percentage Calculation: Total points × 5 = Final percentage
(Example: 15 points = 75%)

Policies

Attendance

  • More than six unexcused absences will result in course failure
  • Regular attendance required for both lectures and labs

Changes to the Syllabus

This syllabus is subject to change. Students are responsible for staying informed about updates, which will be communicated via Discord. All assignments should be prepared for the scheduled class day unless noted otherwise.

Zoom Notice

Class meetings held on Zoom may be recorded for educational purposes. These recordings are protected and used solely to support course facilitation. Students and participants are prohibited from making their own recordings. Students needing special accommodations for recordings should coordinate with the instructor.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is crucial to our educational mission. Academic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, multiple submissions, or facilitating misconduct, undermines trust and learning. Plagiarism, the presentation of another author's words or ideas as your own, is a serious offense. Consult your instructor with any questions about documentation or quotations before submission.

Accessibility and Accommodations

Our goal is to make learning accessible for all students. If you face any issues with course materials or requirements, please contact me to discuss potential solutions. Students with disabilities are encouraged to consult the Office of Accessible Education for guidance and official accommodations. If you have approved accommodations, let's meet to devise an implementation plan. We are committed to meeting accessibility standards and welcome your feedback on improving access to course materials.

Inclusive Environment

We are dedicated to an equitable and inclusive learning environment, free from discrimination and harassment such as sexual violence, dating violence, and stalking, which violate college policies and legal standards. This policy applies to all individuals associated with the college. Violations can result in disciplinary actions, including expulsion or termination. A climate of mutual respect and open dialogue is essential, and speech is protected if it doesn't constitute harassment or discrimination.

Diversity

Our diverse community is a strength that fuels innovation and enriches education. We commit to reflecting this diversity within our student body and workforce, ensuring access for talented individuals from all backgrounds. By fostering an environment where ideas are shared respectfully, we enhance innovation and leadership development. We focus on removing barriers for underrepresented groups in all institutional activities.