Photography & Film

Fall 2024

(Satisfies Fine Arts Graduation Requirements)

Photography I: Digital photography but no standard snapshots here! We will discuss the "art" of seeing the world through the lens of a camera experimenting with the four major genres, portraiture, still-life, nature, and architecture.

Photography II: This is a photography lab for the student who has successfully completed Photography I and is interested in beginning to refine and enhance their personal style of photography in order to create a stellar portfolio. This course will focus on various lighting techniques that are so critical to this art form. PREREQUISITE: Photography I.

Photography Challenges: A fast-paced course for advanced photography students which will consist of a weekly challenge where students will need to create interesting compositions while adhering to the requirements of the challenge.

Digital Portfolio and Photo Editing: This course will focus on the post production aspect of the art of photography. The course will include editing techniques utilizing Photoshop as well as a number of free Apps.  In addition, students will design a digital portfolio of their work.

Constructed Photography: This is a photography course where photography students will reference their knowledge of photographic and digital art techniques as well as referencing the photographic styles of some of the most famous photographers throughout the history of fine art photography. Throughout the semester, students will create constructed/multiple layered photographic images.

RSA’s Next Top Model: This is an advanced photography course which focuses on the art of fashion photography and is designed to challenge students who have a strong desire to improve upon their photography skills. It is a collaborative course where photographers and models must prep for each shoot outside of class time. Students will alternate roles between photographer and model throughout the course of the semester. PREREQUISITES: Instructor permission required. Must have already taken Photography 1, Photography 2, and at least two other photography courses.

On-Location Photography: This course is for photography students who aspire to fine tune their portfolios to create works at various locations throughout the community. The course will be fast paced and rigorous. Students will be allowed the creative freedom to work on shoots that will fill any voids they may currently have in their portfolios. PREREQUISITES: Instructor permission required. Must have already taken Photography 1, Photography 2, and at least two other photography courses.

The Dream Machine: The magic of movies has been America's gift to world culture for more than a century. This class celebrates that gift by exploring the wild genius of filmmakers like Tim Burton and Julie Taymor, while simultaneously examining the role music plays in questioning mindless conformity, creating new perceptions of the world and resisting authoritarian and fascist regimes. We will together explore what is possible when great art is married to passionate idealism.

The Wizard(ry) of Baz: Baz Luhrmann is perhaps the foremost auteur in the world of film today, and this seminar will examine the evolution of his imaginative vision and directorial style over the last quarter century. Some would describe his work as "lavish" and others as "lurid", but few would question his singular creative genius.  By definition "seminar" implies active and collaborative learning, and the absolute imperative for this class is that you view these films in a serious and critical manner, but also to be an enthusiastic participant in class discussions.

Directing - Films with Actors: Students will learn the skill necessary to cast and direct actors when it comes to making a film, as well as provide critical feedback to an actor when performing in their film. Students will work in small groups to create a short film using the actors from Mr. Parker’s Acting for the Camera class.

Special Effects - An Introduction to Adobe After Effects: Students will learn the tools and techniques necessary to use Adobe’s After Effects, a popular tool in the film industry for making special effects and animated content. Keying green screen, rotoscoping, basic object and text animation, and basic 3D animation are some of the important tasks which students will learn and use in a variety of in class projects.