Film Photography

The Department of Film Photography offers courses designed to immerse students in the world of darkroom photography. Courses offer various skill levels and are held in state of the art darkroom facilities.

3 semester credits. This course involves theoretical and practical aspects related to film photography. In addition to lectures, coursework will take place both outdoors in the city of Florence and in the darkroom. Students will learn how to use the camera correctly, how to expose film, and the basic principles of black and white photography and composition. In addition, students will be given a broad overview of the history of photography. Students will work on two projects and a final portfolio. This class includes experiential learning with CEMI.

3 semester credits. This course is both a technical and a creative course intended for intermediate / advanced film photography students. Using medium format and large format cameras, students will choose a format size to complete a singular photography project. Students will learn advanced and unique black and white processing/printing by studying development time matrixes, studio lighting, and large format printing. Visual assignments and readings will be used to accompany the specific learning techniques. This class includes experiential learning with CEMI. Prerequisites: At least one film photography course and an understanding of film processing/printing, camera reciprocity, and darkroom chemistry.

3 semester credits. Film photography provides spatial and temporal context while digital photography shortens the process of contextualization thanks to technology. This does not mean that one medium is better or worse than the other, and the aim of this introductory course seeks to provide a strong film foundation in order to enhance the approach to digital photography. Students will explore the concept of photographic context by being exposed to both film and digital processes. Film is tangible, it requires a tactile relationship with negatives, paper, and chemistry. The use of physical properties of film will transition to digital darkroom techniques and vice versa. Topics include historic milestones in the history of photography, compositional aesthetics, camera mechanics, control of light sources and metering, film and digital exposure, and darkroom and digital processing. Students will come away from the course having gained an understanding of the similarities, rather than differences, and the underlying relationships between the two mediums. NOTE: This course is for beginners. The first half of the course will be devoted to understanding camera functions and basic printing. During this period assignments will emphasize basic camera functions in manual mode.