Photography III Honors/AP: Portfolio Development

Reservoir High School Art Department

Jennifer Moon, Instructor

Course Description:
In this course a student will develop a thematic body of work that can be used for Advanced Placement Portfolio, college admissions, scholarships, and student exhibitions. As students move from the second to the third level in the photo studio, the content sharpens its focus upon independent problem solving, self-assessment and peer-evaluation. Students will continue working in a sketchbook/journal to refine personal imagery based on the study of master artists. This course is taken as a continuation of the thematic body of work begun in Photo 2: Portfolio Development. Students are expected to create work that is more technically refined and more intellectually challenging than the work they made in Photo 2. To this end, students will frequently be required to make work of a larger scale, of greater technical challenge, personal process, or of more considered personal or conceptual exploration. Photo 3 students are expected to work more independently and to develop a personal artistic direction or theme.

Single Credit
For the first credit of Photo 3, students will complete 3 major assignments per quarter. These works are independent study and proposed by the student prior to the start. The works may be geared towards fulfilling the AP exam requirements, college portfolio requirements, special exhibitions or scholarship opportunities. Students may also choose to be influenced by photo 2 assignments and alternative processes. A major assignment consists of sketchbook work/research, a photo shoot (film or digital) with a contact sheet, final work, critique and self-assessment. Students are also required to complete smaller class assignments and participate in Photo 2 critiques. In Photo 3, the bulk of our homework will involve completing shooting assignments. Please plan your time accordingly to complete all shooting assignments on time, especially those students who are borrowing cameras and equipment from the photo department, as other photo students may need to use it as well. If inclass time is not used wisely, more out-of-class work may be the result. Parents and students can check on all due dates and assignments at any time by logging onto the classroom website.

Double Credit
The second credit of Photo 3 is designed for students who are serious about photography to give them more studio time to build their portfolio. The second credit will be used for additional darkroom and lab time to complete additional independent assignments. Double credit students are responsible for all of the work from the first credit and an additional 3 independent assignments per quarter. The independent pieces may be used towards a college portfolio, working towards the AP exam or skill building and experimentation.

Fundamental Experiences
The primary objective of this course is to build a portfolio of student work that can be used for college admission and for advanced placement credit. All students will develop their abilities to: Experiment with alternative approaches and materials of traditional and digital photography to compose unique photographs. Practice the appropriate and safe use of photographic equipment, chemistry, and materials Produce meaningful photographic images that tell a story, document an event, propose an idea, or promote a cause to specific and general audiences. Employ visual and written ideas from a sketchbook.

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. Maintain and develop an online photographic portfolio that demonstrates a sense of quality, shows breadth of formal, technical, and expressive experiences. Complete and exhibit a body of work that demonstrates a theme supported by a written statement of purpose.

Assessment and Grading Procedures:

Grading and assessment will take various forms in Photo 2. Since this class has a higher expectation of personal development, students are asked to take more responsibility in participating in critiques of all kinds and actively engaging in the evaluation of their own work. All students will be graded on all parts of your process, with the greatest number of points allotted to how well your final product meets the criteria of the assignment. You will be graded only on your own performance and progress on your individual effort, growth, and improvement-NOT on how your finished work compares to the rest of the class. At the completion of each problem you will assess your own progress through written reflection before submitting the work for a grade. Students will be assessed by participating in small group and class critiques, as well as by completing a self-assessment based upon the criteria clearly stated when the assignment is given out. This criteria is based upon several main categories:

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 students 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 students 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 assignment. 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. Consideration 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 pre-visualize a strong composition in a photograph. This system will allow the teacher and the student to evaluate specific strengths and identify areas that need improvement. Grades will be based upon percentages: A=90-100% B=80-89% C=70-79% D=60-69% Grades are not weighted. Final shooting assignments will be worth the most points. Other assignments will include online portfolio organization, written work and sketchbook work.

Deadlines and Missed Work:

Assignment deadlines are set at the discretion of the instructor when the assignment is given. It is the students responsibility to make up any missed work due to excused absences, and to collect daily objectives, handouts, and notes. Students are also responsible 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. *Unexcused late work will lose 10% off the grade for each day late. After 5 days, late work is no longer accepted.

Cameras
A student is not required to purchase a camera for this class. The photo department at Reservoir is fortunate to have 24 cameras that can be signed out for a period of up to 3 days. However, when learning how to use a camera, it is very beneficial to learn by consistently using the same camera. I highly recommend that all students make an attempt to find a 35 mm Single Lens Reflex (SLR) or rangefinder camera with MANUAL exposure on their own by asking friends, relatives, or family members. Often used cameras can be found online (eBay, KEH, etc.) at a fraction of the cost of being new. Please visit the art department website for more information on how to find/purchase a camera.

Materials
All basic photo materials for this class will be provided by the instructor. However, photographic materials that are lost or misused must be replaced at cost by the student. Provided materials will include: 8x10 photo paper, ortho-litho film, and 35mm B&W film. Traditionally, the following materials have been required for this class for the organization of negatives, prints, and notes. If students are unable purchase these materials on their own, they may need to make or borrow used ones in class: _____ 9x 12 spiral or hardbound sketchbook/notebook (students may use an older sketchbook from a previous class) Please, no tape-bound tablets, they will fall apart in a matter of weeks! _____ 3-ring notebook binder with sections (protects and stores all negatives and prints which are easily damaged) _____ Flash drive or disk on key (for saving and transporting digital assignments and photos) _____ (Optional) Photo portfolio (Protects work, makes it easy to transport to visit colleges and events)

Photographic Equipment Expectations:

Because photography requires the use of many expensive, complex equipment and tools, you must treat all tools (cameras, enlargers, 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 3 days. If equipment is returned late, a 5 point deduction will be taken from the assignment grade. Repeated lateness may result in loss of privileges in signing out or using the equipment

Expectations, Attendance & Lateness:

Code of ConductIn class, students will be expected to follow the Gator Code of Conduct (RESPECT the SOUL) and the school rules as outlined in the student planner at all times. Failure to do so will result in an intervention, SIR, or referral depending on the frequency or severity of the offense. Sequence for minor incidents: 1st Offense: SIR and contact with home 2nd Offense: SIR, contact with home, and teacher consequence 3rd Offense: Contact home and discipline referral Late PolicyIf a student is late to class, he/she will receive a warning the first time, an SIR the second and third time, and a referral on the next offense. Sequence for late to class 1st Offense: Teacher warning 2nd Offense: SIR and contact with home 3rd Offense: SIR, contact with home, and teacher consequence 4th Offense: Contact home and discipline referral

Academic Integrity
Each student is responsible for upholding and maintaining academic integrity. If there is a question in reference to a students 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 Reservoir High Schools Academic Honor Code. Any violation of academic integrity will impact a students eligibility for credit in this course.

Letters of Recommendation
If you have consistently earned As and Bs in my classes, I am most happy to write you a letter of recommendation, provided you have followed the protocol outlined by the student services office. I receive a lot of requests and take a lot of time to write quality letters. Make sure you ask me for a recommendation well in advance, (at least four weeks), ahead of your application deadlines!

Contact Info:
The easiest and best way to communicate with me is through email. Please dont hesitate to contact me with concerns or questions. My classroom website is also a good resource for staying informed and contacting me. Email: Jennifer_moon@hcpss.org Web Site: www.moonsart.weebly.com RHS phone#: 410.888.8850

Reservoir High School Visual Arts Department Mrs. Moons Photo III AP Syllabus Contract
The syllabus is a contract. It can be found on my classroom website at: www.moonsart.weebly.com and clicking on your class under the student section. By signing below, you and your parents/guardians are acknowledging that you have read the entire course syllabus, and will abide by and support all of its stated policies. _____________________________
student name (please print)

x_____________________________
student signature

I have reviewed the expectations for this course with the student in my care. _____________________________
parent name (please print)

x_____________________________
parent signature

_____________________________ ____________________________________
phone number (home) email address (please print clearly, this is my best way of contacting you)

_____________________________
phone number (work or cell)

-PUBLICATION & INTERNET USE NOTICESome of the work we will be undertaking this year will be used for building a school-based visual arts website and documented in an art educational research. For this purpose, I, the teacher will photograph some of your artwork, students working in class, and take some quotes from reflective statements and written assignments. Students will also use their documented work for a digital portfolio online. The online portfolio will be monitored by the teacher and is expected to be for appropriate school use only.

Please ask your parent / guardian to sign below giving permission for your artwork to be reproduced for/in the school based website, in art education research, and used in a personal online portfolio. (I can publish and post only student work for which parental permission has been granted.) The website and research project will in no way affect the assessment and grading of student work throughout the year.

x_____________________________