Syllabus Photojournalism JOUR 3660.02 Winter 2020 PDF

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syllabus for jour 3660 (2020)...

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JOUR 3660.02 Photojournalism Term: January 6, 2020 – April 6, 2020 Location: Archibald Room Classes: Tuesday 6:35 p.m. - 8:25 p.m.

Instructor: Jeff Harper Email: [email protected]  Office Hours: By appointment

Course Description This course will teach you all the skills you would need to be a photojournalist working in the field. It will provide students with the basic skills to create photographs and to tell stories visually through your photographs.

Learning Objectives Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: ● tell a story through photographs ● fully operate a digital SLR camera, and know how to recreate these concepts on a mobile phone ● understand basic legal requirements and protocols when working as a photojournalist ● know the basic ethical standards for a working photojournalist ● know the fundamental requirements of being a photojournalist at an online/newspaper and how to photograph all types of standard assignments – including news, features and sports

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understand core composition techniques and how to apply them when shooting and editing understand lenses, how to use them, and what they change in your frame understand lighting and how to adjust it in your photography, for both technical and artistic reasons fundamental artistic principles of photography basics of editing a photograph for publication using Photoshop properly captioning a photograph for publication

Texts/Learning Materials There are no textbooks for this class. All information will be provided in class and via Brightspace. Students are required to have access to a DSLR camera (or similar camera with control over shutter and aperture) for the entire class. Please bring your camera to each class as we will be doing in-class exercises whenever possible. There will be an in-class exercise early in the term that you will need to complete with your camera. Your camera make and model will be recorded and you will be expected to complete all assignments in the term with the same camera. If you are using a different camera than that for an assignment, you must let me know in advance or the assignment will not be accepted and marked zero.

Ground Rules/Protocol No cell phones or text messaging during class. Photojournalism is about people. It is rare to find great editorial photography that doesn't include a person somehow. You will need to use a human subject in all of your assignments. Photo assignments must be shot after they are assigned in class. You may not submit previous work or other people’s photos.

Assessment Students will be assigned seven single photo assignments to photograph, edit and present one image. The first two assignments are worth 5% each, while the remaining five are worth 10% each. These assignments are worth 60% of the total mark. A written essay on a photojournalist will be worth 10% of the total mark. A photo essay of a minimum six photographs will be created and will count for 20% of your total mark. It will explore a subject in some depth to define a visual thesis. Finally, participation in class exercises and discussion is worth 10% of your total mark.

3 Photojournalism is about people. It is rare to find great editorial photography that doesn't include a person somehow. You will need to use a human subject in all of your assignments. All assignments must be completed after they are assigned in class. You may not submit your own previous work or other people’s photos. Work is due before noon on the specified due dates. 1. Character Portrait (5%) Choose someone you know and make a character portrait with them. A character portrait gives a little more depth to the viewer than a plain snapshot. If they enjoy model building, incorporate those elements in the photo somehow. If soccer is their thing, get them out on the pitch in soccer gear. A successful character portrait will involve some planning to create an effective photo shoot. Due date: February 4, 2020 2. The Senses (5%) Shoot one of the five senses other than sight. If you choose sound, your photo must illustrate sound immediately to the viewer. Photojournalists are often tasked to illustrate something abstract for a story and must come up with a creative eye-catching photo. Due date: February 11, 2020 3. Silhouette (10%) A silhouette can make for a photograph with lots of impact, and often is effective in either colour or black and white. You can make a silhouette at any time of the day, if you use your light wisely. Due date: February 25, 2020 4. The Weather (10%) If there is one thing that Maritimers love it’s talking about or watching the weather. Any time the weather changes it seems the news editor wants a picture of it. You’ll have to make a creative picture that captures the weather in a photograph. Due date: March 3, 2020 5. News/Event (10%) Find a news event this week and cover it as if you were a newspaper photographer. Submit the one frame that really captures the story of the event for readers who weren’t there. Due date: March 10, 2020 6. Environmental Portrait (10%) One of the most common photo assignments for a newspaper, magazine or wire photographer is the environmental portrait. This is similar to the character portrait, but with this shot you should actually get the person in their place of business. Aim for a relaxed, nicely lit, portrait of the person engaged in their craft. Due date: March 17, 2020

4 7. Street Photography (10%) Capturing beauty in everyday life in your frame is one of the hardest skills to learn as a photojournalist. For this assignment, students must master the use of timing and framing to create a compelling image of ordinary subjects in public places. Examples and techniques for this assignment will be discussed in class. Due date: March 24, 2020 8. Written Essay (10%) A written biography of a photojournalist, as well as an in-depth analysis of their photography style. We will go over this assignment in detail in class. Due date: March 31, 2020 9. Photo Essay (20%) Tell a story through a sequence of pictures. Demonstrate your mastery of both the technical and artistic sides of photography. All photos must be edited after shooting to industry standards using Photoshop. We will go over this assignment in detail in class. Due date: March 31, 2020

How to Submit Assignments All assignments will be submitted through individual submission dropboxes via Brightspace. Please submit the original camera .jpg file, complete with your camera’s EXIF information (date, time, etc). Please do not submit screenshots of your assignments (usually .png) or downloads of your file from Facebook. Append your caption in the comments section when uploading to Brightspace. If you do not submit an original camera file, you will be asked to provide one, or be marked zero. We'll cover photo editing programs in a later class, so please don’t edit your photos in any way before we go over this. The written essay must be submitted online to Urkund (a tool for plagiarism control) through the Brightspace course website.

Deadlines & Late Penalties All assignments are due at deadline. Weekly assignments are due at noon on the day of class they are due. A mark of zero will be assigned for any work not handed in on time; no work will be accepted late. Exceptions will be made for illness. Please contact me before the assignment is due in the event you are sick and unable to meet any class deadlines.

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News photography is a time-sensitive business and part of your training will be to deliver photos on time.

Absences A student who is absent for up to three consecutive calendar days and misses a test or graded assignment must contact the course instructor in advance of the date of the academic requirement. They must then complete and submit a Student Declaration of Absence Form (Journalism) to the instructor in person, via email or through Brightspace no later than three calendar days after the last day of the absence. For courses weighted three or six credit hours, a Student Declaration of Absence can be submitted for two separate absences, up to three days each, per course per term. For a 9-credit hour workshop, a Student Declaration of Absence can be submitted for a single such absence. For long-term absences of more than three consecutive days, a student should follow the same procedure and contact their course instructor within five calendar days after the last day of the absence. Documentation from an on-campus or other health care professional is required to support a long-term absence and should describe how the medical condition affects the student’s ability to fulfill academic requirements. A student experiencing a long-term absence, or more than two short-term absences, is encouraged to meet with the Journalism School’s Undergraduate or Graduate Coordinator, or the School Director.

6 Grade Scale Grade

Grade Point Value

A+ A A-

4.30 4.00 3.70

B+ B B-

Definition

Explanation

90-100 85-89 80-84

Excellent

Considerable evidence of original thinking; demonstrated outstanding capacity to analyze and synthesize; outstanding grasp of subject matter; evidence of extensive knowledge base.

3.30 3.00 2.70

77-79 73-76 70-72

Good

Evidence of grasp of subject matter, some evidence of critical capacity and analytical ability; reasonable understanding of relevant issues; evidence of familiarity with the literature

C+ C C-

2.30 2.00 1.70

65-69 60-64 55-59

Satisfactory

Evidence of some understanding of the subject matter; ability to develop solutions to simple problems; benefiting from his/her university experience

D

1.00

50-54

Marginal Pass

Evidence of minimally acceptable familiarity with subject matter; some critical and analytical skills.

F

0.00

0-49

Inadequate

Insufficient evidence of understanding of the subject matter; weakness in critical and analytical skills; limited or irrelevant use of the literature

INC

0.00

Incomplete

W

Neutral and no credit obtained

Withdrew after deadline

ILL

Neutral and no credit obtained

Compassionate reasons, illness

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Rubric For all photography assignments: Excellent (A- to A+)

Passable to Good (B- to B+)

Below standards (C+ and below)

Technical (30%)

Mastery of the technical aspects of photography. Photos are sharp, well exposed, and have a strong centre of interest.

Application of technical concepts learned in class, with flaws.

No effort or attention to technical concepts learned in class.

Artistic (30%)

Mastery of the artistic side of photography. Demonstrates mastery of composition at an industry level.

Application of composition, lighting or other artistic concepts presented in class.

Little or no effort to apply composition, lighting or other artistic concepts presented in class.

Originality/Effort (30%)

Highly original take on the assignment presented. Thinks outside the box.

Effort taken to explore or present a new idea for the assignment.

Assignment completed, but little or no effort to present an original or new idea.

Caption (10%)

Accurate captions for your assignment following the Canadian Press style guide presented in class.

Caption with correct information but not presented in the CP style.

Inaccurate or incomplete caption.

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Course Schedule Class 1: January 7, 2020

Introductions and Expectations We will start the year by meeting each other. Students will share what attracted them to this class, and what they hope to learn. We will be learning about photojournalism together, rather than in a traditional lecture model. We will be critiquing each other’s work, and sharing resources. Participation is key.

Class 2: January 14, 2020

Get Out and Shoot The first step in being a photographer is to learn how to be more intentional with our photography. We will go from taking photos to making photos through a series of in-class exercises. We will also start to override automatic functions in our cameras.

Class 3: January 21, 2020

Basics History of Photojournalism How does photography differ from photojournalism? How can a single photo shape the opinions of a culture? How have the tools changed? How has the rise of the digital age affected the business of delivering and consuming news photography? Building Blocks of Photography – Part I Even though modern cameras are easier to operate and we no longer have to develop film, it is important to explore the technical aspects of photography. We will cover all the basics of picture taking, including ISO, aperture, shutter speeds, digital vs. optical, zoom, etc. Students will be expected to be able to operate their cameras by the end of this class.

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Class 4: January 28, 2020

Advanced Photography Building Blocks of Photography – Part II How do you freeze action for sports photography? How do you blur out the background for a portrait? We will examine standard news photos and how to reproduce those effects with your camera. Introduction of Photography Assignments The photo assignments (seven in total) make up a good chunk of your mark. Care must be taken to put extra work into these assignments, as they will be critiqued in class. We will go over what I am looking for when grading these photos.

Class 5: February 4, 2020

Composition Basic composition rules will be explored. How can you frame your photos better? How can the use of colour affect your viewer? We will also explore visual language; this will help in our critique sessions. Assignment One Due: Character Portrait

Class 6: February 11, 2020

It’s All About Light Light is key for any photograph. In fact, you can't have a picture without it! Learn how to analyze light and use it to your advantage in photography. We will be demonstrating this live and will take pictures around the King’s campus if time (and light) allows. Assignment Two Due: The Senses

Class 7: February 25, 2020

Lenses and Perspective The choice of lens you use can change both the perspective and the feel of your photo. When used properly, a lens can transform a

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normal situation into a “wow” photo. Used improperly, your composition just won’t work. We will also look at how to emulate lens choices with a point and shoot camera. Introduction of Photo and Written Essays Assignment Three Due: Silhouette Class 8: March 3, 2020

Movie Night We will watch and critically discuss a documentary that deals directly with photojournalism and the obstacles photographers overcome to produce award-winning images. Assignment Four Due: The Weather

Class 9: March 10, 2020

Telling a Story With Photos How do you tell a story in pictures? We will spend some time looking at how to shoot multiple pictures to tell a story. Assignment Five Due: News/Event

Class 10: March 17, 2020

Photo Ethics and Legal Issues When can you legally take someone’s photo? Do you need to ask for permission from the subject? How much can you alter a photograph for news purposes? We will explore some of the legal, ethical and moral conundrums that confront a photojournalist on a daily basis. We will also talk about model releases and when you need them. Assignment Six Due: Environmental Portrait

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Class 11: March 24, 2020

Photo Editing Photoshop (and similar lower-priced or free programs like it) are used on a daily basis to edit photos and to get them ready to transmit on the newswire. We will explore the basics of digital imaging: file types, sizes and basic tools like cropping and contrast. Assignment Seven Due: Street Photography

Class 12: March 31, 2020

Photo Essays Due and Wrap-Up Bring in your rough photo essays and we will learn the process of photo editing, ie. selecting the best images and laying them out to tell a story. Photo Essays & Written Essays Due

Learning & Support Resources ●

General Academic Support – Advising ○ Halifax: h  ttps://www.dal.ca/campus_life/academic-support/advising.html ○ Truro:https://www.dal.ca/about-dal/agricultural-campus/student-successcentre/ac ademic-support.html

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Fair Dealing Guidelines https://libraries.dal.ca/services/copyright-office/guidelines/fair-dealingguidelines.html

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Ethical Conduct All students are expected to familiarize themselves with the School’s Handbook of Professional Practice and abide by its ethical standards.

Safety To do journalism well, you must sometimes be uncomfortable. You should never be unsafe. All students are expected to read the School’s safety guidelines . If you run into trouble or if you feel a situation might put your or others’ personal safety at risk, bail out and call your instructor right away.

Inclusive Behaviour King’s prides itself on inclusiveness and respect for others. Our classrooms and newsrooms are public spaces in which racist, sexist, homophobic or intolerant comments or humour will not be tolerated. Do not screen such videos, images or web pages on school equipment or in school facilities. Offensive behaviour is not just disrespectful to your colleagues and to your profession; it may constitute harassment under the King’s Code of Conduct. For more information, go to the King’s website and find the Yellow Book.

Contacting the Police Students must talk to their instructor before they contact Halifax Regional Police or RCMP. On approval of their request, they must send the police an email from their official school account that is cc’d to their instructor.

Academic Integrity Plagiarism is stealing someone else’s work and presenting it as your own. It is a form of academic fraud. The most common cases of plagiarism involve students who cut and paste material from the Internet or copy something without giving the original author credit. In journalism, giving credit is called attribution. Do not cut and paste. Do attribute your sources. Violations of academic integrity are handled by the university's Academic Integrity Officer and are taken seriously. The punishment for plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity can range from receiving a zero on the assignment, to failing the course, to being suspended or expelled from the university. If you have any doubt about proper citation for an academic paper or proper attribution in a piece of journalism, contact your instructor. For more information, consult the calendar of the University of King’s College. Self-plagiarism is the act handing in your own work from outside the timeframe of this course, and will also be referred to the university's Academic Integrity Officer.

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Accessibility Students may request accommodation as a result of barriers related to disability, religious obligation, or any characteristic under the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act. Students who require academic accommodation for either classroom participation or the writing of tests and exams should make their request to the Advising and Access Services Centre (AASC) prior to or at the outset of the academic year. Please visit www.dal.ca/access for more information and to obtain the Request for Accommodation – Form A. A note taker may be required as part of a student’s accommodation. There is an honorarium of $75/course/term (with some exceptions). If you are intereste...