The making and sharing of still and moving images has fundamentally changed since the advent of the smartphone. And these images help change the world. The 10-minute video of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 24, 2020 was shot by a high school student Darnella Frazier, who said "The world needed to see what I was seeing." Social distancing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic also highlights the impact of this technology. When our physical contact may be limited due to the spread of the virus, our mobile devices not only augment our experience of the world, in many ways they replace it.
This class will explore how mobile imaging technology and connectivity have transformed photography, as well as every other aspect of our lives- emotional, social, political, economic, and health.
Mobile photography is technically simpler than traditional photography, but no less aesthetically and conceptually demanding (and rewarding.) Students will create and share digital content, and consider these changes through readings and written work, viewings and discussions. Topics include: the impact of mobile imaging on domestic and international political movements; citizen journalism; privacy and ethical issues; dating, sex and social structures, the aesthetics of the small screen vs. the gallery wall; and others. Students will use their own smartphones and various social media platforms, and can incorporate GoPros, drones, open access public imaging systems and analog/digital mashups. Individual and team projects will explore differences and similarities with traditional image-making: constructed identity, the currency of "likes", domestic vs. public space, stretching (and breaking?) the truth, walking and seeing (and more).
This is not your grandparents' photo class (although it is open to all generations.)