ARTS 282 Photography: LA Stories
This studio course will focus on the study of place in photography, with a particular focus on Los Angeles County. As both a global center of the film industry and the city of choice for many artists, LA occupies a unique position in visual culture and the collective imagination. Students will spend the semester working on a photographic project that explores a particular aspect of life in LA–such as a unique community, culture, or subculture, history, climate, geography, or architecture–in depth. Discussion and lecture topics will include photographing communities as both an outsider and an insider, what defines a place, the nuances of photographic genre (journalism, fine art, etc.), and the rich cultural topography of Los Angeles. We will also explore events and policies that have shaped our experience of the region, such as the construction of the freeways, redlining, and restrictive covenants. Special emphasis will be placed on guest lectures from photographers who explore place in their own work and writers who engage with the history of Los Angeles.
Students must enter this course with a foundation in digital photography. They should either have taken ARTS 107 (Digital Photography), or should be able to provide instructor with a narrative about their experience in photography.