photography

Introduction to Digital Photography 

Instructor: Kristen Perkins
10 Sessions / Tuesdays, June 5-August 7
Time: 6:30-9:30 pm
Location: Studio 20A
Number: PH1001
Tuition: $400
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Introduction to Digital Photography aims to synthesize technical achievement with intention and concept through teaching the basics of digital photography and photo-based digital printing. Topics covered include camera operations and digital workflow, from downloading photographs to color management, printing, and archiving. Students will be introduced to editing software including Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, Photoshop, and Lightroom. Tnteractive critiques, group discussion, and exposure to relevant artists will supplement technical components. The aim is to move toward creating a body of work that represents each student’s goals while using the digital tools available, and building a community that students can refer back to after the class has ended. Students must have a digital camera with manual controls to change shutter speed and aperture. No prerequisite.

Kristen Perkins received an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, and BA degrees in Journalism and Photography from The Pennsylvania State University. Her photography fluctuates between her background in photojournalism and documentary photography, and more loosely metaphoric photographs that are not definitively narrative or dominantly descriptive in structure. Recent exhibitions include venues such as the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery, Axis Gallery in Sacramento, Cell Space Gallery in San Francisco, and The Joyce Gordon Gallery and Hive Mind Gallery in Oakland.

Turn on the Lights! An Introduction to Studio Portrait Lighting 

Instructor: Joshua Band
6 Sessions / Wednesdays, July 11-August 15
Time: 6:30-9:30 pm
Location: Studio 8
Number: PH-1008
Tuition: $250
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Turn on the Lights! will explore portrait lighting within a studio setting, including pre- and post-production techniques. Discussion of theory related to imaging the human subject, and of the work of relevant portrait photographers, will supplement technical instruction. Applied topics include the set-up and breaking down of lighting equipment; integration of a computer-tethered camera; the uses and effects of various lighting modifiers (such as grids, umbrellas, and soft boxes); using backgrounds; and working with human subjects. We will discuss how to evoke various moods through lighting techniques and will contemplate different modes of interpretation of the final product. This course will also encourage group dialogue on the politics of representation and identity. Students must have a camera with manual controls to change shutter speed and aperture. Students should have a basic understanding of their preferred camera’s operations.

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Joshua Band is a Bay Area artist who recently completed his MFA in Photography at SFAI. Formally trained as a software engineer with a BS in Computer Science, he began dabbling in the creative and collaborative arts while contracted to work on advanced research and development in robotics, human-computer interfaces, and image-based technologies for NASA and National Science Foundation grant projects. Soon after, he took on commercial photography assignments for clients such as In Style, Guess, Alarm, Spin, and The New York Times. His photographic interests cover a diverse range including surrealist, constructed landscapes, contemporary still life, and narrative fashion portraits that rely on complex studio setups.

Advanced Photography and Critique Seminar 

Instructor: Elizabeth Bernstein
10 Sessions / Saturdays, June 9-August 11
Time: 10 am-1 pm
Location: Studio 16A and 20A (class will meet in 16A on first night)
Number: PH1003
Tuition: $400
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Students enrolled in Advanced Photography and Critique Seminar will work toward building a cohesive body of work with a strong vision and point of view. Through discussions and lectures, students will critically examine images that are brought to class as well as contemporary trends in photography and the history of the medium. This discussion-based seminar will include field trips to museums, galleries, and artist studios. There will be some time for in-class printing, but primarily you will print outside of class. This is a class for photographers who are comfortable with their camera and are interested in building a portfolio.

Elizabeth Bernstein is an artist, educator, and gallery director who lives in Oakland, CA. She grew up in New York City and attended the University of Michigan as an undergraduate, and went on to receive her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2007. In addition to teaching at the San Francisco Art Institute and Kala Art Institute, she is the Co-Director of Royal NoneSuch Gallery, an artist-run alternative project space that was established in 2009 and awarded the 2010 Alternative Exposure Grant from Southern Exposure. Bernstein’s photography examines the visual language of our daily lives, and how it communicates our complex emotional and psychological landscape. She has shown her work on the East Coast and in the Bay Area. Select exhibitions include Swarm Gallery in Oakland, Martina Johnston Gallery in Berkley, Five Points Arthouse in San Francisco, and Attleboro Arts Museum in Attleboro, MA.  www.elizabethbernsteinartist.com