History of Photography Podcast

Is anatomy destiny? This class session looks at women’s photography by examining the work of various female photographers as well as by looking at the bigger issue of whether the photographer’s gender changes the images that are made. Slides for this class session Handout for this class session  

Stop-motion photography as practiced by Edweard Muybridge and Etienne-Jules Marey and others is the topic of this class session. These scientific experiments ultimately led to the development of motion pictures by Edison. This “studio” recording of the class session uses a video format so the full-motion of movies played within the presentation can be seen. Note that since this is a studio recording, the podcast audio says that it’s class #8, but in fact it’s class #10 for the spring, 2012 semester. Slides for this class session Handout for this class session Video Resource: James Burke “Connections” program “Countdown” Part 1 of 5 Part 2 of 5 Part 3 of 5 Part 4 of 5 Part 5 of 5

This week, we examine photographers using large cameras and those using small cameras and try to examine the importance of the choice of tools to the photographer. Does the tool drive the idea, or the idea drive the tool? Slides for this class session Handout for this class session  

One of the great characters in the history of the medium, Alfred Stieglitz was also one of the most influential photographers and promoters of photography of the 20th century. In this class, we look at Stieglitz and the group of photographers and other artists he gathered around him. We also try to examine why what Stieglitz did and what he said were often two different things. Slides for this class session Handout for this class session

A slightly shorter class session, as we cover two smaller topics: 1) the ideas surrounding stereoscopic photography, 2) the way 19th century photographers handled photographing standard subjects; once you take away subject, what other choices do photographers have to make? Slides for this class session Handout for this class session The Rephotographic Survey  

The interactive relationship that painting and photography have had for 170 years is the topic of this class session. We attempt to look at how painting influenced photography and vice-versa. We also look briefly at how what photographs "look like" influence our understanding of what they are. Slides from this class session Handout from this class session  

Photography as a form of transportation is the topic for class #5. We look at how the advent of wet-plate collodion technology spurred the advance of travel and landscape photography, with a special emphasis on photography of the American west. There is also a brief exploration of 20th century photographers who went “on the road” as well as a look at the way 21st Century technology like Google Earth, Gigapan and Photosynth are changing the way in which we are able to see the distant parts of the globe for ourselves. Slides from this class session Handout from this class session

The 4th class meeting starts a more conceptual approach to the medium’s history. We look at 19th, 20th and some 21st century portraits and see if we can draw some conclusions about what makes a good portrait photograph. We also see if we can draw some parallels with the words and ideas of the Transcendentalist thinkers and writers Emerson and Thoreau and see if they can help us illuminate what portraiture means. Slides for this class session Handout for this class session

In this second part of a two-part survey, we continue our fast trip through the history of photography, attempting to get a handle on who did what, when they did it and how it happened. We start in around 1880 and finish up in the 1990s. Slides for this class session Handouts for this class session Part 1 & Part 2  

Class session #2 is the first part of a two-part overview of the history of photography; a sort of “condensed” history in order to get a sense of the medium’s “who, what, when and where.” This week, we cover from 1800 B.C. to 1888 A.D. The podcast has moved from being an “enhanced” podcast to an “audio only” podcast. All visuals for each class session are still available online with the link below. Slides for this class session Handout for this class session For more information about the podcast, visit this blog page.  

In this first class meeting for the spring, 2012 semester, we spend the first 60 minutes or so going over class mechanics & course technology enhancements, including explanation of this podcast and other internet resources. The last hour is spent looking at some of the problems that the photo historian faces, including an introduction to the pioneering work of Daguerre and Fox Talbot. The podcast is moving from being an “enhanced” podcast to an “audio only” podcast. All visuals for each class session are still available online at http://photohistory.jeffcurto.com For more information about the podcast, visit this blog page. Slides for this class session – Introduction Handout for this class session (class syllabus)

The 15th and final class session for the fall 2010 term examines documentary and conceptual photography, looking at the motivation and rationale behind them. We also try to tie up the ideas of the course with some concluding remarks. Slides for this class session Handouts for this class session

The middle of the 20th century was a time of tremendous change in all areas of the world and especially in the world of photography. This class session looks at the changes that photography experienced during the atomic age through an examination of the cultural, political and artistic climate of the time. Slides for this class session Handout for this class session

During his 29-year tenure as Director of the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the great curator and photographer John Szarkowski (1925 to 2007) changed the way the world saw photography. This short class session introduces Szarkowski’s work and was followed by a short film about him. Slides for this class session Handout for this class session Library Resource – Video about John Szarkowski

Field Trip! The Photo History class visits the The Mary L. and Leigh B. Block Photography Study Room at the Art Institute of Chicago, giving us the opportunity to see original images from the history of the medium. The Art Institute of Chicago: * The AIC Photography Department * The AIC Photo Study Room