Photojournalism Sequence

Overview

How to communicate with photography is the main concern of the photojournalism sequence. Students are introduced to the techniques and styles of photography for newspapers, magazines, public relations, advertising, general business and institutional use, long-term documentary work, and artistic and personal expression.

Facilities

There are two complete darkrooms for student printing and processing of color and black-and-white photography. All enlarging equipment has a full complement of lenses and accessories. Small print-processing rooms are available for special projects.

The graduate student/staff darkroom is for graduate students and faculty only. The fast-news darkroom is available to students with written permission from a photojournalism faculty member. A fully equipped studio is maintained for student use and is available whenever classes are not scheduled for the space. The photojournalism labs are available only to those students enrolled in photojournalism classes.

The digital lab area contains 10 stations with Macintosh G4s for photographic processing and manipulation. All computers are loaded with the latest versions of software Photoshop, QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, PowerPoint, and Macromedia Flash and Fireworks. The lab has a number of output options, such as quality ink-jet printers, photographic quality ink-jet tabloid printer, color laser printer, black-and-white laser printer, dye-sub printers, flatbed image scanner with transparency accessories, and an eight-bit 35mm/120 film recorder. The advanced digital lab contains five high-end workstations, dye-sub printers, film scanners up to 4x5 negative size, and film recorder.

Equipment

As needed for course assignments, 35mm Nikon and Canon cameras with lens accessories are available to photography students. Thirty low-end and 25 professional digital cameras, several larger format cameras, and studio-type lighting kits are also available for checkout.

Application to the area

The upper-division application process occurs in October and March of each academic year. Please see Applying for Upper-Division Standing for the necessary information. The photojournalism sequence admits 40 students a year.

Typing and basic computer skills are required for all photography and design classes.

Students transferring photography and design credits from another college must meet with the photography program director to determine at which level they should enter the program. Please bring samples of your previous work and course descriptions to this meeting. (We generally do not substitute more than two photography or design courses.) Students should be aware that even if the University of Texas has accepted transfer credits, the credits won't necessarily be applicable to our program.

Students entering the program must have the recommended equipment. All photography classes require that students have unlimited access to a 35mm camera with a manual mode, two lenses, a flash, and various accessories. Paper, film and accessories are provided at the expense of each student. A lab fee paid at registration covers lab supplies. All photography and design classes have a lab fee.

Major Photojournalism Courses

J316. Photographic Communication

This introduction to the medium presumes no previous knowledge of photography. A 35mm camera with a manual mode and a flash that can be operated off-camera are required. This is a lecture class about photographic technique, visual design, use of images in media, recent photographic trends, and evaluation of photography. There are frequent guest lectures by working professionals during class. Discussion labs led by a graduate teaching assistant (TA) are required. Students shoot color transparencies, which are critiqued by TAs. Digital photography is introduced in assigned labs. No darkroom work. Students must type all written parts of assignments. Any student in good academic standing is welcome. This first course required in the photography core curriculum is offered in the fall and spring semesters. Three lecture hours and 1 1/2 laboratory hours a week for one semester. Journalism 311K and 316 may not both be counted. Prerequisite: None.

J325. Photography I

This is an intensive class in basic black-and-white photography and darkroom techniques which covers fundamental approaches to producing images for newspapers and magazines. Skills are developed through practical exercises and extensive lab work. Basic digital photography is used for some assignments. An assigned lab is required. Admission to class is based upon portfolio review and acceptance into the photojournalism program. Portfolios are reviewed each long semester before the registration period for the following semester. Three lecture hours and four laboratory hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: J310, J315 and J316 with a grade of at least C in each; a score of at least 45 on the College of Communication Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation Test; a score of at least 29 on the School of Journalism Word Processing Test; and acceptance into the photojournalism area. The design class, J336, should be taken concurrently with this course if possible. J316 and J325 must be taken in sequence and cannot be taken concurrently.

J331K. Projects in Professional Experience (Internship)

Internships to be arranged by student and approved by instructor. Offered on the pass/fail basis only. May be taken only once. Journalism 321K and 331K may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Journalism 310, 315 and 320D with a grade of at least C in each; a score of at least 45 on the College of Communication Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation Test; and a score of at least 29 on the School of Journalism Word Processing Test; and consent of instructor. Each student must also have earned a grade of at least C in the following course or courses appropriate to his or her area of concentration: broadcast news: Journalism 322D; print journalism: Journalism 320D; photojournalism: Journalism 325; or students with approval to complete a multimedia internship: Journalism 320D.

J336. Visual Design

This course covers the history, design and production of media materials. Topics include design principles, visual perception, typography, manipulating images and photographs, printing processes and color reproduction, and page design. Labs led by TAs are required. Three lecture hours and two laboratory hours a week for one semester. Journalism 324K and 336 may not both be counted. Prerequisite: J310 and J315 with a grade of at least C in each; a score of at least 45 on the College of Communication Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation Test and a score of at least 29 on the School of Journalism Word Processing Test. Ideally, this course should be taken concurrently with J325.

J355. Photography II

This course in advanced techniques for newspaper and magazine photography concentrates on photojournalism principles, deadline shooting in color for general news, spot news, sports and features. Color printing and electronic image reproduction will be covered. Students will be introduced to advanced flash techniques and shooting with digital cameras. They will study principles of photo editing for newspaper and magazine publication, focusing on selecting images for content, aesthetic value and technical quality. There are weekly assignments and extensive critiques of student work. Three lecture hours and four laboratory hours a week for one semester. Journalism 325k and 355 may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Journalism 325 with a grade of at least C; credit or registration for Journalism 336; a score of at least 45 on the College of Communication Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation Test; a score of at least 29 on the School of Journalism Word Processing Test; and acceptance into the photojournalism area. Equipment requirements for the program also must be met.

J362E. History of Photography

This course traces developments in photojournalism; and commercial, documentary, amateur and art photography. Discussions on historical processes, the evolution of stylistic trends, and the photographic careers of major practitioners are included. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: upper-division standing and a major in journalism, or consent of the instructor. J362E also contains a substantial writing component. This course is strongly recommended.

J370K. Advanced Photojournalism

This class explores intensive photographic reportage and documentation using the camera as a tool of investigation and interaction. Emphasis is on the creation of photo stories, photo essays and feature stories, along with editing and page layout, as they apply to newspaper and magazine design. A finished portfolio is required for the completion of the class. Usually taught in the fall semester, it is occasionally offered in the spring and summer. This class may be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Three lecture hours and four hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Journalism 355 with a grade of at least C and acceptance into the photojournalism area.

J371K. Photographic Illustration

This class focuses on the principles of studio lighting, the theory and practice of contemporary color, location lighting, and the production of portfolio-quality work. Demonstrations and classwork apply to advertising, photographic illustration and photojournalism. J371K is usually taught in the spring but is occasionally offered in the summer and fall. It may be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Three lecture hours and four laboratory hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Journalism 355 with a grade of at least C and acceptance into the photojournalism area.

J379P. Photojournalism Research Projects

This gives students the opportunity to pursue an in-depth independent project, producing a documentary with text and images. Practical procedures — work schedule, proposal writing, research strategies, shooting, photo editing, and final format — will be determined in biweekly meetings with the instructor. At completion, the documentary project will be presented orally to a lower-division photography class. Prerequisite: Consent of the director of the school.

Contact information

School of Journalism, CMA A6.144, 512-471-1845.