VISION PROJECT SEMINAR: WITNESS

 

This seminar consists of a power point presentation of photographs taken by Richard Falco with dialog. The material has been drawn from assignments done on four continents in some thirty-five countries. The subjects range from photo essays related to news, social issues, unique cultures and travel. Over three hundred images have been compiled focusing on a variety of different stories: blindness in India; prisons and incarceration; travel pieces in Egypt, Asia & Europe; the World Trade Center disaster; health care; AIDS; indigenous people in New Guinea; war and famine in Africa; Witches & Witchcraft; poverty; rice cultivation; and much more.

The presentation will be followed by a discussion of the images; the process of creating images that affect people; and using the camera as a personal voice. We will also discuss the business of journalism; the digital age and how technology is changing the way we work. If there is time, there will be a review of portfolios brought in by individuals attending the seminar & a small critique of their work.

PHOTOJOURNALISM & DOCUMENTARY FILM

 

WITNESS TO OUR TIMES

How do we create photographs that affect others? As individuals, photography can give us a strong and important voice. It can serve as a means in which we generate awareness and chronicle our history. This course helps the student develop the skills and insights necessary to document those things that are important to them. Focus is placed on making strong visual images and developing a photo essay.

Emphasis will be placed on creating works that have significance. This process will encompass everything from preparation and research to the actual photography and the importance of editing. In addition, discussions will examine the business of photography; the changing digital world; magazine work & publishing; and the sale of stock photographs. Students will also be encouraged to create a portfolio that will help them to work within the field.

 

THE DIGITAL JOURNALIST

Today there is a revolution developing in the way news is beginning to be covered and will be covered in the future.  It is driven predominately by two factors: technology and economics.  One person, the digital journalist, is gradually replacing the traditional team of professionals. Digital cameras and laptop editing, along with the high costs associated with traditional news teams, are making this former model of news coverage obsolete. The digital journalist is emerging as the new model of the future of news coverage.

This program will help the student develop the technical and editorial skills necessary to be prepared to enter the workforce as a digital journalist.  Emphasis will be placed on research, writing, interviewing, reporting, recording video and aiudio, editing and producing.  Hands on workshops will guide the student through five distinct video projects ending with a long form news package that will incorporate all of the skills that will be required of the digital journalist.

 

WORKING IN THE DIGITAL AGE

 

PHOTOGRAPHY IN A DIGITAL WORLD

This new lecture series is given at locations throughout the New York Metropolitan area. The ongoing series presents renowned individuals from the fields of photography, design and new media. The events are open to the general public. Please check the listings of scheduled events and locations on the preceding page under: Ongoing, Current and Future Educational projects.

THE DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHER

Like it or not, the digital world has arrived. This class will look at the changes and work with students to help them develop their own vision as they incorporate the new technology. The emphasis of the class will focus on continuing to develop a way of seeing. The choice of equipment is just the next step in the photographic process. Our darkroom will be in our computers. The students will have weekly assignments and an opportunity to work in class with photoshop. We are simply using it as a digital darkroom. The goal of the class is to introduce the student to this new medium and give them some insights into photography's future.

INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL IMAGING

This workshop is designed to give students a basic understanding of the Adobe Photoshop software and to illustrate the amazing possibilities of adding the computer as another tool to your camera bag. There will be discussions on the basics of digital imaging technologies and a look at historical examples that provide background for understanding this evolving medium. Finally, a concise demonstration will allow each student to discover the abilities of Photoshop by teaching them how to use some of the tools on a sample photograph. By the end of the workshop, students will not only have a basic understanding of how to work with photographs in a digital environment, but they will understand how to incorporate those elements into creating their own visual ideas.

MY COMMUNITY: A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY

Using the camera as a tool, students will create a photographic documentation entitled: MY COMMUNITY. The documentation will examine all of the components that make-up the daily life of their community. The project will enable students to focus on a broad spectrum of activities that bring a community together. It will give them an opportunity to see firsthand the component parts that make up the whole. Understanding how their community functions, will give them a greater sense of themselves and their environment. The goal of the project will be to create comprehensive portrait of the community in which they live.

This program is structured for middle and high school students. The program is designed to work in conjunction with other disciplines (Art & Photography, History, English, Journalism, Social Studies, etc.). The project will work directly with the schools instructors. Using digital cameras, the students will learn digital photography, writing skills, & photoshop.

The goals of this program are to help the student:

  1) develop a broader understanding of their world
  2) learn about their community more directly
  3) learn about their community in relationship to the wider world
  4) learn how can the camera be used as a tool for social research
  5) learn how photography can document our history
  6) learn how a photographer can use a camera to make statements about things that are important to them
  7) learn how a photographer can use a camera as a personal voice
  8) learn how images impact our lives
  9) understand the power of an image as a catalyst for social understanding & change

NEW MEDIA WORKSHOP: CLASSROOMS OF THE FUTURE, K-12

The challenge for educators today is not what to teach, but how to teach it. K-12 students are tuned into instantaneous communications, music, graphics and video. In this hands-on workshop, educators learn how to use New Media tools to present important topics in a challenging multimedia game format. Each year classrooms are being reconfigured with electronic projections or interactive white boards to better utilize New Media content as a teaching tool.

This three hour workshop is for educators. Each participate re-designs a traditional lesson plan into an interactive multimedia game. All disciplines are possible for this digital arts interactive workshop. Educators learn how to customize their own interactive lesson plan or may utilize available resources at the workshop. Teachers are encouraged to bring their own lesson plan.

Summary: A workshop where current New Media tools are demonstrated and educators are able to plug-in their traditional lesson plan into an interactive game format fot Internet and/or classroom purposes.

DESIGN AND PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT   --  Using Adobe's InDesign

Presenting yourself and your work is the most important step once you are ready to go into the workplace. Putting together a portfolio that will sell YOU as uniquely qualified can make or break your getting the job. This workshop will give you the basics needed using InDesign to prepare a concise, organized presentation of your work.

Students will learn:

         • How to collect your work in a digital format in the proper size and quality level.

         • How to lay out your work with copy that best explains your work.

         • How to assemble it into a document, and export as PDF and html.

         • Tips on how to market yourself.

PHOTO-ILLUSTRATION: MOVING FROM A SIMPLE PHOTOGRAPH TO CONCEPTUAL DESIGN

In this two-day workshop, students will learn how to take a simple photograph and transform it into a conceptual photo-illustration. Learn how to go beyond the simple basics off enhancing a digiatal photograph. Take your imagery to the next creative level utilizing advanced skills in Adobe Photoshop. The process will take you through the steps involved in layering multiple images together, both photographed and acquired, utilizing Photoshop as a creative tool. With a step-by-step hands-on presentation, you can observe and experience the production of a multi-layered image that is built and combined all the way from raw digital camera capture to a final conceptional photo-illustration.

DREAMWEAVER: MARKET YOURSELF WITH HTML EMAIL   --  A One-Day Workshop

Marketing yourself in a way that will sell YOU as uniquely qualified, can make or break your getting the job. This workshop will give you the basics needed using Adobe Dreamweaver to prepare a concise, organized presentation of you and your work for immediate viewing via email by potential employers.

Students will learn:

         • How to prepare an html document combining text and images in a simple, single-minded, compelling way.

         • How to prepare images in a digital format in the proper size and quality level.

         • How to lay out your work with copy that best explains your work.

         • Tips on how to market yourself.