CCNY | Winter/Spring 2012 Classes and Workshops

Instructor: Elisabeth Biondi

Saturdays & Sundays 12 - 5pm | Jan 14/15 & Feb 4/5 (4 sessions)

Cost: $300 ($270 CCNY members) This workshop is limited to a maximum of 10 students. Course Prerequisite: Portfolio Review (contact CCNY for more details)

All stories, written or visual, have a beginning, middle, and an end. At the core of each story is a strong idea. Visual stories can be developed in a number of ways, and they need not be linear. However, they must be cohesive and multi-layered, and a clear idea must guide them.

In order to make a strong statement and to create a project with depth, the photographer must build layers of context. A strong sense of authenticity and commitment to the work must be felt. The class will help students clarify the ideas being addressed in their projects and will emphasize the need for structure to shape a series. The photographer’s motivation and ideas will be deconstructed. Where is the conflict, and how does it affect the narrative, whether implicitly or explicitly? Rigor and fearlessness in establishing a strong point of view will be encouraged; both a sense of intimacy and an intelligent overview must be in balance. In the end, students will learn to set parameters and will come to trust themselves.

The class will also discuss aspects of presentation, working from the principle that less is more. Students will be encouraged to go with their strengths and to include an element of surprise or the unpredictable.

During the first weekend the class will examine the photographer’s existing work; during the second weekend, the assignment executed in the interim.

After fifteen years as the Visuals Editor of The New Yorker, Elisabeth Biondi left the publication in Spring 2011, to work as an independent curator. In 2011, she has curated PHOTOGRAPHY NOW: engaged, personal, and vital and Subjective/Objective for the New York Photo Festival 2011. Her show New Yorker Fiction/Real Photography was recently at Steven Kasher Gallery in Chelsea. She is a Senior Thesis Adviser for SVA Graduate School and is a Contributing Editor for Aperture Magazine.

Ms. Biondi joined the staff of The New Yorker in 1996, shortly after photography was introduced to the magazine and as it began to play a more prominent editorial role. As Visuals Editor she has helped shape the look of the publication by establishing a group of staff photographers, commissioning both ‘Masters’ and emerging talent, and utilizing portrait, fine art, and documentary photography. She built the magazine’s reputation for its use of photography, which is much acclaimed and has received numerous awards, including two National Magazine Awards.

Born and educated in Germany, Ms. Biondi started working with photography when GEO Magazine, often described as a more contemporary and controversial version of National Geographic, made its appearance on the American market. Although the magazine won many awards for its photography and design, it ultimately ceased publication in 1984.

Subsequently, she moved to Vanity Fair, which soon began to grow into the highly successful magazine it is today. As Director of Photography, she focused on lively, witty portraiture – an important contribution to the increased success of the publication. After seven years at Vanity Fair, Ms. Biondi returned to Germany to work for Stern, one of Germany’s largest news weeklies. As head of the Photography Department, she explored the fast-paced world of news and reportage photography, and worked with photographers around the world. After five years, she returned to New York to work as Visuals Editor of The New Yorker.

Super 8 Movie Film Hand-Processing Workshop
Instructor: Kenneth Zoran Curwood

Saturday, February 25, 12pm - 4pm (1 session)

Cost: $150 ($135 CCNY members) Materials Fee: $40.00

This workshop is held in conjunction with the CCNY Conversation Series film screening The Index of Maladjustment, held on January 28 at UnionDocs. The aim of this hands-on workshop is to demonstrate how you can simply and safely process Super 8 film in your own workspace. Students will be encouraged to bring one cartridge of Super 8 Ektachrome film that they have shot. We will go through the steps of de-spooling, loading film, chemical measurements, timing, temperature and processes in order to create a your own hand processed moving image! Although the demo will be for color reversal processing, the class will cover all the basic and alternative types of film processing:

B&W Negative Processing
B&W Reversal Processing
Color Negative Processing
Color Reversal Processing
Color Cross Processing
Negative stock processed as Reversal
Reversal stock processed as Negative
How to process Kodachrome as B&W Reversal

Participants will be provided with a materials list to set up their own labs/darkrooms, as well as the chemical recipes for the above processes. Listings for where to get some of these now hard-to-find chemicals will be provided, as well as many links to other artists exploring this medium and their research efforts and experiments.

Kenneth Zoran Curwood experiments with hand-processing Super 8 and 16mm films; E-6, Color Reversal, and Black & White. His home experiments also include solarization and optical printing, a process involving re-photographing single frames as a way to illuminate his music videos and short films. Curwood is one of the featured artists of CCNY Conversation Series film screening The Index of Maladjustment, held on January 28 at UnionDocs.

Advanced Young Adult Photography Intensive:
Ages 13 – 18
Instructor: Laura Mozes

Wednesdays 4:30 – 7:30pm | Dates: Feb 29 - June 13 (13 sessions)
(no class on March 21, March 28 & April 11)
Cost: $800. This class is limited to 6 students

“Develop” your photography and darkroom skills in this exciting course for young adults. Get an introduction to photography history and expand your knowledge of composition, exposure, depth of field, and shutter speed. Refine your printing skills in the darkroom and learn advanced techniques including split filter printing, alternative processes, and more. Create a personal photo project and benefit from class trips, critiques, and discussions with guest artists. Prior darkroom experience and a camera with manual settings required. This class culminates with an exhbition of student work at CCNY in June.

Laura Mozes is a professional photographer and educator based in New York City, who specializes in weddings, events, and portrait photography. Her photographs have been exhibited at the Williamsburg Art & Historical Society, as well as several NYC galleries and are published in books and magazines including The Ongoing Moment, Here is New York, Metrowest Magazine, Brookline Magazine, Newton Magazine, among others. For more information visit: www.lauramozes.com

Collecting Photography II: Building a Collection
Instructor: Alice Sachs Zimet

March 6 – April 17, 2012 (Tuesday evenings; some Saturday afternoons)

Cost: $600 (includes AIPAD admission) This class is limited to 12 students.

Prerequisite: CCNY’s Beginner Basics or commensurate experience.

This class is geared to those aspiring or seasoned collectors who understand the photography marketplace and want to now build a collection. Assuming the collector understands the due diligence needed (see CCNY’s Collecting Photography 101: Beginner Basics) in order to buy, the following issues come into play: What is the value of having a collection focused on a particular theme or school or period or specific set of criteria? How do you balance individual taste/politics with investment considerations? Whom should one consult for advice, if anyone – a gallerist, art adviser, or trusted friend? For whom is the collection being assembled – the collector or for posterity? How should it be framed, displayed, or stored? What should happen to it after you ’re gone? How does it impact artists, the market, galleries? Do you want to be a leader or follower? There are no right or wrong answers to some of these questions, but the class will engage students in a personal and open way.

Collecting Photography II, taught by a veteran collecting pioneer, is sure to get you well on your way to creating a thoughtful, distinctive photography collection. The Advanced class includes a visit to the annual AIPAD photography fair (Association of Independent Photography Art Dealers), discussions with a private collector, a museum curator, and behind-the-scenes visits to galleries, both uptown and in Chelsea. Assignments will include building your own (hypothetical) collection within a given budget and then presenting it to the class and in front of select dealers for feedback.

Alice Sachs Zimet began to collect photography in 1985, and her collection of roughly 150 images reflects both personal taste and passionate enthusiasm. Alice is a member of the Collections Committee of the Harvard Art Museums, one of two non-photographers who sit on the board of the newly established Magnum Photos Foundation and is a member of the International Center of Photography ’s (ICP) Acquisitions Committee. Alice began her career in the museum world (Metropolitan Museum of Art, ICP) and soon moved to the corporate world where she ran the worldwide Cultural Affairs programs for The Chase Manhattan Bank. Today, Alice is the president of Arts + Business Partners, a boutique that specializes in corporate sponsorship (www.artsandbusinesspartners.com).

The Black and White Darkroom: Basics and Beyond
Instructor: Christina Thurston

Mondays 6:30 - 9:30pm | March 12 - April 30 (8 sessions)

Cost: $480 ($432 CCNY members) Materials Fee: $20 chemistry fee (Student will need to purchase their own paper and film)

In this black and white darkroom course, students will cover the fundamentals of processing and printing black and white images. Emphasis is given to one-on-one hands-on instruction in CCNY’s customized darkrooms. This class is an excellent opportunity for beginning to intermediate level B&W photographers to take their skills and vision to the next level. Topics covered will include film development, proper exposure, printing with fiber-based papers, and master printing techniques. We will also explore print finishing techniques and alternative B&W processes, such as toning, bleaching and Xerox transfers. In addition to technical skills, this course will also stress developing a personal vision, with regular class critiques.

Christina Thurston is a New York City-based artist and BFA graduate of School of Visual Arts. She has made customized black and white exhibition prints for U.S. and European artists. Thurston’s work has been published in Photo District News, and has been featured in various auctions and exhibitions. Her photographs have appeared in an exhibition in Athens, Greece entitled Photography for the Next Generation. Thurston is dedicated to ensuring that traditional printing continues to be a valuable part of the contemporary art world, and feels that time in the darkroom is the best way to invest in one’s work and vision as an artist. Her images could be seen at www.christinathurstonphotography.com

Design Skills For Photographers
Instructor: Jeff Chandler Grant

Tuesdays 6 - 8:30pm | March 20 - April 24 (5 sessions)

Cost: $300 ($270 CCNY members)

This class is a basic introduction to Adobe InDesign and Photoshop for creating and preparing visually engaging documents, such as business cards, promotional mailers, giveaways and invoices. With the instructor’s guidance, students will develop the skills necessary to create page layouts, text boxes and use the required drawing tools to express balance, rhythm, line, shape and focal point to streamline their ideas. Topics to be covered include the fundamental aspects of each program’s creative tools to easily position text and graphics on document pages, typography essentials, and moving projects from design to print. The course will be conducted through short lectures and demonstrations, group discussions, individual discussions, open critique and instruction.

Instructor Biography Coming Soon.
Visit Jeff Chandler Smith’s site here.

Mastering your Digital SLR Camera
Instructor: Saul Robbins

Sundays Noon – 4pm | Dates: April 22 & 29 (2 sessions)

Cost: $200 ($180 CCNY members)

Learn how to use your advanced digital camera to its fullest potential. Topics covered include: manual and automatic settings, aperture and shutter speeds, using digital versus film cameras, shooting and composition, digital file storage procedures and a brief overview of digital post-production options (how to efficiently store, print, and broadcast your images on the web) Neighborhood field trip on first class.

Saul Robbins is interested in the ways people move through, relate to, and occupy their surroundings, and the psychological dynamics of intimacy. He teaches and consults privately with numerous photographers and visual artists about portfolio development and marketing, and has been a member of The Camera Club of New York for over 10 years, serving on the Board of Directors from 2005-2008. His photographs have been exhibited and published internationally, and are in corporate, museum, and private collections. Curatorial projects include Projecting Freedom: Cinematic Interpretations of the Haggadah (2010), Regarding Intimacy (2007), and No Live Girls, Peep Show 28 (2002). He teaches photography at The International Center of Photography and Pratt Institute in New York City. His work may be viewed at www.saulrobbins.com.

Look at this site for constant updates & information on CCNY classes/workshops for late Spring/Summer 2012.
Please call or email if you have any questions.

Winter/Spring 2012 Registration:
by email at info@cameraclubny.org by phone at 212–260–9927

Full payment deposit needed to register for any class, lesson, or workshop. Deposit is fully refundable if cancellation occurs two weeks prior to first class session, 25% cancellation fee applicable if less than two weeks notice is given before the first class session.

CCNY accepts cash, checks, and all major credit cards. Class offerings and details subject to change.