Wednesday evenings, 6-9 pm, February 16 – April 27, no class on April 20 (10 weeks)
TAUGHT ONLINE
Fee: $275
Instructor: David Ulrich

Explore and examine creative expression in photography through effective use of the visual language. Learn to communicate dynamically through images by studying syntax or the pictorial structure and organization of a photograph and semantics or the cultural/social construction of imagery. Both syntax and semantics contribute to visual literacy and the ability to create compelling and meaningful photographic images.

Class participants are free to work with any kind of camera and any type image, either in single images or in creative projects—though a sustained exploration through a personal project is preferred. Through assignments, enjoyable and instructive in-class exercises, readings, and group critiques, participants learn to combine imagination and visual perception with critical thought and careful analysis of visual communication through images.

“Photography is a language. Like any other form of communication, it has its own grammar, syntax, principles, and evolving history. Photography shares much with other forms of expression that revolve around the visual language. When I look at someone’s images for the first time, I can tell immediately if they are conversant and educated in the visual language.…

Your job, should you wish to learn photography well, is to learn to tell the difference between popular tripe and well-conceived, well-executed, in-depth explorations with the medium.”
—David Ulrich, from The Mindful Photographer: Awake in the World with a Camera

Open to photographers of all levels and all types of photographs: fine art, documentary, explorations of identity, editorial images, and historical/cultural explorations.

Class takes place on Zoom software. Please submit 6-8 jpg images, representative of your work, for the first class, and start thinking about a relevant theme or project that suits your interests. Instructor will send Zoom link and instructions for submitting images through Dropbox or Google Drive prior to the first class.

David Ulrich is a core faculty member and creative director for Pacific New Media. He is an active photographer and writer whose work has been published in numerous books and journals. Ulrich`s photographs have been exhibited internationally in over 75 exhibitions. He is the author of The Widening Stream: the Seven Stages of Creativity and Zen Camera: Creative Awakening with a Daily Practice in Photography. His new book, The Mindful Photographer: Awake in the World with a Camera, is currently available online and will be published by Rocky Nook press in April 2022.  www.creativeguide.com