Department of Art & Art History

Photography Minor

Coordinator: Anita Allyn

The Art Department announces a new minor for non Art majors only: Photography. The Photography Minor is available to all TCNJ students who are passionately interested in exploring photography. Students must complete five photography courses that include Photography I, Photography II, Digital Photography and Histories of Photography. Students choose a fifth course based on advisement.

Admission to the minor is through consultation with The Photography Coordinator, Anita Allyn.
Please contact her at allyn@tcnj.edu.

Download a comprehensive undergraduate bulletin.

Photo Minor Recommended Program of Study

Non-Art Majors

Fine Art Majors: AFA 280 / Photography I required for major

Graphic Design Majors

Digital Art Majors: AFA 280 / Photography I and ADA 283/ Digital Photography required for major)


Curriculum

ADA 283 Digital Photography
This course is an in-depth investigation of the tools and techniques of digital photography including the digital camera, scanners, printing, and image-editing software (Adobe Photoshop).  Through the use of the digital camera and digital imaging, students are challenged to create work that strikes a balance in form, content, and technique.  The conceptual and theoretical characteristics of digital photography will be evaluated within a broad cultural context. Experience with digital photography is not required, although traditional darkroom experience is recommended, along with basic computer skills.

AFA 280 Photography I
Photography I introduces students to traditional photographic equipment and practice using light to create art.  With an emphasis on personal vision, this course is designed to develop art-related technological skill, personal aesthetics, an awareness of the history of photography, and critical thinking. At the introductory level, the student will become proficient in using a manual 35mm camera to create photographic prints.

AFA 281 Documentary Photography
This course focuses on understanding and creating documentary photography while exploring its history, traditions and role in contemporary society.  The photograph will be investigated as evidence, especially its application to scientific and anthropological proofs and the documentary image's potential within a broader program of social reform.  Readings and lectures will explore how photojournalists greatly expanded the boundaries of documentary photography through new mass media publications and how documentary photography also made its first significant inroad into the world of fine art. The course will focus on the idea of the documentary as an approach inseparable from the photographer's particular viewpoint and aesthetic concerns.

AFA 305 Art Photography
This course explores advanced photography with traditional and alternative-process techniques.  Students will be challenged to investigate and explore their own creative direction. Students are expected to complete this course with technical proficiency and to have a fuller understanding of photography's critical context in contemporary art.  May be repeated.

AFA 381 Photography II
Photography II introduces students to the operation of 4x5 view cameras while building upon the foundations of photography that students learned in Photography I.  The course provides a hands-on experience and studio practice while emphasizing the study of studio works by photographic masters.  Working in the medium of color photography, students will be challenged to explore their own unique photographic voice through a variety of assignments and group critiques.