TALKING PICTURES: THE VISUAL LANGUAGE OF PHOTOGRAPHY Photo Book Available
Ages 16-29
Spring 2018, JHU-MICA Film Center
In this photography workshop, student fellows will learn to communicate effectively through images. Language is specific to our species, and while we usually think of verbal or written language, we begin learning visual language long before we utter our first words. Images have their own vocabulary, grammar, and syntax, and provide a universal means of expression, a universal means of interpreting the world. Photography is the perfect medium for developing visual literacy. Fellows will analyze the work of artists Gordon Parks (sample work) and Roy DeCarava (sample work), among others, and will get hands-on experience creating their own images addressing themes of identity, community, race, and physical space. They’ll learn to "read" pictures and to "speak" through them. They'll capture images of themselves, of each other, and of their families and neighborhoods. They'll learn to write captions for their photographs, sharpening their communication skills in written as well as visual language. Captioned photographs will be collected in a photo book, and will appear on the program website and at a public exhibition. Limited to 10 student fellows.
André Chung is an award-winning photojournalist and portrait photographer. He has created images for a wide range of publications, and was one of a select group of photojournalists chosen in 2009 and 2013 to work on Barack Obama: The Official Inaugural Book. His photographs are part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Jessica Pettiford is an undergraduate in the Screenwriting and Animation (SWAN) program at Morgan State University. She hopes to improve her own skills in animation while working with others and helping them learn something new.
Laura Stewart is a fourth-year BFA student at the Maryland Institute College of Art. She has a passion for education and has taught and assisted in a variety of photography courses and workshops. She also works with book making, ceramics, drawing, painting, and video in her practice.
