VART 261 – Introduction to Photography: Portfolio of Florence
Discipline(s): Fine Arts
Credits: 3
Available: fall semester 2025, spring semester 2026, summer session one 2025, summer session two 2025
Instructor: Gloria Marco Munuera, Ph.D.
Taught in: English
Course Fee: $ 150.00 + $ 40 at your own expense for portfolio printing
Course Description
This course will offer students a foundation in one of the most diffused media of the contemporary world: photography.
Students will be immersed in the world of imagery by walking tours in the Florentine landscape including urban sites and historical monuments. Florence is an ideal city for photographic imagery. Apart from hosting some of the most precious artworks, it is blessed with a variety of buildings and the unforgettable Tuscan landscape. Relying on these unique features, students will focus on beginning digital photographic techniques including professional portfolio presentation and creative thinking.
Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
An objective of the course is to gain knowledge of the basics about shooting color and black and white images with DSLR (digital single lens reflex) cameras. Students will leave the course knowing how to use their cameras, correct an image through Adobe Photoshop software, and have produced a professional portfolio that reveals their personal view of Florence.
They will improve their capability to creatively interpret and criticize photographic images while developing the ability to think critically about pictures they see. Using the Florentine environment, students will experience a new culture through the medium of photography and its digital processes. By the end of the course, they will have developed an understanding of their own photographic language, and have acquired a more critical eye.
Required Materials
Students must be equipped with:
− Digital camera (although it is recommended to have a DSLR camera students could use any digital camera preferably with “Manual” controls to adjust Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO, and White Balance settings). Cameras could be compact, mirrorless, or DSLR. A minimum 8 Megapixels of resolution is suggested.
− In alternative to a digital camera students may use a smartphone like iPhone 6 and above or any smartphone with a minimum of 8 Megapixels of resolution. (Examples of Android smartphones with good cameras are the OnePlus 8 Pro or Samsung Galaxy).
− Memory card -SD or micro SD- for your device (at least 8 G card is suggested).
− Card reader compatible with your computer.
− Battery charger and at least 1 battery for your camera.
− A laptop computer with access to a photo edition software like Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom or Photopea (free).
− USB of good capacity (at least 8 G is suggested).
- No traditional film-based cameras may be used.
Course descriptions may be subject to occasional minor modifications at the discretion of the instructor.