Syllabus#

Instructor: Adam Simms

Teaching Assistant: Michelle Caron-Pawlowsky

Concordia University is located on unceded Indigenous lands. The Kanien’kehá:ka Nation is recognized as the custodians of the lands and waters on which we gather today. Tiohtià:ke/Montréal is historically known as a gathering place for many First Nations. Today, it is home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other peoples. We respect the continued connections with the past, present and future in our ongoing relationships with Indigenous and other peoples within the Montreal community.

This territorial acknowledgement and resources were created by Concordia University’s Indigenous Directions Leadership Group (2017).

For more information, refer to native land and whose land.

Course Description#

This advanced studio course builds upon and expands students’ technical and conceptual knowledge of digital tools and workflows in photography. The course emphasizes the development of a personalized artistic vision while critically engaging with the ways technology shapes image creation and circulation in contemporary digital culture.

Through a combination of technical workshops, class discussions, and creative assignments, students will refine their practical skills and explore the conceptual implications of established and emerging technologies. The course focuses on resolving students’ technical challenges within their current artistic production, encouraging them to analyze their images and identify effective solutions.

Alongside practical problem-solving, students will engage with issues of contemporary photography through lectures and group discussions. These critical frameworks will allow students to better understand and question the evolving role of photography in digital culture.

Students will produce a series of smaller projects that reflect advanced technical knowledge and a strong conceptual foundation. Assignments are designed to encourage experimentation and the exploration of digital photography’s evolving possibilities, enabling students to demonstrate their technical proficiency and creative engagement with the themes of the course.

Objectives#

  • Support student’s production in their studio classes.
  • Refine advanced technical skills by building proficiency in digital photography workflows, including advanced Photoshop techniques, scanning, printing, and digital asset management.
  • Analyze and interpret critical readings on digital culture and photography, connecting theoretical perspectives to personal artistic practice.
  • Engage critically with the relationship between digital technologies and photography, examining how AI and online platforms influence the creation, presentation, and circulation of images.
  • Deepen understanding of photography’s evolving role within digital culture and media theory.

Materials & Fees#

Photography department fee: All students must pay $60 for each 3-credit course. Please pay online via Concordia Fine Arts fees and email the receipt to the professor by Week 4. The names of students who have yet to pay by this date are given to the technicians, and students will only be able to access the labs or borrow equipment once the fees are paid.

Students must bear the cost of all photographic materials needed to complete their assignments.

Suggested Materials#

Colour calibration tools

  • Monitor calibration: X-Rite Colorimeter or Datacolor Spyder
  • Color Checker Chart

Access to film camera and film

  • Anti-static cloth
  • Gloves
  • Scissors

Storage

  • External hard drive (Recommended: Lacie Rugged Mobile Storage)
  • Cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.)
  • CDA storage (10GB)
  • Storage boxes and/or tubes for negatives and prints

Grading#

ComponentWeight
Assignment #120%
Assignment #230%
Assignment #340%
Participation10%

Grading System#

A+, A, A-: Outstanding — Work surpasses expectations. Highly resolved conceptually and technically.

B+, B, B-: Very Good — Above average completion and participation.

C+, C, C-: Satisfactory — Minimal completion of assignments and projects.

D+, D, D-: Marginal Pass — Work is completed, with little effort or personal investment.

F: Poor/Failure — Work is incomplete and/or unsatisfactory.

A+ 90–100 · A 85–89 · A- 80–84
B+ 77–79 · B 73–76 · B- 70–72
C+ 67–69 · C 63–66 · C- 60–62
D+ 57–59 · D 53–56 · D- 50–52
F 0–49

Please refer to the Concordia Academic Calendar, section 16.3.3 for additional information on the grading system.

Schedule#

Time: Wednesdays, 8:30 AM–12:30 PM
Location: EV 5.709 SGW unless otherwise noted.

Please note that the following schedule is subject to change.

Week 1 (EV 5.709)#

  • Introductions
  • Review course outline
  • Welcome survey
  • Capturing and basic image management
  • Presentation schedule
  • Assignment #2 overview

Materials: Slides · Example RAW files

Week 2#

  • Studio time

Week 3 (EV 4.709)#

Materials: Slides · Sample images

Week 4 (EV 5.709)#

  • Advanced Photoshop techniques
  • Photography and AI image generation
  • Printing workflow: preparing files for large-scale prints
  • Reading #2 presentation: Artificial Aesthetics by Lev Manovich + Emanuele Arielli · Chapter 5

Lab fees due. Please email receipt to the professor.

Materials: Slides · Sample images

Week 5 (EV 4.709)#

Materials: Slides · Sample images

Week 6 (EV 5.709)#

  • Lecture on contemporary artist using composite images
  • Printing workflow review
  • Preparing images for digital outputs

Materials: Slides · Sample images (2.6 MB)

Week 7 — Reading Week (No Class)#

Week 8 (TBD)#

Assignment #2 due during class.

Week 9 (EV 5.709)#

  • Displaying images online: Part I
  • Assignment #3 overview
  • Reading #5 presentation: Disordered Attention by Claire Bishop

Materials: Slides

Week 10 (EV 5.709)#

Materials: Slides

Week 11 (EV 3.635)#

  • Individual meetings (optional)
  • Studio time

Week 12 (EV 3.635)#

  • Final presentations and critiques: Group A

Assignment #3 due during class.

Week 13 (EV 3.635)#

  • Final presentations and critiques: Group B

Assignment #3 due during class.

Assignments#

  • Group Presentations
  • Triptyque
  • Looking Through The Screen
Digital Photography II – Adam Simms · CC BY 4.0