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ART 129 Basic Photography
ART 229 Advanced Photography
In ART 129 students learn the basic fundamentals of camera operation
and darkroom work of black and white photography. In the ART 229
course, students expand upon this knowledge with advanced materials
and techniques. Both courses involve periodic critiques of student
work in which both the students and the instructor participate.
Students work one on one with the instructor to improve printing
skills. Students are pushed to explore their own creativity, and
are given a lot of freedom in the assignments.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
I've wanted to teach photography almost from the first day that
I walked into a darkroom back in high school. I received my BFA
in photography from Ohio University and my MFA in photography from
the University of Illinois. I've been teaching at Parkland since
1994.
I have been working with the nude as the primary focus of my images
for nearly ten years. The nude is used as a part of my visual language
to create a single-image narrative. The addition of simple props
and dramatic lighting in the studio create a stage-like feel, with
the viewers very much in evidence. The figure becomes an actor,
their unclothed body costumed in their nakedness. I want the viewer
to see a narrative, and to question the objects' significance and
wonder at the story unfolding.
The viewer's presence is integral to the image. At what point is
a viewer a voyeur, observing the results of the photographer's actions
and his degree of control over the subject and the view presented?
The photographer is, in essence, a voyeur sharing images with the
viewer, especially when you consider that the nude figure has an
inherent eroticism. The narratives that I create are open to broad
interpretations.
I also explore the viewer/voyeur aspect through the presentation
of my images. Mural photographs up to 7 1/2 feet in length challenge
the viewer by the sheer impact of size. Small plastic viewers with
1 1/2 inch by 3/4 inch images draw the viewer into an intimate viewing.
Images on glass plates are viewed through magnifying lenses which
require the viewer to move close and use only one eye as if looking
through a keyhole or spyglass in order to see the image. This exploration
of presentation is an ongoing process in addition to the traditional
methods of matting and framing that I employ. | 
