FRAGMENTS TOWARD A HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY - Los Angeles

DESCRIPTION:

Most photographers carry more photographic history than they realize. The work they're drawn to, the way they hold a camera, the subjects they keep returning to — these come from somewhere. This course makes that somewhere visible.

Fragments Toward a History of Photography is not a survey. It's a three-day intensive built around four subjects that cut to the heart of what photography is for: the invention of the tool that made modern photography possible, the forces that shaped — and distorted — the professional image, the photographers who turned the camera on injustice, and the question every serious photographer eventually has to answer: am I being influenced, or am I imitating?

Each topic is given real time — not a fifteen-minute sprint but a sustained conversation with images, discussion, and context. At the end of each day, participants shoot. The subject is their own: the assignment is to identify a photographer from the tradition who feels like an ancestor and produce a short body of work in that mode — not imitation, but identification. Sunday closes with presentations of work from the weekend and a group critique focused on authorship, intention, and the language participants will need to talk about their practice.

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS WORKSHOP:

• Photographers who have mastered their camera and are ready to develop a point of view
• Leica users interested in the historical and philosophical context of their equipment and practice
• Photographers preparing artist statements, grant applications, or gallery submissions
• Anyone who wants clearer language for what they're doing and why

TOPICS:

• The Leitz Camera: The Revolution of Oskar Barnack
• The Myth of the Professional Photographer
• A Choice of Weapons: Black and Brown American Photographers
• Closing: Influence vs. Imitation; Language for Your Practice

AGENDA:

Friday - Introduction & The Leitz Camera: The Revolution of Oskar Barnack

• The Invention of the Modern Camera
• The Landscape of photography:Then vs Now

Saturday - Lessons of Modern Photography

• The Myth of the Professional Photographer
• A Choice of Weapons: Black and Brown American Photographers

Sunday - Looking Towards the Future

• Closing: Influence vs. Imitation; Language for Your Practice

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Participants are expected to have good understanding their cameras as well as an understanding of basic image editing. The ability to download images and make selections to submit foe review is required. Owning a Leica is not required. We will have a selection of Leica cameras available for you to try throughout the week. This is a rain or shine workshop, so you will need to be prepared for the weather.