Portrait Photography Transformed: 1960 - Present

Photography at the high school level has traditionally been taught in a studio or darkroom and rarely included art history. The curriculum was generally gender biased and narrowly focused, leaving little time to investigate important contributions of female photographers. Because of the digital revolution, photography has moved from the darkroom into the computer lab where students learn technical skills and basic software programs. Because computer lab exercises lack any broad intellectual significance, combining photography with computer technology in a classroom setting makes it possible for students to learn about one and become proficient at the other. Also, there has been little significant political, cultural, and social discourse in the classroom within a mainstream educational context. Portrait Photography Transformed: 1960 – Present focuses on how changing times affect social concepts of art, communication, and technology. The study of portraiture offers a point of connection between contemporary modes of production and the timelessness of being human. Through portrait photography, students find mirrors reflecting who they were, are, or could be.