3 DAYS LECTURES program

Dr. Ana Peraica

Foto Atelier Perajica (1934.)
www.atelierperajica.com

PHOTOGRAPHY
BETWEEN
THEORY AND PRACTICE
Contents
Dr. Ana Peraica........................................................................................................................ 1
Contents....................................................................................................................................... 1
ABOUT THIS COURSE:.............................................................................................................. 1
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................ 1
PREREQUISITES:....................................................................................................................... 1
COURSE SCHEDULE................................................................................................................. 1
DAY 1.: FROM PHOTOGRAPHIC THEORY TO THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRACTICE ...........1
Morning session: INTRODUCTION TO THE LECTURE ................................................... 1
Evening session: INCONSISTENCIES IN PHOTOGRAPHY THEORY..............................2
DAY 2.; FROM PHOTOGRAPHIC PRACTICE BACK TO THE THEORY OF
PHOTOGRAPHY..................................................................................................................... 2
Morning session: ................................................................................................................. 2
Evening session: ................................................................................................................. 2
Day 3.: PHOTOGRAPHY, IDEOLOGY, CONTEXT IN THEORY AND PRACTICE OF
PHOTOGRAPHY..................................................................................................................... 2
Morning session: ................................................................................................................. 2
Evening session: ................................................................................................................. 2
LITERATURE: ........................................................................................................................... 2
Technical requests: .................................................................................................................... 2
About the lecturer: ..................................................................................................................... 2
WRITINGS OF THE AUTHOR AVAILABLE ONLINE ...................................................... 2

ABOUT THIS COURSE:

Which photography theorists seem to have never used a photo camera themselves? Which
theories are photographically impossible? Is a camera set-up similar to the discourse? Can a
photography, as used in science, produce distorted arguments when there is a change in
depth of the field, contrast, or when using lenses with different focal lengths? Can, and under
which conditions, photography produce a logical argument or moreover; a clear and distinct
discourse, by itself?

INTRODUCTION
Photography, today, is not used by professionals only. It has become a tool of a mass. But,
while the tool itself is developing, as mass industry is presenting a new model almost daily,
the theory explaining photography is hardly following these developments. The most of
photographic theory, still, is based on a naive realism, which no longer satisfies the mere
technical information of camera (ISO levels, included filters and distortions). Many
disciplines, such as archeology, ethnology, medicine etc.. continue using it without any doubt
capacities of description of reality in photography have crossed the reality itself. Only new
media theories rise scepticism and relativism towards the epistemological value of
photography.
The goal of this class is to develop the awareness on the relationship of photography to its
explanation, which would also mean - to understand it, as well as to be able to produce
photography as an argument in the debate itself.

PREREQUISITES:
This serial of lectures is tailored for students which have successfully finished their BA or MA
course in media theory, media arts, image science, film studies and photography. Students
should be familiar with elementary writings in photographic theory, such as Roland Barthes,
Susan Sontag, Vilem Flusser etc..
A course pack is sent 2 weeks in advance. The pack includes essays to be analyzed and
referred on the course. Students are encouraged to take their own, amateur or professional,
photo cameras to the course, for practical experimentations.

COURSE SCHEDULE
DAY
1.:
FROM
PHOTOGRAPHIC
PHOTOGRAPHIC PRACTICE

THEORY

TO

THE

Morning session: INTRODUCTION TO THE LECTURE

The first day morning session would give a preview of theory-into-practice, as well as
practice-into theory of photography related experiments. It would show the unusual transfers
between theory and practice of photography, such as Baudrillards show of photographs, but

also writings of contemporary photographers as; Alan Sekula, Martha Rosler, exploring
connections between theoretical and practical body of works, as well as their differences.
Evening session: INCONSISTENCIES IN THEORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY
The evening session continues with a review of disconnections among the theory and
practice, but now proceeding to crucial misunderstandings made by theorists.

DAY 2.; FROM PHOTOGRAPHIC PRACTICE BACK TO THE

THEORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Morning session:
Students are encouraged to test the possibility of recording a portrait in settings Arthur
Danto specifies as ones used to record dying Candy Darling.
Evening session:
A review of uses of photography in sciences is given. Photography is used as a tool in
ethnography (archive), cultural studies (cases), medicine (plastic surgery and radiology), law
(court evidences), physics (astro and macro photography). Sciences are divided according to
their technical manuals, differentiating; Lenses, ISO sensitivity, Way of recording and other
technical demands. The scopic distortions of each are analysed.

Day 3.: PHOTOGRAPHY, IDEOLOGY, CONTEXT IN THEORY AND

PRACTICE OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Morning session:
Morning continues with the previous days topic of distortion of reality to the topic of faking
reality in photographs. A number of possibilities of what is named the ontological fraud are
given, such as; staging, de-contextualisation, contextualisation and context production
Evening session:
The evening session is devoted to conclusions, questions and answers. There are also
possibilities of student works reviewing; in class or in studio visits.

LITERATURE:
(in a separate sheet)

Technical requests:
PC with Nikon software, Photoshop 4 or higher, Adobe Bridge, PowerPoint
Card reader (compact flash)
Beamer

About the lecturer:

Dr. Ana Peraica is a working photographer and photographing theorist. She is the
daughter of the photographer Draen Perajica and the granddaughter of photographer and
cameraman Antonio Perajica. She has published numerous articles and essays in magazines
such as Afterimage, Springerin, Eyemazing, Pavilion, Fotografija, Flash Art... many of which,
including her thesis Photography as the Evidence, can be found online. Her books include;
Victims symptom (PTSD and Culture), Amsterdam, 2008; ena na raskriju ideologija, 2007;
Subversions, Essays in Contemporary Arts and Culture, Berlin, 2006.
WRITINGS OF THE AUTHOR AVAILABLE ONLINE
Recent articles are available online at http://www.atelierperajica.com/texts.html