THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EYE

STUDENT PORTFOLIO
Our recommended guidelines for grading are as follows: any photograph
that meets all the basic requirements should rate a "B'.' A few shortcomings
might drop it to a "C"' A disaster, especially a sloppy print, might deserve
a "D" A photograph showing no serious effort should be stuck with an "F."
A grade of "A" should be reserved for that extra margin of inventiveness,
insight or impact. An "A+" should be reserved for a really special achievement.
In practice, not every crit will yield an "A'.' Sometimes there will be
two or three. Use them sparingly so they mean something.
Students who do poorly on a given assignment are entitled to redo it
at any time during the term, to improve the grade. This provides valuable
incentive and helps to correct for the risk of teacher misjudgment. Periodic
"make-up" crit sessions are scheduled, in which all the redone assignments
are critiqued together. When transferred from the photos to the grade record,
grades are recorded in pencil to they can easily be changed. In addition, students
are encouraged, though not required, to submit more than one print
for each assignment. Only the highest grade received for that assignment is
recorded.
Prior to each crit session, the teacher reviews each student's contact
sheet(s) to help select frames to enlarge. When a print is turned for a crit, it
must be accompanied by contacts and test strips, so the teacher can talk about
what has been done well, what might have been done differently and go
through all possibilities of what went wrong (assuming something did).
At the end of the term, the teacher selects a set of, say, six photographs
by each student for the class "library." This builds stock files for future use.
At the end of the year, each student is required to produce a portfolio of his
or her best work as a final project, which may or may not be graded. Thus,
each student retains a permanent record of his or her photographic accomplishments,
which in some cases will lead to the start of professional work.
(An impressive portfolio is an absolute requirement for anyone wishing to
launch a photographic career.)
As the class progresses, students may be given a looser rein on assignments.
We recommend against settling into a "do what you want" mode,
however. One essential for competent photography is the ability to go out
and find what one is looking for. Without some structure, it is all too easy
to fall back on one's lazier predilections, doing what comes easily, rather
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