Areas of Focus

Additional course specific examples of teaching available at my RIT website. cias.rit.edu

  • Photography

    Photograph by Brian Siegfried from Imaging course

    I teach all levels of photography, beginner through professional, traditional, digital, art and commercial. I believe in a multifaceted approach to the subject, encouraging students to investigate photography through a variety of mediums and approaches. I introduce photography to my students through integrating its traditions and evolutions with a focus on its unique aesthetics. I help them understand what separates and connects the image’s role as an artistic medium from commercial, scientific, and personal uses. Along with a emphasis on aesthetics, I also focus on best practices, ethics and copyright, industry standards, workflows and efficiencies within the medium.

  • Image Processing

    Image Restoration from Advanced Retouching course

    My goal is to provide students with the technical foundation to evaluate and apply techniques of high-quality image editing, color management, and the production for a variety of output. I teach best practices in retouching, restoration, and enhancement of images for students to realize their artistic vision or the concept of a customer/client. Emphasis is placed on efficient workflow strategies, ethics, copyright, and image quality and optimization from digital capture to final output.

  • Publishing

    Students plan a digital publication for the Vignelli Center

    My approach to contemporary publishing examines the changes in technology and social habits with an emphasis on design, editorial, project management, production, distribution, and marketing issues and concerns. I review historic models and practices with respect to their continued influence on today’s formats and designs. My teaching focus is on the concepts and methods of periodical design, through its various styles and approaches in print, web, and mobile production. Special attention is given to the use of images in integration with text, grids and the role of experimentation and innovation in the modern magazine.

  • Typography

    Student research on typography's role in brand recognition

    I introduce both the theoretical and practical foundations of typography with study in its history, aesthetics, and technology. Through practical exercises students study both design and production methods, using current software tools and fonts for typography in print and screen display.

    Typographic research study through classroom instruction and graduate thesis research focus on methods of investigation, research, and analysis, with the goal of enabling the student to conduct independent research and investigation. Students investigate typographic topics in technology, psychology, history, aesthetics, imaging, writing systems, culture, and society.

  • Research

    Students test conductive ink integrated into an image on fabric

    I work with MS, MFA, and undergraduate students in guiding thesis and research projects. I have advised students in creative, artistic, technical, and experimental research work. As Graduate Director of the MS Print Media program, I guide students in determining research topics and questions, methodologies, developing a foundation for research, and determining a plan of work, timeline, and budget.

    As a Co-Invesigator on the Smart Textiles research team, I work with two faculty members, graduate, and undergraduate students across diverse majors in art and STEM at RIT. Our investigation focuses on integrating functionality and aesthetics into clothing to create dynamic and interactive communication in otherwise static imagery. Through this experimental work, we are also investigating innovative ways to incorporate intradisciplinary research into the classroom.

Teaching Philosophy

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Courses

  • Imaging
  • Still Photo I
  • ImageProcessing Workflow
  • Advanced Retouching and Restoration
  • Workflow for Imagemakers
  • Contemporary Publishing
  • Digital Foundations
  • Design Production
  • Typography and Page Design
  • Magazine Publishing
  • Typography Research
  • Technical Writing
  • Smart Textiles
  • Graduate Capstone
  • Graduate Thesis