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Lecturer and Tutor Information
- Contact detail: Email address provided for communication.
- Office hours: Available via Zoom or face-to-face by appointment.
Colleague: Nicole Matthews, expert in photography and visual culture.
Resources: iLearn has detailed information on assessments and tutorials. External students will attend Zoom tutorials.

Two pieces of assessment, each worth 50% of overall grade.
- Exhibition Review: Due Wednesday of Week 6 (April).
- Photo Essay and Reflection: Due Wednesday of Week 11 (May 20).
Discussion of future exhibitions for the Exhibition Review on iLearn.
- Potential exhibitions include:
- Free exhibition at the State Library of New South Wales, showcasing photographs from the magazine 'Pics' (1930s-1970s).
- Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum (runs until May 3, fee applicable).
- Max Dupain exhibition at Chowchack Museum at the University of Sydney displaying photographs of students.

Exhibition Review
- Discussion in Week 3 regarding how to write exhibition reviews.
Photo Essay and Reflection
- Consists of 10 photographs and 500 words of text, plus a reflection component.
- Reflection: Personal challenges and experiences during essay creation.
- Specific topics for photo essays will be available shortly on iLearn.

Today's lecture divided into three parts:
1. Relationship between photography and reality.
2. Key ideas and claims from Susan Sontag's "On Photography" (1977).
3. Shifting focus to nonhuman photography.

Critique of thinking in terms of technological determinism.
Photography as an ongoing collaborative process rather than a singular invention.
Quote by John Szarkowski:
- Inventions arise from a complex ecology of ideas, political climate, and technical competencies, emphasizing the collaborative nature.

1827: First successful permanent photograph by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, a heliograph on a pewter plate.
1839: Multiple simultaneous developments mark the official recognition of photography, notably by:
- Louis Daguerre's daguerreotype (a one-of-a-kind image).
- Henry Fox Talbot's calotype (first negative-positive process allowing reproduction).

Heliograph: Sun writing; oldest surviving photograph (1826-1827).
Daguerreotype: Non-reproducible image formed by mercury vapor on a copper plate. Appearance: shiny, need specific angles to view.
Calotype: Allows reproductions from an original negative.

Photographic seeing as a way of perceiving the world, distinct from human vision.
The analytic nature of photography:
- Quote from Stephen Shaw on photography as an analytic discipline emphasizing selection from the chaotic world.
- Comparison to painting where the artist creates from a blank canvas.

Vantage Point: The photographer's perspective affects the image composition.
Framing: The edges of a photograph limit visual context, shaping the meaning.
Moment of Exposure: Decision to capture a moment as dynamic or static.
Plane of Focus: Areas of focus influence viewer attention within the image.

Relationship between photography and authenticity.
Sontag: Photography is not merely an accurate record but a structured evaluation of the world.
Edward Weston: Photography as "seeing plus"; not strictly factual.

The enduring belief in photography's ability to capture truth despite awareness of manipulations.
Historical context of photographic manipulation since the 1840s, pre-dating digital technology.
The link between the photographer's choices and the image's authenticity or interpretation.

Positivism: A philosophical framework emphasizing verifiable facts and observable reality.
Connection between photography and positivism as underlying ideas that give photographs an aura of truth.
- Kemba's claim: Positivism informs the perception of photographs as truth; detached observing subject assumes an unproblematic reality.

Sontag's assertion: Our evaluation of reality is influenced by photographs, altering our experience of the world.
Ongoing thematic discussions in the unit about practical implications of photographic practice and reality.

Joanna Zielinski's work proposes "nonhuman photography", emphasizing environments void of human presence.
- Integration of technologies such as CCTV, drone imaging, and further discussions on environmental documentation.
Introduction to material aspects of photography through Angus's "Camera Geologica", addressing elements that underpin photographic practices.

Upcoming lecture topics include street photography's ethics and various significant works in the genre.
Reminder of tutorial commencement in week 2.

Discussion of key themes will continue as the unit progresses; students are encouraged to engage deeply with the material and reflect on its implications.