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October 6, 2006 Vol. 77,
no. 8F
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| NIGHTLIGHTS: MA
sunset photo taken by Interdisciplinary Studies junior Sean
Carey in CS 39J. SEAN
CAREY PHOTO
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Drawing with light
Professor Brian Barsky teaches the art and science of photography
With the proliferation of point-and-click digital cameras and camera
phones, taking a photo has never been easier. But that doesn’t
mean pictures are better. “As cameras have become smarter, people
may not be learning about photography because they’re relying
on the camera to do everything for them automatically,” says
EECS professor Brian Barsky. “Technique, lighting, composition,
an aesthetic sense, storytelling — these are all elements that
people sometimes skip.”
But in Barsky’s CS 39J, “The Art and Science of Photography:
Drawing with Light,” students skip the automatic mode to immerse
themselves in f-stops, apertures and the darkroom. They study the work
of great photographers. They strive to develop an “eye.” They
practice taking photos based on principles covered each week in class,
and their assignments are critiqued by the group the following week.
In this freshman/sophomore seminar, Barsky teaches his students not
only how to take better photos, but how cameras work, the science behind
photography, and the art of seeing and producing a good photograph. It’s
that blend of art and science that makes the class unique — and
popular. “I really like [the class] a lot,” says Undeclared
sophomore David Wang. “We learn so many concepts that we really
can’t learn anywhere else.”
In a recent class, Barsky led a lively discussion of student work involving
depth of field (how much of the background behind a subject is blurred
or in focus). He teaches this and other photographic techniques as problem-solving
exercises, not surprising for an engineering professor. “We learn
about ‘previsualization,’ which is seeing problems in a photograph
before taking it, recognizing the constraints and solving the problem,” he
says. “We learn to think, ‘What do I want to do here?’ and
how to make adjustments when taking the picture to obtain the desired
photographic result.”
“
This class made me a better close-up and sunset photographer,” says
Interdisciplinary Studies junior Sean Carey, a former student. “It
was a lot of fun and a great way to meet people who share an interest
in photography.”
Barsky first began teaching the seminar in 2002. “Freshman/sophomore
seminars cover topics beyond the confines of our normal academic concentrations.
I thought, ‘Why don’t I teach my passion, which is photography?’” It
also meshed well with Barsky’s own research interests: computer
graphics and design and human optics. (He’s an affiliate faculty
member of the School of Optometry.)
Barsky first began taking pictures at the age of four with a Kodak Brownie
camera. At age seven, he graduated to a fully manual camera. As a teen,
he explored different darkroom techniques and exhibited his photos in
shows. Today, he continues to shoot as a hobby. “I want to help
students appreciate photography because it’s a wonderful blend
of analytical thought and aesthetic sense. It’s about learning
to really see the world.”
For more information, go to http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs39j/fa06/.
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