The course aims to provide students with the following skills and competencies: D1. Knowledge and understanding. By the end of the course, students will be expected to master photographic techniques and the use of a DSLR camera as a means to represent the visible, with particular attention to the human landscape. D2. Applying knowledge and understanding. By the end of the course, students should be able to apply the knowledge acquired under D1, with particular reference to the photographic interpretation of a specific place and the ability to create a project that is coherent both stylistically and narratively. D3. Autonomy of judgment. By the end of the course, students should be able to independently analyze professional biographies of key photographers, individual images, or sequences, and interpret contexts of different scales and natures through photography. D4. Communication skills. By the end of the course, students should be able to clearly present, discuss, and apply the theoretical concepts and practical tools acquired under D1 and D2. D5. Learning skills
By the end of the course, students should be able to further explore the topics covered in the course independently and, through the production of a specific photographic project, demonstrate their ability to apply the various teachings.

No specific prerequisites are required to attend the course. However, an interest in photography is expected, as well as access to, or the possibility of using, a DSLR or mirrorless camera and a tripod, which are essential for completing the practical exercises and producing the final project.

The course aims to explore the potential of photography in representing the visible, with particular attention to the narration of urban, suburban, and rural landscapes, as well as the use of photography as a tool for project-based practice.
Building on the analysis of significant moments and key figures in the history of photography related to the theme of the human landscape, the course will then outline a pathway for acquiring fundamental photographic techniques, ranging from composition and the management of primary camera settings to printing, as well as the production of exhibitions and books as final outputs of photographic practice.
The objective is to provide students with the foundations of a comprehensive “grammar” of photographic communication.

BARTHES, Roland, Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography. Torino, Einaudi, 2003.
BERGER, John, Understanding Photograph. Roma, Contrasto, 2014.
GHIRRI, Luigi, Lessons in Photography. Macerata, Quodlibet, 2010.
GHIRRI, Luigi, Landscape Thinking, ed. by Paolo Costantini. Macerata, Quodlibet, 2011.
GUIDI, Guido, Lessons in Photography: The Figure of the One Who Prays. Ravenna, Edizioni Il Bradipo, 2012.
SALVESEN, Britt (ed.), New Topographics. Göttingen, Steidl, 2009.
SONTAG, Susan, On Photography. Torino, Einaudi, 1980.
VALTORTA, Roberta, Place and Identity in Contemporary Italian Photography. Torino, Einaudi, 2013.
ZANNIER, Italo, History and Technique of Photography. Bari, Laterza, 1982.
Further materials may be indicated during the lectures.

The course provides an integrated pathway combining the history, technique, and project-based practice of photography, with particular attention to the narration of urban, suburban, and rural landscapes. Students will examine key moments and figures in landscape photography, acquiring critical tools to interpret images and their conceptual implications. At the same time, the course develops both basic and advanced technical skills, from composition and camera settings management to printing techniques and the coherent presentation of images. Furthermore, the course explores photography as a project-based tool: students will create an individual photographic project on a specific theme, culminating in the production of a book, integrating theoretical and practical knowledge while fostering project development and visual communication skills. Practical activities include photographic outings, mandatory intermediate exercises, individual reviews of materials, and continuous support for the completion of the final project, with the aim of consolidating technical, creative, and critical competencies.

The course will be primarily delivered through seminar-style lectures, complemented by practical workshops designed to develop technical competencies and support the realization of the final project.
Students are expected to participate actively and conscientiously, demonstrating the ability to engage constructively in classroom interactions, contribute proactively, and foster a collaborative dialogue within the group.
The program will be further enhanced by off-site activities, mandatory intermediate assignments to be completed between sessions, and both individual and collective review sessions of work in progress.

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Student learning will be assessed through an oral examination, comprising an individual interview on the theoretical content of the course, which accounts for two-thirds of the final grade, and the presentation and discussion of the final photographic project, which accounts for one-third of the final grade.

The assessment will take into consideration the student’s mastery of the subject matter, ability to engage in critical analysis, and the conceptual and formal coherence of the project.