From its invention in the nineteenth century to its digital ubiquity today, photography has always had innovation, technical skill and experimentation at its core. Photography is a powerful medium and visual language that shapes the ways we see, understand and remember the world around us.
This introductory three-week course provides a foundational understanding of photography history.
Developed and facilitated by RMIT University’s Professor Daniel Palmer with the NGV, the course enables a close study of internationally significant works in the NGV Collection of photography – Australia’s first art museum to introduce a dedicated photography collection in 1967 – to consider and analyse the history of, and key people, contexts and moments, in photography. The course will introduce participants to key artists including Man Ray, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Dorothea Lange, Max Dupain, Olive Cotton, Nan Goldin, Tracey Moffatt, and Jeff Wall, among others.
In completing this course, participants will be equipped with foundational skills to understand, analyse and discuss Australian and international photography. The course is ideal for photography enthusiasts or anyone looking to expand or deepen their art history knowledge, with a focus on the powerful and varied medium of photography.
Daniel Palmer is a Professor in the School of Art at RMIT University where he leads the Art History and Theory program. A former curator at the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Palmer, has taught the history and theory of photography for over twenty years at the University of Melbourne, Photography Studies College, Monash University and RMIT University. Well known in Australia and internationally for his writings on photography, Palmer’s books include Installation View: Photography Exhibitions in Australia 1848–2020 (Perimeter Editions 2021) with Martyn Jolly; Photography and Collaboration: From Conceptual Art to Crowdsourcing (Bloomsbury 2017); The Culture of Photography in Public Space (Intellect 2015), edited with Anne Marsh and Melissa Miles; and Twelve Australian Photo Artists (Piper Press, 2009), co-authored with Blair French. The recipient of multiple awards and grants, his scholarly writings on photography and contemporary art have appeared in journals such as Photographies, Philosophy of Photography, History of Photography and Photography and Culture.
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand key moments, movements, and critical debates in the history of photography
- Learn and apply foundational concepts from photographic theory to the interpretation of images
- Critically explore and consider contemporary debates around photography in digital and networked culture
Week One: Conception, Experimentation and Colonialism
The course begins with the public announcement of photography in 1839, when Louis Daguerre introduced the daguerreotype in Paris and William Henry Fox Talbot unveiled his experiments in London. We trace the rapid expansion of the medium across the nineteenth century as photography emerged simultaneously as a scientific innovation, a commercial and artistic enterprise, and a cultural form entangled with colonialism.
Week Two: Photographic Modernisms and the Documentary Tradition
The second week introduces the international Pictorialist movement before turning to photographic modernism in the early twentieth century – movements such as New Objectivity, New Vision and Surrealism. We also explore the documentary tradition and its relationship to art, from early social documentary practices to the institutionalisation of photojournalism and the post-WWII transformation of documentary.
Week Three: Photography in Contemporary Art
In our final session, we explore the expanded field of photography in art since the late 1960s, tracing how artists have redefined the medium in relation to conceptualism, performance, postmodernism and digital media. We consider serial projects and large-scale colour work, staged photography and debates around representation and identity, before turning to contemporary practices shaped by globalisation and networked digital
Each week will include illustrated presentations by the course facilitator, Professor Daniel Palmer, plus informal talks and conversations with a weekly guest speaker to further unpack that week’s topic.
Participants will also receive a resource pack ahead of the first session. The pack will include a course overview, a list of key artworks, a recommended reading list and self-guided activities to deepen engagement with the themes explored.
The course will take place on Saturdays on 3, 10 & 17 October.
Sessions will run from 10.30am–1.30pm and will be held onsite at NGV International.
$400 Members / $450 Adult / $425 Concession, Student & Educator
+ $5.50 Booking Fee
Enrol in more than one course to receive a 10% discount.
NGV Members, educators and students receive discounted enrolment to all NGV Art School courses.
Your course enrolment includes access to three in-person sessions at NGV International on 3, 10 & 17 October plus a resource pack featuring a list of key artworks, a recommended reading list and self-guided activities to support your learning.
Information for Teachers & Educators
A History of Photography offers an inspiring and creative professional learning opportunity for teachers of all levels and subjects. This course meets the following AITSL standards:
- Know the content and how to teach it (2.1)
- Engage in professional learning (6.1)
- Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community (7.4)
A certificate of professional learning is available on request.
This course is part of NGV Art School. Join us for in-Gallery and online courses, practical artist-led classes, and tailored learning experiences led by curators and specialist educators.