The Fall Semester 2000 Photography Field Trip will be held in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, and our central location will be the beautiful colonial city of Oaxaca. Set in a 5,070-foot high valley amid rugged mountains, the city of Oaxaca is surrounded by archaeological sites and villages of indigenous crafts. The purple blooms of jacaranda trees are everywhere and provide a picturesque contrast against the cobalt blue skies. Most important of all, we will be in Oaxaca during one of Mexico's most famous and popular festivals, Dias de los Muertos, the Days of the Dead, which occurs on November 1 and 2, where markets brim with marigolds and offerings for altars built to honor the dead.
Families go to the cemeteries to place flowers and candles on the graves of their family members.
Different kinds of festivities take place in the various villages some of them with masked street dancers and cemetery vigils. Photography taken during the field trip in Mexico will constitute the student's final portfolio for the course, Documentary Photography in Mexico. In the beginning weeks of the fall course, students will study the documentary photography of other photographers, shoot a short documentary of a local place or event, learn about the culture and language of Mexico, and prepare for the field trip. After returning to the campus from Mexico, students will process their film and make contact sheets, edit and make proof prints. The final step will be to print gallery-quality photographs for the final critique and for an exhibition in a major area gallery.