Courses

This course will utilize the idiom of photography to help students learn about nature, enhance their powers of observation, and better understand scientific concepts. The course builds upon the pioneering photographic work of Eadweard Muybridge (1830–1904), who used his camera to answer questions about human and animal locomotion. (Much of this work was funded by Leland Stanford Sr.) A secondary goal will be to discuss the grammar, syntax, composition, and style of nature photography in order to enhance the use of this medium as a form of scientific communication. Themes to be explored include change across time and space; taxonomy; habitat preservation; weather and climate change; species diversity; survival and reproductive strategies; ecological niches and co-evolution; carrying capacity and sustainability; population densities; predator- prey relationships; open-space management; and the physics of photography. We will make use of the abundance of local areas that preserve and showcase nature through optional Saturday field trips to Jasper Ridge, Año Nuevo, the Stanford Dish, the Palo Alto Baylands, and the Stanford Arizona Cactus Garden. Assignments will have a photographic, a written, and an oral component.