'Five @ Five' lecture series to explore the evolution of photography

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Penn State Lehigh Valley has announced a new topic for its fall "Five @ Five" lecture series, which features five one-and-a-half hour lectures on a given topic in order to provide an in-depth series.

Headshot of Christos Karfakis

Christos Karfakis, local photo historian will present “The Evolution of Photography: A Contextual Approach" as part of the Five @ Five lecture series.

Credit: Penn State

Christos Karfakis, local photo historian will present the fall series, “The Evolution of Photography: A Contextual Approach.” He will explore photography as a medium to record history and human emotion from daguerreotype to modern day “selfie.” The series will examine turning points in world events and how they have been documented by photography.

Lectures will be held at 5 p.m. on the following Thursday evenings: Oct. 12, 19, 26, Nov. 2 and 9 at the Lehigh Valley campus located at 2809 Saucon Valley Road in Center Valley. The lecture series is open to the public and the cost is $59 per person, or $89 for two people from the same household.

The Five-Part Series will explore:

Oct. 12: Travel back to the mid-1800’s and meet Lehigh Valley’s first professional photographer.

Oct. 19: Discover the dynamic relationship between photography and business growth.

Oct. 26: How does the relationship between the photographer and his/her subject relate to the perspective of the photograph? How are we impacted by color vs. black and white? What drives the “selfie” and more!

Nov. 2: Explore the role of film in the evolution of photography. From roll film invention to the era of silent movies to video and Avant Garde photography, film has played a prominent role in how we see the world.

Nov. 9: "Photography and War" — From the Crimean War to the Middle East and how we report on war today, photography has played a significant role on how we experience living on a daily basis.

For more information or to register for the series, contact Diane McAloon at 610-285-5066 or email [email protected] or visit the series website.