Photography – Open Foundation

It is a practical, task oriented course filled with creative approaches to making photographs that will help you develop your photography as a means of imaginative self-expression and experimentation.

The course is rooted in the main genres of photography and will provide you with a solid intellectual foundation, in plain language, to pursue photography at Degree level. It can equally be studied as a stand-alone course which will transform how you think about photography and the photographs you take.

Course Aims

The course aims to:

• Familiarise students with workflow, techniques, experimentation, visual effect and visual strategy.
• Provide a solid understanding of the camera and how to use shutter and lens to creative effect.
• Explain how to use shadows, stillness and movement effectively.
• Explore the portrait through the use of depth, distance, composition and light.
• Examine the role of narrative in photography through the use of series and sequences, staging and juxtaposition.
• Discover the inspiration of visual research in the creative practice of photography.
• Combine images, objects and concepts to create still lives.

Course Outcomes

Through the course, you will:

• Make a large portfolio of creatively diverse projects.
• Develop a productive and positive attitude.
• Understand fundamental visual skills vital for creating effective imagery.
• Gain a knowledge of the fundamental genres of photography.
• Have experimented widely with a variety of visual strategies and techniques and gained those as tools to put to work in new projects.
• Organise your workflow to provide you with a seamless structure and the confidence to create serious work.
• Understand the ways photographs communicate to the viewer and appreciate the viewer’s experience.