Photography: Practice & Theory
This two-term course will offer students an introduction to contemporary photography and knowledge of the history of this popular medium.
The Autumn term (9 sessions) will focus on how to get the best photographs from your camera. Through the study of the genres of portrait, landscape and documentary photography you will gain an in-depth technical knowledge of your digital and analogue cameras and will develop your own photographic technique. You will also learn how to enhance and edit your photographs in PhotoShop.
You will be introduced to the work of leading contemporary practitioners of photography and will analyse the camera technique in their photographs. You will also work on a series of assignments that challenge you to find creative solutions to technical problems.
The Spring term (11 sessions) will focus on developing your photographic technique and will introduce you to visual communication. You will take part in studio lighting workshops and will learn to create visual research and how to develop that research into art direction concepts for studio photography. You will also develop your photography practice through a series of lectures and assignments that consider how photographers create visual narrative that communicates with an audience.
You will end the course with a portfolio of pictures that will form the foundation of your individual photography practice and there will also be an exhibition of students’ work.
Subject to sufficient enrolment, two parallel classes with identical course content will run, one on Wednesdays and one on Thursdays (please see programme timetable).
Please note that the course syllabus is a guideline only. There is flexibility to allow for students’ needs and interests.
| Week | Topic | Session content |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to the course | Introduction |
| 2 | Using your Camera 1 | Aperture – Speed – ISO: The differences between Analogue and Digital |
| 3 | Using your Camera 2 | Lenses – Depth of Field - Composition |
| 4 | Using your Camera 3 | Portrait Technique |
| 5 | Using your Camera 4 | Landscape Technique |
| 6 | Using your Camera 5 | Reportage Technique |
| 7 | Lighting | Daylight and Lowlight Photography. Using Flash |
| 8 | Field Trip | TBC |
| 9 | Group Tutorial | Creating a Website and Blog |
| *** Christmas break *** | ||
| 10 | Art Direction 1 | Visual Research |
| 11 | Photography | Studio Workshop |
| 12 | Art Direction 2 | Creating a Concept |
| 13 | Photography | Studio Workshop |
| 14 | News and Events Photography | Reading the News: A History of Photojournalism and Alternative Facts |
| 15 | Travel Photography | Travel and Tourism |
| 16 | Street Photography | Creativity, Visual Journalism and Ethics |
| 17 | Field Trip | TBC |
| 18 | Copyright | Copyright Law and the Internet |
| 19 | Preparing the Exhibition | Post Production and Photoshop |
| 20 | Group Tutorial | Mounting the Exhibition (online or print TBC) |
Imperial College undergraduates and postgraduates may, if they wish, acquire 2 ECTS credits after successfully completing their Evening Class. To qualify, a student must attend the classes regularly and submit course materials after the end of the second term. Students will be invited to apply in the second term when further details will be provided.
Questions regarding the content and teaching of the above course should be addressed directly to the course tutor, Ms Honey Salvadori, h.salvadori@imperial.ac.uk.