Developing A Creative Photography Project

 Online 10 - Session Course

Aim

This intensive 8-week course aims at providing you with tips and techniques in order to develop a photographic project in all its stages; from the initial idea – through to printing and exhibiting. It will provide you with an informative and supportive environment to help you clarify your ideas by learning a structure and a method of working in the process towards the development and completion of your project.

The course is aimed at:

- amateur and professional photographers, from beginners to advanced

- artists who use photography and want to gain an understanding of photographic thinking and way of working

- foundation students with an interest in photography

- a group of photographers and/or artists who work jointly on developing a project or who work on different projects but with the aim of a group exhibition of any type.

This course is for you:

- if you have an interesting idea and want to develop it into a coherent body of work

- if you are already in the middle of developing a project but you are stuck, have no inspiration, and do not know how to continue

- if you just want to equip yourselves with a set of tools and a method to use at a later stage when you are ready to take up a project

Objectives

At the end of the 8 weeks course you will be able to:

- discuss and analyse your ideas about developing a photographic project

- critically reflect on your creative process and decision making

- demonstrate an understanding of problem-solving

- demonstrate an understanding of simple research and documentation methods

- demonstrate a practical engagement with editing techniques

- write a draft statement about your project

- demonstrate an understanding of presentation techniques in relation to your work

- produce a photographic body of work in progress

- gain an awareness of yourselves in relationship to photography

General Outline of a Lesson Plan for each Weekly Session

The titles of the weekly themes, as presented below, are only an umbrella of the variety of themes that will be covered each week. Although there is a linearity to them, each week we will be revisiting themes and issues discussed in the previous weeks as well as bringing up issues which we will be discussing more extensively in the following weeks.

Each session will consist of mainly four parts:

Part I

Group discussion, brainstorming and sharing of personal project experience on the weekly theme

Part II

Presentation of tips and techniques in support of the weekly theme. This, depending on the theme, might include a Powerpoint presentation, looking at specific projects by well known contemporary photographers with Q&A input by the group, looking at a variety of photographic papers and mounting surfaces and much more.

Part III

Looking at each other’s photographs, commenting on them, suggesting new ideas, reflecting on your creative process and progress of your project, discussing any problems encountered, and articulating your thoughts into words. This discussion will be the core of each session, as it will provide you with the opportunity to discuss your project, get feedback and potentially make decisions for its future development. At the same time, I will be answering your questions, helping you to clarify your ideas and giving you suggestions and guidance.

Part IV

Summing up the main ideas of the session and briefly discussing individual tactics that you might follow until the next session.

During all parts of each session, I will be acting more as a facilitator and less as a teacher to help you take charge of expressing your thoughts and ideas and sharing them with the rest of the group.

Handouts 

At the end of each session I will be sending you e-handouts by email, which can include all or some of the following:

- PDF handout on the weekly theme

- Links to visual and other references tailored to your individual projects

- Bibliographical references (when they are necessary for theoretical support)

- and other resources when needed

Camera guidelines

- There will be no shooting practice during the sessions, so no need for a camera unless you want to ask any specific technical questions.

- Regarding what type of camera you can use to undertake your project, a  DSLR or mirrorless camera is ideally the best type of camera you can have if you want to really explore and experiment with photography. However, all types of cameras can do, including ipads, tablets, and mobile phones, as it totally depends on the nature of your project and what you want to do.

Refund & Cancellation Policy

No refunds:

- if you cancel within 15 days before the start of the course.

- if the course is cancelled but a new date is scheduled

- if you stop attending it or any sessions of it

Minimum Age

18 years old is the minimum age for participants to attend the workshop on their own.