What's included
Online study texts, tutorial videos, a photo-sharing website, and supported discussion forums.
You will need
You will need a camera that creates images as digital files. Obviously a digital camera is designed to do this but recent mobile phones may also be suitable; your camera should have a resolution of 2 megapixels or more. Whatever camera you use, it is preferable if it has some controls or settings (e.g. shutter speed, aperture or automatic settings such as ‘sport’, ‘landscape’ or ‘portrait’), as the course will teach you about the full range of controls and settings that a photographer uses. However it will also be possible to complete the course using a basic camera with little or no control over its settings.
You will need photo-editing software. There are many suitable packages available, some of which are available for free either for download or use online; the course will provide a brief overview of these. The tutorial material uses Adobe Photoshop Lightroom as an example, but links to tutorials for other packages are also provided.
Computing requirements
You will need a device with internet access to study this module as a web browser is used to access learning materials and activities. Any other computer-based activities you will need to carry out, such as word processing, using spreadsheets, taking part in online forums, and submitting files to the university for assessment, are specified in the module materials. If any additional software is needed for these tasks it will either be provided or is freely available. You may need administrative privileges to install software required for this module. Windows 10 S is not suitable as it restricts software installation to software available in the Windows Application Store.
Suitable devices are:
- A Windows desktop or laptop running Windows 7 or later operating system
- A Macintosh desktop or laptop running OS X 10.8 or later operating system.
Some software will not run on Linux, iOS or Android devices.
A netbook, tablet, smartphone or Linux computer that supports one of the browsers listed below may be suitable. However, these devices may not be suitable for some activities. If you intend to use one of these devices please ensure you have access to a suitable desktop or laptop device that uses the Windows or OS X operating system in case you are unable to carry out all activities on your mobile device.
Recent versions of the following browsers are suitable for carrying out web-based activities:
- Safari
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Edge
Or Internet Explorer 9 and above.
Using a browser upgraded to the latest version will maximise security when accessing the internet.
Using company or library computers may prevent you accessing some internet materials or installing additional software.
To be able to talk and listen in our online discussions you will need both a microphone and speakers/headphones.
Devices with small screens may make it difficult to view the material provided and carry out the activities. However, a device that has a resolution of at least 1024 pixels horizontally and also at least 768 pixels vertically should be adequate.
See our Skills for OU study website for further information about computing skills for study and educational deals for buying Microsoft Office software.
If you have a disability
Photography is inherently a highly visual subject, and use of a camera may require some manual dexterity.
The course includes significant amounts of work with a computer. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you, you are advised to contact us about support which can be given to meet your needs.
Written transcripts of audio material are provided.
If you have particular study requirements please tell us as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Find out more about our services for disabled students.