What you will study
The course is designed to be studied over a ten-week period, with approximately ten hours of study each week. The course is a creative mix of practice, learning, sharing and reflection.
Practice
Each week you will do a practical photographic activity that will broaden and strengthen your photographic experience. Together these activities form the basis of your portfolio that you will draw upon for your end-of-module assessment.
Learning
Each week you will learn about different aspects of photographic techniques, as well as relevant aspects of the technology behind digital photography.
Sharing and reflection
Each week you will share your work within the course’s online community of photographers. You’ll steadily develop your ability to reflect upon your own and others’ work, and to write about your increasing visual awareness.
The course will:
- teach you the key principles of capturing digital images
- show you how to manipulate images with photo-editing software
- equip you with basic skills to navigate technological developments in digital photography
- teach you how to critically evaluate your own and others’ work in the spirit of continuous technical and artistic improvement
- encourage you to develop your photography as part of a supportive online community
- help you to develop a portfolio of which you can be proud.
You will learn
The course will introduce a range of aspects of digital photography including:
- ‘ways of seeing’ and the elements of composition
- the basic principles of capturing light information digitally (e.g. sensors, memory, file types)
- the digital workflow (capture, organise, edit and share)
- how to control exposure, focus and depth of field
- an introduction to digital colour management
- how to print and project your images
- using your smartphone for photography
- an introduction to historical and contemporary photographic aesthetics.
The course includes videos that illustrate how to technically and creatively improve your images using photo-editing software.
Professional recognition
This ten-week online course is presented in partnership with The Royal Photographic Society (RPS).
Successful completion of the course will lead to the award of The Royal Photographic Society Certificate in Photography. This is free to members of the Society and is available for a small fee to non-members.
If your images are of a high standard, you may wish to try for a qualification or distinction in photography. The course has been designed to give you the necessary basic skills to tackle The Royal Photographic Society Licentiate Distinction (LRPS) in still photography.
Learner support
The course is taught entirely online and you will not have an individual tutor. You will have access to online forums that you are strongly encouraged to participate in, as they are an excellent source of support and information. These forums combine self-help from fellow students with input from expert moderators.
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.
Course length
This course will require around 100 hours to complete.