Academic course of photography

Please find herewith the Academic Program of Photography, Video, Web, Graphic and Multimedia of TheDarkroom, Florence. You can also download the linked pdf file here.

 CENTRO ITALIANO FIRENZE

 

DEPARTMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHY, VISUAL COMMUNICATION AND MULTIMEDIA THEDARKROOM

Course title

Academic course for professional education and formation.

 

Professional expertise

Technician photographer and communication and multimedia technician.

 

Expertise fields

Photography, Graphics for photography, Web design, introduction to Video making, Journalistic Writing for the media.

 

Description

It’s consisting on a professional expertise that works in the field of photography, publishing fields, printing, and recording industry. 

The professional figure is able to take pictures with the most diffused techniques. Takes part in the development of products and services with technologies for to make photographs and for to digitally post produce. He/she does take advantage of artistic  and philological techniques and interpretative skills.

 

Work possibilities

Self employee; free lance or employee with photography studios and agencies.

 

Teacher assessment

Teachers, expert professionals of their specific fields.

 

Facilities and teaching tools

Studio gears and for on location shooting equipments.

 

Program of the course

Module 1 introduces to the understanding of photography at a basic level, gives ability to use the photo camera and lenses at a basic level, including both film and digital gears.

Module 2 introduce to the use of the computer applied to photography, of digital photocameras and to the digital imaging handling.

Module 3 introduces to the practical use of the images with web design concepts. The works made until now during the preceding modules are used to begin the making of the web site. The module dedicates a second chapter then to multimedia techniques of writing for the media. The actual market requires expertise in the multimedia fields. The sill image is not anymore sufficient for the evolved society of today. The modern forms of communication require the photographic production being integrated with graphic projects, web contents and containers, video and other multimedia forms of social interaction.

Module 4 develops Module 1 and 2 concepts, insisting on techniques and developing aesthetics on a more advanced level. A constant interaction with the photocamera and with the the computer is carried out since the beginning of the course, beside the constant development and study of the digital applications for the digital imaging processes.

Module 5 introduce to the use of the photographic studio and to the professional techniques for commercial ad advertisement photography. The subject matters carried out until this point are basis for a even more broad and advanced study. The student continues to work with the computer, the photocamera and the specific applications and techniques.

Module 6 develops fashion photography and professional lighting for the studio. Digital techniques for the computer are pushed to an advanced level for the specific filed.

Module 7 introduces to photojournalism and to a more broad understanding and expressivity of the photographic imaging. All techniques studied until now in the preceding modules are the basis for the development of a new communication format. So the module 4 has given to the student a broad skill to make work presentations, web galleries and for to broad cast photojournalistic works on the web.

Module 8 introduces to the practical use of the images with graphics. The works made until now during the preceding modules are used to begin the making of catalogues, books, postcards, flyers, web sites and more. This module dedicates a second chapter to multimedia techniques of video. The actual market requires expertise in the multimedia fields. The sill image is not anymore sufficient for the evolved society of today. The modern forms of communication require the photographic production being integrated with graphic projects, web contents and containers, video and other multimedia forms of social interaction.

 

Module 1. Basic course of photography

Introduction to photography

Short history of photography

Evolution of photographic systems

The choice of the photocamera

Perspective and evolution of the imagery representation

The camera obscura and the lenses

Principles of optics applied to photography

Characteristics and functions of the lens

Aperture, focals, angle of field

The film: grain and sensitivity

Shooting on film

Depth of field and controlled motion blur

Basis of photographic composition

The Fratelli Alinari and the photographic industry 

Landscape photography with Ansel Adams

Shooting exercises and outdoor practice of landscape photography

Critique of the works produced 

Visit of MNAF, the Alinari national museum of history of photography

 

Module 2. Digital photography course

Short history of digital systems

What is the digital image

The digital sensor and the Bayer matrix

Differences between CCD and C-mos

Memory devices and hard disks

Computer science basics

Mac or Windows

The monitor

The scanner, both for paper sheets and transparencies

Printers and color profiles

Methods for the digital archive

Introduction to Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture

The photographic portraiture and the outdoor lighting control

Shooting exercises and outdoor practice of portraiture photography

Critique of the works produced 

Starting the creation of a digital archive

 

Module 3. Multimedia I course: web design and Journalistic writing for the media

3.A Web design course

Evolution of communication: from the printed paper to the web

Domain and hosting

Basis of programming: html, php, flash

How to make a web site

Web design tools: editor applications

Search engine optimization: what you should do, what you shouldn’t

Exercises: building a personal web site

3.B Journalistic writing for the media

Communication basics: the public, the three messages, form, impact, goal, the 5 W of journalism. 

A formal model of communication. 

Style rules: grammar, composition, passive and active voice, retorics.  

The writing method. 

Identification of the public. 

The research: notes and organization. 

Body-head vs head-body. 

Revisions and perfection. 

Exercises of writing for photography: captions, description, introduction, biography, the Curriculum Vitae, the commercial letter, the brochure.

 

Module 4. Advanced photography course

Digital equipments and photography devices

Elements of psychology and visual perception

Basics of traditional darkroom

Medium format film cameras and digital medium format gears

Practical film shooting

Light and color

Electromagnetic spectrum

Black and white films and spectral sensitivity

Use of contrast filters with film and similitudes with digital systems

Introduction to architectural photography 

The tripod

The urban documentation with Eugene Atget

The Straight Photography movement with Edward Weston

Shooting outdoor practice of architectural photography and urban documentation

Critique of the works produced

Scanner import sessions

Computer post production sessions

 

Module 5. Studio photography, macrophotography and still-life

Lighting techniques basics

Artificial and flash lighting differences

Large format cameras and view cameras

LArge format lenses and circle of coverage

Perspective control with shifting movements

Focal control with tilting and swinging movements

Digital backs

The Avant-guards and Surrealism with Man Ray and Josef Sudek

The studio set up

The studio flash

Diffusors and umbrellas

Spot and banks

Studio and still-life shooting practice

Critique of the works produced

Introduction to the digital print

Color profiles and printer/monitor calibration

 

Module 6. Fashion and portraiture photography course

Short history of fashion photography

Trends in fashion photography from the 20s to today

Creativity and innovation

Portraiture photography

Photography for the fashion catalogue

Photography for fashion advertisement

Photography for the beauty

The fashion shooting studio

Use of the light meter

Lighting schemas

Full lighting

Cut lighting

Rembrandt and butterfly lighting

Strip lighting

Bounce and diffused lighting

Ring lighting

Direct sun and silhouette 

Shooting exercises and studio practice

Critique of the works produced

 

Module 7.  Photojournalism course

What is photojournalism

The European Realism: French Humanism and Italian Neorealism 

Henri Cartier-Bresson and Magnum Photos

Photojournalism yesterday and nowadays 

The new multimedia challenge

Shooting in ambient lighting

The artificial lighting

The pocket flash unit

Central and curtain shutters

Flash synchronization problems

The square rule and the exposure with the flash

Creative use of the flash unit

Direct and bounce lighting

Harsh and soft lighting

Lenses and equipments for the photojournalism

The access problem 

Shooting exercises and outdoor practice of: shooting a market place, a quarter, a town, an event, a very important people 

 

Module 8. Multimedia II course: graphics and Video making course

4.A Graphics design course

Philosophy of  design: form and function.  

Short history of graphics and visual communication of the XX century.  

Elements and methodology: the visual arts, typography, page layout, animation, interaction and distribution channels.  

Visual arts compositional rules: elements, principles of organization and techniques of composition.  

Psychology of the visual culture: genotype, age, nationality, user profiles.  

Design tools: inDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Pages and Flash.

Exercises: Project “Photographic brochure”, “the design for the print and for the web”. 

8.A Video making course

Multimedia applied to photographic field

Video formats and videocameras

The “podcast” video and the professional video

The film director thought

The screen play

Video editing and video tools: iMovie, Pinnacle

Export formats

Podcast video making for the web site



Join TheDarkroom Group on Facebook

Like our official page TheDarkroom Academy of Photography, Firenze