The purpose of this module is to deliver a working understanding of photographic studio use and lighting techniques, to enable the photographing of people within a studio environment in areas of studio production such as fashion, editorial, advertising, portraiture and contemporary art photography; this will be complemented by a study of contextual, theoretical, critical, cultural and historical aspects of the medium, with reference to studio practices.
Studio Photography
This module complements the proceeding photography module: the emphasis of this module is on practice-based team work within a controlled studio environment; whereas the emphasis of the proceeding module (Documentary Photography) is on individual documentary practice in an external environment. Through in-depth study of different areas of studio photography and in the production of project work relating to this (in which students could assume the roles of photographer, assistant, stylist, make-up artist, art director, model), students will be empowered to realise a sophisticated resolution of projected aims, in which a high level of debate will be encouraged and to which all students will be expected to contribute. Various areas of studio practice will be researched and explored, including fashion, editorial, contemporary art practices and portraiture. There will be an exploration of lighting techniques: the nature and behaviour of light; artificial lighting; continuous lighting; flash lighting; fill-in flash; mixing natural light and artificial light; ambient and flash light readings with a hand-held light meter; flash guns; flash lighting in the studio; choosing lighting equipment; using studio flash heads and studio equipment such as backdrops, stands, reflectors and clamps; location lighting; contrast control; control of colour temperature; studio health and safety. A high-end digital medium format camera will be used in the studio: the techniques and advantages of using this format; the digital SLR camera and digital capture backs for medium format and technical cameras; Raw camera files and sensor sizes; lens focal lengths and conversion factors for lenses; Raw file process control; sending files to print via a RIP. Prints will be output by students to an industry standard wide format high-end photo quality archival pigment inkjet printer.
Learning modes include weekly lectures, presentations and hands-on practice.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |