Photography in a day: drawing with light
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Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
- Start Date: 01 Apr 2026End Date: 01 Apr 2026Wed (Daytime): 10:00 - 17:00In PersonFull fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £129.00
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
Learn about different visual languages in contemporary photography and put new ideas to practise. Experiment with light, colour and composition. Explore a range of photographic techniques and genres, such as still life, abstraction and light painting. Share your images in a group critiques and take part in discussion to consider how meaning is achieved and what a photograph can impart.
The studio is fully wheelchair accessible.
The acoustics are excellent.
Part of the course work is done outside the photography studio. You will need to be able to walk about 500 meters and the locations might not be fully wheelchair accessible.
What will we cover?
- Exploring composition, finding new perspectives
- Working with light and shadow
- Experimenting with focus and depth of field, creating abstractions
- Combining images, building collages and diptychs
- Exploring movement, creating light-paintings.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Observe your everyday surroundings from new perspectives
- Use composition, colour and light to create interesting imagery
- Discuss a range of visual languages in contemporary photography
- Apply a range of techniques in creating images with a digital camera
- Gain confidence in sharing your work and discussing it with others.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is ideal for people with some experience of photography; having some background knowledge of basic photographic technique is useful but not essential.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught using a range of techniques including workshops, short lectures, demonstrations, practical exercises, tutorials, group and individual assistance and hand-outs. You will be expected to photograph some images between the lessons and upload them to Google classroom for group discussion. Please note the City Lit uses Apple Mac computers in the Photography studio. We also use Google classroom to share course materials.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Please bring your camera (if you have one) to the classes and you may wish to bring a notebook and pen. The City Lit has a range of Digital SLR and mirrorless (Canon, Fuji, Nikon and Sony) cameras, tripods, lenses and flash which you are welcome to use during the hours of the class. It would be useful to bring a memory stick (or portable hard drive – please note: PC formatted hard drives can be read by Apple mac computers, but not written to.) This course is not suitable for photography on smart phones or fully automatic cameras.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
You can develop your interest in photography further through a range of creative and practical photography courses at City Lit, for example in Contemporary Art Photography. Browse the full list to get inspired.
Scott Perry is a photographic artist and lecturer who works across a broad range of different photographic techniques and processes within his practice, including a specialism in experimental and analogue processes. His main interest within photography is in the way in which photographs are seen and shared, whether that is through prints shared on the wall, creating photobooks, or projecting still and moving images. He has also exhibited internationally, including numerous times at the Polish Festival of Pinhole Photography and venues in Italy, Portugal, USA and across the UK. Perry is also a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Westminster, where he is exploring the way in which events (specifically UK airshows) are documented and communicated through photography; with a focus on the expanded field of photography through light art practices. At City Lit, Scott teaches a range of courses including Pinhole Photography, Digital Printing and Wildlife Photography with the breadth of the courses mirroring his practice.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.