Photography in a day: drawing with light

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.
Google classroom login help.

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 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.