Students explore current and historical trends in photography and identify career opportunities in a wide variety of visual communication fields. Students learn to control lighting and exposure in a studio environment while exploring a variety of subjects, including still life, commercial product and people photography. Students learn to identify the characteristics of light on a subject, operate studio lighting equipment and master a variety of metering techniques to calculate proper exposure. Students in this course discover the artistic substance of photography through the application of design principles in photography. Students compose images that are balanced, exhibit depth and explore the relationship between visual elements, emotions and ideas.
Students learn to assess their work and formulate criteria for critiquing photography and design.
Students apply the skills acquired in second-quarter photography classes and develop work habits to meet employer standards when using darkroom and shooting room facilities in the photography building. Commercial artists and photographers frequently work together in producing a final ad for a client. Too often there is a total lack of compatibility insofar as formulating an understanding between the two mediums. It becomes more and more apparent to those in industry that a more thorough understanding of art be had by the photographer and that of photography for the artist, to recognize the limitations of each medium as well as the advantages. This course applies the principles of studio photography outside of the studio by teaching students to analyze and modify lighting conditions on location.