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Level 1 Photographic Foundations General Information As the entry level to the program, Level 1 is the most structured of the 3 levels of the SPAO Portfolio Program, but is still highly self-directed, and production driven in nature. The schedule for this level has formal lecture/demonstration time of approximately 14 hours a week. Facilities outside of these hours are open to student access, day and evening, depending on workshop and part-time studies schedules. Students are expected to put in a significant number of self-directed production hours as they work through their modules towards their year-end portfolios and exhibition pieces. Instructors have extended office hours to provide students with intensive one-on-one tutelage for the entire school year. Course content at this level is delivered through a series of Photo Genre Modules, which introduce, through practical experience and exploration, the tools, techniques, and visual vocabulary needed to create a strong photographic foundation. The Core Curriculum Classes run 30 weeks of the SPAO year and their content changes thematically in sync with the Photo Genre Module in progress. SPAO endeavors to teach through practical experience, and instill in its students a rigorous craft ethic, while they develop an understanding of their own creative process. This foundation year is key to the evolution of sophisticated vision, and the skills required for high-end execution.  Core Curriculum Classes Photo Theory 01 - 2 hours/week In depth, relevant, instruction in theoretical foundations of photography; from the camera and its functioning, through lenses, exposure, film, light and optics. This lecture course forms the indispensable knowledge basis for the program's practical applications. History and Theory of Photography 01 - 2 hours/week History and Theory of Photography is designed to give students the opportunity to locate their photographic practice and interests in the context of the broader histories and theories of photography. We will survey the origins of photography, its development as an art form, a social object, a visual image, a commercial tool, and more. We will ask how photography conditions the way we see and think about the world around us. In addition students will develop the ability to communicate thoughts and ideas through a variety of written assignments. Classes will include lectures, gallery visits and field trips, as well as student-directed discussions and presentations. Lighting and Studio Techniques 01 - 2 hours/week A practical exploration of photographic lighting from “writing” with available sources, through light characteristics and qualities, to creating your own light. The components, functioning and potential of the modern studio will also be investigated, in addition to instruction in camera movements, styling and set design. Demonstrations, exercises and lectures, form the structure of this largely hands-on course which is further expanded upon by students' self directed work hours. Printmaking Techniques 01 - 4 hours/week A thorough and practical building of print craftsmanship through varied vehicles. Silver gelatin, ink jet and alternative processes will be taught rigorously, with traditional techniques like split-filtering, transfer printing, and reduction printing merging seamlessly with the most current digital technologies, software and materials. This practicum will not only give students comprehension of the photographic print medium, but also the skills needed to achieve fully expressive, high-end results in their self directed work hours. Digital Techniques - 2 hours/week Hands on introduction to the digital imaging workflow from pre-visualization, to art direction, to capture and to final image workflow processes. Students will use the most cutting edge digital image processing tools to produce high-end black and white prints. Through a series of lectures, demonstrations and exercises, students will become proficient in reflective and transparency scanning, Photoshop, and ink jet printmaking. These formative skills will result in the students' production of their first elevated portfolio. Projects and Presentations - 2 hours/week This workshop is modeled to expand and build students knowledge base in all aspects of photography through presentations of guest lecturers, institutional collaborative exchanges, competitions, group projects, SPAO exhibitions and most importantly - teamwork. All students come together to create exhibitions, group projects and collaborate in photographic projects and shows. They are given opportunities to hear key speakers and attend excursions to critical institutions and events. The workshop provides students with an avenue to learn specialized techniques, methods, issues or information tangential to the core curriculum and key to their future career. Some past Projects and Presentations topics: Cinema as Inspiration for Lighting Still Photographs, Matting and Framing Techniques, Web Design, Historical Print Processes, Photographic Conservation and Archiving, Food Styling, Architectural Lighting Photography, Vernacular Photography, Sculptural Study and the Still Life, Set Design and Construction Stills for Motion Pictures, Figurative Drawing: Poses and Forms, Art Representation and Collection Fashion Week (Styling, Makeup Design, Wardrobe, Models, Hair Design), Artists' Grants and Funding Some past Projects and Presentations speakers: Edith Maybin, Thaddeus Holownia, Jonathan Hobin, Tony Fouhse, Lorraine Gilbert, Phil Gabriel, Karina Kraenzle, Michael Schreier, Marie-Jeanne Musiol, Jennifer Dickson. Back to Portfolio Program Back to Top |
 Photo Genre Modules Still Life / 5 weeks Although deceptively classical by name, this module links course content to the current commercial photographic field. Lighting, composition, lens choice, set design, camera movements and the use of texture are some of the issues tackled through this genre. Table top still-life techniques, such as working with natural, tungsten, and flash lighting, propping, food styling and communicating with stylists and art directors, will all be touched upon. The versatility of the modern studio will be experienced through the use of equipment like: umbrellas, soft boxes, reflectors and diffusers. Pre-visualization, deliberateness of approach and development of concept will begin to be emphasized. Architecture / 5 weeks This module is designed among other things to refine students' sensitivity to photographing the exteriors of architectural structures and the interiors of architectural spaces. Practical experience will include problem solving with natural and artificial lighting, filtration, image design and lens choice. Issues such as composition, styling, use of props, photographing within the landscape, and editorial content will also be tackled, in addition to the problems of expression of the image through the print medium. Landscape and Nature / 4 weeks This beginning module takes advantage of pattern, texture and form in the natural world around us as a subject to approach first intuitively and then deliberately. Students will deepen their awareness of natural light, and work with subject size, composition, foreground-background relationships, selective focus, POV, perspective and the photographer's relationship to the subject, as well as all the aspects of beginning camera technique. Portraiture / 5 weeks This module kicks off the second half of Level 1, with a genre comprised of many interesting sub-categories. Fashion, lifestyle, narrative, editorial, environmental and self-portraiture will be among the topics tackled. Students will continue to explore the studio in this new context, potentially begin location shooting, and launch into the use of colour. The challenge of directing, working with and capturing subjects will be new to this module, and the human face as subject will provide valuable exercise to lessons of print production and expression. Documentary / 3 weeks Editorial and sequencing skills will be honed in this module to enhance students' comprehension of the complexities that go into producing effective narratives about the world we live in. Personal voice and artistry, and the exploration of the relationships between the photographer, the individual subject, and the world at large will be key. Students will acquire a sensitivity to their surroundings, increase their powers of observation, and raise their awareness of expressive possibilities. Experience gained in establishing and maintaining subject rapport will be further enhanced, and print expressivity in the context of a series will be explored. Contemporary Photographic Practice / 3 weeks This module begins the students' foray, continued in Level 2, into personal self-directed photo projects. All of the base elements practiced in modules 1 through 5 come in to play here, as photography is explored as a medium for self-expression, documentation and personal communication. Modes of image presentation are investigated and refined in this context, as a means to fully realize base concepts, such as: a sense of place, social justice issues, memory and body image. Exhibition and Portfolio Production / 4 weeks This concentrated, production and presentation module, wraps up Level 1 with the end of the year show, Exhibition No. 2. Students will spend half of this module in the intensive production of exhibition and portfolio prints in all of the photographic media and genres explored in Modules 1 through 6. Students will learn and participate in the aspects of show organization: curation, design, framing, matting, installation, art writing, promotion, and education will be among those aspects. Level 1 students will additionally work towards their first completed image portfolio for exhibition in this context as well as self-promotion. |
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