Level 2 Portfolio Development GENERAL INFORMATION As the second level to the program, Level 2 is less structured, and more self-directed than Level 1, and entirely centered on portfolio production from the beginning of the school year. Students successfully completing Level 2 : Portfolio Development are certified graduates of SPAO; Level 3 is an optional invitation-only graduate level. The schedule for Portfolio Development 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 required to put in substantial and regular self-directed production hours as they more fully develop their direction and signature styles, flesh out their set of portfolios and create 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 more loosely structured from a thematic viewpoint than in the previous year. Students are expected to explore the photographic genres that interest them while honing their foundation skills to match their pursuits. The Core Curriculum Classes run 26 weeks of the SPAO year. An arranged “stage” in which students work a placement week in the photographic arts milieu will occur roughly midway through the session. Four weeks of year-end exhibition and portfolio preparation and presentation finishes off Level 2 with an introduction of the graduating class to the commercial photographic industry, and the visual arts community. In this portfolio development year, students sharpen their photographic skills, expand their visual vocabulary, and evolve their photo practice through intense portfolio and exhibition production. SPAO endeavours to have Level 2 graduates leave the institution with not only the output of this intense production session, but with also the mastery of craft and content and the clarity of vision required to continue working to the highest standards.   Core Curriculum Classes PHOTO THEORY 02 ~2 hours/week This course will impart an in depth theoretical approach to colour theory and photographic imaging software. Students will attain a firm understanding of the principles of light, colour and optics from a film base in which these analogue methods will then be linked to current digital systems and workflow. High-end production skills and colour management required for commercial practice will be established to complete an integral knowledge base for today’s photographer. AUTEURS 02 ~2 hours/week A survey course that examines the work of important photo-practitioners from technical, historical, and conceptual angles. Through the study of photography from the many points of view of the master image-makers, students will become more aware of the diversity and breadth of the photographic field, and begin to locate their own practice within that field and to define their own signature style and approach. Lectures, guest appearances, and gallery visits and other field trips will give context and inspiration to the student’s own explorations, as well as increase their aesthetic sophistication and develop their critical faculties. LIGHTING AND STUDIO TECHNIQUES 02 ~2 hours/week Studio photography and the lighting techniques required of the modern photographic practitioner will be examined. Hands on practical working time will provide the student with a strong working knowledge and a direction towards creative problem solving. DIGITAL TECHNIQUES - POST PRODUCTION 02 ~4 hours/week An intensive and hands on building of high-end production skills from set design to final image. Through the merging of refined traditional skills to the most cutting edge digital image processing tools and approaches – students will create fully expressive images. Design and management of the student’s set of final portfolios, are discussed in and informed by roundtables, lectures, and demonstrations. Critiques take place in interactive forums that range in scale from one-on-one meetings with instructors to full-day guest sessions with the entire student body. Topics and techniques covered in the lectures, demonstrations and exercises will include: scanning, Photoshop, ink jet printmaking and digital asset management. These will all be investigated from the practical perspective of their functioning in the modern photographic toolbox, and fully appreciated through additional self-directed project time. PORTFOLIO CONCEPTS ~2 hours/week Implement a new photographic publication initiating the students to the creative conception of a magazine. The choice of that media will give them the opportunity to illustrate their photographic achievements in an original, commercial and professional way. The final product will be the result of an integration of their personal and collective work and will focus on developing a sense of the power of photographic images as a communicative tool. The basic principle of the course is to allow for an individuals increased understanding of the photograph. Concerned with formal structure through visual language and sequencing, the student will explore their specific ideas, interests, and possible new directions.  INTENSIVE CONCENTRATION WORKSHOPS (ICW) ~3 hours/alternate weeks These guest lectures are given by working professionals and artists in photography or fields related or linked to it. The content covered in the classes is varied and highly condensed, focusing on specialized techniques, methods, issues or information tangential to the core curriculum. These invited professors, professionals or members of the artistic community share not only their specialized skill-sets, and current living knowledge with SPAO, but also their personal pertinent experiences and understanding. Some topics included in the ICW Program: Advance Photoshop Techniques Digital Asset Management (DAM) Small Business Practices Photographic Equipment Solutions Advanced Lighting Techniques Theatre Lighting Design Matting and Framing Techniques Web Design Historical Print Processes Photographic Conservation and Archiving Graphic Design (Typography and Branding) Food Styling Architectural Lighting Photography Photojournalism Sculptural Study and the Still Life Set Design and Construction Stills for Motion Pictures, and Location Management The Photo Studio Heyday Nude Studies Figurative Drawing: Poses and Forms Art Representation and Collection Fashion Week (Styling, Makeup Design, Wardrobe, Models, Hair Design) Artists Grants and Funding