Creative Photography
The one year course of Post Graduate Diploma in Creative Photography at SACAC introduces students to the world of professional photography with this very profound thought as its core theme.
Through this post graduate course in creative photography, SACAC equips its students to translate their passion and creativity for this art form into works of art. In this world – everything is created twice - first in the eye of the mind and then in the physical world. The curriculum focuses on two basic things for the student:
- Evolving the ability to recognize and appreciate human situations and aspirations
- Understand “the camera” and its technicalities so that the camera becomes an extension of the photographer's inner eye
- Learning the language of photography
- Understanding the technicalities of craft
- Gaining an understanding & appreciation of photography by famous photographers
- Getting trained in structuring of their thoughts
- Mentoring by famous photographers
- Lots of hands on, out of the class room experiences in photography & Industry interface
Upon its successful completion, the course opens up opportunities for creative expression and interesting assignments in fields of Photo journalism, Documentary photography, Street photography, Portraiture, Fashion photography, Landscape photography and– to name a few of the possibilities. These days a professional photographer has many channels for getting creative satisfaction and acclaim for his/her work by associating with NGOs, newspapers, magazines and websites.
Prospective students should note that one cannot become a successful photographer over a short period of time. Students need to be passionate and committed to the field and success comes after years of honing one’s skills.
Qualification:
- Graduates from any discipline
- Admission is subject to an aptitude test followed by interview.
Attributes:
- A creative and innovative bent of mind
- Interest in and commitment for the subject
- Knowledge of basic computer operations
Curriculum
This one-year course commences with workshops that connect the students to their own creative selves in this artistic pursuit. Students learn the basics of light, composition, exposure, shutter speed through various exercises and rigorous feedback sessions. The course gives special attention to critical appreciation of pictures by Master Photographers that makes it unique in comparison to regular Diploma in Photography or Digital Photography courses. ;
Workshops are organized on technical accessories such as flash, studio lights, reflectors, lenses, filters and also on subjects like music, films, theatre and painting. The aim is to give students an understanding of the basic drive and purpose of documenting human interest through photography.
Students are expected to visit exhibitions, seminars and symposiums, participate in debates and discussion to critically deconstruct media and its components. Photographers of repute visit the campus with their body of work to discuss their approach and experiences. This helps the students in developing their minds to look at things critically and thereby helps them to evolve an inner eye that sees things with newer perspectives.
The course is spread over three semesters including the following course content in each of its semester:
Semester I
- Visualization and representation
- History of photography
- Purpose of Photography
- Deconstruction of Media - I
- Understanding other forms of artistic expressions - I
- Critical appreciation of Masters' body of work - I
- Meet photographers - I
- Basics of Camera in Film SLR format
- Exposure - interplay of shutter speed & aperture
- Colour Theory
- Understanding light and shadow in black and
white and colour - Aesthetics of Composition
- Basics of Light
- Digital photography
- Understanding - Natural Light, Flash, Reflector
- Studio lights, lenses and Filters
- Documenting life through Portraiture
- Developing curatorial capability
- Post-production of Images - cropping, colour correction, Enhancement
- History of Indian Photography
- Deconstruction of Media - II
- Critical appreciation of Masters' body of work - II
- Meet photographers - II
- Documenting life through photo journalism
- Celebrating life through fashion photography
- Celebrating nature through landscape photography
This semester is aimed at developing curatorial skills of each student enrolled. The body of work created by each student is critically dissected and analyzed before it becomes part of an annual photo exhibition. Students understand the process of captioning a picture, mounting it on a wall and present it to the audience as part of their preparations for the annual photo exhibition. Students are also taught through special sessions as to how to deal with the business of photography, understand the pricing dynamics and how to market their work. The exhibition works as a platform for the students to showcase their work for critical public appreciation in the form of their diploma project.
