Prerequisites or Prior Knowledge

Camera Basics or basic knowledge of your camera settings and functions.

Course Description

In this course, participants will be guided in the conception and realization of their personal photography projects. Personal Projects is intended for students with basic photography experience and aims to help them articulate image sequences or a body of work that express their personal vision. We will explore all stages of a project, including conception, research, production, final output, and presentation.

The final project may take any printed form, such as a photo zine, a photobook mockup, or a body of work installed in a designated space. The emphasis is on developing self-expression through photography and equipping participants with the tools necessary to produce their own photographic projects.

Topics will include choosing, approaching, and following a subject, analyzing, editing, sequencing, and displaying images on screen and in print, creating a photobook or zine layout with Adobe InDesign, and printing. Conceptual, formal, and technical aspects of the projects will be addressed, discussed, and reflected in class. The course prioritizes experimentation and the development of a personal visual language, with a strong focus on fostering self-expression through photography.

This course is designed for individuals who already have a body of images—completed or in progress, whether their own, drawn from an archive, or found—but are unsure how to develop it further, what direction to take, or how best to present it. It is also suitable for those who wish to start a new project from scratch.

We will explore key questions related to producing photographic series, photo essays, experimental, and documentary work. In addition, we will view and discuss significant personal projects that have influenced the evolution and history of the photographic medium. The aim of the course is to produce a printed personal photographic body of work.

Please note that the preliminary printing will be carried out off campus by students. The final prints, however, will be produced on campus using paper from the College’s available stock.

Course Content

• Researching and collecting source material
• Approaching and developing a subject
• Shooting and/or producing a cohesive body of work
• Writing workshop: concepts, thought maps, and keywords
• Creating linear and non-linear visual narratives
• Reviewing key photobooks and photography-based short films
• Editing and sequencing printed and digital images in Adobe Lightroom and manually
• Producing basic page layouts in Adobe InDesign

Course Materials

A 35mm DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex), mirrorless, or film camera (as long as you scan and digitize the negatives at home), SD card, and an external hard drive or USB key.