Photography I ($350)
Course Description:
This is a comprehensive survey of practically everything a photographer needs in order to begin shooting with real purpose. Think of this as the gateway to our more advanced classes. The Photo1 curriculum carefully lays out all the elemental components of photography, including the logic behind how your equipment and camera settings were designed, the various ways you can capture and manipulate the light within your scene, how to manipulate and manage the spatial relationships within your shot, how to exploit the movement occurring within your scene, and much much more. This course also serves as an introduction to the more ideological aspects of photography, including several discussions on aesthetic theory, different types of photographic authorship, as well as some discussion of viewer psychology (ie: the way the viewer is likely to read and understand an image).
Who should take this:
Practically everyone. This class is designed for people with no previous knowledge so beginners should feel entirely welcome. However students with more advanced needs are also encouraged to begin with Photography1 as this course gradually expands to include a lot of intermediate concepts, and moreover, we've repeatedly found that our curriculum covers the elemental "basics" of photography far more thoroughly than other programs. *PLEASE NOTE* this course is only appropriate for students aged 17 and up.
Upon completion:
Students should expect to possess a solid understanding of the equipment and terminology involved in photography, as well as how to employ several technical and compositional strategies.
*This is a 12-hour course consisting of one 2-hour session per week for 6 consecutive weeks
Please Note: If a particular date is marked as full, you are welcome to email us at Andrew@ausop.org and request a spot on the waiting list.
Upcoming Start Dates:
May 29 (Thursdays at 6:15pm)
Jun 1 (Sundays at 1pm)
Jun 3 (Tuesdays at 6:15pm)
Jun 4 (Wednesdays at 12pm)
Photography II ($350)
Course Description:
This more advanced class takes the elemental principles that were established in Photography1 and applies them toward higher-level creative and professional goals. Simply put, if Photo1 establishes a familiarity with the intricate components of photography, then Photo2 establishes a more sophisticated framework for how you can combine those various components. Specifically this includes the imposition of more complex image structures, an understanding of the logic and distinctions that make up different photographic styles, and a comprehensive knoweldge of photography as both a fine art medium as well as an occupational task.
Who should take this:
This course is designed for those who wish to be able to exercise very concise and willful control over their images - both creatively and communicatively. Therefore a strong knowledge of photographic theory is required, so if you are still in the intermediate stage we recommend you begin with Photography1.
Upon completion:
Students should be able to control how their images are structured (by combining multiple photographic strategies), as well as control how a viewer's eyes will read and respond to their images, and finally, they'll have more control over what their images communicate. Students will also acquire substantive knowledge about fine art theory as it applies to photography, as well as an understanding of the history and evolution of the medium. And students will also understand the logic behind why the various disciplines of professional and fine art photography are compelled to employ the strategies that they do.
*This is a 12-hour course consisting of one 2-hour session per week for 6 consecutive weeks.
Upcoming Dates:
Jun 1 (Sundays at 4pm)
Jun 4 (Wednesdays at 6:15pm)
Studio Lighting I ($350)
Course Description:
This course teaches photographic strategy within a studio setting, including the use of photographic strobes, lighting accessories, advanced metering strategies, portrait lighting, and how to combine artifical flash with existing ambient light.
Who should take this:
Students wanting to develop an expert level of control over commercial portraits, fashion photography, interiors, and product photography, as well as any artists and hobbyists who wish to expand their knowledge of how light can be manipulated in a controlled environment. A near-expert understanding of photographic theory is required for this course, so if you are not entirely confident in your knowledge of the photographic sciences, we recommend you begin with Photography1. It is also worth noting that those interested in Wedding Photography should be advised that the professional tasks of a wedding photographer are a combination of these skills and the skills addressed in the Editorial Photography class.
Upon completion:
Students will have a solid working knowledge of both the equipment and the strategies involved in commercial and creative studio photography.
*This is a 12-hour course consisting of one 2-hour session per week for 6 consecutive weeks.
Upcoming Dates
Jun 2 (Mondays at 6:15pm)
Editorial Photography I ($350)
Course Description:
This course addresses expert-level construction of visual narrative. It is here that students learn the advanced mechanics - and the syntax - involved in organizing information and context within a narrative photograph. The purpose of this course is for students to develop an ability to navigate a viewer, very concisely, through a series of visual cues that control both how that viewer understands the narrative information in a scene, as well as how that viewer understands and perceives the cultural sentiment being expressed. This course also deals with the imposition of established cultural constructs (or archetypes), in an attempt to clarify that a photographer can do more than just organize the information in a given scene, they can also impose any cultural idea they want onto that scene.
Who should take this:
Students wanting to shoot documentary photography, photojournalism, magazine photography, or wedding photography at a very high level. It should be noted that this is the most rigorous course offered at ASOP, and as such both Photography1 and Photography2 are strict prerequisites. Students are expected to enter the course already having a working understanding of how to utilize the physics of photography in order to: 1) create hierarchies of information within an image, 2) isolate subjects within a scene, 3) suggest movement within an image in multiple different ways, 4) organize an image into "subjects" and "qualifiers," 5) promote more dynamic or more static readings of their images, etc. This course builds upon those skills by teaching students to re-configure those dynamics in various ways and then apply them toward specific editorial tasks. It is also worth noting that those interested in Wedding Photography should be advised that the professional tasks of a wedding photographer are a combination of these skills and the skills addressed in the Studio Lighting class.
Upon Completion:
Students will understand the technical and communicative decisions involved in creating either a single narrative image, or a larger body of narrative images.
This is a 12-hour course consisting of one 2-hour session per week for 6 consecutive weeks.
Upcoming Dates:
Mar 24 (Mondays at 6:15pm)
Gift Certificates
ASOP Gift Certificates can be redeemed for any available 6-week class we offer, and they never expire. To purchase one, simply click any of the "registration" buttons above.