Company Name: Visual Skills School Telephone: Fax: Cell Phone: Email: infovisualskillsschool.com Website:

Course Title:   Basic Photography Course

This course consists of 10 units. Each unit consists of theoretical lectures followed by an assignment.

The VSS Photography handbook: This book is supplemented with CD’s containing audiovisual presentations on various subjects as well as training aids such as a grey card, colour wheel, etc.

Practical assignments include: studio, location and field trips. Although darkroom basics form part of the first classes, the focus is on digital photography. After every practical session, photographs are mailed and evaluated. Photo Shop and Photo Paint techniques are mastered. An introduction to Coral Draw is also part of the course.

The assignments form the basis of a extended portfolio which is exhibited at the end of the course for evaluation by a panel.

All correspondence students are welcome to use the schools facilities (by arrangement) and special field seminars and workshops will be conducted where there are enough students and interest i.e. Gabarone- Botswana etc. (excluding Zimbabwe).

UNIT 1
Composition.
Golden formula in photography theory on light film & exposure and the pinhole camera.
Exposure, accurate light reading methods, DVD: composition audio visual, notes/e-book.
Assignment:
Build pinhole camera load film/paper and determine exposure times. Take photograph with pinhole camera. Film/paper & pinhole camera supplied by Visual Skills School. Send in test and exposed pinhole for evaluation.

UNIT 2
Lenses: All about focal distances, applications, depth of field and the digital conversions.
Camera and camera settings the old (film) to the new (digital). DVD: notes/e-book.
Assignment:
Available light portraiture using grey-card and reflector for accurate exposures. Grey-card and reflector supplied by Visual Skills School. Send in test and assignment for evaluation.

UNIT 3
Colour value composition & digital colour values. Colour filters.
Digital darkroom: RAW, jpeg, tiff and other file types. Set up & view images in Irfanview DVD: shareware programs, notes/e-book.
Assignment:
Landscape using various filters in monochrome (black and white) and colour mode . Some filters supplied by Visual Skills School. Send in test and assignment for evaluation.

UNIT 4
Studio lights & portraiture.
Face shapes & make-up.
Photo technique: Working with Photoshop new elements and clever sharpening. DVD: notes/e-book.
Assignment:
Make-up & glamour/portraiture in home studio. Send in test and assignment for evaluation.

UNIT 5
Multi model shoot on location. Understanding the flash, fill-in flash and other electronic flash settings. Plan a wedding shoot. The wedding album, electronic and scrapbooking.
Digital darkroom: Adobe Lightroom - your digital darkroom; start your image bank. DVD: trial version Adobe Lightroom, notes/e-book.
Assignment:
Photograph a wedding or mock wedding, create a digital photo album page and a scrapbook page. Software for digital page and some "stuff" for scrapbook page supplied by Visual Skills School. Send in test and assignment for evaluation.

UNIT 6
Theory on commercial photography & display, lay out, composition, placing and typefaces.
Commercial photos and ads.
Photo technique: Optimise portraits convert to good monochromes, duotones and translate into high & low-key images.
Digital darkroom: Multi platform link- Coral Draw (introduction) Photoshop/Photo paint. DVD: trial version Coral Draw & Photo Paint, notes/e-book.
Assignment:
Take photos for magazine cover Ad text. Send in test and assignment for evaluation.

UNIT 7
Corporate Identity: The old and new, the brief, research & decisions, case scenarios.
Street art, vehicle art & interesting signs.
Digital darkroom: Manipulate lifestyle ad with advanced layer functions. Photo Paint versus Photoshop. DVD: fonts, notes/e-book.
Assignment:
On computer create final lifestyle photo advertisement. Send in or e-mail ad, Visual Skills School will print poster of ad Send in test and assignment for evaluation.

UNIT 8
Theory of nature photography: equipment, approach and application.
Photo technique: Macro photography.
Digital darkroom: Enlarge bitmap (Genuine Fractals). DVD: audio visual on nature photography, trial version of Genuine Fractals, notes/e-book.
Assignment:
Visit game park and take wildlife photos following instructions from notes. Handy lens rest on window supplied by Visual Skills School. Send in test and assignment for evaluation.

UNIT 9
Audio visual story book, script writing & sound.
Nature, photo journalistic & contemporary.
Digital darkroom: Introduction to Power Point & other AV based programs & sound editing. DVD: shareware and trial AV programs, AV shows, notes/e-book.
Assignment:
Produce an audio visual nature slide show on Power Point or AV program of choice Send in test and assignment for evaluation.

UNIT 10
Manipulation & multi imaging.
Digital avant garde work.
Photo technique: Multi-images or other planned devariations.
Digital darkroom: More Photoshop/Photopaint tricks. DVD: AV show, notes/e-book.
Assignment:
Create own multi-image (avant garde) creative photo & AV on multi-image progression. Send in assignment for evaluation.

Exhibition and evaluation
At VSS we don't rehearse life  We Live It!

Course Title 2 Basic Photography Course Classification Photography -> Basic Photography Course Requirements Equipment requirements for the correspondence photography course is: 1. Any 35mm single lens reflex camera (you don't have to buy one, somebody you know should be able to lend you one for Unit 2.) 2. A digital camera that can shoot in RAW. Look at Canon, Nikon or Pentax - the Canon 400D is very popular with our students. The Canon 450D is also available now, but is slightly more expensive (highly recommended). If you are a Nikon fan, the Nikon D40 is also popular. The standard lens that you get when you buy one of these cameras is sufficient for a start. You will soon discover which other lenses would suit your purposes. 3. A computer or laptop - basic requirements are on the web site. Software: Corel Draw, Photo Shop and Lightroom. VSS supplies you with a trial version of Light Room. Corel Draw (student version) can be purchased through VSS at a very reasonable price. Price R3900.00 Registration Fee: R1500.00 Thereafter: 4 monthly payments of R600.00 each Notes

Course Information Location COUNTRYWIDE Course Type Distant Learning Start Dates Any time Length of Course 5 months Final Registration Date

Contact Details Name Christine Waschefort Phone +27 12 5655204 Email infovisualskillsschool.com