Digital Photo Courses at Speos

P r o g r a m s

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:: 32-WEEK PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY PROGRAM

The 32-week Professional Photography Program is designed for students who wish to pursue a career in photography.

The first part comprises the core courses, which cover all aspects of modern photography: photojournalism, studio photography, fashion photography, computer imaging, traditional and alternative processes (from heliography to black & white printing), critical studies and aesthetics, as well as the history of photography. Top-level professionals hold the courses and monitor the students’ individual acquisition of skills. Outside of class, students independently organize their shooting sessions and post-production, with the continual guidance of their supervisors.

© Diego Ravier

During the second part, the students improve their practical skills and broaden their range of knowledge. Depending on their career choice, they specialize either in studio photography or in photojournalism, and select two or three complementary options. Courses in computer imaging remain compulsory for both specializations.
The last week of the second part is dedicated to the set-up of the students’ end-of-the-year exhibition on the school premises, an important event visited by established photographers, photo agencies, iconographers and the press. The students also have the possibility to exhibit their work on the web.



		DATES			September 24, 2007 - May 23, 2008 September 22, 2008 – May 22, 2009 The school opens 5 days before the beginning of the program for introductory and administrative procedures.



		TUITION			15 600 Euros



		SCHEDULE			- full time: 18 hours of course work per week + 18 hours of practical work with monitored access to all school facilities - Outside of classes, participants are expected to work on course projects in the darkroom, in the computer lab, in the studio, and in the city. - Studios and classrooms are open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. - Darkrooms are open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. - Our office is open from Monday till Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

:: Courses:

Please note that it is not possible to choose individual courses " à la carte", as the curriculum is designed as a coherent whole.

-> Commercial Studio I
-> Photojournalism and Documentary I
-> Printing Techniques I and II
-> Computer Imaging I and II
-> Critical Studies and Aesthetics I and II
-> History of Photography/Museum and Gallery Visits I and II
-> Image Bank
-> Essentials of Photography
-> Commercial Studio II
-> Style and Composition in Professional Photography
-> Photojournalism II: The Photo Essay
-> Lighting for Photo-Documentary
-> Meeting with Paolo Roversi: Fashion photography
-> Meeting with Peter Lindbergh: Fashion photography

-> Commercial Studio I

- 3 hours per week


The first part is dedicated to the acquisition of the techniques essential to studio shooting, as well as to the treatment of film and digital images. Students are initiated to the Stop-System, different types of lighting, the general principles of balanced light sources, as well as different types of cameras, from 35mm to the large format. An introduction to the “Style and Composition” class (held in the second part) will initiate the students to the notions of style and composition in professional photography.		© Natalia KhengJu

-> Photojournalism and Documentary I

- 3 hours per week

The course is designed to give an overview of photojournalism, focusing on three main areas - place, event and theme.

"Chinese new year "© Mark Weidorn		Assignments include the coverage of events in Paris and a long-term documentary project on a Parisian neighborhood. Spéos has access to the Reuters photo-base for consultation of news, sports, and feature photos.

-> Printing Techniques I and II

- 3 hours per week

© Iris Hrasovec		Hands-on course in modern printing techniques (traditional or digital for black and white, digital for color). Philippe develops films for Salgado; he also works as a photographer and journalist for the black and white section in the journal Réponses-Photo. Holds workshops at the "Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie"

-> Computer Imaging I and II

- 3 hours per week

This core course in 2 parts helps participants to acquire digital imaging techniques. Students learn how to edit and manipulate digital images with Adobe Photoshop and to understand the parallels between digital and conventional film photography. They also learn how to print, scan, retouch and transform images, as well as to create their own website.		© Meggan Gould

-> Critical Studies and Aesthetics I and II

- 3h per week

� Annamaria Dall'anese		This course aims at encouraging students to develop their own ideas and concepts and turn them into “photographic realities”. It provides them with the critical tools to discuss and analyze their own photos as well as those of their fellow students, so as to give constructive criticism using the basic rules of composition and their own sense of aesthetics. At the end of the second part, students are able to understand how an image is constructed, how to present it in a more efficient way, how to develop a certain photographic coherence and their own “visual signature”.

-> History of Photography / Museum and Gallery Visits I and II

- 3 hours per week

© Pierre-Yves Mahe		Combining lectures with visits to museums and galleries, this course aims at giving an overview of the history of photography and the constantly evolving photographic processes, from their origins in France to the present day. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of real prints rather than reproductions, taking advantage of the rich photographic resources available in the museums and galleries of Paris. Whenever possible, meetings with photographers will be organized.

Visits include museums as La Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Le Centre National de la Photographie, Le Musée Carnavalet, Le Musée d'Orsay and others. Gallery visits focus on current temporary exhibitions in Paris, including photographic events such as the "Mois de la Photo" in fall.

-> Image Bank

- 1.5h per week

Students learn how to describe images and to classify information according to iconographic practices, so as to facilitate the publication and distribution of photographic works. An important part of the course will be dedicated to teaching students how to fill in the "IPTC fields" in Photoshop.

-> Essentials of Photography

- several lecturers

During the first part, a series of lectures approach the theoretical aspects of photographic techniques and aesthetics.
In the second part, lecturers come to share their professional experiences and present the practical aspects of a photographer’s life.

-> Commercial Studio II

- 6 hours per week

© Sophie Mei Dalby & Tom Bolwell		The weekly sessions become simulations of professional studio shootings in the form of 6-hour workdays. Different topics with specific technical constraints will be dealt with, so as to perfect the knowledge acquired in the first part and to adopt a work methodology covering the different market sectors. Emphasis is put on the notion of teamwork, in close collaboration with the “Style and Composition” course, which provides the students with the topics and a network of young designers, and thus opens up the studio activities to the outside world.

-> Style and Composition in Professional Photography

- 3 hours every 2 weeks


This course explores the visual composition and styling essential to every commercial photo, so as to render it efficient and convincing. Based on their own creativity, the students develop their personal style within the accepted codes of commercial photography. For each session, they are asked to produce a commercial studio photo, using the topics and materials provided by the instructor – a professional photo stylist, who has access to a large range of props and accessories, as well as a studio team comprising an artistic director, designers, make-up artists, hair-dressers and models. Students are thus confronted with real work conditions, organizing studio sets and producing commercial photos in tight deadlines.		© Nikolai Wiezorek

-> Photojournalism II: The Photo Essay

- 3 hours per week


This advanced course in photojournalism is designed for students who have the maturity and skills to work on long-term thematic projects, meeting with the instructor for weekly critiques. Assignments include event photojournalism in Paris during spring, short photo essays and a long-term project.		© Michael Sawyer

-> Lighting for Photo-Documentary

- 3 hours per week


This course complements the “Photojournalism II” module. It aims at mastering natural and/or artificial light sources for outside shootings, to allow photojournalists to deal with different professional situations with various lightning conditions: portraits “in situ”, documentary, still life etc.		© Stéphane Dujardin

-> Meeting with Paolo Roversi: Fashion photography

- On selection / according to his availability

© Sylvaine Le Roux		This class is not part of the curriculum proper. Students are admitted according to their portfolio, motivation and results. A fashion photographer of world renown, Paolo Roversi directs the most talented students of each year.

-> Meeting with Peter Lindbergh: Fashion photography

- According to his availability

		This class is not part of the curriculum proper. It will be held at the end of the academic year. A mutual exchange between the students and Peter Lindbergh, about the differents realities of he world of fashion.