The future of photography is in your hands…

By Khiara Elliott

A brand new course at Photography Studies College named Photo Imaging and Photography specialising in Social Media will revolutionise the way photography functions in an ever-changing media world.

Photography has always developed through advances in technology, more so now than ever.  “More and more social media platforms are being used for publishing photographic imagery and we are moving away from traditional avenues like magazines and newspapers,” said tutor Neil Stanyer.

The Certificate IV course engages with how photographs are now being produced and consumed in response to the changing digital environment.

Photography Studies College has long championed the creative visions of students and believes that it is this that gives them an edge in the industry at large. The course focuses on photography as a language and how photographs provide for a myriad of visual outcomes.
Mr Stanyer believes that effective communication, especially from a social media perspective is becoming increasingly visually based, rather than text-based.

“When you go through social media platforms, it’s always the photos that are going to grab your eye,” he said. “The course also looks at how to best apply visual strategies for particular social media channels, and how to use them to gain a more recognisable presence.”

The course will also cover the important photographic elements such as image design aspects, visual theories, composition, colour and lighting. However, its point of difference lies within the execution of these techniques and how students can apply them for their own expressive intentions.

The need for in-depth and intricate photo editing software on computers or laptops is not necessary for this course, nor will there be a need for high-end DSLR cameras.  The course will revolutionise how photographic teaching and practice is traditionally conceived by embracing the potential of mobile cameras and image editing apps.

 “We’ve stepped away from conventional instruction and formulated the course so that it can be done entirely through hand-held devices,” said Mr Stanyer.

“There are apps that allow you to have an incredible amount of control on how your phone functions and takes the photographs. They let you manipulate and style how your photo looks in exactly the same way that desktop software does, so that’s where we’re coming from with this course.” “We aim for our students to produce stimulating and engaging photographic imagery beyond physical constraints.”

Mr Stanyer said the course could be broken up into major subheadings: photographic and theoretical aspects and practical, industry applications. The course will explore how these subheadings work within a social media context.

Photo Imaging and Photography specialising in Social Media will be offered from the end of June.