France: Photography in Paris

About this Travel Course

Over a period of five weeks, students will come to know well the magnificent city of Paris with its abundant museums, significant architecture, atmospheric parks and intimate cafes. Paris and its environs will be the catalyst for inspiring students of all levels of photography to begin or to continue to develop technical skills and to explore personal visions.

In discussions on the work of past and contemporary photographers, in-group critiques which investigate "learning how to see" and how to create "good" photographs, and in individual meetings, students are encourage to respond in unique ways to photographic problems.

The class begins with the use of film and the black and white analog darkroom. Students are encouraged to have a 35mm SLR film camera or larger. Using film and the 35mm camera as the beginning tool for employing the visual language of art, students will process film and print in the well-appointed and maintained facility of the Photography Studies in France (Speos). Once everyone has worked in the darkroom, we will move onto working with digital cameras and it is hoped that students will have a DSLR. In support of the digital part of the class there will be classes in Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop and a special class in creating a perfect file for output at a lab. The Speos building is located in the 11th arrondisement of Paris near the Bastille. In addition, field trips outside the city will introduce students to the countryside, as well as afford further photographic opportunities. The study of photography in Paris is sure to have an impact on the creative life of a student at any level of photography in immeasurable ways!

Program Details