Online Photography Courses - Distance Education School

Creative Institute of Australia:
Based in Sydney and Melbourne in New South Wales, the Creative Institute of Australia offers a unique distance education program in professional photography. The CIA distance program is a blend of correspondence and online training. Your fully illustrated, magazine style, course materials form an invaluable continuing resource and are supported by our experienced and professionally qualified online tutors. CIA tutors and curriculum developers have over 15 years experience in professional photography and our programs have been developed by some of Australia leading photographic experts. CIA hold ongoing face to face workshops in Melbourne and Sydney for distance students to attend. The distance programs are suitable for international and interstate students. There is no time limit, study at your own pace.

Creative Imaging Light & Camera:
This is the 1st unit in a sequence of 5 professional photography units designed for distance education to progress students to a professional standard. This unit is studied in your own time and in your own environment. This unit is an intensive 8 lesson program. In this unit participants will be introduced to the physical equipment used in photography including photographic hardware such as camera systems, recording systems including positive and negative film and digital recording platforms. Participants will explore natural light, it characteristics and how light is used in combination with their camera, lenses and recording systems to creative images and the effect that differing natural lighting conditions have on the end image production. This unit is essential for beginners and ideal for participants wanting to learn about their camera and how to begin creating images. Participants will be tutored in the use of window light, bounce flash indoors and outdoors and mixed lighting situations.

Natural Light Portraiture:
This is the 2nd unit in a sequence of 5 professional photography units designed for distance education to progress students to a professional standard. This unit is studied in your own time and in your own environment. This unit is an intensive 8 lesson program designed to capitalise and advance on the natural light and camera operations techniques mastered in unit 1 and begin the complex training in portrait photography using natural light conditions. Participants will be tutored in the use of window light, bounce flash indoors and outdoors and mixed lighting situations. Participants will undertake instruction in the nuance of basic posing techniques for the female, male, couples, children and groups. This unit is essential for individuals wishing to gain insight into quality portrait photography and acquire the knowledge and techniques to make successful decisions when creating photographic portraits.

Commercial Photography:
This unit is the 3rd unit in the sequence of 5 professional photography units within the distance education program. Participants undertaking this unit will have successfully completed the requirements of Unit 1 & 2 or have been able to prove sufficient capacity to enrol into unit 3. Unit 3 is an intermediate to advanced photographic study exploring specific commercial genres. In this unit students are challenged through a number of briefs in the genres of fashion, weddings, portraiture, photojournalism, and landscape and sports photography. Participants will choose a major project at the beginning of the unit and be mentored through their project building to an industry standard and genre specific portfolio. This unit requires the participant to encapsulate all the successful outcomes of the previous units, develop skills and techniques that communicate their creative and technical maturity. At the successful completion of this unit participants should be able to begin recruiting commercial photographic assignments. This unit is essential for participants wishing to enter the professional photography community. Its extended study period and mentoring philosophy helps ensure the participant makes a successful transition from student to practising professional.

Art & Fine Light Photography:
This is the 4th unit in the sequence of 5 professional photography units within the distance education program. . Participants undertaking this unit will have successfully completed the requirements of prior knowledge to undertake this course. The objective of this unit is in two parts. Firstly to introduce students to a framework for ‘reading’ visual images in terms of the social and ideological dimensions and consideration to how it might be read by others. Images will be examined in terms of the ‘content’ they construct, the relation they establish and their internal organisation. Theories of the gaze and the practices of looking will be considered with the emphasis that images do not simply reflect the world around us, but actively construct it for us. Secondly this unit will explore that basic concepts of the history and theory of art. The unit will provide an introduction knowledge and appreciation of art history, briefly surveying the Western historical canon, and focusing on twentieth century art and design. The central tenets and aspirations of periods, such as the Renaissance and the Baroque, and movements including the Romanticism, Impressionism, Expressionism, Futurism, Cubism, Constructivism, Dada, Surrealism, Bauhaus, Abstraction, Pop, Minimalism and Postmodernism will be explored. This unit will encourage the participant to appreciate the historical depth to contemporary visual culture and understand photography’s dynamic relationship to older visual media.

Photographic Business Studies:
This unit is the 5th unit in the sequence of 5 professional photography units within the distance education program. Participants undertaking this unit will have successfully completed the requirements of prior knowledge to undertake this course. This unit is designed to assist the participants with setting up their photography business and begin recruiting commercial assignments. Business plans, financing, marketing and effective communication strategies are explored. Participants are tutored in advertising their business, industry associations and pricing of their product. Copyright and integrity of your work is examined in the ever changing digital environments. Participants will gain valuable knowledge regarding contracts, term and conditions of supply, taxation and how to present their folio work and sell their services.