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Learn with Julia Anna Gospodarou

Black & White Photography

Black and white photography online course taught by Julia Anna Gospodarou

Course overview

The course begins with an examination of why we create art and what makes a fine art photograph. Julia talks about the artist’s vision and why it is so important in photography. Then she moves on to discuss the principles underlying her own fine art photography, which she calls (en)Visionography - “writing with vision.” This approach is made possible by digital imaging and focuses on the photographer’s own personal vision, rather than the subject itself, in the creation of images. The aim of this lesson is to encourage students to think about photography in a completely new way and to begin developing their own unique voice.

Meet Julia Anna Gospodarou

Multiple award-winning internationally acclaimed photographer, accomplished architect, author and highly sought-after educator, teaching workshops and lecturing around the world, Julia was passionate about art from a young age, striving to express herself artistically through a variety of mediums: architecture, drawing, and photography. Julia is the founder of (en)Visionography™, the artistic concept and fine art movement that aim to define a new way of creating fine art photography in the digital age, based on the vision of the artist and their own life experiences and emotion, rather than on depicting the actual subject or the conventions of traditional photography. (en)Visionography introduces the concept of “total artistic freedom” in photography, which brings it closer to the idea of art. A new and original concept, (en)Visionography has rapidly gained worldwide recognition and more and more artists eager to create authentic personal art start approaching photography in this way every day. This theory reflects in her personal creative and processing method Photography Drawing (PhtD™), a method based on the interaction of light with shapes and objects and how this can be translated into an image by using the principles of classical drawing. Widely respected photography theoretician, Julia is one of the first artists working extensively with digital photography, after having worked for years with analogue photography, who became aware and publicly spoke in her books, articles, lectures and workshops about the need to see digital photography as a new discipline, independent from traditional analogue photography, due to the fundamental differences in the way they are experienced and created. Julia’s mission is to make this huge potential known and available to everybody through the concept of (en)Visionography, so each photographer can become an artist by using these tools at their full power. She accomplishes this with her original method of teaching that has helped hundreds of students over the years go from having a passion for photography to becoming the successful artists they dreamed of being. Author of the best-selling book From Basics to Fine Art – Black and White Photography – Architecture and Beyond, book that quickly became a reference for the black and white fine art photography community, Julia's aim is to push the boundaries and to innovate with her work, to create a new aesthetic in photography, while remaining faithful to the classical principles of harmony and craftsmanship in art. Highly-regarded authorities in the field, like George DeWolfe, who has studied with Ansel Adams and Minor White, have said about her original concepts and the content of her book: "I consider Julia’s (en)Visionography and Photography Drawing the most important innovation in black and white photography since the invention of the Zone System. (...) Outside of Ansel Adams’ Basic Photo Series, From Basic to Fine Art: Black and White Photography – Architecture and Beyond is the best book on black and white photography written in the last 40 years." Published internationally in numerous books and magazines, Julia's limited edition prints can be found in numerous prestigious private collections and public spaces worldwide. To book one of Julia's workshops or mentoring programs, to work with her on commissioned projects, order limited edition prints of her work, or for any other further information, please visit her website www.juliaannagospodarou.com

Course description

Julia Anna Gospodarou, a multi-award-winning fine art photographer, teaches you how to take artistic photographs in black and white.

As you learn you'll be composing and taking your own black and white photographs in weekly assignments.

Choose Expert option for personal feedback on your photos from Julia Anna Gospodarou.

You'll learn:
  • how black and white photography works as a fine art medium
  • expressing your own artistic vision through black and white images
  • rules for creating images
  • composition for monochrome photography
  • theory of black and white and fine art photography
  • practical guidance on composing and taking photos
  • processing RAW images into fine art prints (and "photography drawing")

This course is suitable for those with a basic understanding of photography, but you don't need to be a camera specialist or to own high-end equipment in order to create fine art photography and to follow your vision. Julia will teach how to use the tools you have to express yourself.

Julia’s course draws on her experience of fine art architectural photography, but the rules and techniques she teaches can be applied to all kinds of black & white fine art photography.

She will also discuss a new kind of photography she practices, which she calls ‘(en)Visionography.’ She argues that in the digital age, photographic images have become less dependent on subject and camera and can be largely the product of the artist’s creativity in the digital darkroom

The Black & White Photography course will give you a fascinating insight into the creative thinking underlying the work of a successful contemporary fine art photographer, and in turn offers inspiration for students who want to explore their own creative path.

You'll need:
  • A DSLR is required if you want better quality RAW images, but any camera that shoots RAW is good (mirrorless etc.).
  • Also you can use film cameras and scan your photographs in order to process them further and submit them in your assignments.
  • A wide angle lens or an over-all zoom lens to give you more freedom of creation, but you can use your favourite lenses too.
  • A tripod
  • A set of ND filters (my recommendation for ND filters would be a 10-stop + 6-stop + 3-stop one) if you want to work with long exposure photography in your assignments, but it is not compulsory.
  • A camera with BULB function is also required if you want to shoot long exposures.
  • Processing software, like Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture etc., to which you can add your favourite plugins or other software.
  • "From Basics to Fine Art - B&W Photography" by Julia Anna Gospodarou and Joel Tjintjelaar as a way to enrich the course notes and deepen your knowledge in fine art photography.

 

The course includes:
  • 4 on-demand video lessons - presented by Julia Anna Gospodarou
  • lifetime access to the video, notes and interactive class
  • flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
  • downloadable lesson notes
  • practical (optional) photography assignments
  • access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
  • small interactive online classroom chat online to students from around the world
Time to complete this photography course:

Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 14 hours to complete including:

  • Video lesson: 2 hours in total
  • Downloadable notes 30 minutes per lesson
  • Assignment: at least 2 hours per lesson
  • Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
  • Tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per assignment
Ready to get started?

Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Julia on your photos.

Any questions? Contact us by clicking on the orange speech symbol - we'd love to hear from you.