City & Guilds Digital Photography

City & Guilds Digital Photography

Digital photography has made taking photographs easier than ever, but taking good photographs still takes skill. Our nationally accredited Digital Photography course will help you improve your creative photography skills and learn to find your way around a digital camera. It will also introduce you to photomanipulation and Photoshop.

Our Digital Photography course will help you take your love of photography to the next level, whether for your own satisfaction or to help you move into professional photography. It will teach you more about the latest digital technology and the technicalities of digital photography and image manipulation.

In two sections, our Digital Photography course begins by giving you a thorough grounding in the basics of image capture. You'll study creative photography, exploring just what makes a good picture, and the tricks used by professional photographers. You'll look at the difference between optical and digital zoom, exposure, light and photo composition, and examine the digital camera equipment available today that can help you achieve the photos you want.

The second component of the Digital Photography course looks at image manipulation. Using a computer instead of a darkroom, you'll develop skills in getting the most out of your photos, and discover just what Photoshop can and can't do. Then, because professional photography requires skills in other aspects of the business, you'll learn about the health and safety considerations of photography, and the legal and ethical implications of copyright and data protection.

Entry Requirements

You don't need any previous experience or qualifications to enrol in our Digital Photography course. That's because we believe in making home study - and a rewarding future - as accessible as possible.

You do, however, need access to a fully adjustable digital camera and a PC, with the following system requirements:

  • 1.6GHz or faster processor
  • Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 or 3, Windows Vista®, or Windows 7
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 2GB of available hard-disk space
  • Colour monitor with 16-bit colour video card
  • 1,024x576 monitor resolution at 96dpi or less
  • Microsoft DirectX 9 compatible display driver
  • DVD-ROM drive
  • Web features require Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 8 or Mozilla Firefox 1.5 through 3.

Where will I go from here?

This Level 1 Certificate from City and Guilds is the ideal starting point for a career in Digital Photography. The fundamentals you'll learn will leave you well placed to continue on to further study and possibly develop your own photography business

What will I gain?

On completion, you'll receive the nationally-recognised City and Guilds Level 1 Award in Photo Image Capture and Manipulation (QCF).

Awarding body

City & Guilds was founded in 1878 to establish a national system of technical education. Today the City & Guilds Group is the UK's leading vocational awarding organisation, employing over 1000 people and awarding 1.8 million certificates every year.

Assessment

Assessments are a great way of checking your progress. Throughout the Digital Photography course, you'll complete four assessments.

  • Assessment 1: a mixture of written questions and practical activities.
  • Assessment 2: you'll produce a portfolio consisting of six themed photographs. You'll also be required to provide some information on the processes involved in taking each photo, and explain how each photo relates to your chosen theme. 
  • Assessment 3: a mixture of written questions and practical activities. 
  • Assessment 4: you'll produce a portfolio consisting of four themed photographs, each to be displayed both prior to and subsequent to image manipulation. You'll also be required to provide some information on the processes involved in manipulating each photo, and to explain how each photo relates to your chosen theme.

Due to the nature of the work, these assessments will all need to be posted to us, rather than submitted online.

What will I get?

Tutor support

  • We won't leave you on your own. Your experienced personal tutor is available online and over the phone, ready to help you with all the guidance and motivation you need.

Peer support

  • When you enrol, you become part of the ICS Online Student Community. As well as being able to contact tutors and submit work online, you'll have instant access to your fellow students, and the chance to discuss your work, ask questions and make new friends.

Specialised texts

  • All of your teaching materials have been prepared by experts in your chosen field. They've also been devised with the unique requirements of home study in mind, making them highly effective distance learning tools.

As a Digital Photography student, you'll also receive a copy of Photoshop Elements 8, plus a CD containing full resolution images and tutorials aiding the use of Photoshop. You'll also receive a copy of the textbook Starting Photography by Michael Langford.

Study Period

6 months

Hours of study

60 hours

That's equivalent to a little under 2 ½ hours of study a week over the six-month support period.

Support period

6 months

Course code

D45

Course cost

£499.00

Additional fees

There is a City and Guilds registration and portfolio assessment fee of £30 in addition to your course fee, payable on enrolment.

See your course content

Unit One: Image Capture

Equipment and Storage

  • Examine the different types of camera. Discover how the different camera components function - an understanding of how cameras operate will enable you to take better photos. Consider the effects of using different lenses.

Camera Controls and Modes

  • Study the different camera controls and modes, and learn when each should be used.

Exposure and Light

  • Explore exposure and consider occasions when overriding a camera's automatic exposure choice could result in a better photo. Examine a variety of lighting conditions - from dull days to artificial lighting - and discover how to take the best photos in each condition, considering the appropriate use of flash.

Subject and Composition

  • Learn the principles of composition, enabling you to create photos with impact and purpose. Discover how to shoot different subject types: people, places and objects.

Unit Two: Digital Image Manipulation

Software & Equipment

  • Explore methods of enhancing photos through the use of specialist digital imaging software, and gain an understanding of what is and what isn't possible.
  • Health & safety considerations

Image Quality

  • Using Photoshop
  • Discover how to manipulate and modify images through the use of a variety of tools, including: effects, wands, brushes, colour, contrast, brightness, filters, masks, crop and orientation.

Sharing & Distributing

  • Legal & ethical considerations
  • Examine legal and ethical considerations, such as intellectual property rights.

You can either pay for your Digital Photography course in full or opt for a monthly payment plan.

Course fee: £499 (excluding discounts)

Or speak to one of our course advisors now for payment plans.

 

There is a City and Guilds registration fee of £10 in addition to your course fee, payable on enrolment.

You will also need to pay a £10 submission fee when submitting each of your two portfolios for assessment.