Photography can be broken down into two groups: Fine art photography, and commercial photography.Commercial photography includes advertising photography, fashion photography, photojournalism, wedding photography, and portraits.
Photography as fine arts has often been contested.Photography is basically the reproduction of an image and not, as with painting or sculpting, the creation of image, so critics of fine art photography have disputed its value.Fine art photographers argue that staging, lighting, development techniques, and a number of other controlled variables raise photography above the simple capturing of images and justify photographs as art.
Fine art photographers have used all manner of subjects for their projects from the mundane to the obscene.Through still life, landscapes, portraiture, and street photography, fine art photographers develop images with the goal of creating a reaction from an audience
The Study of Photography
Professional schools of photography provide students with training in both digital and film photography.Courses in lighting, staging, retouching, and film development prepare students for a career in photography.Students are trained in techniques for still life, landscapes, and portraits for the purposes of fine art as well as commercial art.
Schools of Photography
Almost all colleges will require students to procure their own camera.Some colleges require students to purchase a professional grade camera and tripod.Others will accept a SLR or point-and-shoot camera.
The development of digital cameras and other technology has advanced online schools of photography.Students of an online photography school may receive the same course of study as traditional schools and may even use the same textbooks.
One example of an online school of photography is the New York Institute of Photography.NYI has educated 2, students in more than 5 countries.Their distance education courses are augmented by video programs, audio guides, and student advisors.Their courses cover professional photography, digital photography, Photoshop, and the fundamentals of photography.
Academy of Art University located in San Francisco, California offers an on campus photography school as well as an online photography program.Their online School of Photography offers an Associate of Arts, a Bachelor of Arts, and a Master’s of Art in Photography as well as a three class photography course for non-degree students.In addition to teaching the fundamentals of photography, AAU guides students in the creation of a photography portfolio that will demonstrate their skill and perspective to potential employers and art galleries.