Advanced Certificate in Professional Photography *

The programme aims to provide graduates with the skills required to establish and manage their own professional photographic practice. The premise is that students who enrol on the course are well grounded in the fundamental principles of photography, allowing students to explore more in-depth and advanced content.

The objective of the course is to encourage students to develop their own photographic style and specialisation in a particular field. Integrated into the specialisation of practical skills are business and entrepreneurial components that will assist students to develop a business model, tailored to the genre of photography they wish to pursue.

In an ever-increasingly competitive market, the need for added value components in end-user photography products has necessitated the inclusion of broader based digital and printing content in the programme. Individuals seeking a self-employed vocational career in photography will find the balance of business, advanced photography techniques, advanced digital techniques, branding, and advanced principles of visual communications invaluable in the marketplace.

Career options are extensive in that students will specialise in a chosen field such as fashion, commercial, wildlife, landscape, portraiture or diversify into associated fields such as web-design or graphic design.

The purpose of this work-integrated learning module is to provide students with skills to develop an industry standard portfolio.

The portfolio comprises of three components:

• Real-life portfolio comprising of a brief from the client, quotations, invoicing and images delivered by the student to a paying clients.
• Digital interactive portfolio of images that can be used to market the student to potential clients.
• Printed portfolio of exhibition images for the promotion of the graduate to galleries, magazines and publishers

The purpose of this broad based portfolio is motivated by the nature of the professional photographic industry. Most practicing professional photographers are freelance and are required to run their own businesses. Therefore, it is essential that graduates have the knowledge and experience required to acquire clients, efficiently process financial transactions and deliver a well-rounded product and service.

Find out more about the Advanced Certificate in Photography by contacting the Vega team today or view the National School of Photography website.

* This programme has been submitted and is subject to the approval of the Department of Education, the Council on Higher Education and the South African Qualifications Authority.