Photography

About this programme

The HKU Bachelor of Design in Photography trains you to become a professional with your own personal story in the photography world. You develop your own style and learn digital and analogue techniques for image processing, photography, presentation and printing. During your studies at HKU, you explore the relationship between photography and reality. You are challenged to reflect critically on the effect of images and the photographic idiom. You learn to research and reflect on your own work and that of others. You can photograph existing situations, create your own world in the studio or work with existing images.
The exchange period is part of the second year of the bachelor programme of Photography. The second year is all about deepening your knowledge and skills as well finding your own focus and voice within your projects.
So we are going to re-examine everything again. And again, and above all, do so by making - inspired by a collective starting theme.

The exchange programme - semester 1

This first semester of the second year is dedicated to a critical examination of 'one's own practice'. We explore the photographic techniques that will trigger you to broaden your palet in terms of creative analogue technologies as well as moving image. You will be offered the basic knowledge by means of invitation to explore possibilities to develop methods to incorporate skills into your own project. We investigate other forms of storytelling in and with (archival and moving) photographic images. We explore methods within artistic research- differing from the basic research skills (desk-research, libraries, interview-techniques that you used in year 1). We explore who we are, and why we are. We explore whether there might be other places where we can present ourselves, our work and our thoughts. In short, we take a critical look at ourselves and our views, and we do this mainly by acting.
Even though this semester is split in two blocks your will work towards a set of deliverables due before the end of December.

The first two weeks of January are dedicated to developing professional skills that you need to gain insights into the creative field outside the academy.

In addition to this integral block, you will follow the photo theory lessons and the joint program of the School of Media (the lectures and seminars) and a Media lab on Fridays (esee below).

The exchange programme - semester 2

In the second semester we will work on one long-term individual project—inspired by a collective starting theme—which will result in a group exhibition outside the premises of HKU, accompanied by a low-budget publication.
During the semester, you will develop your own vision and artistic methods step by step. Inspired by the topic you will perform in-depth research and translate concepts into a manageable production plan. Hands-on assignments, workshops, material experiments and prototyping will guide you along the way to work which you deem presentable to an audience. By engaging in dialogue with other image makers, writers and others you will learn to critically question your own research from multiple viewpoints. Creative writing assignments and contributing writing to the publication will sharpen the verbal assessment of your own work and assist in positioning yourself.
This semester also aims at expanding your knowledge of recent technological developments in for example AI and photogrammetry. Workshops in the Blackbox at Oudenoord will get you acquainted with techniques of image projection, sound, and movement. You are free to decide whether to further explore and integrate newly learned techniques in your project or to experiment with other options. It is important, however, to learn about new technical developments and its (ethical) implications, so that refutation of them can be substantiated. This is an integrated module, which means that the three regular classes and the workshops will be aligned as best as possible towards the deliverables.

Programme for exchange students Photography semester 1

Programme for exchange students Photography semester 2

Module descriptions

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2. Copy and paste the module codes into the 'course ID/name' field.

Place in the curriculum and related modules

This module is an obligatory regular part of year 2 of the Bachelor of Photography.

Language

LANGUAGE: we offer lessons in English, but offer HKU-students to speak Dutch when necessary. Tutors will do their best to accommodate information in English. We highly recommend your English being of a high-level and following a Dutch language course.