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Photography · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Advanced Digital Photography

This advanced course focuses on mastering technical precision and artistic control in digital photography. Moving beyond basic exposure, students will delve into complex lighting setups, studio management, and high-end post-production workflows to create professional-grade imagery for fashion, product, and editorial contexts.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Master the physics of light and advanced studio lighting setups (High Key/Low Key)
  2. Implement advanced composition techniques and narrative storytelling
  3. Execute professional RAW workflows and color grading
  4. Apply high-end retouching techniques (Frequency Separation, Dodge & Burn)
  5. Develop a cohesive photographic portfolio for a specific niche
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01Advanced Exposure Theory & Dynamic Range
  2. 02Lens Optics: Focal Lengths & Perspective Distortion
  3. 03Studio Lighting I: Continuous vs. Strobe Lighting
  4. 04Studio Lighting II: Modifiers (Softboxes, Snoots, Grids)
  5. 05Portraiture: Lighting Patterns (Rembrandt, Butterfly)
  6. 06Product Photography: Controlling Reflections
  7. 07Outdoor Lighting: Mixing Ambient & Artificial Light
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09Narrative Photography & Visual Storytelling
  10. 10Fashion & Editorial Photography Concepts
  11. 11Advanced Post-Production: RAW Processing
  12. 12High-End Retouching: Skin & Texture
  13. 13Color Grading & Mood creation
  14. 14Composite Photography & HDR
  15. 15Printing, Licensing & Business Practices
  16. 16Final Project Submission & Critique

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project Submission & Critique

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. Light Science & Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, and Paul Fuqua
  2. The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design by Michael Freeman
  3. Skin: The Complete Guide to Digitally Lighting, Photographing, and Retouching Faces and Bodies by Lee Varis
  4. Capture One Pro / Adobe Lightroom Classic Classroom in a Book (Current Edition)
  5. Annie Leibovitz at Work by Annie Leibovitz
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