The Open University

Whether you are new to digital photography or want to improve your existing skills, this ten-week online course, developed and presented in partnership with The Royal Photographic Society (RPS), will develop your ability to create and share digital images of which you can be proud. The course will develop your technical and visual skills as you learn the principles of digital photography and image editing. You will join a vibrant and supportive online community in which you can develop your photographic skills. A series of weekly hands-on assignments allows you to practise the skills you learn.

What you’ll learn:

• 'ways of seeing' and the elements of composition

• the basic principles of capturing light information digitally (e.g. sensors, memory, file types)

• the digital workflow (capture, organise, edit and share)

• how to control exposure, focus and depth of field

• an introduction to digital colour management

• how to print and project your images

• an introduction to photographic genres and digital aesthetics.

Practice

Each week you will do a practical photographic activity that will broaden and strengthen your photographic experience. Together these activities form the basis of your portfolio that you will draw upon for your end-of-module assessment.

Learning

Each week you will learn about different aspects of photographic techniques, as well as relevant aspects of the technology behind digital photography.

Sharing and reflection

Each week you will share your work within the course’s online community of photographers. You’ll steadily develop your ability to reflect upon your own and others’ work, and to write about your increasing visual awareness.