Summer Camps
Photography Summer Camps

The John Brown University Department of Art's Pre-College Workshop in Photography
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Program Overview
Immerse yourself in photographic work, exploring digital photography and producing a variety of portfolio building images. In addition to your photography work, participants will learn about the college admission process, career opportunities, and how to create a competitive portfolio for the college admissions process. Not only will you build confidence as a photographer and an artist, but you’ll learn to master a range of tools, materials and techniques, study with award-winning photographers in our state-of-the-art studios, and forge the kind of friendships that last a lifetime.
JBU’s intensive residential workshop in Photography is modeled after our university’s photographic undergraduate experience in the Department of Art. During this week-long event, attendees live and study like college freshmen and follow a college-level photography curriculum. Our daily routine will be both work and play. Most days begin with a lecture or demonstration; after the discussion, we will venture out for related group exercises.
The average day runs from Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 4:30pm, including academic classes, professional training, and/or studio and production time, students will often be just as busy in the evenings which will also include curricular events and opportunities to work individually or collaborate with peers on assigned projects.
“No matter what level of photography or what focus you have, you will leave after this intensive week with a new insight to your work. “ - Neal Holland, professor
What You'll Learn
You will experience what professionals do in the industry and get one-on-one personalized training that will elevate your photography through expert instruction and hands-on fieldwork. Professional shooting techniques combined with hands-on learning show you how to use your DSLR camera to take exceptional photographs. During the week you will master manual DSLR camera settings and use light, composition and context to create vibrant digital images.
The Pre-College Workshop in Photography is about strengthening your ability to observe, conceptualize, analyze and create. That’s why the carefully balanced schedule and all-day studio/field work classes offer the chance for you to experiment and visually explore. Below are some typical elements of the courses:
- Seeing and composing images through the camera’s eye
- Advanced metering, exposure, and processing
- In-depth knowledge about aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings
- Benefits of working with the RAW camera format
- Expert techniques for portraits, landscapes, action, macro and much more
- Professional digital workflow for editing and organizing images
- Adobe Photoshop color correction, retouching and special effects
- Presentation methods and archival preservation
- Presentations on portfolio preparation and the college admissions process
By the end of the course, you will have created a new portfolio of images in a variety of subjects, and mediums, and the ability to think critically about and articulate the subtlety of images and image-making.
Details for Summer 2018
Staff Ratio: 2-3 instructors for 12 students
Camera Equipment: A veritable arsenal of Nikon, Canon, Fuji and Sony Cameras with Profoto and Broncolor lighting instruments in a state-of-the-art studio space
Software: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom
Ages: High School Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors
What you should bring:
Students should bring a DSLR camera, lenses, memory card and a minimum of 120GB Hard Drive USB hard drive. We also have cameras and accessories available for loan for the duration of the workshop if needed.
Schedule - July 15-20 2018
Sunday - Check-in by 4:00 pm, Welcome and Introduction to your courses.
Monday – Workshop 9:30 am – 5:00 pm, Photography trip to Devil’s Den State Park
Tuesday - Workshop 5:00 am – 5:00 pm, Photography trip to Buffalo River, US National Park
Wednesday - Workshop 9:30 am – 11:30 am, Editing 101 – (afternoon) at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Thursday - Workshop 9:30 am – 11:30 am, Editing 102 - 2:00pm-4:30 pm, Digital Printing
Friday - Workshop 9:30 am – 11:30 am, Gallery Show, check-out by 1:30pm
If Questions, Contact
Lauren Huffman, Assistant Director of Academic Partnerships, at LHuffman@jbu.edu
Neal Holland, Professor of Photography and Cinema, at NHolland@jbu.edu
Kyle Agee, Instructor of Photography and Cinema, at KAgee@jbu.edu