Photography News Issue 50

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Photography News | Issue 50 | photographynews.co.uk

Running the show

John Sandsjö is theman in charge of the Profoto Academy, and we asked him to

explain a little more about its background

Tell us a little about the ethos of the Academy It all began when Profoto approached Chalmers Schools of Entrepreneurship, a business and engineering Master degree programme that’s researching innovation and new business creation. I was studying there at the time and became project leader. Can you tell us a little about how you came to select the four photographers who are delivering courses? We wanted to start out with photographers who are good educators, with experience in the field of communicating their craft and art. Then we wanted to choose themes that were popular, and we wanted photographers with a good following within these themes to reach out with our education. Tell us a little more about the Profoto certification. The on-line learning world can be challenging to navigate because of the vast quantity of courses out there, but with the certification we created a start and end for everybody who wants to learn. You start with three or four courses all designed to be actionable, and then it’s time for the photo challenge where you create your own original image. Lastly you send it in to us for feedback and approval for your chance to become a Certified Image Creator. What kind of personal feedback do delegates get? The personal feedback consists of a theoretical framework and personal written feedback. In the framework we score the image based on ten pre-set parameters, which are divided into three headlines: Creativity, Light Shaping and Technical Quality. We also provide the reasoning behind the score as well as highlight what is good and the things that can be improved.

Lessons in light As the name behind some of the best lighting products on the market, it’s appropriate that Profoto has founded an academy which has at its heart a desire to teach lighting techniques to the next generation

Light is the essence of every great image and for the past 50 years Profoto products have played a key role in enabling a wide selection of the world’s most renowned photographers to create some truly iconic images. Inmany ways, then, it was only appropriate that the company should launch a series of high-profile photography courses with the focus on how to create and use light and shape it creatively.

Welcome Profoto Academy, which is offering a series of online video courses that are designed to educate and inspire photographers. Participants get to choose a course series from one of three fields that are currently offered – Fashion, Portraits and Weddings (more are set to join the line up shortly). But the Academy isn’t just a collection of online videos, rather, it’s a journey to the

that culminates in a prestigious Profoto certification. It works like this: as the participant watches they also interact with the content through a series of quizzes relating to what they’ve seen. Then, at the end of the course, a photo assignment is set where the individual will be expected to apply everything they’ve learned. Participants submit their image and receive personal feedback from a course

instructor before finally becoming a Certified Image Creator. Ultimately, Profoto Academy is about playing a role in shaping the next generation of photographers, providing those who participate with the right tools, a comprehensive understanding of light and how to shape it, and the confidence to take their creativity to new heights.

Image Profoto A1

profoto.com/academy