PHOTO 404Professional Photography Capstone Seminar: Self-Marketing and Professional Presence

4 credits · Photography · Penn State

PHOTO 404 : Professional Photography Capstone: Self-Marketing and Professional Presence is a culminating problem based learning course where students analyze, synthesize, and organize their creative, academic, co-curricular, internship and photographic experiences to present to audiences of potential clients and employers in preparation for careers in professional photography or related fields. Trends in effective self-marketing and professional presence change over time with shifts in cultures, styles, and technologies. The Internet has given rise to global niche markets as well, which photographers often accommodate. As a result, there is no clear one-size-fits-all approach to this inconstant problem. We have chosen to apply a problem-based learning approach to this course with the intent that students will work with their instructors and peers to tailor the course learning problems to be relevant to each individual student and still meet the course learning objectives. To achieve that, in collaboration with their instructor and peers, every student will design five individualized capstone projects specifically pertinent to his or her situation. Each project will directly address at least two of the course major teaching topics. Much of the work of the capstone course will focus on reflection, refinement, and synthesis.