Rome Fashion Shooting Summer Course

This course is held in English language

If you have a passion for fashion photography and you wish to build up your portfolio, or if you are looking for a creative experience, this program provides you with the technical and methodological skills to set up a fashion photoshoot in an outdoor location, in Rome, with a stunning backdrop, where thousands of years of history blend with the contemporary city.

Our teachers will guide you through the whole process, from the initial concept to the mood board, as well as the studio shooting, the choice of the external location, the organization of the creative team, and the management of the models, so that you can put together all the elements of the story you wish to tell.

Methodology and structure

Under the guidance of our teaching staff, made up of well-known professionals, such as stylists, photographers, and make-up artists, and through both practical and theoretical lessons, you will become familiar with the international fashion industry and the equipment to be used, as well as with fashions and styles over the centuries.

In addition, you will learn how to manage a creative team, choose the location, select the subjects, direct the shoot, and so on.

During the first part, through a historical excursus into fashion photography and through a set of shoots in a studio, you will acquire the necessary cultural knowledge and technical skills.

In the second part, you will deal with the development of the project, through the creation of a mood board and the choice of the location and of the clothes and accessories, so as to bring the static photoshoot to life.

The program continues with the outdoor shoot, and lastly, with the selection of the photos, editing, and post-production operations.

The program is open to high school graduates, university students, or professionals from other fields, who wish to have practical and intensive experience in the world of fashion and image.

Applicants must have a high school diploma, an upper-intermediate knowledge of English (corresponding to B2 level), basic knowledge of photographic techniques (exposure, lenses, framing), and photo editing skills with Photoshop.

Study Plan

The Fashion System and its Aesthetics

A brief examination of the history of fashion photography, with a particular focus on the role of outdoor editorial photography. Afterward, you will take a look at the complex system of relations between fashion photography and advertising and between mainstream and independent magazines, before examining the scope of action of the photographer and how it engages with the magazines he works for, publishers’ requests, and promotional requirements.

Photographic Techniques for Fashion

Over the last twenty years, the lighting and equipment available for fashion photography have evolved significantly. During this module, you will use both photographic and cinema lighting equipment and non-conventional instruments, managed with an in-depth knowledge of photographic technique that is always a means to an end and used to complement the fashion and its aesthetics.

Elements of Beauty and Styling

Styling and make-up will be dealt with in their many different aspects and aesthetic, cultural, and professional implications, with references to aesthetics as the illustration of a time in history and an ethical ideal.

From a professional point of view, the module examines the role of styling and make-up in its various applications, in an editorial feature, a catalog, or a look book, and the elements that come together to create a fashion image are harmonized, by interacting with the photographer and with the location and the set.

Studio

Studio encounters are dedicated to the presentation of case histories and to devising, planning, and scheduling shoots.

Art Direction

A fundamental component in the conception of a photo, that analyses the different visual options and channels the creative process, depending on whether the work is for an editorial feature or to highlight a brand or product, and of adopts an approach to the whole work that gives it a distinctive character from the point of view of inspiration and style, with the aim of strengthening a message through images.

Organization and Production of the Fashion Service

This module deals with the questions related to a photoshoot organized outdoors: from the choice of the location to the casting, as well as logistics and the choice of the most competent team members. Finally, you will acquire the soft skills necessary to deal with and rapidly resolve the unexpected events that are a characteristic of this profession and which emerge in conditions that cannot be put off or repeated.

Moodboard

The mood board is an essential tool to devise a shooting project – just like any other creative project - and present it to a client. In this module, the mood board is broken down into its many different aspects, elements of inspiration, visual trends, and cultural references. Brand personality brainstorming sessions and workshops will be held to look into how this tool can be used through image search and keyword selection to define brand personality and its visual and conceptual territory.

Post-production

This module has a technical and artistic support function that applies to the post-production phase of the material produced, and it helps you come up with solutions to obtain the result imagined at the planning stage, especially in terms of toning.

Review, Editing, Portfolio

This last module guides you through the fundamental process of analyzing the material produced and selecting the best works and using digital editing depending on the objective to be achieved. The result is a portfolio organized with a clear visual storytelling and communication approach that fully testifies to the experience and the skills acquired for further professional development.