Course: Stanislav Marchenko's Course

This course is for professional photographers seeking to develop their personal style within documentary photography and photo storytelling. You can study in person in St. Petersburg or online.

Tuition fee: 8,500 rubles per month. The program is two years long – from September through May, with a break for summer vacation. The fee includes 3 sessions per month with a curator on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM according to the curriculum below, as well as 3 lectures per month by renowned photographers (on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 PM).

If you cannot attend a class in person or online, no problem – it will be available as a recording in your personal account the very next day.

To apply, you must submit an application on the "How to Apply" page and attach 4 to 8 photos from your portfolio in the reportage genre.

FIRST YEAR: Acquiring fundamental knowledge and skills, mastering the craft, understanding the meaning and specifics of a photographer's work, and exploring the landscape of contemporary photography. The mutual influence of photography and other art forms.

FIRST SEMESTER: Introduction to and practical mastery of reportage photography in the most challenging conditions. Thorough knowledge of your camera's functions and ways to "reconfigure" it for work in given situations. Speed and reliability in a photojournalist's work – the primary commandments of the profession.

The history and present state of documentary photography and photojournalism through the examples of outstanding masters; the similarities and differences between these genres. The specifics of photographic language. Fundamentals of photographic composition. The golden ratio, the rule of thirds, and exceptions to the rules. Foreground, midground, and background; dynamics and statics in composition; rhythm, contrast, the issue of background. Color and light in photography as independent elements. Painting and photography, cinema and photography – mutual influence. Practical preparation for a shoot, mastering necessary technical skills. Gaining individual "single-frame" experience during practical shooting and reflecting on it; determining your "working distance" in photography. Overcoming the camera's "resistance." Basics of visual thinking and its individual development. A person in the frame – personality, character, idol, object? Candid/reportage and staged portraits; communication challenges. Developing your own photographic vision, stylistic and genre preferences. The single frame – how it was shot or what was shot; a story in one photograph. Place and time in a photograph. Shooting a reportage: preparation, formulating your own "super-objective," the ability to quickly adapt plans to changing conditions. Reviewing a shoot: preliminary and final selection; constructing the visual sequence of a photo reportage according to a defined task. Ethical issues in photography. Forming a portfolio and presenting it.

SECOND SEMESTER: From imitation to the search for your own photographic language. The image as the basis of a photograph. Selecting and discussing the topic for the term project. Working on it and overcoming arising difficulties; reflecting on your own experience in organizing and conducting shoots; reviewing and analyzing the captured material. Frame format – a cage or free space? The intentional and unintentional in photography; planning or improvisation? Constructing a photo essay (photo series); the logic of a visual sequence. Associations, allusions, reminiscences in photography. Preparing for the independent summer creative assignment.

A note on deadlines: Failure to submit an assignment on time is a slow path to expulsion. No publication needs even the most brilliantly planned shot if it lands on the photo editor's desk after the issue has gone to press. Three late assignments or three unjustified absences result in expulsion from the faculty.

Goal: Mastering the craft, without which coherent photographic expression is practically impossible.

SECOND YEAR – Practical shooting of a photo essay (series).

FIRST SEMESTER: Searching for and selecting the topic, location, and timeframe for shooting the diploma project. The artistic, semantic, and compositional components of a photo essay. Developing your own visual thinking and style during work on the photo essay.

SECOND SEMESTER: Reviewing and analyzing the shoots for the photo essay; preliminary sketches. Working to eliminate semantic and compositional gaps in the photo essay. Layout, its specifics and expressive means. The cover. Visual design of the photobook and its multimedia version; stylistic unity of the diploma work. Finalizing the diploma project, its presentation and defense.

Goal: Forming your own visual thinking and style, and applying it confidently in professional practice.