Photomedia

1M7A6942-595

About

The National Art School’s renowned Photomedia faculty offers Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA) and Master of Fine Art (MFA) students in-depth instructionย in the technical skills and theoreticalย understanding across the broad spectrum of contemporary fine art photography and photomedia.

The BFA program introducesย students to all aspects of photographicย practice, from traditional analogue camera andย darkroom techniques to contemporary digitalย imaging processes, advanced digital printing and moving image workshops using Adobe Photoshop and Premier software.

Study is integrated with studio demonstrations, tutorials, critiques and excursions to relevant exhibitions. Students are encouraged to broaden their practical skills and their understanding of the broad history and theory supporting photographic practices. As well as exploring the boundaries of photography in contemporary visual art, students are encouraged to find their own path and identity as an emerging practicing artist. As students progress through their degree, increasing emphasis is placed on individual experimentation and investigation, which fosters the artistic development, creative confidence and critical awareness needed to successfully pursue a career in visual art.

To support and facilitate their development, each student is provided with an individual working and studio space equipped with a personal computer and imaging software. Facilities include individual studios, a well-equipped lighting studio and extensive analogue darkroom facilities. Student projects are supported by digital or analogue camera and lighting equipment that can also be borrowed for off-site work. NAS also has a professional onsite digital print service, The Print Lab, with large-format print capability and managed by a highly experienced fine art printer.

The faculty team is led by Head of Photomedia Geoff Kleem, an artist and educator with extensive experience in teaching and research supervision. His practice, though primarily photographic, is conceptually orientated and multidisciplinary. He has exhibited and worked nationally and internationally, with his works held in public and private collections around Australia.

All Photomedia lecturers are experienced practicing artists, dedicated to engaging, supporting and challenging their students. NAS is renowned for its studio-based, hands-on model of learning, and all Photomedia students receive intensive face-to-face teaching in small classes. Postgraduate students also are provided their own studio space on campus in the new Postgraduate Centre.

In the BFA program, all students take Photomedia in their first year as part of their studio rotations which also includes painting, ceramics, printmaking and sculpture. In second year, students focus fully on a chosen studio area such as Photomedia, however there are always opportunities for cross-disciplinary work.

Facilities

NAS Photomedia facilities include:

  • Individual workplaces (BFA2 students)
  • Individual studios (BFA3 students)
  • Individual studios (MFA students)
  • All spaces equipped with computers with Adobe Creative suite
  • Studio access to medium format inkjet printers and photo scanners
  • Lighting studio equipped with high-intensity flash and LED studio lighting
  • A range of multi-format digital and analogue cameras and equipment for use in class or for loan
  • Well-equipped analogue darkrooms and film processing facilities outfitted with Bessler 35mm, medium-format and 5×4 enlargers
  • Professional digital print service offering large-format fine art printing

NAS has a number of public spaces and opportunities for students to exhibit their works and be involved in professional work experience over the course of their degrees.

CONTACT

Please fill in our online enquiry form below or call us on +61 2 9339 8651 to speak to our Student Services Team.

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Alumni

NAS Photomedia graduates have gone on to successful careers as practicing artists or in the arts sector as academics, gallery managers, curators, fine art printers and other associated fields

Core subject

This outline for Photomedia Studio Elective 1, a core first year subject at NAS, gives an insight into the foundations of the Photomedia program.

This BFA First Year subject aims to further the creative intellectual and speculative capacity of each student informed by a practical studio experience, and to broadly familiarise students with the body of knowledge that constitutes the Photomedia discipline.

Subject Content
The subject follows a program of thematic class projects and exercises exploring the fundamental processes of fine art photography including:

  • Exploring the creative elements of digital photography through the controlled use of digital cameras
  • Selecting, editing and sequencing photographic files and images using appropriate image editing software
  • Printing colour and/or black and white photographs using ink-jet printers
  • Examining photographic print presentation techniques
  • Discussion of the historical, cultural and theoretical contexts of photography
  • Engagement with photographic theories and practice through written exercises
  • Critical discussion of work produced by students in the class
  • Engagement with professional standards of studio practice including Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) guidelines relevant to the Photomedia studio

Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this subject will be able to:

  • Demonstrate developing technical competence using digital photography including camera, software and printers
  • Develop and realise visual ideas through the use of digital photographic process
  • Demonstrate a developing capacity for visual analysis of photographic language and content in order to realise expressive images
  • Describe and interpret relevant aspects of the history and concepts of fine art photography
  • Work co-operatively, undertaking all tasks in accordance with Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) standards relevant to the Photomedia studio

Short Courses

In addition to full degree study, NAS offers an extensive range of Short Courses suited to all ages and experience levels. The courses are taught by practicing artists and are run on campus and online throughout the year, covering every artistic discipline from ceramics to sculpture to photomedia. NAS also offers an extensive school holiday program for all primary and high school students. Visit the Short Course pages for more information about whatโ€™s coming up.

Staff

  • Geoff Kleem

    Head of Photomedia

  • Dr Alex Kershaw

    Photomedia Lecturer

  • Steven Cavanagh

    Photomedia Lecturer (Sessional)

  • Dr David Manley

    Photomedia Lecturer (Sessional)

  • Skye Wagner

    Photomedia Lecturer (Sessional)

  • Damian Dillon

    Photomedia Studio Technician

  • Vincent Watson

    Photomedia Studio Technician

Geoff Kleem

Head of Photomedia

Geoff Kleem is an artist and educator with extensive experience in teaching and research supervision. His practice though primarily photographic is conceptually driven and multidisciplinary, often encompassing installation, sculpture and other areas of practice.
He has exhibited nationally and internationally since 1982 with works held in the collections of the Art Gallery of NSW, Queensland Art Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, South Australia Art Gallery, National Gallery of Australia, Museum of Contemporary Art plus institutional and private collections.
He has had over 30 Solo exhibitions and participated in over 100 group exhibitions. Notably at the Art Gallery of NSW Sydney, Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney, Artspace Sydney, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, Monash University Gallery Melbourne, Australian Centre for Photography Sydney, The Centre for Contemporary Photography Melbourne, Heide Museum of Modern Art Melbourne, The Suburban Chicago USA, Yale University USA, University of Technology Gallery Sydney, PS1 Museum New York USA and the MAK Museum Vienna Austria. His work has also been included in many institutional exhibitions touring Asia and Australia.
Geoff Kleems work has been broadly discussed and reviewed in publications such as Art and Australia, Australian Art Collector, Artforum Magazine, Art+Text, Broadsheet, Eikon and Eyeline Magazine.
Awards include Professional Development and New Work grants from the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council, Residency Fellowship at PSI Museum New York USA, Artist Residency at the Chinati Foundation Marfa Texas USA, Visiting Artist University of Tennessee USA, Visual Arts Board studio residency Tokyo Japan and the University of Sydney Power Fellowship at the Citรฉ Internationale des Arts Paris.
He is represented by Kronenburg / Wright Artists Projects.

Dr Alex Kershaw

Photomedia Lecturer

Dr Alex Kershaw is an artist, writer and educator. As an artist, he works in photography, video installation and documentary film. As a scholar, he connects photographic history and theory with other fields concerned with intersubjective and multi-species encounters such as ethnography, material culture and performance studies. He holds a PhD in Art History, Theory and Criticism with a Concentration in Art Practice from the University of California at San Diego and an MFA from the University of New South Wales, Art and Design. He has written for journals such as FIELD: A Journal of Socially Engaged Art Criticism and exhibited work at venues such asโ€”Tokyo Wonder Site, Japan; Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Art Gallery of New South Wales and Australian Centre for Photography, Australia; Jeu de Paume, France; Oberhausen Short Film Festival, Germany; and Matucana 100, Chile.

Steven Cavanagh

Photomedia Lecturer (Sessional)

Steven Cavanagh has been a photographer for ten years. With a background in Fine Arts, he studied at the National Arts School (NAS) completing a Master of Fine Art majoring in photography. As a photographer, light, the world and the relation to it inspire him. His work sits outside any one photographic genre, referencing the surface of reality and representation, whilst also sitting firmly and knowingly within the psychological space of contemporary art. His images investigate the physical and psychological landscape of masculine identity. He has exhibited nationally.

Dr David Manley

Photomedia Lecturer (Sessional)

Dr. David Manley is a Sydney based artist and educator. He is a lecturer in Photomedia at the National Art School Australia and also works as a Clinical Nurse Consultant in mental health at St Vincentโ€™s Hospital, Darlinghurst. He holds a PhD in Fine Arts and an MFA from the University of New South Wales Art and Design. His work is concerned with the interplay between architecture, the image and human psychology. In 2012 he was a winner of the Head On Portrait Prize and his visual and textural work has been published here in Australia and internationally. Some venues that his work has been exhibited in include โ€“ Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, Monash Gallery of Art, The Australian Centre for Photography, Verge Gallery Sydney University, Galerie Pompom, Blackeye Contemporary Photography Space, NSW State Parliament and the Ulsan Cultural Arts Centre, South Korea.

Skye Wagner

Photomedia Lecturer (Sessional)

Skye Wagnerโ€™s art practice covers a range of media, including performance, photography and video. She has exhibited at MOP, Articulate Project Space, The Paper Mill, Kudos Gallery and Slade Research Centre, London. She has a Bachelor of Media from Macquarie University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the National Art School. Currently she is a lecturer in photography at the National Art School and a sessional tutor at the University of Technology, Sydney, in the Photography and Situated Media Program.

Damian Dillon

Photomedia Studio Technician

Damian Dillon is a Sydney based artist whose solo and collaborative practices incorporate video, photography, painting and collage. He was runner-up in the 2013 Chippendale New World Art Prize and a finalist in the Blacktown Art Prize and the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award. Rebecca Shanahan is a Sydney based artist working in video, photography and installation.

Vincent Watson

Photomedia Studio Technician

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