about the specialization
The specialization Applied Photography is significantly based on the mastery of photographic craft : both traditional analog technology and, especially, digital technology, including editing, post-production and printing. Free photography is a necessary inspiration for art, which teaches students to artistically see and creatively think. Students can use their skills in applied photography, which is based on an assignment. Students are trained to understand the relations between photography and text in their final work, in graphic editing and in work with font. In this respect, it is advantageous to cooperate with the field of graphic design. In artistic training, important photographic genres, such as portrait, figure, product photography, fashion photography, photography of architecture and landscape, document and reportage are especially accentuated.
Photo projects, workshops, field trips and exhibition projects play an important role in the education and constitute a form of intensive training. Students collaborate on realizations and assignments from the University of West Bohemia, from the city of Pilsen and private clients from industry, thus preparing themselves for their future practice. Teaching covers all the key photographic genres and also graphic programs focused on working with photos, images and text. Students create their works individually or collaborate on multimedia tasks and also participate, in the spirit of the school program, on interactive educational and presentational projects.
Knowledge and understanding of the history and theory of photography and a general overview of Fine Arts enables the graduates to get a critical approach to their own art. Graduates will be versatile photographers, able to find career oportunities both individually and in a larger team. They will have a thorough technical grounding to have a job in the field of product photography, fashion photography and applied photography. Knowledge of graphic design will enable them to work in desktop publishing and advertising studios. At the same time, their careers can rely on exquisite taste and creativity, and so they can work as artists or reportage photographers.
Graduates of these two specializations can enter directly into practice as employees of an institution or as independent artists in their field. They can complete a follow-up Master's Degree Study Program with educational focus and then teach at schools of all grades and at extra-curricular facilities of various types. The most talented graduates can meet the conditions for admission and continue their studies in a FUD Master's Degree Study Program, at another UWB faculty, at another university in the Czech Republic or abroad.
The above specializations are designed so as to enable the graduates to find a job after completing this three-year Bachelor’s Degree Study Program.
The most talented graduates can meet the conditions for admission and continue their studies in the FUD Master's Degree Study Program Fine Arts, specialization Intermedia Art, or in another follow-up Master’s Degree Study Program. Graduates can also meet the conditions for admission to another follow-up Master’s Degree Study Program at another UWB faculty, at another university in the Czech Republic or abroad.
characteristics of the field and career opportunities for graduates
This field responds to the lack of university-educated professionals who are well oriented in the field of new media and are able to work creatively in design or realize their own artworks. During their studies, students gain insight into the current state of the field, gain knowledge of classical and digital photography, film, video, audio, internet, art history and art theory. When working in the studio, they will be encouraged to experiment and creatively detect the qualities and possibilities of contemporary means of expression. Outputs will be static images, photographs, but also dynamic applications such as film, video, music video, animation, web application, etc.
Apart from the main studio subject Multimedia, students take practical subjects such as basics of graphic editors, painting, modeling, film production, editors for 3D modeling and animation, digital photography, visual studies, etc. Part of the curriculum are also theoretical subjects, e.g. art history, history and theory of design, color − light − space, history of multimedia production, human anatomy for artists, but also compulsory English language at a minimum A2 level (according to the Common European Framework). Graduates will find employment as part of teams in DTP and advertising studios, photographic studios, film and television studios, web design, in creating E-learning, PC games, teaching aids, in developing multimedia applications, or in their own art work.
entrance examinations for the above specializations
preparation for the entrance aptitude examination
When the conditions of the admission procedure and subsequent admission to the FUD have been fulfilled, students who have successfully completed these courses do not have to attend the same courses again and automatically get the respective credits, subject to specified conditions set by the Higher Education Act.
final state examination
The Final State Examination (hereinafter referred to as FSE) is carried out in the form of a general discussion according to the specified topics, published on the FUD website − see Final State Examination − Multimedia, Animation and Interactive Art, New Media, Intermedia, Applied Photography).
Parts of the Final State Examination:
- Defense of the practical and theoretical parts of the thesis, which was submitted in advance
- Exam in the theory and history of the field (specialization)
- Exam in the History of Art
Part of the state exam is to develop and defend the final thesis, which includes a theoretical part and the student′s own work of art.
Examples of Bachelor’s thesis topics − specialization: Applied Photography
- Artist's photographic book − subjective document
- Photo illustration of a selected literary work
- Photo calendar
- Stock photo focusing on one of the topics: jewellery, ceramics, glass, industrial design, food, etc.
- Fashion photography
- Cycle of photos of architecture or landscape
- Photographic document on a current socio-cultural theme
- Image coverage of an important event in the region
- Cycle of documentary portraits − people of Pilsen
- Coherent collection of artistically conceived portraits
Each student has the opportunity to design and submit to the FUD Director for approval their own individual thesis topic.