The Africa Photo Academy

  South Africa

• Cape Town: 
Cape Town (Kaapstad)

Dates: June-December 2008

Description: The Africa Photo Academy is a professional photography school based in Cape Town, South Africa. As a participant of our photography school, you will receive professional photography lessons while visiting the beautiful nation of South Africa. We offer a variety of photography programs, from our 21-day "uhambo" flagship program to a series of specialty courses. Regardless of your existing photographic skill set, we have a course for you!

The Africa Photo Academy teaches participants the art of taking professional-quality photos through the process of experiential learning. From day one you will get outdoors and take photos. And more photos. Through this process of repetition, you will of the Africa Photo Academy acquire the techniques essential to transforming a photo from a mere snapshot to a work of art. You will learn to take photos that exude energy and life.

Have you ever traveled to a destination that is beautiful beyond words? Have you ever been dissatisfied with the quality of your vacation photos? Do you wish you could take photos like the ones displayed in magazines? And have you ever found yourself wanting to jump inside the frame of a beautiful photo? The Africa Photo Academy was created for individuals who have both a zest for adventure and who consider photography to be an expressive art form.

The academy flagship program is our ultimate program offering. We journey across South Africa with the intention of teaching our students how to take amazing photos while also having a great travel experience. More importantly, participants leave Africa with an incredible collection of memories and a wonderful photographic resume.

Highlights: The fundamental principle behind our travel program is uhambo, a journey through South Africa. The Uhambo program starts in Cape Town, which is a very gentle African point-of-entry and a smooth transition to South African culture. We'll spend the first week doing urban shoots with an emphasis on capturing the social contrasts of the city. Cape Town is filled with reminders of South Africa's Apartheid past that will make for great illustrative and metaphorical images. After a week in Cape Town, students acclimatize to their new and exciting environment! A portfolio begins to evolve.

After exploring the intricacies of Cape Town, the program will then make its way along the east coast of South Africa to much more rural settings, including villages in the Transkei and Ciskei. At each site location, our photographers will be given an assignment similar to those from a photography course (a general theme and emphasis on capturing photos on the macro, medium and micro levels). After each shoot, the students will return to the accommodation location, upload photos to computers and begin the editing process. Subject mediums range, from wildlife shoots in Kruger National Park to rural market shoots in the Eastern Cape. Again, our photographers are exposed to a wide array of unique photographic environments.

During the final days of the program, students will edit and print their best photos to be displayed in a local gallery presentation where they will have the opportunity to present their work to the community, and share what they have experienced while with the academy.

Cost in US$: see website

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to South Africa Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 6-12

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Resume
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Exit DebriefingAbroad

Volunteer Adventure Corps's Mission Statement: Central to our program philosophy is the concept of mutually beneficial experiential learning, through which the intern, partner organization, and the communities they serve, have the opportunity to learn, grow, and develop in dynamic and positive ways. Ultimately, we want you to have an incredible experience in Africa while gaining the type of professional exposure that will be one of the first talking points in any job interview.

Year Founded: 2006