Systematization of theory and methodology for teaching advertising and portrait photography based on the Russian experience

Abstract

This article aims at systematizing the key methods, principles, and approaches that underlie the proprietary integrated methodology for teaching advertising and portrait photography. Summarizing the authors' wealth of educational expertise and successful experiments in teaching photography in Russia has become the primary objective of this article. The main research methods we employed were as follows: comparative analysis and pedagogical experiment (ascertaining, searching, educational). Findings: Essential aspects of the proprietary integrated methods of teaching advertising and portrait photography have been described; the global and domestic experience of teaching photography has been summarized. The proprietary integrated methods for teaching advertising and portrait photography has been tested by the authors in the systems of higher education, secondary vocational education, and continuing professional education in various fields and areas: design, computer graphics, art photography / photo art, the history, theory, techniques, and technology of photography, including advertising and portrait photography. The following institutions have become the main testing platforms: GOU VO MO Moscow State Regional University, the Arts and Design School under ANO VO Business and Design Institute, the School of ANOO VO Russian University of Cooperation under the Central Union of Consumer Societies of the Russian Federation (Centrosoyuz of Russia). The article suggests a classification of the aspects essential for advertising and portrait photography, provides recommendations for how to teach these types of photography, along with featuring the statistics on successful/failed students' assignments and providing examples of copyrighted photographs taken for magazines.