Fotoakademie-Koeln

Despite the fact that I have been taking photos for many years, I decided to consolidate my knowledge and practice by enrolling at the Photo Academy Cologne in 2017. It's not an easy path, but there is an opportunity to both deepen your knowledge of photography as a personal means of expression and learn it as a commercial medium. It is a sometimes difficult but also very exciting path. Apart from all the technical or artistic details that you learn, I especially appreciate the ability to create and develop projects from rather vague ideas and to visualize them with the help of photography: whether it is a report or a series of studio portraits or still life, all my colleagues on the course have reached a point where they can walk alone, thanks to the support of the lecturers. Top.

I successfully completed my training as a photographer at the Fotoakademie-Koeln in May 2020. It was a very intense and extremely eventful 2.5 years. During my training, I was able to devote myself to the various semester assignments and the range of tasks gave me a deep insight into the future areas of responsibility of a professional photographer. The training is a comprehensive preparation for the profession of photographer. Of course, the more you are willing to get involved, the more productive the training. The picture reviews are all the more productive, the more of your own photo material you show. The picture reviews were the most productive and instructive times of my training for me. Learning from each other is a great asset and opens your eyes to the limitless possibilities of seeing in photography. The lecturers Oliver Rausch and Frank Dürrach give their entire knowledge and passion into the training very supportively. The standard is high and the results in the diploma are absolutely impressive in an international comparison. The library is well stocked with all the books you need for research. It was a challenging and intensive examination of oneself in the artistic expression of photography ... the fact that there was space and time for this is of inestimable value for me personally. For this I am extremely grateful to the two main lecturers and the guest lecturers.

The course / training as a professional photographer at the Photo Academy Cologne ...... To be honest ... it is a very time-consuming affair !! But it's definitely worth it! I don't want to go into the details of the 2 1/2 year course here, what I think is particularly important at the Photo Academy Cologne is that you learn a lot about your own very personal photography, you learn to recognize your own "visual language" to read and interpret your own pictures and to further develop and use this individual visual language, regardless of whether you want to travel commercially or artistically or maybe even both.

In 2020 I graduated from the Photo Academy. The course lasts 2 1/2 years and you learn everything you need to be able to work independently afterwards. The two main lecturers are very competent and convey their material in an understandable way. Every semester there are workshops by guest lecturers and you slowly get to know the Cologne photo scene. You meet like-minded people and have great opportunities to exchange ideas within the academy. Many hours are spent in the academy's well-equipped studios, e.g. when taking pictures with the view camera. Using these is a little tricky but manageable. In addition to the classes in the academy, courses at the photography school take place in the same premises. There you will learn the basics of image design, color management and Photoshop. These evening events are included in the Academy's studies. Each semester you get different work assignments, each of which includes a free project. Most of the assignments are formulated in such a way that one can develop one's own approach and thus gain experience in many areas of photography. Picture reviews are held every week. With these you learn a lot about your own photography and I will miss that very much. You always get constructive criticism and you know what you can / have to work on. It's a busy time, but I've learned a lot from it. I have not only been able to develop extremely photographically, but also personally and I am very grateful to the two main lecturers Oliver Rausch and Frank Dürrach for that. In summary, I can recommend studying at the Photo Academy to anyone who would like to pursue a competent and well-founded training as a photographer.

Studying at the Photo Academy in Cologne offers many opportunities to think outside the box, discover new things and consolidate your own photographic profile. I finished my studies in 2020. I can unreservedly recommend studying at the Photo Academy in Cologne. The lecturers all have a very high level of expertise. The courses are diverse. There are many interesting courses such as, image design, color management, lighting, studio technology, Photoshop, .... The picture reviews were one of the main focuses of my studies and very instructive. I am very grateful for a formative time at the Photo Academy Cologne.