Monday evenings, 18.30 - 20.00

Photography plays a vital role in celebrity. Celebrity is often at the centre of photographic culture. This course looks at the connections between photography and celebrity, from a 19th-century desire to look at increasingly detailed images of celebrities, via the golden age of mass-reproduced photographs of stars in the 20th century, to the present day where social media influencers use photography to create a 21st century form of celebrity.

Led by writer and lecturer Stephen Bull

Who is this for?

This introductory course is designed for anyone interested in photography’s influence on celebrity. It also highlights celebrity's influence on photography. It may be of special interest to commercial and fine art photographers, photography and cultural historians, and those with a wider interest in culture and celebrity. But no prior knowledge or experience of photography, or the concept of ‘celebrity’, is necessary. 

Details on how to access the course, via the Zoom platform, will be confirmed ahead of course start. Please check your junk folders if you haven't received an email from TPG staff.

Biography

Stephen Bull is a writer and lecturer. He is a Senior Lecturer in Photography at the University of Brighton. He is the author of Photography (Routledge, 2010, second edition forthcoming), the editor of A Companion to Photography (Wiley-Blackwell, 2020) and is currently completing the book Photography and Celebrity (Routledge). Stephen has published two photobooks on the theme of photography and celebrity, A Meeting With A Celebrity and Meeting Hazel Stokes. He has also been a regular contributor to Source magazine since 1996.

Bursaries

A number of partial bursaries covering 50 per cent of course fees will be awarded on a first come basis. Applicants who wish to be considered for a partial bursary should submit a statement (max. 500 words) to projects@tpg.org.uk, outlining how Colour Photography: Histories and Techniques would contribute to their professional development. Successful applicants will be notified within a week of submission. 

We actively encourage applications from groups who are currently underrepresented in the cultural sector in the UK. This includes people who identify as D/deaf, disabled* and neurodivergent; those with caring responsibilities; candidates from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds; and arts and culture professionals whose career development has been negatively impacted by Covid-19, prioritising independent artists, freelancers and those made redundant/at risk of redundancy since 2020.

*The Equality Act 2010 defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment, and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Sharing that you are disabled will not be used in any way in judging the quality of your application.