Photography
Established: 1991
Educational Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Duration: 4 years (8 semesters)
Form of Education: Full-time
Program Director:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krasimir Andonov
Academic Team:
Prof. Dr. Stanislav Semerdjiev (Character Development, World Culture,), Prof. Dr. Docho Bodjakov (Film & TV Directing), Prof. Dr. Svetoslav Ovcharov (Film & TV Directing), Dr. Radoslav Kamburov (Film and TV Directing), Martin Genovski (Film and TV Directing), Maria Averina (Film and TV Directing), Boya Harizanova (Film and TV Directing), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emil Rashev (Film and TV Cinematography), Prof. Dr. Teodor Yanev (Film and TV Cinematography), Prof. Dr. Emilia Stoeva (Film and TV Cinematography, English Language Terminology), Dr. Krassimir Stoichkov (Film and TV Cinematography), Zdravko Ruzhev (Film and TV Cinematography), Hristo Bozadzhiev (Film and TV Cinematography), Petar Nenov (Film and TV Cinematography), Dr. Andrei Rashev (Film and TV Cinematography, TV Equipment and Technologies), Plamen Botovski (Film and TV Cinematography), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valentina Fidanova-Kolarova (Film and TV Editing), Assoc. Prof. Rossitza Ilieva (Film and TV Editing), Eng. Dimitar Stoichev (Film and TV Editing), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nina Altaparmakova (Film and TV Editing), Andrea-Nikol Kostova (Film and TV Editing), Liuboslav Bonev (Film and TV Editing), Zina Nacheva (Film and TV Editing), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valeria Krachunova-Popova (Film and TV Sound), Assoc. Prof. Pavel Stefanov (Film and TV Sound), Dr. Tsvetelina Tsvetkova (Film and TV Sound), Stefan Makedonski (Film and TV Sound), Desislava Georgieva (Film and TV Sound), Ivailo Natsev (Film and TV Sound), Georgi Penkov (Film and TV Sound), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elena Trencheva (Film and TV Design), Dr. Boyana Bachvarova (Film and TV Design), Hristo Karaivanov (Film and TV Design), Desislava Bankova (Film and TV Design), Iva Petkova (Film and TV Design), Elena Misheva (Film and TV Design), Assoc. Prof. Vladislav Budinov (Animation), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gospodin Nedelchev (Animation), Dr. Penyu Kiratzov (Animation), Ivailo Seferov (Animation), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krasimir Andonov (Photography, Black/White Photography, Photography Post-production, Light in Color Photography, Contemporary Photographic Practices), Assoc. Prof. Iglena Ruseva (Photography, Applied Photography, History of Photography, Experimental Techniques and Processes in the Photographic Art, Color in the Photographic Art), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alexander Nishkov (Photography, Advertising Photography), Krikor Vanlian (Photography), Mariana Zhizhanova (Photography), Tanya Decheva (Photography, Applied Photography), Dimitar Vladimirov (Photography, Black and White Photography), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ema Konstantinova (Film and TV Producing), Dr. Hristo Bonev (Film and TV Producing), Dr. Asparuh Nikolov(Film and TV Producing), Petar Harizanov (Film and TV Producing), Ivo Nikolov (Film and TV Producing), Prof. Dr. Sc. Maya Dimitrova (Screen Research and Journalism, American Cinema, Western European Cinema), Irina Ivanova (Screen Research and Journalism), Prof. Dr. Sc. Vladimir Ignatovksi (Theory of Entertainment Arts), Prof. Dr. Sc. Bojidar Manov (Aesthetics of Documentary Cinema), Assoc. Prof. Yuri Dachev (Principles of TV Journalism), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krasimira Guercheva (Aesthetics of Animation Cinema), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ivan Ivanov (Russian Cinema, Balkan Cinema, Eastern European Cinema), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Andronika Martonova (Asian Cinema), Boryana Mateeva (Latin American Cinema), Dr. Krasimir Kastelov (Bulgarian Cinema, Introduction to the History of Cinema), Dr. Yana Dzharova-Karakoleva (History of Television), Prof. Dr. Kalin Gaidarov (Personality Psychology, Children Psychology, Social Psychology), Neli Dimitrova (Character Development), Nikolai Yordanov (Character Development, TV Reality Formats), Alexandra Petkova (Character Development), Prof. Dr. Sc. Miroslav Dachev (Semiotics, World Culture), Prof. Dr. Svetlana Stoicheva-Andersson (World Culture), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ivailo Kostov (World Culture), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Boyka Donevksa (World Culture), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rumiana Evtimova (World Culture), Prof. Dr. Sc. Kamelia Nikolova (World Culture), Prof. Dr. Milena Bratoeva (World Culture), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Boris Minkov (World Culture), Prof. Dr. Yuri Stoyanov (World Cuture), Prof. Dr. Madlen Danova (World Culture), Prof. Dr. Julian Kuyumdzhiev (World Culture), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rossen Roussev (World Culture), Prof. Dr. Kalina Stefanova (World Culture), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mariyana Lazarova (Copyright and Related Rights in the Audiovisual Field), Eng. Zhivko Ivanov (Visual Effects), Prof. Atanas Kanchev (Photojournalism, Photographic Reproduction, Photo Editing in the Media, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tsvetan Nedkov (Technology of the Photographic Image), Assoc. Prof. Nikolai Tsachev (Graphic Design), Dr. Nikolai Georgiev (Photographic Equipment and Optics, Special Photographic Methods and Tools), Raina Vlaskovska (Experimental Techniques and Processes in the Photographic Art), Nikolai Iliev (Street Photgraphy), Boryana Pandova (Multi-media Video), Iva Dencheva (Costume, Make-up and Hairstyle)
1.ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
The aim of this educational programme is to develop capacities and skill of students to be able to work as photographic specialists in all fields of life.
After an interdisciplinary education during the first academic year, priorities focus on black & white, color, applied, advertising and experimental photography.
Students may use their own photographic and lighting equipment or the equipment provided by NATFA.
At their disposal is also the black & white and color laboratory, as well as computer processing and printing facilities.
The specialized training focuses on modules dedicated to the theory and technology of the photographic image, lighting, photographic and computer equipment, special photographic methods and tools, photojournalism, photographic reproduction, graphic design, history of photography, costume, makeup and hairstyle, 2D and 3D visual effects, photographic genres (portrait, still-life, landscape, nude, etc.), experimental techniques in the photographic art (cyanotype, pinhole, fotograma, collage, cross-processing, carbon stamping, etc.) as well as applied photographic genres and methods (macrophotography, architectural photography, panoramic photography, zeitraffer photography, etc.).
Additionally, there are modules on philosophy, religion, literature, theater, music, art, architecture, psychology, history of cinema, semiotics, theory of the performing arts and others.
2. EDUCATION
Education is only full-time, lasting 4 years. Graduates who have completed their credits under the programme curriculum have to pass an oral and written graduation exam in the respective field of study, as well as a practical diploma defence on their choice – either a photo book or a photo exhibition.
3. QUALIFICATION
Graduates acquire a bachelor’s degree, with professional qualification “Photographer”. They have options to work in Bulgaria and abroad in all fields of science, technology, life, periodicals, book publishing, printing, cinema, video, television, exhibitions, fairs, etc. They may hold positions related to the pictorial functioning of photography, slides and audiovisual series; can work as photographer-reporters, photographer-editors, curators of photo exhibitions, collections and multimedia products, experts in the new media. Graduates could also continue further their education in Master programmes.
During their education, students get acquainted with the world practices and models, as well as with the professional terminology in English language, which allows them to work with/in foreign production, as well as co-productions in Bulgaria and abroad.
4. ADMISSION
Applicants must submit a complete portfolio with a set of 20 black-and-white and color photographs without a passe-partout, in classic copying negative / positive, format 18/24 cm, and in mini lab – 20/30 cm. Photos must be:
- Portrait (close-up) under natural lighting – 2 photos
- Portrait (close-up) under artificial lighting – 2 photos
- Still Life under natural lighting – 1 photo
- Still Life under artificial lighting – 1 photo
- Landscapes – 2 photos
- Reportage – 2 photos
- Thematically united series (topic of the applicant’s choice) – 10 photos.
No digital computer processing is allowed in the digitally created photographs. The following technical data should be identified on the back of each photograph:
- Applicant’s three names.
- Serial number (from 1 to 10 for the obligatory genres and from 11 to 20 for the free series).
- Title of the photo.
- Place and date of shooting (year, month, day).
- Brand & name of the camera.
- Lens, brightness and focal length.
- Filters and other optical and mechanical attachments.
The portfolio may also contain scripts, essays, poems, short stories, plays, novels, paintings, drawings, photographs, films, original music, performances of songs and musical instruments, recordings of musical performances and other artistic materials of the candidate’s choice. Textual materials must be in a pdf format and not exceeding 5 pages. Images must be in jpg format. Audiovisual materials must be in mp-4 format and not exceeding a total duration of 10 minutes. Sound materials must be in mp-3 format and not exceeding a total duration of 10 minutes. The purpose of the portfolio is to show the applicant’s interests, artistic preferences, potential skills and mindset in as many details as possible. All materials must be uploaded in the Google Drive cloud space with a limit up to 3 GB.
Stage I – Practical Exam (anonymous)
In the presence of all registered applicants, a topic is drawn and each applicant must shoot a photographic reportage in the exterior using his/her own digital camera and optics. Each candidate is accompanied by an exam supervisor. For the evaluation process each candidate should submit 18 frames, indicating 6 of them as his official choice for the final grading.
Duration of the shooting process: 120 minutes. Applicants who receive a score lower than average (3.00) cannot participate in Stage II.
Stage II: Oral Exam
The photographs of the applicants admitted to Stage II, are viewed by the Final Selection Committee. The Committee comprises of: NATFA’s Rector, the Dean of the Faculty of Screen Arts and the Program Directors of all the programs in the faculty. Applicants attend the screening and are then invited to analyze the results and answer questions, related to their artistic choices and decisions, chosen composition, mise-en-scène, lighting, angle, color scheme and other components. The Final Selection Committee also interviews the applicants about the materials, included in their application portfolio. The aim of the interview is to understand the applicants’ potential capabilities, interests, overall cultural knowledge and mindset, ability for independent thinking and artistic reflections. Applicants who receive a score lower than average (3.00) cannot participate in the final ranking.
