QQI LEVEL 5
Black & White Photography
Course Details
BTEI
QQI Level 5
Part-time (10am - 15.30, Friday)
Places: 10
Start Date: 25/09/2026
Finish Date: December
*FREE – Applicants must meet the BTEI criteria in order to qualify for free fees. We have a limited number of places for paying students (€50). Details on our FAQ page.
Summary
Starting 25th September 2026:
What can photography still do when every image arrives instantly?
This 12-week Black & White Photography course returns to the material, physical, and slower languages of analogue image-making through film, darkroom processes, printing, and experimentation.
Working between camera, film, enlarger, chemistry, paper, shadow, and light, students will learn how photographs are constructed, developed, exposed, burned, dodged, fixed, and brought gradually into visibility under the red glow of the darkroom.
The course moves through:
• Camera fundamentals and exposure
• Black & white film photography and development
• Darkroom printing and enlarging
• Burning, dodging, toning, and alternative processes
• Digital darkroom techniques
• Portfolio development and presentation
• Photography and visual culture
Alongside technical development, students will explore photography historically and contemporaneously, thinking about the photograph not simply as an instant image, but as atmosphere, document, memory, surface, and material object.
A 12-week Level 5 programme for anyone interested in analogue processes, visual culture, and rediscovering the magic of the darkroom.
Every Friday for 12 weeks, starting 25 September, the course is free for BTEI eligible applicants (see criteria in “Entry Requirements” below) and just 50 euro for non-BTEI students.
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Title: Art
Code: 5M1985
Level: 5
Type: Minor
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You’ll master both the technical and tactile sides of traditional photography — the exposure triangle, film development, and printing processes — while also exploring the poetic discipline of working in black and white: tone, texture, atmosphere, and time.
Throughout the course, you’ll learn how to master your camera settings and exposure techniques, and build a strong portfolio with a cohesive body of work.
The course will support students in making successful applications to full-time QQI level 5 and 6 courses like our Portfolio Preparation Level 5 and Advanced Portfolio Preparation Level 6 full-time programmes.
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What You’ll Learn
Module 1 – Camera Fundamentals
• Lenses, exposure, and the dance of light.
• Compositional strategies and metering.Module 2 – Film Photography
• Loading, shooting, and developing film.
• Managing exposure for mood and contrast.Module 3 – Development Techniques
• Printing, toning, and experimenting with alternative processes.
• Understanding the tactile language of paper and silver.Module 4 – Portfolio Development
• Building a coherent series of images.
• Presentation, mounting, and digital archiving.Module 5 – History & Context
• From early pioneers to contemporary film revivalists. -
Traditional Black and White Photography (5N0757)
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Places are based on a first come, first basis. There is no portfolio or interview required to gain entry onto this course. We prioritize BTEI eligible students who have a medical card or in receipt of a social welfare payment, listed below:
Medical Card
Supplementary Welfare Allowance
Job Seekers Benefit (Unemployment Benefit)
Job Seekers Allowance (Unemployment Assistance)
Family Income Supplement
Farm Assist
Carer's Allowance
One-Parent Family Payment
Back-to-Work Allowance
Community Employment
Part-time Job Incentive Scheme
Widow's and Widower's Non-Contributory Pension
Blind Person's Pension
Pre-retirement Allowance
State Pension (Non-Contributory) (Old Age Non-Contributory Pension)
Guardian's Payment Non-Contributory (Orphans Non-Contributory pension)
Illness Benefit, where this has been held for a continuous period of at least 6 months (Disability Benefit)
Disability Allowance
Invalidity Pension