Resource
The building and facilities
The BA in Photography is housed in the Photography and Digital Imaging Studio which is located in Temple Bar, the heart of Dublin’s cultural quarter. The building was designed by O’Donnell+Tuomey Architects as a school of photography with the lower floors housing the National Photographic Archive, the photographic archive of the National Library of Ireland. In 1997 it won an award by the Architectural Association of Ireland.
The building accommodates the BA Photography programme facilities including photographic studios, digital laboratories and black & white darkrooms. Administrative support specifically for the BA Photography students is also provided here. Additional teaching spaces and lecture theatres are utilized on the Aungier Street campus.
Photography and Digital Imaging Studio
Temple Bar
Studios
There are three large photographic studios which allow students to undertake large scale work. Each studio is equipped with sets of studio flash lighting and seamless backgrounds. One studio can also be used as a daylight studio utilising natural daylight. Students have the opportunity of working with a wide variety of photographic equipment in the studio environment. Most equipment can be obtained from stores and is available to students for studio and location work.
Digital laboratories
Digital processing facilities are distributed across three specialised laboratories. The principal laboratory is used as a teaching space. This is based around Apple iMacs and the use of professional photographic software such as Lightroom, Photoshop and Indesign. A second laboratory is used as printing studio and is based on Epson A2 printers. The remaining laboratory services the requirements of third and fourth year students. This includes the provision of high end film scanning with Hasselblad scanners, large format printing using an Epson 44” roll printer, image processing and digital video editing.
Darkrooms
The programme continues to maintain film based technology with a suite of darkrooms. Two darkrooms provide monochrome film processing and students are free to use them as they wish. There are also three monochrome printing darkrooms available to students. The largest of these contains 15 enlarger workstations and a Colenta dry to dry print processor. Students wishing to undertake specialised work such as large format printing or fibre printing use the remaining two darkrooms which are appropriately equipped.
The building also provides a small canteen and social area for students, plus staff offices.
