GRADES: 9, 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite: None
Length: One trimester/one-half credit (may not be repeated for credit)

Course Description

In this course, students will be introduced to the basics of digital photography including: shutter speed, aperture, ISO, depth of field, camera operation, handling & safety, light quality & quantity, composition and professional photo editing software. Students use Adobe’s Creative Cloud (InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator) to create various independent and group projects that with some of them benefiting the school and broader community. Projects may include: Nature/Landscape Photography, Action Photography, People Photography, Pet Photography, Lightpainting, Surreal Landscape, Photo collage, Event Photography and/or Portfolio Design.

Course qualifies for Fine Arts and Career & Tech credit.

Required Material

• Chromebook or other type of computer
• Headphones
• Digital Camera – can be checked out from the school

Course Resources

• Nikon Website
• Digital Photography School Website
• LinkedIn Learning Website
• Adobe Website
• other texts and websites applicable to the field

Course Calendar

Activities

1. Course Introduction
2. What is Photography?
3. Portfolio
4. What is a good photo?
5. The Good vs. The Bad Photo
6. Camera Operation
7. Focus
8. Composition
9. Refresher: iMac and Google Drive
10. Introduction to Adobe Lightroom
11. Aperture: Learn
12. Aperture: Practice
13. Aperture: Apply – Deep Depth of Field
14. Aperture: Apply – Shallow Depth of Field
15. Shutter Speed: Learn
16. Shutter Speed: Practice
17. Shutter Speed: Apply – Frozen Motion
18. Shutter Speed: Apply – Blurred Motion
19. Introduction to Adobe Photoshop
20. Color Splash Effect
21. ISO: Learn
22. ISO: Practice
23. ISO: Apply (Shapes)
24. Exposure
25. Lightpainting
26. Lighting Basics
27. Reflections
28. A Brief History of Photography
29. Mini Me
30. Careers in Photography
31. Finalize Portfolio Website
32. Portfolio Review

Other Ideas

• Christmas Lights
• Surreal Composite
• Forced Perspective
• Shutter Speed: Apply – Zoom Effect
• Shutter Speed: Apply – Panning
• Colored Water
• Elements of Art & Principles of Design
• Photography Keywords (Learn the language) –> includes test to check for understanding (Google Form)
• Ideation Process (How to come up with good ideas? Inspiration Toolbox)
• Copyright
• File Types & Sizes
• Creating Great Images with your phone