Level 1 · Foundation
Photography 1
The foundation photography course. Students learn to operate a real camera on Manual, see like a photographer, and finish their images with professional editing software.
- a-g creditUC / CSU “F” Visual and Performing Arts
- Taught byChris Silva · Laura Garcia
- Who it is forOpen to all students, no experience required. The entry point to the photography pathway.
- CamerasCanon mirrorless camera kits: body, lenses, battery, charger, memory card.
- SoftwareAdobe Lightroom Classic, plus Adobe Photoshop near the end of the year.
- LabMac computers, with the school iPad as a scanner.
What students will be able to do
- Operate a camera in Manual mode and capture in RAW, controlling aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
- Read and use available light, and balance exposure across different settings.
- Apply composition: framing, the rule of thirds, leading lines, and point of view.
- Import, cull, and edit a set of photos, and build contact sheets of the full take and the final selections.
- Export finished, high resolution images and present them cleanly.
Core units
Camera fundamentalsManual mode, RAW, exposure (aperture, shutter, ISO), focus, and lens choice.
Seeing & compositionFraming, the rule of thirds, leading lines, perspective, and finding images where others see none.
Editing workflowImport, cull, edit for exposure and color, export, and contact sheets.
Creative projectsThemed photo walks and studio style challenges that put the skills to work.
Intro to compositingA first Photoshop project that combines finished photos into one piece.
Example projects
How the year builds
Early projects teach one skill at a time: composition first, then the editing workflow, then a single camera control. Later projects combine skills. The year closes by moving finished photos into Photoshop, which sets up Photography 2 and the Digital Arts courses.
