Photo 1 Curriculum

Training the Eye. Building the Foundation

​Photo 1 is designed to develop students’ visual awareness and technical confidence. The course progresses from foundational composition principles to creative digital experimentation, helping students move from taking snapshots to creating intentional photographs.

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Unit 1: Foundations of Composition

Students begin by training their eye to recognize strong visual structure.

1. Rule of Thirds
   Understanding balance, subject placement, and visual tension.

2. Interesting Angles
   Exploring perspective through worm’s-eye view, bird’s-eye view, and diagonal compositions to create dynamic imagery.

3. Framing Techniques
   Using doorways, windows, architecture, and natural elements to frame a subject intentionally.

4. Depth of Field & Aperture
   Learning how aperture controls focus, background blur, and subject isolation.

 

Unit 2: Seeing Light, Pattern, and Perspective

1. Reflection Photography
   Capturing reflections in water, glass, mirrors, and metal to explore symmetry and distortion.

2. Repetition & Pattern
   Identifying natural repetition in the environment and expanding it using Photoshop duplication and rotation techniques.

3. Candid Photography
   Capturing authentic, unposed moments that communicate emotion and story.

 

Unit 3: Creative Expression & Digital Foundations

1. Hint of Color (Selective Color Editing)
   Using Photoshop to isolate a subject in color while converting the surrounding image to black and white.

2. Quote-Inspired Photography
   Selecting a meaningful quote and creating a photograph that visually interprets its message.

3. Double Exposure
   Combining multiple images in Photoshop to create layered, conceptual compositions.