Courses
Photography
Taught by Laura Morefield
ages 14+ (or permission of instructor)
Full-Year 32-week Course
Course Overview:
Photography is a foundational course for students who want to learn how to take more thoughtful, intentional photographs. Whether using a cell phone camera or a digital SLR, students will explore the core principles of photography, including composition, lighting, perspective, and storytelling. This course emphasizes creativity, observation, and technical understanding in an accessible, supportive environment.
Course Description:
This course explores the art of photography and the principles, techniques and strategies students can use to create engaging and expressive works using whatever cameras are available to them, from digital SLRs to smartphones. The journey begins with an overview of camera features and functions and the basics of keeping subjects framed, level, and in focus.
We examine the relationship between foreground and background in creating strong compositions, the difference between landscape and portrait orientation and when to use each, the possibilities and challenges offered by light and shadow, the effects of weather and time of day in creating mood, the impact of a flash under different conditions and how to generate visual interest through variations of texture, shape and the use of negative space.
The student will also learn how to create viewer interest by applying concepts like the Rule of Thirds, Golden Triangle, Golden Spiral and Golden Rectangle to their works.
Schedule and Cost:
Tuesday 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET
Course Dates (click to download pdf)
For Tuition Fees, Code of Conduct, and all the details, see THE FINE PRINT
What your Student will Learn:
By the end of the course, your student will be able to:
• Understand how cameras capture light and create images
• Apply basic composition principles such as rule of thirds and leading lines
• Use lighting effectively, including natural and indoor light
• Experiment with perspective, angles, and framing
• Recognize how photography communicates mood and story
• Take more intentional, thoughtfully composed photographs
• Provide constructive peer feedback
• Build a small portfolio of original photographs
Why this Course is Important:
Photography will teach students to slow down and truly observe the world around them. In a society where images are everywhere, this course helps students move from casual picture-taking to intentional visual storytelling. They will develop creativity, patience, attention to detail, and technical awareness that will strengthen their artistic confidence and critical thinking. Whether photography is a hobby or a vocation for your student, this course will give them a strong foundation for creative expression and visual literacy.
Class Structure and Homework:
• Weekly Discussions & Assignments: Weekly exercises will explore black and white imagery, backlighting and silhouettes, candid photos and action shots, sequential storytelling, depth of field and how to achieve special effects using “camera tricks” like forced perspective. With guidance and feedback from the instructor and fellow learners, the student will combine an examination of famous images with an ongoing self-assessment of their own work to better understand what makes for effective and affecting photography and gain a greater appreciation for the physical world around them.
• Weekly Photo Challenges: Students will use their cameras to compose and capture images that use the concepts and strategies discussed in the previous class and come prepared to share their work with the group at the next meeting.
• Parental Involvement: Parents are welcome to join Google Classroom as students to stay informed on assignments and support their teen’s progress throughout the course. On the last day of class, there will be a curated Photography Exhibition of student’s work that parents are encouraged to attend.
Upon registration, students and parents will be provided with a Google Classroom link to join. Class materials and assignments will be posted directly to Classroom, and students may communicate with each other through this platform. Students may communicate with the instructor through Classroom and student inquiries are usually addressed as quickly as possible between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. ET. Student inquiries made on the day of class may be addressed in class instead of through Classroom.
Course Materials:
Camera device (ranging from smartphone to DSLR)
Other materials will be provided by the instructor and consist of videos, podcasts, websites, and PDFs.