Photography Standards and Competencies

Preparatory Course
State Course Code: 500406
270 Hours with a 90 Hour Film and a 90 Hour Digital Addition for a total of 450 hours.
Assessment: Selected response and performance assessments

  1. Safety - 10.8 Hours
    • Students will be able to understand and demonstrate safe practices.
    • 1.1 Comply with lab, equipment, studio, and location safety rules
    • 1.2 Know and comply with safety rules for working with photographic chemicals (MSDS and WISHA)
  2. Survey of History of Photography - 7.2 Hours
    • Students will understand the technical history and role of photography, and be aware of current trends in photography.
    • 2.1 Identify significant discoveries, developments, and inventions in the history of photography.
    • 2.2 Understand the chronology of the development and popularization of photography.
    • 2.3 Understand the significance of early documentary photography and its social, political, and scientific impact.
    • 2.4 Identify the historically important figures and sponsoring individuals and agencies.
    • 2.5 Distinguish between various movements, styles, and trends in the history of photography.
    • 2.6 Identify the work of major photographers of the 19th and 20th centuries.
  3. Camera Operations - 28.8 Hours
    • Students will understand and perform camera operations.
    • 3.1 Identify the various parts and controls of a SLR camera (film and/or digital)
    • 3.2 Understand the basic principles of how to operate either a manual or automatic
    • 3.3 SLR camera. Understand basic guidelines for making successful photographs.
    • 3.4 Know and use the vocabulary necessary to identify and learn to use the parts of the camera
  4. Functions of a Lens - 14.4 Hours
    • Know what a lens is and how it works.
    • 4.1 Understand the differences between lenses of different focal lengths for different cameras.
    • 4.2 Identify special purpose lenses.
    • 4.3 Be familiar with both methods of focusing (manually and automatically).
    • 4.4 Understand the relationship between f/stop (aperture) and depth of field.
    • 4.5 Understand the relationship between focal length and perspective.
    • 4.6 Work effectively in close-up situations.
    • 4.7 Know how to purchase lenses for a variety of purposes and care for them properly.
  5. Exposure Control - 28.8 Hours
    • Understand the factors that control exposure.
    • 5.1 Understand the relationship between the shutter and light.
    • 5.2 Understand how to convey motion in a still photograph.
    • 5.3 Understand how the aperture of the camera works in relation to light.
    • 5.4 Understand the concept of depth of field and how to control it.
    • 5.5 Understand the trade off between aperture and shutter choice.
    • 5.6 Understand how to use shutter speed and aperture to control exposure.
    • 5.7 Identify different camera formats and their advantages and disadvantages.
    • 5.8 Identify special purpose cameras.
    • 5.9 Understand how to use a camera and avoid or control blur in your images.
  6. Exposure Control and Light Meters - 21.6 Hours
    • Understand exposure basics.
    • 6.1 Understand the concept of equivalent exposures and how to achieve them.
    • 6.2 Understand how exposure meters work.
    • 6.3 Use in-camera exposure meters.
    • 6.4 Understand how automatic exposure systems operate.
    • 6.5 Understand how to meter different scenes.
    • 6.6 Be able to deal with hard-to-meter scenes.
    • 6.7 Understand how to bracket a scene.
  7. Design elements/principles - 43.2 Hours
    • Identify the fundamental design elements and know how to use them effectively to create a composition and communicate a message.
    • 7.1 Understand the impact that framing and cropping have on an image.
    • 7.2 Understand how to use the "rule of thirds".
    • 7.3 Understand how to use contrast to enhance your images.
    • 7.4 Understand how point of view can affect the interpretation of an image.
    • 7.5 Identify some of the "rules of thumb" employed by photographers involved in portraiture and landscape including managing motion, balance, and tension.
    • 7.6 Speak about photographs and present your work to agencies and galleries.
    • 7.7 Compose for specific audiences
  8. Lighting - 36 Hours
    • Student will understand various qualities of light and be able to recognize, produce, and control various lighting conditions including: diffused, direct, direct diffused and back light.
    • 8.1 Understand the basic concepts of degree of diffusion and direction of light.
    • 8.2 Shoot effectively with available light.
    • 8.3 Identify a variety of lighting equipment including lights, diffusers and reflectors, supports for lighting devices, and
    • 8.4 Understand the purposes for using more than one lighting device, and how to position fill lights to achieve certain effects, such as studio, on camera, existing, supplemental, (reflectors, etc)
    • 8.5 Identify a variety of flash units, flash meters, and flash accessories, and understand how they are used.
    • 8.6 Meter for flash and calculate exposure.
    • 8.7 Arrange lighting for portraits and reflective objects, and to enhance the appearance of textured surfaces.
  9. Image Quality - 36 Hours
    • Use the factors that control what shutter speed will stop action.
    • 9.1 Use different types of film and/or digital cameras (resolution issues) appropriate for the assignment
    • 9.2 Control image quality using color control, and other darkroom and/or digital techniques.
  10. Film and Its Characteristics - 13.5 Hours
    • Know what types and speeds of film to use under various conditions.
    • 10.1 Understand the impact of the choice of film on the final print.
    • 10.2 Be familiar with the way film is made and the purpose of each of its layers.
    • 10.3 Understand how black-and-white film records color.
    • 10.4 Use filters to deal with color issues, haze, and reflective surfaces.
    • 10.5 Be able to adjust exposure to compensate for the loss of light that occurs when using filter.
  11. Black and White Film Processing - 27 Hours
    • Identify the essential equipment and supplies needed to process black-and-white roll film.
    • 11.1 Understand the basic procedures used in processing black-and-white roll film.
    • 11.2 Understand what the chemistry does to the film and how to handle and store chemicals properly.
    • 11.3 Understand how development time and temperature affect contrast and density in the negative.
    • 11.4 Understand and use different developers and the correct procedures to process various types of film.
    • 11.5 Understand and use push processing to deal with certain conditions in the field.
  12. Black and White Printing - 49.5 Hours
    • Identify the essential equipment and supplies needed to print from negatives.
    • 12.1 Identify different types of printing papers and understand how they may be used to enhance a photograph.
    • 12.2 Understand the importance of test strips, trial prints, and contact sheets and what they are used for.
    • 12.3 Understand the differences between various types of enlargers and what affects the use of these may have on the print.
    • 12.4 Evaluate density and contrast in a print.
    • 12.5 Use burning, dodging, cropping, and toning to improve the look of your photographs.
  13. Digital Cameras and Photography - 12 Hours
    • Identify the basic features of digital cameras and know how to use them.
    • 13.1 Understand the composition of a digital image and the factors that affect its quality and file size.
    • 13.2 Understand how digital images are transferred to a computer for storage and manipulation.
    • 13.3 Understand the differences between normal-focal length for digital camera lenses and traditional camera lenses.
    • 13.4 Understand how to make adjustments for contrast, color balance and exposure using a digital camera.
    • 13.5 Understand the basic differences between various digital cameras on the market and weigh the relative advantages and disadvantages, conveniences and costs, associated with their use.
    • 13.6 Understand how to use scanners.
    • 13.7 Work with histograms to create better images.
    • 13.8 Understand color management.
    • 13.9 Understand how to store digital images.
  14. Digital Editing and Printing - 49.5 Hours
    • Understand how to prepare a computer to correctly display digital images.
    • 14.1 Adjust portions or complete images using software tools.
    • 14.2 Use other techniques including filters to readjust or sharpen images.
    • 14.3 Edit an image using software including: burning, dodging, levels, masks, retouching.
    • 14.4 Understand the ethics of altering images.
    • 14.5 Understand the relative advantages and disadvantages of a number of kinds of printers and printer technologies.
  15. Presentation / Finishing - 7.2 Hours
    • Students will also use proper spotting, and mounting techniques.
    • 15.1 Spot prints to correct flaws and improve their overall appearance prior to display.
    • 15.2 Identify the equipment and supplies used in matting and mounting photographs.
    • 15.3 Understand how the use of different mats will impact the appearance and longevity of your photographs.
    • 15.4 Cut and produce mats in a number of styles.
  16. Careers - 10.8 Hours
    • Students will be aware of the many jobs and careers in the photography industry and the requirements and skills needed to get those jobs.
    • 16.1 Be aware of portfolio strategies that are audience specific.
  17. Business Practices - 10.8 Hours
    • Student will demonstrate understanding of photographic business practices.
    • 17.1 Understand legal practices such as copyright, work for hire, royalties, and selling usage rights.
    • 17.2 Speak about photographs and present your work to agencies and galleries.
    • 17.3 Understand business ethics.
  18. Critical Analysis - 14.4 Hours
    • Use the vocabulary of photography and art to discuss weaknesses and strengths of various photographs.
    • 18.1 Be able to discuss and debate the possible intention of various photographs
    • 18.2 Use reflection in evaluating own work.