Learning Target

Students will learn the fundamentals of commercial portrait photography by studying senior portraits as a professional service. They will understand how to pose, light, and edit portraits effectively, while also learning the business considerations of photography, including client needs and the importance of using RAW files for high-quality editing. 

Learning Intentions:

• I will analyze the role of senior portraits in the photography industry and how they contribute to a profitable photography business.

• I will learn professional posing, lighting, and composition techniques that enhance the quality and marketability of portrait images.

• I will compare RAW and JPG file formats, understanding the advantages of shooting in RAW for post-processing flexibility and image quality.

• I will explore client communication and expectations, identifying what makes a successful portrait session from a commercial perspective.

• I will practice editing senior portraits in Photoshop and/or Lightroom, applying nondestructive editing methods that enhance skin tones, lighting, and overall aesthetics.

• I will develop an understanding of pricing, branding, and presentation to attract clients and present work professionally.

• I will reflect on how technical quality and artistic direction influence the success of a commercial portrait.

Why: 

• 2.1.5 Practice ethical and legal use of social media and online platforms 

• 3.1.3 Incorporate color, line, shape, texture, form, space and value in photograph

• 3.2.3 Incorporate balance, contrast, rhythm, repetition, movement, variety, emphasis, and unity in photographs

• 3.3.1 Identify and apply guidelines for composition (e.g. simplicity, rule of thirds, point of view, focal point, proportion/scale, framing, etc.)

• 3.3.2 Use critical thinking skills to describe, interpret, analyze, and make judgments about composition

• 3.4.1 Communicate a specific idea or narrative through photographic imagery

• 4.1.4 Demonstrate proper handling of a digital camera

• 4.1.5 Navigate menus of digital cameras

• 4.2.2 Compare and contrast the relationship between focal length and shutter speed for handheld versus monopod/tripod based photography

• 5.1.4 Calculate exposure equivalents

• 7.2.2 Demonstrate nondestructive editing techniques using digital imaging software

• 8.1.1 Critique work with constructive criticism

How: 

Students will apply these skills with proper camera's that are either supplied by themselves or by the teacher. They will then demonstrate their photoshop skills in class in Adobe Photoshop