Learning Target:

Students will explore advanced composition and creative lighting techniques by studying the style of Brandon Woelfel. They will use light sources such as twinkle lights and neon signs to enhance mood and narrative, and apply basic Photoshop editing techniques to finalize a photo series that tells a visual story.

Learning Intentions:

• I will analyze the photographic style of Brandon Woelfel, focusing on lighting, color, and composition techniques that create mood and emotion.

• I will experiment with creative lighting setups using twinkle lights, neon, and colored light sources to add atmosphere to my portraits.

• I will apply composition rules like symmetry, depth, and framing to direct focus and build strong visual narratives.

• I will plan and shoot a photo series that tells a story through lighting, subject expression, and setting.

• I will edit my photos in Photoshop to adjust color, lighting, and sharpness in a way that enhances the aesthetic and emotional impact.

• I will reflect on how lighting choices affect storytelling, evaluating how mood and message change based on light placement and color.

• I will present my work and explain my creative choices, including how I used Woelfel-inspired techniques to develop a distinct visual style.

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

• 6.3.4 Utilize light modifiers to adjust the quality of light 

• 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 or Lightroom.